Lallybroch (Episode)

Lallybroch
Airdate	April 25, 2015
Runtime	58 minutes
Writer	Anne Kenney
Director	Mike Barker
Production Code	112
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This article is about an episode of Season One. You may be looking for the location.

Lallybroch is the twelfth episode of Season One of the Outlander television series.

Summary

Reunited, Claire and Jamie make their way to Lallybroch – Jamie's family home. Reality quickly sets in, and old wounds are reopened between Jamie and his sister, Jenny.

Plot

The following contains plot spoilers – read at your own risk.

Jamie and Claire make their way back to Lallybroch; Claire entertaining him with stories of the technological wonders of the future. When they come within sight of the estate, Jamie becomes apprehensive, remembering the last time he was there and his initial encounter with Captain Jack Randall. He shares with Claire the rumors he’s heard that his sister, Jenny, was raped by Randall, but Claire urges him not jump to conclusions until he can talk to Jenny himself. Upon entering courtyard, they are greeted enthusiastically by a visibly pregnant Jenny and a young boy whom she reveals to be Jamie’s nephew and namesake, “Wee Jamie”. Things turn ugly between the two siblings when Jamie indignantly asks his sister why she would name Randall’s bastard child after him and questions the legitimacy of the child she is carrying. Jenny, visibly insulted by Jamie’s unsubstantiated insinuations, escalates the situation by referring to Claire as Jamie’s “trollop”. The tension is quickly diffused with the appearance of Jamie’s old friend, Ian Murray, sporting a wooden leg due to a war injury and revealing him to be Jenny’s husband and father to both of her children.

The four retire inside where Jamie demands that Jenny tell him what happened between her and Randall four years ago, to which she reluctantly agrees. After flogging and knocking Jamie unconscious, Randall had taken Jenny into the bedroom and prepared to rape her, although he struggled with achieving arousal. As Jenny observed him trying to manipulate himself to arousal, she began to laugh at him, to which Randall struck her and demanded that she stop. Undeterred, Jenny continued laughing, angering him even more until he slammed her head into the bedpost, knocking her unconscious. When she revived, Randall and his troops had left with Jamie in custody and she has never seen him since.

Jenny concludes the story snidely remarking that Jamie owes her an apology for earlier assuming that she had borne Randall’s illegitimate child. Jamie suggests that he has already done so, but Claire interjects, siding with Jenny and insisting that Jamie owes her an apology. This creates an awkward moment as Claire has, again, unknowingly breached gender protocol, whereupon Jamie takes her into another room and chastises her that as the wife of the Laird, it is inappropriate that she publicly contradict him, to which Claire reluctantly acquiesces. Returning, Ian steers to the conversation to asking about Claire and her home which leads her to observe that Lallybroch is now her home. This elicits surprise from Jenny when she realizes that Jamie and Claire intend to stay although there is still a price on Jamie’s head. Jamie explains that he is expecting a pardon from the Duke of Sandringham and that, indeed, he intends to stay and assume his place as Laird Broch Tuarach.

Claire and Jamie retire to the Lairds bedchamber to freshen up for supper and Jamie reminisces about his father and how he would sneak into this room as a boy and imagine what it would be like to be the Laird. Claire points out to him that he is the Laird now and inquires about the last time they were together. Jamie explains that the last time he saw his father was when he was imprisoned at Fort William. Jamie, being lead to be interrogated by Randall, passes his father in the hallway, having just left Randall after making a plea for his son’s release. They embrace and his father gives him a kiss on his cheek, promises that he will do whatever he can for his release, and urges him to be strong.

Jamie then finds himself in Randall’s office, who explains that while his father might be able to appeal to the Duke of Argyle for his release, he would not be able to do so in a timely enough fashion to prevent Jamie from undergoing his next flogging. Randall then offers him the choice that if Jamie would consent to a sexual encounter with him, he would forego the punishment and release Jamie immediately; which Jamie admits to Claire, he seriously considers given that the wounds from his first flogging are fresh on his back and being “buggered” by Randall would probably be less painful. In the end Jamie is unable to relent as he can’t stand the thought of disappointing his father by letting Randall break his spirit. This leads to the events, shown previously, of the vicious flogging Randall delivers to Jamie, leaving his back horribly scarred. His father, present during all of this, falls dead from apoplectic shock of seeing his son mutilated almost to death before his eyes. Claire consoles Jamie and tells him that he’s not to blame for his father’s death as Randall would’ve likely flogged him regardless for the sick pleasure it gave him. Their moment is interrupted by Jenny impatiently reminding them through the door that supper won’t keep and that they should come down to dine.

At dinner, Ian mentions that Quarter Day, where the tenants of Lallybroch come to pay their rent, is tomorrow and that Jamie should take charge as the townsfolk will want to celebrate and meet the new Laird. Claire worries about too much publicity around Jamie’s return, as his pardon has not yet come through. Jenny dismisses this and ruefully insists that this collection will be critical to keeping the estate afloat given poor harvests the past two seasons has left Lallybroch in poor financial shape. Hearing this, Jamie promises to go over the ledgers after supper to prepare, which earns a not so subtle chastisement from Jenny since Jamie has not yet visited his father’s gravesite since he’s been home. This leads to the two to bicker further and supper proceeds with awkward silence.

The following day, Jamie and Claire greet the townsfolk as they gather at the Lallybroch estate for Quarter Day. Jamie, however, takes a cavalier approach to the business of collecting the rent, spending more time drinking and slapping backs with his tenants. Claire meanwhile, intervenes on behalf of a young boy, Rabbie MacNab, she sees being viciously beaten by his father. She asks Jamie to speak with the father, only to learn later that his handling of situation is sloppy, being too preoccupied with being celebrated as Laird. Jamie comes to bed roaring drunk that evening and passes out.

