I think that Vengeance Is Mine is far too simple a title for this episode. Yes, the main storyline is a satisfying one, the Duke of Sandringham finally getting what he deserves after just being a complete irritant to our heroes from the moment he entered the show. He was always that person feigning friendship, feigning aide, who would then proceed to sell out our heroes the minute he had the chance. But as cathartic as it was to see Sandringham finally get what he deserved, I actually enjoyed the storyline in the first half of the episode far more.
Indeed, the opening of the episode really feels like a turning point at halfway through the war arc. Jaime desperately tries to convince the war council to continue the invasion of lower England. The Prince, as usual, continues on with his spouting of divine intervention and God's will. Yet this time, it's different. Even his sycophantic generals agree that the army has to turn back to the Scotland. It's really a turning point because you feel like the characters realize that it's a point of no return, that the cause is doomed. In fact, in some sense, Outlander follows history on this point, and the decision to turn back demoralized the Scots and led them to feel that they had been betrayed by Prince Charles. There's no guarantee that continuing the invasion would have resulted in success, but for some reason, when the army turns back, the tone shifts and you begin to realize what you already knew, no happy ending is coming. Outlander's strength is always in its more understated moments, and it is heartbreaking to see Jaime praying over a sleeping Claire for her safety. He's the ultimate fighter, the person who can take any punishment and still keep fighting. Yet you see him resigning himself to what's to come.
As a result, with the end coming, and desperation beginning to give way to resignation, it's hard not to begin to reflect on the journey over the past two seasons. I think the scene in the church is the strongest of the episode for that reason. Claire asserting that she has a responsibility to the men in the church is so powerful when you consider where the journey started. At the beginning of season 1, she was thought to be a Sassenach spy, and was treated as a complete outsider by everyone. By the end of season 2, she is Lady Broch Torach, with a responsibility and desire to save some of the very same men who once believed her to be an enemy. Indeed, there is something special in the fact that it is Dougal who gives her over to the redcoats in this episode. Remember, in Garrison Commander, Claire expresses relief at the prospect of being surrounded by soldiers in the same British Army that she was a part of. She enjoys the fact that Dougal gets a taste of being the outlander for a change. However, now, so much has changed, that she has to faint to avoid giving away her reticence to leave with the redcoats, who are now her enemy.
In the end, Sandringham's end comes in the same way he was introduced to us. He promises to help Claire only to betray her trust. It all comes full circle, which is why this episode works even though at times the second half of the episode doesn't resonate in the same way as the first half.
Indeed, the opening of the episode really feels like a turning point at halfway through the war arc. Jaime desperately tries to convince the war council to continue the invasion of lower England. The Prince, as usual, continues on with his spouting of divine intervention and God's will. Yet this time, it's different. Even his sycophantic generals agree that the army has to turn back to the Scotland. It's really a turning point because you feel like the characters realize that it's a point of no return, that the cause is doomed. In fact, in some sense, Outlander follows history on this point, and the decision to turn back demoralized the Scots and led them to feel that they had been betrayed by Prince Charles. There's no guarantee that continuing the invasion would have resulted in success, but for some reason, when the army turns back, the tone shifts and you begin to realize what you already knew, no happy ending is coming. Outlander's strength is always in its more understated moments, and it is heartbreaking to see Jaime praying over a sleeping Claire for her safety. He's the ultimate fighter, the person who can take any punishment and still keep fighting. Yet you see him resigning himself to what's to come.
As a result, with the end coming, and desperation beginning to give way to resignation, it's hard not to begin to reflect on the journey over the past two seasons. I think the scene in the church is the strongest of the episode for that reason. Claire asserting that she has a responsibility to the men in the church is so powerful when you consider where the journey started. At the beginning of season 1, she was thought to be a Sassenach spy, and was treated as a complete outsider by everyone. By the end of season 2, she is Lady Broch Torach, with a responsibility and desire to save some of the very same men who once believed her to be an enemy. Indeed, there is something special in the fact that it is Dougal who gives her over to the redcoats in this episode. Remember, in Garrison Commander, Claire expresses relief at the prospect of being surrounded by soldiers in the same British Army that she was a part of. She enjoys the fact that Dougal gets a taste of being the outlander for a change. However, now, so much has changed, that she has to faint to avoid giving away her reticence to leave with the redcoats, who are now her enemy.
In the end, Sandringham's end comes in the same way he was introduced to us. He promises to help Claire only to betray her trust. It all comes full circle, which is why this episode works even though at times the second half of the episode doesn't resonate in the same way as the first half.
