How Many Episodes in What if Season 1
When last we saw Claire, she was launching herself off the side of a British ship and hurtling into the Caribbean sea. As this episode breaks, she's floating, apparently passed out, on the makeshift raft fashioned by goat lady Annika, adrift in a green-blue sea. It almost looks nice until our girl is rudely awoken but a wave carrying her onto the shore of a mysterious beach.
Claire In Peril
Thus begins Claire's brief career as Robinson Crusoe. Her voiceover tells us she had hoped to land a short distance from the British ship on Grand Turk. Instead, she had drifted somewhere else and must now fight her way through the jungle in search of a town. Her first concern is water—without it, in the blistering equatorial heat, she won't survive long. She starts inland through a dense jungle where she wanders for several days and encounters horrible biting ants, actual snakes, and blazing sun.
Courtesy of Starz
I give Claire some points for resourcefulness. She knows to look in the oversized leaves of tropic plants for pools of water. She takes shelter during the hottest part of the day. She manages to build a fire using some rocks she found and the fluff from inside that dopey pillow belt she's been wearing to give her skirts a fashionable shape. (Seriously, you packed that in your overboard survival kit, doctor?)
But let's be clear: this was all a very bad plan. And it was Annika's very bad plan. Why on earth did Claire trust the goat lady with a spur-of-the-moment escape effort? And what was Claire's long-game here—she was just going to hope that she drifted to an island, magically found someone who could ferry her to Jamaica where she would somehow find Jamie before the British authorities did? They have no rendez vous point, no "in case we get separated, let's meet here" plan. I love grim, determined, heroic Claire as much as the next person but next time Annika suggests something, send her back to the goat deck.
Mamacita and the Father
In the first of a series of "just in the nick of time" rescues, a delirious Claire stumbles into a camp in the jungle and collapses unconscious. She wakes up in a bed, her feet and ankles bound. A woman appears, gives Claire some water, and explains curtly in Spanish that she's tied up for her own good, to keep her from scratching at the nasty looking rash on her legs.
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Just before Claire passes out again, the woman offers to wash her clothes and notices the very suspicious zippers-from-the-future on Claire's homemade girdle.
When Claire wakes again, she meets Father Fogden, the agitated, crazy-haired owner of this homestead. He's glad to meet a fellow British citizen, though shocked when Claire tells him she's a doctor. "It's more common in the colonies," Claire explains, lamely.
Courtesy of Starz
Claire discovers she's on the island of Sam Domingue, three days from Jamaica. She wants to be taken to town immediately but Father Fogden warns of escaped slaves and pirates. He thinks this little woman is in no condition to travel. Claire has bigger problems than her rescuer's creepy condescension—Fogden also apparently talks to a coconut. Picture Cast Away's Wilson, without Tom Hanks to make the crazy look charming.
The good news is Claire gets to take a nice bath. Seriously, I know she almost died, but between the crystal blue water, the empty beaches, and the rustic spa vibe of the hacienda, I'm a little jealous.
Feeling revived, Claire sits down to dinner with the Father and Mamacita, the woman who had tended to her. He explains that 15 years ago he traveled to Cuba as a missionary, where he fell in love with a young woman named Ermengilda. Father Fogden was married to the church and Ermengilda was married to a powerful, wealthy man named Don Hernando, so the couple had to flee.
Courtesy of Starz
The young lovebirds traveled to the island where Claire now finds herself, but shortly thereafter, Ermengilda died. Mamamcita was the doomed young lady's mother and she's convinced Claire is here to take her daughter's place. She's in favor of Claire's plan for immediate departure. Father Fogden assures Mamacita that no one could ever fill the hole in his heart, but the goats have been doing really well since Claire stumbled into their lives and he wants to keep her just a little longer.
