Season 4 Episode 408
Wilmington
Directed by: Jennifer Getzinger
Written by: Luke Schelhaas
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Summary: Roger searches for Brianna. Jamie and Claire visit Fergus, Marsali, and the baby. Roger mopes in a tavern before finding Brianna. A declaration is made. A wedding transpires. Jamie and Claire are off to a play with the who’s who of Governor Tryon’s friends. A consummation occurs several times. Claire fangirls over someone famous. A plan is underway. Jamie worries for Murtagh and creates a distraction. Claire performs surgery in front of a crowd. Roger and Brianna fight. There is an unhappy parting. Murtagh is saved for another day. Brianna is drawn into trouble.
The Good:
- Seeing Fergus, Marsali, and meeting baby Germain and their home. What a dumpling that baby is.
- Claire being so excited to meet George Washington and making a particularly poor joke.
- The initial reunion between Roger and Brianna is exciting and momentarily filled with promise.
- Jamie’s creation of a distraction to warn Murtagh. Way to elbow poor Fanning where it hurts.
- Claire performing surgery amongst a crowd to gain street cred and provide a distractive cover for Jamie.
- The handfasting ceremony mixed with tradition and modern vows.
- The absolute horror that is Stephen Bonnet and the sensitive manner in which the assault scene is carried out.
The Okay:
- The sexy time between Roger and Brianna left me a bit cold instead of warm and fuzzy. An experienced man should know the necessary role of foreplay (not just kissing) to warm and ready the nether parts of a female. The lack of talk about pregnancy prevention is ridiculous given their circumstances. Was the infamous coitus interruptus utilized? It is about as effective as properly used condoms. Well, that is when the penis is washed in between encounters, the fluids are spent well away from the vulva, and timing is flawless.
- The use of the magical alcohol during the surgery given the sober state of the patient is unbelievable. Laudanum was commonplace in the Colonies, and surely someone would have had some handy. Though it’s not an excellent means of anesthesia, it would be faster acting and better used for this surgical scenario.
The Ugly:
- How the fight escalated between Roger and Brianna ending with Roger leaving her.
- Murtagh being an ungrateful jerk when Fergus shows up to warn him.
- Roger’s unfortunate costuming is taking away from his appeal. Why do the other sailors look decent and don’t get me started on the swagger and bad boy sex appeal Bonnet exudes?!
Character Portrayal and Storytelling:
- There are traitors everywhere. Someone in Murtagh’s crew is in the Governor’s pocket. Roger leaving Brianna is traitorous to their relationship and future. Poor Georgie W., he’s the unwitting patsy for Jamie’s actions. Did you know Governor Tryon actually plotted to have Washington killed? Indeed he did. There’s a link below that explains it.
- The family is a central theme this season and continues into this episode.
- Brianna seems small and weak causing Roger to look like a serious jerk who wants to control her. Where’s the fire? Many of the other actresses are diminutive in stature, yet they pack depth of strength and fire in their character portrayals.
- The lack of relationship development of Brianna and Roger leaves me struggling to find the passion and necessity for their relationship moving forward. Even with limited screen time, we know exactly who and why Marsali and Fergus are together. Why are Roger and Brianna different?
- The constant fighting between Roger and Brianna doesn’t add realism. It makes me not care about them as a couple, and wonder why they want to be together. This isn’t about a culture clash between these characters. Brianna, like Claire, makes decisions based on her needs not on the culture at large. They are not feminist advocates or bandwagoners with deep streaks of the traditional within.
- Murtagh’s sour grapes coupled with Tryon’s constant harping about taxes is so in our face. WE GET IT. SOMETHING IS COMING. Hey Claire, why don’t you explain to Murtagh if he simmers down and bides his time the revolution is coming regardless of what he does?!
- The feeling things move too quickly without a pause to get to know pivotal information is inescapable. There’s so much in the scripts being edited out that doesn’t make it to the screen to the detriment of the storytelling.
Interesting Links:
- Inguinal Hernia Surgery
- Blowing smoke up an ass as a medical therapy.
- Handfasting
- Edmund Fanning
- John Frohock
- The plot to kill George Washington.
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The entire Outlander book series is written by Diana Gabaldon. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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A Dram of Outlander 
Love your recaps. You’re right on in my opinion! I also just don’t see the “love” between Brianna and Roger, the episode seemed disjointed. Also, love the series but can’t understand why the writers feel to change the story so much. It’s not nearly as exciting as the book, which I felt the other episodes were. I understand the need to “adapt” things, but sometimes it seems the writers change things just because they can, not because it’s good story. I’m getting confused and frustrated watching the show. Of course I will continue to watch, but it’s becoming just so, so at this point, not nearly as good as it used to be for whatever reason. And omg please do something about the wigs! Awful, how do you take such beautiful people and make them look so bad. They need to take the wig people from The Last Kingdom!! Thank you for your analysis.
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