Recap: Outlander Episode 11 “The Devil’s Mark”

Outlander episode 11 Starz

Outlander Episode 11 “The Devil’s Mark” (original airdate April 18, 2015) True friendships come to play in Episode 11 of  Outlander “The Devil’s Mark.” The episode starts with Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) being thrown into some dark hole, left wondering where the hell they are. Geillis knows. It’s a thieves’ hole and they will be sharing these tight, cold quarters with a bunch of rats. “You only have yourself to blame for this,” Geillas tells Claire, believing that maybe it was Claire who brought the wardens to her house.

So not the case. It’s that damn, jealous Laoghaire (Nell Hudson) who wrote the note and arranged to have the wardens show up at Geillis’ house, Claire explains. She saw that little wench when they were arrested. “I kept your secrets Claire, you should have kept mine,” Geillis says.

Geillis thinks Claire actually believes she is a witch. But Claire’s far too intelligent to believe in that nonsense and dismisses the thought outing Geillis for using good old fashioned poison, not witchcraft.

This opens the door for Geillis to spill the beans on what really happened and she explains how she started with white arsenic months ago, hoping it would kill her hubby Arthur before she started to show (remember she’s pregnant with Dougal’s baby), so she could be free to marry Dougal. Oh, the baby is a boy.

Geillis believes Dougal will save them, but she’s mistaken. Claire tells her what the real situation is and how Dougal and Colum had a falling out, and despite Dougal sharing everything about their affair and how she was expecting his child, Colum banished him — sending Dougal to his wife’s funeral and telling him he needed to stay away. And he also sent Jamie with him “No one is coming Geillis,” Claire cries.

Chants of “we’re going to burn the witches” awaken the ladies the next day and they are shackled and marched into town to the courthouse. The charges are read, both stand before the court for the crime of witchcraft, which resulted it pain, suffering and death by their practice of the unholy acts.

At first no familiar faces were in the crowd, not a soul from Castle Leoch. Claire’s knowledge of what happened to witches back in the day made her uneasy as rarely did someone accused walk free, let alone live. The doors of the courtroom burst open and in trots Ned Gowan (the clan attorney so to speak), who tries to refute the trial claiming some 1735 appeal that negated it, but the presiding judges disagreed. The only thing Ned was able to effectively argue was fair representation and the trial immediately began (these Scots don’t waste time when it comes to serving justice).

The first witness that is called is Geillis’ housekeeper of five years Jeanie Hume (Lucy Hollis). Well she’s got plenty on Geillis and was rigorous and detailed in her testimony giving a very convincing case. She explained how she witnessed Geillis dispensing love charms and talismans. “Mrs. Duncan was happy as a hog to dispense them.” Then Jeannie drags Claire into her testimony telling the court that there were many times the two of them were together mixing poisons and herbs. Jeanne said she also heard Geillis’ catenations, which sent the cats running from the house.

Ned’s quick to rebut despite having no time to prepare his case, claiming Jeannie as a disgruntled worker who was looking for other employment “What we have here your honor is nothing more than the grumblings of a malcontented maidservant.”

The next witness is Rebina Donaldson (not sure on the spelling, but who the heck is that anyways). Oh no. It’s the mother of the baby that Claire found in the woods. Remember the fairy changeling thing they all believe in? Well, the grieving mother explained how Claire totally screwed that up by taking the baby from the tree. Rebina said that Claire took the child and spoke strange spells over it and when the sun rose they found the changeling child dead and no sign of their own baby.

“I didn’t harm your child, I was trying to help it. I’m a healer I couldn’t abandoned a child,” Claire screams.

Outlander_111-ned-webBut Ned works his ways to discredit her asking if she was there, why didn’t she try to stop this woman from interfering from the work of the fairies. Ned skillfully contends that her fear caused the fairies to not complete the switch. The woman sobs, Ned’s gentle with her, though, and turns to the judges suggesting that maybe they should be thanking Claire instead.

Next witness was Alastair Duncan and he’s hell bent on seeing to it that Geillis gets torched claiming that with his own eyes he witnessed her calling down lightning during  a storm and her eyes were red as flames and then she lept into the sky and flew off. Oh goodness. The crowd erupts. Geillis laughs fully realizing how ridiculous his claims are. The testimony is done for the day and the ladies are exited out. Ned stops Claire and tells her she’s in grave danger, giving her a flask to keep her warm at night and sharing that Colum has no knowledge, nor would be approving, of him being there.

