Recap of Outlander
Season 3, Episode 9:
The Doldrums
As Jamie and Claire set off from Scotland on a mission to rescue Young Ian, life at sea proves full of turmoil and surprises when the superstitious crew looks for someone to blame for their bad luck.
Tropes
- Armor-Piercing Response: Jamie is still trying to chew Fergus out about secretly courting Marsali and sneaking her away from home. Fergus insists they're in love to which Jamie rebuts that they hardly know each other. Fergus reminds Jamie that he and Claire married not long after meeting to which Jamie replies that they were forced to marry.Fergus: Milord, you forget. I know your story. If you were forced to marry Milady, then I'm forced to breathe. My heart, it is forced to beat. You yourself have told me you wanted her more than life from the moment you saw her. You didn't need time. Nor do I.
- Bawdy Song: The sailors sing raunchy songs to keep themselves entertained.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Mr Willoughby worked all his life to be recognized as a royal scribe. One of the royal wives took note of his beautiful poetry and wanted him brought on as her royal poet, a great honor. However, to do so, he would have to submit to castration so that there would be no risk of him bedding the emperor's wife. Instead, Yi Tien Cho fled to the West, forced to leave behind all his friends, family, and possessions. He then arrived in a place where he's treated like little more than a talking monkey.
- Contrived Coincidence: Cousin Jared reappears, back from his trip to the West indies, just in time to allow Jamie to take charge of one of his boats that just happens to be headed in the same direction as the ship that took Young Ian. Of course, Jared is more than happy to stay home in France this time while Jamie acts on his behalf to sell the wine and rescue their nephew.
- Defiled Forever: Invoked by Marsali. She threatens that if Jamie has her sent back home, she'll tell everyone that Fergus has already bedded her (even though it's not true), meaning no other man will be willing to marry her.
- Drama Queen: Claire assures Jamie the seas will be calmer in the morning. Jamie jokes that he'll be dead by then and asks her to make sure he's buried at Lallybroch. Claire laughs and hands him more ginger tea.
- "Good Luck" Gesture:
- The sailors touch the horseshoe at the helm before beginning their journey to ensure good luck and high winds
- When encountering Jamie, the sailors all speak first to avoid bad luck that comes from encountering a red-head while at sea
- Green Around the Gills: Jamie still suffers terribly from sea sickness, almost comically so.
- It's All My Fault: Jamie thinks it's his fault Young Ian was kidnapped, a divine punishment for having remarried when he knew Claire was still alive, a mortal sin.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite turning his world upside down and inside out to accommodate Claire, Jamie still offers to take her back to the stones if she still has doubts that coming back to him was the right thing to do.
- Little Stowaway: Wishing to marry Fergus, but knowing her mother would disapprove, Marsali stows away on the ship, not revealing her presence until it's too late for them to turn around and return her home.
- Magical Asian: Mr. Willoughby is conveniently present to offer acupuncture to counter Jamie's sea sickness and to tell a long story about eastern poetry complete with asian calligraphy to calm the riled men long enough to set up a dramatic reveal that the wind has returned, saving Hayes' life.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Claire is kind enough to agree to board the British ship to examine the ill crew. Acting Captain Leonard takes advantage of their protected status as a British Naval ship that can't be fired upon by a civilian ship and kidnaps Claire, promising her he'll release her when they arrive in Jamaica.
- Noodle Incident: Played with. Jamie jokingly warns Claire that she doesn't want to be caught with a banana on a French frigate. Given that Jamie served as a soldier in France as a teenager, it's possibly he knows what happens if you are.
- No-Sell: Marsali is not the least bit cowed by Jamie's attempts to talk her out of marrying Fergus.
- Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions: Claire thinks the sailors' superstitious routines are silly. Both Jamie and the Captain point out that the superstitious customs are the sailors' way of coping with the dangers of the seas.
- Overranked Soldier: Subverted with Captain Thomas Leonard (formerly third lieutenant). In-universe they acknowledge he is too young for his title but it's justified in that he is acting Captain solely because every member of the command above him has died.
- Parental Marriage Veto: Averted. As Marsali's step-father and Fergus' de facto adopted father, Jamie tries to invoke his parental authority to keep the two apart but they respectfully ignore his objections.
- The Scapegoat: When men are injured by rigging and days pass with no wind, the crew are convinced that someone did not touch the lucky horseshoe resulting in their poor fortunes. They decide that Hayes is their Jonah and must be thrown overboard to reverse their fortunes. The Captain acknowledges to Claire and Jamie that it's nothing more than superstition but he risks mutiny if he tries to stop the men.
- Superstitious Sailors: The sailors of the Artemis believe strongly in luck, curses, and bad omens.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Lesley and Hayes have a very similar bickering friendship to Rupert and Angus from seasons 1 and 2.