In the morning, a very hung over Jamie, is harangued by Jenny for failing to collect the rent the estate needs as well as his clumsy handling of the McNabb boy, who has been thrown out of his house and sent to live with them. Jenny berates both Jamie and Claire for so quickly marginalizing her involvement in the affairs of the family as they’ve only been home for a few days. Jamie angrily retorts that he is head of the house and doesn’t need to consult with his sister over how the estate is to be run. Jenny, clearly annoyed by Jamie’s arrogance and stubbornness, makes sarcastic deference to “Laird Broch Tuarach” and storms out. Jamie’s mood darkens further when he sits down to eat breakfast only to find the bread tastes awful. When he questions Mrs. Crook, the head maid, about the quality of the food, she explains the mill is not working and the kitchen is forced to hand grind the flour until it’s repaired. Exasperated, Jamie leaves to deal with the problem himself.

Claire follows Jamie out to the mill, where he’s diagnosed the problem to be something jammed in the sluice of the waterwheel. Despite Claire’s protests, Jamie strips down to his shirt and wades into the mill pond to try and unclog the sluice. As he’s working, Jenny hurriedly appears and alerts Claire to a British patrol approaching. Jamie notices the patrol from the water and dives underneath the surface to hide. Jenny exchanges pleasantries with the British officer leading the patrol and apologizes for not being able to provide any meal, as the mill is not working. Unfortunately, instead of moving on, the officer, who has experience with such machines, looks to investigate closer. Just as he’s about to enter the pond and discover Jamie hiding, the wheel begins turning again to reveal Jamie’s shirt snared on one of the louvers, which the officer incorrectly concludes is the cause of the problem.

The British patrol continues on and Claire calls out to Jamie to let him know the coast is clear. Jamie pops up naked, breathless, and shivering from the cold water. He turns his back to the women and implores Jenny turn around so that he can get out of the water discreetly. Jenny sees the scars on Jamie’s back for the first time and, visibly shaken, she hurries away.

That evening, Claire is wandering the halls alone, looking at the Fraser family portraits hanging on the walls, when she runs into Ian. Ian recounts the story of how he was wounded in battle in France and how it was Jenny who nursed him back to health and how her persistence eventually led to their getting married. He also admits that it’s the Frasers propensity for being stubborn and headstrong that is at the root of Jamie and Jenny’s current conflict. When Claire asks what he would do, Ian offers a simple solution of, “giving them a swift kick in the backside, and keep doing it until they listen.” Claire then returns to her bedchamber and wakes Jamie up by dragging him out of bed and insists that he listen to her. She chides him for his arrogant and boorish conduct, accusing him of not behaving like himself and pretending to be somebody he’s not in order to fit the mold of the Laird. Finally she cautions him that if he’s not careful he will alienate all the remaining family he has left.

The next morning, Jamie is visiting his father’s grave when Jenny arrives and startles him, to their mutual amusement. Jamie offers Jenny an apology and concedes that he was wrong not to involve her in the affairs of the estate and vows to do better in the future. Tearful, Jenny then claims that it is her who owes him an apology, making him apprehensive as to what. Jenny goes on to confess that she had blamed Jamie for what happened to their father, believing he had been punished further by Randall because of something he brought on himself; but when she saw his scars and realized the level of malevolence that Randall had unleashed, she determined it was retribution for her humiliating him in their previous encounter. She goes on to blame herself for Jamie and their father’s death, claiming if she had just acquiesced to Randall’s advances, none of the following events would have happened. Jamie embraces her and admonishes her for even considering such a thing, telling her that it’s neither her fault nor his fault, with the only person to blame being Randall himself. Having made peace, Jenny smiles at her brother and offers him a heart-felt welcome home.

That evening Claire and Jamie, both looking more content, share a quiet moment in their bedchamber. Jamie confesses to Claire that he became smitten with her the first moment he met her and professes his love. Claire reciprocates and admits that she feels like she belongs for the first time since she arrived in Scotland. They share a passionate kiss where the scene cuts to the following morning. Claire wakes to find Jamie missing from bed. As she exits her bedroom she hears Jamie’s voice from downstairs demanding why someone had entered his house. She approaches the banister where she is shocked to find Jamie flanked by two men holding pistols at his head and threatening to kill him in front of her.

Cast

Main Cast Caitríona Balfe as Claire Randall Fraser Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser Tobias Menzies as Black Jack Randall Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie Laura Donnelly as Jenny Murray Douglas Henshall as Taran MacQuarrie Steven Cree as Ian Murray

Guest Cast Francis Magee as Crenshaw Douglas Russell as Lennox Andrew Whipp as Brian Fraser Richard Jack as Ronald MacNab Jamie Kennedy as Rabbie MacNab Matthew Douglas as Corporal Dawson Richard Cant as Collins Aaron Wright as Wee Jamie Margaret Fraser as Mrs. Crook Paul Charlton as Duncan Naomi Neilson as Mabel David Leith as Robert Stephen Bisland as British soldier

Trivia

• "Lallybroch" is the title of Part V of Outlander. This section comprises eight chapters (Chapter 26, "The Laird's Return" through Chapter 33, "The Watch").
• Lallybroch is the name of Jamie's childhood home. His sister, Jenny, lives there with her family.
• The tombstone for Brian Fraser's grave is shown inscribed with a Gaelic translation of Song of Solomon 4:6: Gus am bris an là, agus an teich na sgàilean. (Until the day break, and the shadows flee away).

Multimedia

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Outlander Ep. 112 Preview STARZ

Outlander Ep. 112 Clip Rumors STARZ

Stills