Sharing shots of the flask, Geillis admits her true love for Dougal and tells that “come the rising,” whatever happens — whatever the outcome — she’d do it all again. How about you, Geillis asks of Claire’s love for Jamie, saying she hears her crying out his name while she sleeps. Claire sees a starling flying about and tells a story about her childhood with a message on safety in numbers, but it doesn’t really come into play here.

Outlander 2014Day 2 of the witch trial begins with that little wench Laoghaire strolling in explaining how Claire wasn’t Mrs. Fraser when they first met, she was Mrs. Beachem then and that’s when she came to her for a potion to open Jamie Fraser’s heart to her. Laoghaire tells that she was the one Jamie was suppose to marry (#stillindenial), but Claire took the potion herself. Gasps from the crowd. Laoghaire whimpers telling them that Claire hexed Jamie and turned him against her. Claire’s outraged and tells on Laoghaire for putting that evil wish under her bed and for trying to seduce her husband but she’s silenced.

The next witness was the creepy Father Bain (Tim McInnerny), who you can’t quite tell if he’s team Claire or team witches but then he gives this evil sermon on how Claire is this whore of Babylon that the community welcomed into their midst and how he prayed to God to condemn her, but then God answered his prayers saying he had made a mistake. He went on to explain the story of young Thomas Baxter who was seized by yellow pox and how he had administered the last rites and abandoned hope. “Blinded by vanity I rebuked Claire Fraser but it was she who diagnosed the boy was poisoned and Claire Fraser did what I could not — she saved the boys life.” Oh, OK, so Father Bain is on Claire’s side? Great. But then Father Bain tells the congregation he has a confession to make: “I failed Thomas Baxter. I failed you and I failed God. I’m no longer worthy to serve the good people of this parish. Let me go.”

Oh please, let this lecherous man go. He’s pure evil. But they don’t. Instead someone in the audience stands up and claims it is Claire’s fault that the Father is looking to leave. All part of his plan.

“ I have done nothing,” Claire tells.

But the judges forbid Father Bain from leaving the parish. And that was just the answer he was looking for, so he turns his head and gives Claire a devious smirk. Ned asks for a recess and tells the women that he’s afraid the climate has turned and there’s no turning back, the only thing Ned has to suggest is to save one of them. He can’t save them both.

“Neither one of us is a witch,” Claire seethes.

Outlander_Geillis_DuncanIt doesn’t matter what you are, it’s what people think, Ned explains, and tells Geillis that people have long thought of her as a witch. “You’re beyond saving Geillis Duncan,” Ned says. He tells Claire that she should say that Geillis bewitched her and to renounce her. If she doesn’t, they will burn them both. Ned gives them a moment to think about that plan.

“Why are you here? Why are you here in Scotland? You’ve been lying all along. No more lies Claire. If I’m going to die, if I’m going to burned as a witch, I need to know I’m dying for something,” Geillis demands.

Claire tells her it just was an accident, that’s why she’s there and she’s trying to get back. Geillis looks devastated, she wanted to believe that Claire was sent there to change things.

“Nothing. It’s really all for nothing,” Geillis perplexes. She turns to Claire and as she walks out says, “looks like I’m going to a fucking barbecue.”

Wait! She knows what fucking means? Claire had to explain that to Jamie so how does Geillis know that. And was barbecue even around in 1743?

The women return to the courtroom and Ned announces that Mrs. Fraser would like to address the court. But Claire has made up her mind, she’s not going to condemn Geillis, her only friend. “Mr. Gowan is mistaken, I have nothing to say,” Claire says.
The two are pronounced guilty as charged and condemned to death. “Burn the witch,” some fat hag yells from the back.

Ned goes postal, and pulls out a gun and starts waving it around the courtroom unsure what to do, yelling, “wait you can’t do this.” While the courtroom is in chaos, Geillis tells Claire that she thinks it is possible, and says 1968. Claire’s not sure what that means. Their conversation is interrupted, as Ned fires a shot in the air.

Claire screams this has nothing to do with witchcraft and that they will all burn in hell as they are all bloody murders, the judge didn’t appreciate that and orders her to whipped. As she’s being tied down, Laoghaire approaches telling Claire, “I will dance upon your ashes.” OK, whatever Laoghaire, but it ain’t going to be with Jamie. She’s such an annoyance. Claire’s dress is ripped from her, exposing her bare back and her punishment begins. With only 22 minutes left of the episode, Jamie finally shows up and he’s not happy. He tells the court that he took an oath to protect this woman and anyone who comes in his way will be the first man down, and frees Claire.

