Outlander
Season 1 Episode 14: “The Search”
Directed by Metin Hüseyin
Written by Matthew B. Roberts
Created by Ronald D. Moore
Based on the books by Diana Galbadon
Starring Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Duncan Lacroix, Graham McTavish, Tobias Menzies, Grant O’Rourke, Stephen Walters, Gary Lewis, Steven Cree, Laura Donnelly
Starz
Air Date: Saturday, May 9th, 2015, 9:00pm

Outlander last week found the star-swept couple in a very tense situation in their own home at Lallybroch. “The Watch,” kind of like the Scottish Mafia, came to the home to get some dinner, and were suspicious of Jaime (Sam Heughan) from the start. Of course, hothead that he is, he took exception to them being crass, setting a wagon of hay on fire, and generally being asses. The main guy was not so bad. MacQuarrie (Douglas Henshall), who recognized a solid man in Jaime, so much so that he did not bat an eye when Jaime (really Ian – Steven Cree), killed a hired hand who recognized Jaime and the fat price on his head. The men went out on a mission. Only Ian, limping home because his fake leg was missing and the guy who helped him came back. Jaime and MacQuarrie had been captured.

While all this was happening, Claire helped Jenny (Laura Donnelly) give birth, and it was just as fun as you can imagine when the baby is breech, it is the 1700s, you are in non-sterile conditions, without pain meds, and your makeshift midwife has never delivered a baby before. Oh, the baby was fine. And this fixed their tension right up.

Outlander 1.14 “The Search” review: It’s a Claire and Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) buddy movie, is what it is. It begins as Jenny and Claire set out to find Jaime on their own. Ian is too hurt. They do come upon a camp and capture one of the Redcoats, but while they are arguing about what to do with the prisoner, Murtagh comes along and solves that problem. Jenny can go home now. I was glad of that, because for all that it is natural and beautiful, I have never watched a woman express breast milk on television before. If Laura Donnelly was not really doing that, then the special effects team deserves an Emmy for that scene alone. It was spot on.

I was not kidding when I said buddy movie. There’s actual riding of horses through the surf on a beach. They hug it out, as Claire finds out Murtagh’s real feelings. I was a little miffed at Claire. She kept saying to Murtagh that he never lost anyone. Come on Claire! People die every episode. It’s a violent world. And the highlanders are not exactly forward with their feelings. So the assumption should be made that everyone has lost a lot of people, not that he never lost anyone.

There’s also singing and dancing to lure Jaime out of hiding, to come to them. They hit a snag when they come upon some gypsies singing their song. Copyright laws were not yet invented, I guess. Word does get through to them anyway. It’s not the word they were hoping for. Anything involving Dougal (Graham McTavish) always has ulterior motives behind it. I was not surprised to hear his.

I was surprised at the deal he and Claire struck.

Two more episodes left!

Outlander airs Saturday nights at 9pm ET on Starz.

Image Gallery

Video

Outlander 1×14 – Promo “The Search”