Claire is in yet another untenable situation—how will she possibly convince this insane man and his mean-spirited mother-in-law to help her? Father Fogden later explains that Mamacita is bitter and angry because she lost her only daughter. Can Claire understand the agony of losing a child he asks? Claire, tremulous, nods that she can. (Outlander feels the need to periodically remind us that Claire does, indeed, miss Bree, the daughter she abandoned 200 years in the future.)
"When you loved someone as much as I loved Ermenegilda, it never leaves you," says the padre. He looks at Claire and having heard her tale of woe about Jamie, he understands. "You have loved someone so much that you would risk everything for them," he says.
The only person left to convince is Coco. Claire makes a brave attempt at that the next morning, staging a conversation with the coconut that the Father overhears. We'll never know if this gambit would have worked because just then, we hear Mamacita cry out.
The tragedy of Arabella
Mamacita has discovered that their favorite goat has been slaughtered. She and Father Fogden are both devastated, but this has clearly happened before and they have a ceremony to perform. He places Arabella's bloody head on a box and empties a jar of creepy black beetles on top of it where they start munching away.
"Voracious little fellows," he says to Claire, "from a cave called Abandaway."
Claire flashes immediately to Margaret Campbell's ranting in the house in Edinburgh. The troubled woman had promised that Claire that "Abandaway will devour you." Claire has been captain logic, adrift on a sea of superstition, but even she has to admit that's portentously creepy. The cave, Father Fogden continues, is sacred to the "natives" of Jamaica as a place of great power. "It is said that people disappear there."
Before Claire can ask more questions, Father lets slip that the sailor who had slaughtered Arabella was a "chinaman." He was part of a crew that were shipwrecked on the island. Could it be? Only one way to find out. Claire immediately takes off through the jungle, running toward the beach and (hopefully) Jamie.
Shipwrecked
And finally, two thirds of the way into the episode, we finally get a little facetime with Jamie. He's on the beach with Fergus. Their ship was badly damaged in a storm and they have washed up on this beach to mend their toppled mast. They lost men in the squad but fortunately only people we don't really like: Captain Raines and some other members of the anti-Jamie faction. Fergus has a moment of guilt, but Jamie convinces him not to worry to second-guess their good luck. (I'm worried that Jamie has become something of an opportunistic jerk.)
Oh and in case you're thinking it's a little too convenient that Jamie happened to shipwreck on the exact island where Claire is marooned, well then, let me remind you that you are watching a show about time traveling soulmates. Best not to quibble now about these all-too-frequent deus-ex-machina moments.
Jamie and this crew are making quick work of ship repairs. Will Claire make it to the beach in time? We get a suspenseful montage of men working and Claire running. Claire injures herself quite badly but keeps sprinting through the jungle. Will she make it?
No, she will not! When she arrives at the beach, Jamie and Fergus and crew are back on board. But don't worry, Claire pilfered a small mirror from the Father's house and ever resourceful, she starts to signal the boat. Jamie catches sight of the flashing light and heads back to the beach for Claire.
Even the sailors think this is all a bit much. "MacDou's wife turns up in the most unlikely of places, does she not?" says one of Jamie's man. "Aye. she just drops in out of nowhere," replies another.
I'm not a particular fan of this cutesie approach to acknowledging the absurdity of this scene. Outlander has ratcheted up the bodice-ripper melodrama to worrying degrees this season. I'm not a reader of the books so I come at this as a fan of the world the show has built. The first season sucked me (and so many others) in because it somehow turned a time-traveling historical epic into a show about complicated family dynamics, the effects of war on ordinary people, and Claire's struggle to be herself against the backdrop of two very different—but equally stifling—patriarchies. (And of course the joys of sex—always the joys of sex.)
The show allowed itself to slowly explore the weirdness of a world like 18th century Scotland, with all its superstitions, odd customs, and still-feudal ways. But by this phase of season three, Outlander has abandoned this approach in favor of dropping its beloved characters in one precarious but short-lived scenario after another. We don't have time to build a relationship with anyone before they disappear or are killed off for no apparent reason except to make Claire cry. (RIP Elias!)
