I’ve been very excited about “The Garrison Commander” … Not as excited as I am about “The Wedding” next week, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Because this episode was amazing.
Black Jack Randall is an ‘exquisite, bloody’ masterpiece in ‘The Garrison Commander’. Seriously. Can we talk about Tobias Menzies? How hypnotic was that long scene between Jack Randall and Claire? This dance, across a dinner table, as she told a string of lies and he accepted none of it, was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.
Yes, I went there: It was beautiful. Tobias Menzies is crafting a villain that is both magnetic and repulsive at the same time. You’re going to love him while you hate him. You’re not going to take your eyes off of him, out of both fear and wonder, because there’s an alluring quality there too.They only have so much time to get the story across on screen. Every moment must count. So changing this scene, and adding to it, enhancing it, hardly feels worth mentioning as a difference because it worked so well (in comparison to the book, and yes I have to reference back and forth some). We’ve moved from a dank cell to a beautiful dining room, but who wouldn’t want that kind of light in a scene instead onscreen, with the beautiful windows? And the addition of the shaving scene, with the heirloom razor? There’s no better way to get Randall’s menacing physicality and, dare I say it, attractiveness, across, while flashing forward in comparison to Claire’s Frank. The sparring between Randall and Claire over the murder of the officer versus the death of the two Scotsmen in episode 5? A test of her English allegiance and loyalty on Scottish land. She is an Outlander no matter where she is (or when she is.)
But there’s one point to make: Offsetting Jack Black against a hoity-toity dinner party full of English officers makes him an evil rogue, an intelligent and dangerous outlier himself (and well as making Dougal appear to be the wild Highlander “creature.”) Randall is insidious, and everyone knows it. In the books, he’s much better at hiding his true colors. In this show, he’s a blatant, unleashed sociopath, and there’s no stopping his game of cat-and-mouse with Claire.
Separately, and there’s not much more to say than this: the violent scenes of Jamie’s flogging, and Jack Randall’s description of it, while hardly looking at Claire, was more emotional than I ever imagined while reading the book. The close-ups of Jamie’s boots slipping in the blood, Randall’s statement that the whip was a “beautiful, true” connection between he and Jamie … it was better than the book. There, I said it.
Randall flogging Jamie was in no way a punishment for not wanting him sexually in this story. This Black Jack just likes hurting people for fun. Plain and simple. And that’s much worse.
Black Jack, deciding for his version of interrogation of Claire was brutal, and expected, and agonizing to watch. I thought reliving Jamie’s flogging was a horrid event, watching the resemblance of Claire’s love, her husband, brutally beat her, took my breath away. His total disregard for anyone, and he need for superiority was clear. Needless to say Dougal came to the lassies rescue and the two after of course vowing to return Claire back to Jack the very next day, road off to meet the clan.
Claire just having the wind literally knocked out of her, was barely holding on, when they suddenly stopped for water. Who knew that it was a special creek, and Claire was not burned from the inside out and has been telling the truth that she is, “Plain Claire Beauchamp.” Dougal putting away his sword, explains that Claire can live and doesn’t have to see Black Jack ever again, if she just does exactly what he says. Cause Claire is so good at listening {winks}
Next scene is just what we have nearly been holding our breaths for. Claire must wed Jamie to become a Scot and doesn’t have to face Black Jack again. After reading over the marriage contract, and talking to Jamie, you know Claire who still loves her husband, knows this must be done to survive. I will leave you with the best lines heard ending the episode.
“Does it bother you that I’m not a virgin?” He hesitated a moment before answering.
“Well, no,” he said slowly, “so long as it doesna bother you that I am.” He grinned at my drop-jawed expression.
“Reckon one of us should know what they’re doing,”
Can it please be Saturday already? I need to see the wedding, and those two must kiss already!
