In a return to form, Outlander explores the lengths we’ll go to for love — all types of love — in “Heaven And Earth.”
Similar to the beginning of “A. Malcolm,” “Heaven And Earth’s” cold open rewinds a little to present last week’s final scene from Jamie’s perspective. He and the rest of the Artemis‘ crew are hanging around and waiting for Claire to return from the Porpoise. Fergus proudly shows Jamie the potpourri he gathered for Marsali before noticing that the Porpoise has begun to set sail.
Jamie goes into full Adorable Romantic Hero mode, rushes to the top of the ship, and snatches a spy glass away from another crew member. He sees Claire on board of the Porpoise and, not to put too fine a point on it, loses it. Jamie’s stricken with panic that he’ll lose his wife again as well as fury that Captain Raines willingly abandoned Claire on a ship of 300 men. Without thinking things through, Jamie gets in the captain’s face and is promptly imprisoned below deck. Not that that slows him down any. As he tells Fergus, there’s nothing he isn’t willing to do to get Claire back.
“ would move heaven and earth,” Jamie declares. “ would risk arrest and death. Even hell. would do it as easily as a prick of a pin.”
Suffice to say Jamie isn’t giving up on Claire without a fight — and he’s not the only one motivated by love. All the episode’s major players are inspired to act by the love in their life, whether it be romantic, familial, or platonic.
Let’s discuss what each character does for love in “Heaven And Earth”:
Claire and Jamie
In addition to love shaming Fergus, Jamie comes up with a half-baked plan to catch up with the Porpoise and save Claire. When Fergus balks, Jamie says he will give his blessing to Fergus and Marsali’s engagement if Fergus gets the keys to the cell. Since Jamie is obviously dead set against the marriage and is admittedly frightened of how Laoghaire will react, this is quite a sacrifice. But it’s also selfish, too, as Fergus points out later in the episode. If Jamie’s mutiny doesn’t work out, both he and Fergus will be killed as retribution and Marsali will be left by herself on a boat full of men — exactly like Claire.
As for Outlander‘s heroine, she is also willing to defy her captain in order to reunite with Jamie. Even more shocking? Claire threatens to kill and/or maim Harry Tompkins (aka the lackey from “Creme De Menthe”) after she learns that Jamie is now once again destined for the gallows. This is quite the 180 degree turn for someone who regularly brings up her doctor’s oath to do no harm. Ultimately Claire decides not to kill Tompkins. Instead, she settles for falsely identifying him as another source of typhoid fever and leaves him to be locked up with the actual source, Joe Howard. That’s pretty cold, Claire, even if Tompkins is basically a cartoon villain.
Most impressive, however, is Claire’s resolution at the end of the episode. She decides the only way to save Jamie is to flee the Porpoise and find some way to warn him. So after uttering her catchphrase, she literally jumps ship.
Jamie, Fergus, and Marsali
In spite of his desire to marry Marsali, Fergus’ main conflict in “Heaven And Earth” is with Jamie. Fergus craves Jamie’s love — a father’s love — and is hurt when Jamie lashes out at him. Fergus isn’t just taken aback by Jamie’s anger: he feels betrayed that the person he looks up to most would put him in danger with so little thought. Eventually Fergus decides to break away from Jamie and follow his own conscience, something that all children do at some point or another.
“I know you won’t give us your blessing now,” Fergus tells Jamie. “You asked me if I would move heaven and earth for the woman I love and I will, even if it means I cannot marry her.”
As intelligent and Claire-like as she is, Marsali recognizes that Jamie and Fergus’ falling out is just a case of a son demanding his father’s respect, even if Jamie and Fergus don’t. As such, she acts as the intermediary between the two. “You can’t see what he’s done for you, can you?” she asks a pouting Jamie. When it finally dawns on Jamie just how self-absorbed he’s been, he realizes that Fergus and Marsali are well suited for each other and gives them his blessing.
Claire and Elias
Similar to Fergus, Elias Pound, Claire’s medical assistant on the Porpoise, desires the love of a parent. Fourteen-year-old Elias does his best to help Claire treat the crew members suffering from typhoid fever. He’s respectful of Claire even though she’s a “lady doctor,” defends her, and is eager to learn from her. Obviously Elias wants to impress Claire and you soon realize why: he lost his mother and has been at sea since he was seven. Elias looks to Claire as a maternal figure, someone who will protect and nurture him. When she calls him a “very impressive young man,” he beams with pride.
“After three days of watching you at your work, I do not think much of it will come down to luck,” Elias says in admiration of Claire’s skills as a surgeon. “But if it is to be luck then you should have this,” he adds, giving her the lucky rabbit’s foot his mother gifted him.
As for Claire, she grows to love Elias, too, as a friend. But for all her talents as a teacher and doctor, she isn’t able to save Elias from typhoid fever. As he’s dying, he mistakes Claire for his mother and, devastated, she plays along to give him some comfort. After his death, she places his lucky charm on his chest. “Your mother would be so proud,” she tells him.
Next: Outlander S3E9 recap and review: The Doldrums
Misc.
- Captain Raines and Captain Leonard are also motivated by different types of love. Raines for the love of his profession, Leonard for the love of his country:
- Raines delivers Claire to the Porpoise because “when the captain of a seventy-four asks you for a surgeon, you give him a surgeon.”
- Leonard is adamant about turning Jamie over because it’s his duty. “I do not relish the task,” he tells Claire. “It would be breaking the law if I did not do it. Perhaps more importantly, I would break a solemn oath.”
- The only thing worse than prison is ship prison. “I’m well acquainted with the inside of a cell,” Jamie says, “though not a floating one.”
- Most Swoon-Worthy Line: Jamie caps off his heaven and earth speech with, “Until you risk all, you cannot speak of love.”
- Elias is the latest 18th century dude to be shocked by Claire’s cursing. “I’ve heard many such things before, madam,” he clarifies, “but not from a gentlewoman.”