'Outlander' opinion episode 1x11 recap: 'The Devil’s Mark'

The beginning of the episode has Claire and Geillis being thrown into a pit of rats as they await their trial for being accused of being witches. IMO, their one-on-one interaction here was great because it revealed personal feelings each had for the other and each woman tells the other information the other wasn’t aware of that changes their perceptions of their current situation immensely.

Claire’s voiceover as she and Geillis are led into the courtroom where she says that she doesn’t see any of her friends from Castle Leoch there, IMO, meant that she was starting to get scared that she was completely alone in this life or death situation and that she would have to think of something on her own to get herself out of it and save her own life and Geillis’. Yet, when Ned bursts in, the facial expression of renewed hope that appeared that Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire, put on her character’s face was fantastic. IMO, it showed that she now knew she wasn’t totally alone as she previously thought. Then, Geillis’ facial expression of both surprise, disbelief then disgust as her maid, Jeanie, was called as a witness for the prosecution, was again priceless and a wonderful use of expressing the character’s emotions through nonverbal communication by Lotte Verbeek, who plays Geillis. Then, Bill Paterson, who plays Ned, gave the character superb facial expressions as he discredited each witness’ testimony sometimes using playful jokes and quips. IMO, this added some quick levity to an otherwise dark situation.

When the judges adjourned the court after the trial’s first day, I thought it was sweet that Ned gave Claire a flask of liquid he said “would keep her warm.” IMO, this showed that besides trying his best to exonerate her from the deadly charges, which was entirely his choice since neither Collum nor Dougal sent him to help Claire, he genuinely cared for her and wanted to help her and Geillis out of this potentially fatal affair.

Again, I thought that Claire and Geillis talk in the pit revealed crucial information about both women. Geillis indicated that despite her current predicament, she wouldn’t do anything different if she were given the chance and, IMO, she made Claire finally realize in her heart that she actually loved Jamie when Geillis told her that she (Claire) calls out his name in her sleep. IMO, before she told her that Claire wasn’t completely sure she loved him. Sure, the sex was fantastic, but that didn’t mean she loved him. IMO, the tenderness she shows him, in and out of the bedroom and other emotional cues she’s given along the way, were clear indicators that their relationship wasn’t just about sex or an infatuation.

The next morning, when the warden comes again to get the women out of the pit and back into the courtroom, Claire tells Geillis that if she really is a witch, now would a great time to use her powers. Again, some humor was injected a nasty situation, which I thought was perfect.

Then, when Laoghaire enters the courtroom as the next witness for the prosecution, IMO, Geillis’ expression of total shock and Claire’s expression, which was completely stone-faced expression were both sublime. Each facial expression, IMO, imbued each woman’s inner emotions at seeing Laoghaire there and what her presence meant to both of them.

When Father Bain was next to testify, IMO, I thought his testimony helped Claire’s case so I didn’t see why he was called as a witness for the prosecution. He told the court that his initial impression that Claire was a witch was incorrect when she healed a boy from town who had ingested poison when he thought he was possessed by the Devil. If they were trying to convict Claire of witchcraft, IMO, his testimony did a great deal to weaken their argument.
When Claire and Geillis were alone in a room for a few minutes after commotion erupted following Bain’s testimony and Geillis revealed that she knew that Claire’s story of how she came to be there in Scotland was a lie and that both Collum and Dougal knew it too and that she wanted the truth was a turning point of the story. Claire was being faced with death, so she had no more reason to hide how she had gotten there, whether Geillis believed her or not. After she tells her and Ned comes in and says that Claire must say that Geillis “bewitched” her in order to not be burned, I saw Claire’s conflicted state. She had just revealed her biggest secret to this woman, who has been her only friend there and now she must choose between her own life and her friend’s? IMO, Balfe’s pained facial expressions conveyed Claire’s inner turmoil at having to make this impossible decision. Then, when both women are convicted of being witches and Geillis whispers to Claire that she might be able to return to her own time and then says to remember “1968.” I thought Claire’s confused expression was a bit misplaced since it was obvious, at least to me, what Geillis was telling her, but maybe the tension of her just being convicted as a witch clouded her thinking as to Geillis’ true meaning.

Then, when the warden bound Claire, stripped open the back of her shirt and began flogging her, when Laoghaire leaned in and whispered that she was going to dance on Claire’s ashes. I SO wanted Claire to break free of her restraints and attack Laoghaire and have them engage in a knock down-drag out catfight like one might see on an episode of one of the Real Housewives reality shows, LOL!

Then, like a knight in shining armor, Jamie appears and draws his weapons to stop the warden from hurting Claire further. IMO, it was SO romantic how he reiterated to the court his vow to protect Claire, which was to me an admission of his undying love for her. Then, in the most riveting scenes of the episode, IMO, Geillis, tells Jamie and Claire to run, then, all of a sudden shouts that she is indeed a witch, admits killing her husband by poisoning him and then strips naked to show her pregnancy, where she then adds that it’s the Devil’s baby. She then reveals a mark on her body that she says is “The Devil’s Mark.” IMO, as both Jamie and Claire stare at her and Claire’s voiceover indicates that she realizes what Geillis meant when she said “1968,” because Claire sees that the supposed “Devil’s Mark” is really a smallpox vaccination mark, which meant that Geillis, like her, was from the future. The fact that Jamie had to literally drag Claire away during the commotion, IMO, said that she didn’t want to see a woman, also from the future, being condemned to death.

Then, when Claire finally tells Jamie that she’s from the future, IMO, you could see her fear that he won’t believe her and thinks she’s crazy in her face. You see the terror in her face, but also the relief at finally being able to tell him. When he does finally, after an agonizingly long silence, say that he believes her and apologizes for beating her for disobeying his orders to stay put when he now knows she did so to get to the stones to return to her own time, my heart melted. IMO, you could see the pain in his eyes when he acknowledges that she wants to leave, despite all they have been through together since her arrival. Then, when they have a passionate encounter, I knew (because I read the books) that Jamie’s pained expressions were because, in his mind, this was going to be the last time he would ever touch her.

The next morning when he takes her to the stones and tells her to go, my heart was being ripped out of my chest because, IMO, you could see his inner turmoil at her leaving and how he obviously doesn’t want her to go, but must. Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, showed such tortuous facial expressions as he bid her goodbye and walked down the hill, I started to cry. Then, Claire’s sitting in front of the stones playing with each of her wedding rings and also looking behind her to see the shack with the smoke stack that Jamie went to after leaving her at the stones, IMO, showed her inner confusion about whether to return to her own time and to Frank or to run back to Jamie, who she now realizes she also loves. IMO, when she finally stood up and we couldn’t see which direction she was facing, either toward the stones or toward the hill, was a brilliant way to keep viewers in suspense about her final decision. Then, the quick close up shot of the stones and then screen suddenly cutting to black was an incredibly intense moment.

Then, the next shot seeing Jamie sleeping and then hearing Claire tell him to get up made my heart leap in my throat (even though I have read the books and knew what choice she would make) it still hit me HARD! When they embraced and you saw his inner joy, which she added to further by telling him to take her to his home, Lollybroch, where he promised he would make her a happy life, I couldn’t stop crying even though I knew this would happen.

In conclusion, even though I have read the books and knew most of what would happen in this episode except for the small parts that were added, I thought each actor conveyed the needed emotions exceptionally and conveyed each’s emotions of both pain and elation splendidly!