As the courtroom is silenced as everyone is unsure what to do, Geillis begins her greatest act of all saying: “This woman is no witch. But I am.”

“Geillis no,” Claire cries out.

Outlander_111-Geillis“I confess that I killed my husband Arthur Duncan by the means of witchcraft. I took advantage of the ignorance of Claire Fraser bewitching her for my purposes. She neither took part in nor had knowledge of my dealings. Nor does she serve my master,” Geillis continues. She then rips down her sleeve – exposing that round smallbox vaccination most of us have — and states, “See here – I bare the mark of the devil.”

Claire suddenly realizes that Geillis too is from the future — 1968. Geillis tells Claire and Jamie to run. Geillis then really turns on the show, stripping her clothes off and exposing her pregnant belly. “I am the mistress of satan, I carry his child.” They carry Geillis out of the courtroom and parade her through town preparing for her to be burned.

Outlander_111_web2Jamie and Claire escape to the woods, where Jamie tends to Claire’s wounds on her back. He kneels beside her and asks her that if there’s one thing he needs from her it’s honesty and while he understands she can’t tell him everything, he needs to know the truth. She agrees. So what do you think he asks? The obvious of course.

“There’s one thing I need to ask for your safety and mine. Are you a witch?” Jamie asks.

“Are you serious,” Claire responds.

She’s got the same scar that Geillis had on her arm. “She called it the devil’s mark,” Jamie questions. “I’m not a witch. After you hear the truth maybe you’ll think otherwise,” Claire tells.

And then she beings to explain how she’s never had small pox. “I can walk through a room of dying men and never catch it. The sickness cannot touch me. This mark is called a vaccine and it prevents me from getting the disease, but you wouldn’t know this because it’s from the future.” She goes on to tell him how she knew about Jack Randall and the Duke of Sandringham. She tells that she knows about the Jacobites and their doomed cause. Crying Claire continues: “I know what’s going to happen to the Scots. I know all of this because I am from the future. I was born on October 20,1918. That’s 200 years from now. Do you hear me?”

Jamie sits in long silence before he tells her he heard, and then that he believes her. He doesn’t understand it, but he trusts her word, her heart. “I trust there is a truth between us. Whatever you tell me, I will believe you.”

He asks  Claire to tell him more. She tells him everything – the whole story about her being a war nurse and the history of the Scots. Jamie realizes that when she went back to the stones that day, she was trying to get back to her husband. He’s disgusted in himself, the fact that he beat her for it. “I’m so very, very sorry.”

“Don’t. You couldn’t have known,” Claire cries.

Rest now, Jamie comforts. No one will harm you. I’m here.”

“Do you really believe me?” Claire asks. I mean really, that is some heavy story.

Jamie does, and laughs saying, “although it would be a good deal easier if you were a witch.”

They ride hard for several days, Jamie explaining Lallybroch and a life they can create there. As they break for some rest, Jamie pleases Claire in front of a warm fire. As the morning rises, Claire is happy she tells Jamie she’s ready to go home. Jamie escorts her up a hill where she sees the stones – it wasn’t the home Claire thought she was going to.  Jamie takes her hand and they walk toward the stones. They find the stone – Jamie surveys it and asks what she did. “I really didn’t do anything. I heard this buzzing sound,” and Claire moves into the rock. Jamie stops her telling her he isn’t ready. Ah, yeah – we’re not either.

OUT_111-20140502-ND_0129.jpg“You have a home there on the other side of the stone,” Jamie tells her. “And Frank. There’s nothing for you on this side accept violence and danger. Now go. I’ll stay at the camp till nightfall to make sure that you’re safe,” and with that Jamie bids Claire goodbye. Gulp.

Claire sits in front of the stone playing with her wedding ban still seeing Jamie’s campfire in the distance. She heads to the stone and the screen goes black.

Next we see Jamie in front of the fire alone. “On your feet soldier,” Claire says. “Take me home to Lallybroch.”

She stayed!!!!

 

 

3 Comments

  1. Very thorough but it is “the whore of Babylon” the preacher referenced and Claire warns Jamie about what he will hear not here.

  2. I only wish I could hear the terms of endearment that Jamie whispers to Claire as he holds her crying — the Gaelic words that is.

Comments are closed.