Lets be honest: I'm not giving up on Outlander. It has its hooks in me. But I'd like to return to some of the quiet, compelling world building that made the first season great. Stop threatening to rape Claire or starve her or kill her by snake or ant or insane coconut-loving missionary.
A Wedding
Jamie confesses to Claire that he gave his blessing to Fergus and Marsali. He suggests they have some joy amid "so much death and suffering." (I think he's referred to loss off life following the wreck of the good ship plot device? Nobody believes you're broken up about that Jamie.) Claire, conveniently, knows a man of the cloth just a few miles away!
Claire helps Marsali get ready for her big night. Marsali is her usual pleasant self, but softens just enough to ask Claire for some advice on how to prevent pregnancy. Claire is curious why a nervous teenager wouldn't be overjoyed at the prospect of child birth. Marsali explains that when she saw her mother with Jamie, Laoghaire was clearly unhappy but Jamie and Claire are different—they clearly want to be together. "I want to be happy with Fergus the way you are with Daddy," say Marsali.
It is, needless to say, exceedingly creepy that Marsali calls Jamie "Daddy" after having lived with him for only a year or two. Apparently in the books she's only 15, which makes it maybe slightly more understandable? I'm glad they added a a few years to her age because frankly, there's far too much sexualization of minors in the real world and I could do without that sort of thing on my favorite fictional TV programs.
Claire is moved by Marsali's words and promises she can help with a little homemade birth control. "Maybe you're not the devil after all," is Marsali's heartwarming reply.
The wedding ceremony is a cozy affair. Father Fogden welcomes them all and then promptly questions whether Marsali actually wants to marry a man with one hand. Marsali assures him she's game. "I suppose it's fine unless he's missing his cock. He isn't, is he?" asks the priest. To which Marsali responds, saucily, "I could tell you if you'd up and get on with it." Well then.
Courtesy of Starz
The ceremony hits another snag when the priest asks for Fergus's full name. Having been raised an orphan in a Parisian house of ill repute, Fergus apparently doesn't have one. Jamie saves the day again, giving him the name Fraser. Given all we know about the importance of name and clan in Jamie's world, the is no small gesture.
I did wonder if at this point, we were going to get a glimpse of Fergus and Marsali's wedding night. I'm relieved they decided not to take us into any other bedrooms. I would feel as if I was cheating and Jamie and Claire.
Reunited and it feels so good
Back on the ship—conveniently ensconced in the captain's quarters—Claire is slurping soup and treating herself with some penicillin. It seems the wound she sustained chasing Jamie down to the beach has become infected. She offers Jamie the chance to inject her with the syringe, revenge for the time she stuck him, but he can't do it. No worries—as usual, Claire can handle it.
Despite being injured, feverish, and likely traumatized from her experience in the jungle, Claire is horny as hell. Willoughby/Yi Tien Cho apparently dumped the better part of a bottle sherry in the soup, so she's also drunk. She and Jamie engage in some saucy dirty talk before getting down to it.
Fever sex is apparently fun! "This must be what it's like making love in hell with a burning she devil," Jamie says.
For this particular bout of boat sex, we get to see the rear view of Jamie's altogether. My best guess is that they had to give Sam Heughen something to do while Caitriona Balfe was off filming her epic jungle adventure, so they sent him to the makeup trailer to get his back scars again. Either way, Outlander knew it owed us something after separating Jamie and Claire for several episodes.
Let's not separate these lovebirds for a little while, shall we?
Elizabeth Angell Digital Director Elizabeth Angell is the Executive Editor, Digital for Town & Country, where she writes about the British Royal Family, the Kennedys, Ivy League shenanigans, superstars of interior design, and trends in style, beauty, and home.
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How Many Episodes in What if Season 1
Source: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a13929434/outlander-season-3-episode-11-recap/