Outlander –“The Search” Review. Love Knows No Bounds.

Season 1, Episode 14

Air Date: Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 9PM ET/PT on Starz

Rating: ★★★★★

“You’re being clever, not wise.” – Dougal MacKenzie

Yeah, this totally weirded me out. I love Claire but she looks ridiculous.

I must admit, this particular version of book events doesn’t come across anything like I imagined it would. But that’s to be expected, right? An author’s vision differs from reader to reader as it can also vary from the director’s point of view. “The Search” continues to explore the characters’ strengths and weaknesses. It isn’t just about Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) search for Jamie (Sam Heughan), no. Claire has to look inside just as much as she physically seeks her husband. Her search begins with finding her inner strength. She has to dig deep to learn exactly what she can endure and is willing to do for love. Claire doesn’t have the ‘easy life’ she’s grown accustomed to in her own time. Surviving in the past, traversing unforeseen obstacles and unknown lands has her reaching new highs. She’ll never go back to the woman she once was. Claire is proving to herself, as well as others, she is a Fraser through and through.

Random Tidbits

So begins the tale of how I fell in love with the greatest character in the Outlander franchise (next to Jamie and Claire, of course). Murtagh Fitzgibbons (Duncan Lacroix)—he’s not the kind of man you’d expect to have or show his feelings. Especially when those feelings are ones related to love and affection. He comes across as gruff, and is a man of few words. But Murtagh is more than the quiet uncle of Jamie Fraser. He’s a man Claire wants in her corner. When no one else will stand by Claire, Murtagh steps up. His relationship with Jamie is laid bare and Claire’s eyes are opened. It’s never bad to have a brave, rough and tumble Scot in your corner when faced with dire straits.

What a dynamic duo. I kind of want to see more of these two together.

What’s funny is the opening shot in the credits, which kind of fits as a foretelling of sorts. I’m referring to the puppet scene. You can see a slight resemblance to Claire in one of the puppets. The scene is similar to when Claire disappears from her time and falls into 18^th century Scotland-the only difference being the two fairy puppets surrounding the lone female puppet. Were fairies coaxing the female puppet into touching the stones or were they warning her of the danger of them? Kind of makes me wonder whether there was a presence lurking in the area when Claire was at Craigh Na Dun. What I take away from the full scene is Claire’s reluctance at going along with what others want. Murtagh tells her she’s “stubborn,” which, yeah she kind of is. Her bullheadedness is what gets Claire into trouble though. She’s only played like a puppet in reference to one man. “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies) can pull her strings to get Claire to do a little dance. What, pray tell, are her strings? Her love for Jamie.

Jenny (Laura Donnelly) shows why she is as tough as nails. She can track men, torture them into giving up information, and all just days after bringing a baby into the world. I could barely get up the strength to do anything but sleep after giving birth. Claire sees something in Jenny she hadn’t before. She finds a kinship with the woman who doesn’t seem to have a gentle bone in her body. Jenny shows Claire things she wouldn’t see otherwise. The simple act of Jenny relieving her breasts of milk brings Claire peace. She sees the love Jenny has for her child and how it reaches out to all her family.

I had no idea Balfe is such a good singer. I enjoyed watching her belt out a tune to the key of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Nice touch of mixing the old with the new.

Memorable Lines

“Love forces a person to choose. You do things you didn’t think you could do before.”

Jenny gives Claire sage advice. What’s interesting is Claire already knows this as she’s experiencing choices she never imagined she would have to make.

“If there’s a chance that I can save him, I have to try. But if I fail, if he’s already dead, I will marry you.”

Claire tries to get her point across to Dougal (Graham McTavish). She won’t give up on Jamie but if all goes south, she will make Dougal believe what he wants.

Overall

A beautiful shot full of emotion and tension. Claire wants to find Jamie more than anything but can only do so much.

We’re getting down to the nitty gritty with Outlander. Series readers know what it means for Jamie to be in Wentworth prison. If you have no idea what that means for Jamie, sit back and get ready for a wild ride. We’ll see just how strong both Jamie and Claire are, and what tests their love can withstand. As an aside, I don’t much enjoy episodes lacking in Jamie. He’s the draw for me because he’s the draw for Claire. She didn’t stick around just to see how things go. There is potential for her life with Jamie. So, how about letting us see that, writers? More Jamie, please.

Drop me a line in the comments section or tweet me @ellemoe to discuss “The Search.” Outlander airs Saturdays at 9PM ET/PT, only on Starz. For more on the show, visit the official site.

Follow Outlander on Twitter, using #Outlander and don’t forget the cast Sam Heughan – @SamHeughan, Caitriona Balfe – @caitrionambalfe, Tobias Menzies – @TobiasMenzies, Laura Donnelly – @donnellylaura1.

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Elle

Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle