"You can't make someone love you."
Hello everyone!
With only two more episodes left in the season, it's becoming clear that there will be a bunch of plotlines jammed into them, as presented on episode ten of Outlander's season five this past Sunday.
I'm not exactly complaining - the books are vast, and while a lot of stuff has to be dropped by necessity, there are things that, also by necessity, have to be snuck in.
To be clear, however, I will say that I disliked the Bonnet storyline in the books themselves.
This has absolutely nothing to do with how the show portrayed him (brilliantly, might I add, Ed Speleers is AMAZING in the role!) or how they went about with the entire thing, but mostly just that I wasn't overly fond of the whole she-bang in the novels, which means I could have done without in the show, and not really batted an eye.
So I'm actually happy with how the episode went, in terms of its conclusion! It's just that it was a 'meh' for me, as a whole, and therefore I'll freely admit to fast-forwarding through some.
Mercy Shall Follow Me kind of allows for it.
Links to the previous episodes of the season and their recaps can be found at the bottom of the page, as always!
Now, as we know, the last time we saw the Frasers, they were trying very hard to keep Jamie from dying of snakebite, and when this week's episode rolls around, we're gratified to see the man is up and at them again.
But it's understandable that Claire wants a syringe made, because, as she tells her daughter, the bloody Scot literally finds new ways to kill himself with every time he gets out of bed in the morning. So I mean, a syringe (to poke him in the butt and make sure he gets the penicillin he needs) is the best way to go about this, and they make sure to visit the glassblower and smith in Wilmington to do so.
What're they doing at Wilmington, you ask?
See, Jamie made a deal with Wylie a while ago (or, well, Claire did, and Jamie sort of helped) to secure a meeting between Bonnet and one Alexander Malcolm, but it's going to be an ambush and the men (Young Ian, Jamie and Roger) will take him out. The women, meanwhile, should just keep calm and carry on.
And, in Jamie's own words, think up something nasty to do to Bonnet should anything happen to any of the menfolk.
Har-har, James Fraser.
Anyway, while these talks and plans are taking place, Bonnet himself is ALSO in Wilmington - at a brothel, no less, with one Mr. Forbes, erstwhile lawyer who's been helping him with the whole 'I will take Jemmy for myself' scheme. At this point, the witnesses have all signed off, and all they need is the magistrate's signature, and then the boy will be taken from the Frasers and given to Bonnet.
And Forbes will get 20% of the profit once River Run is Bonnet's (because Jocasta, if you recall, has left her estate and money to Jemmy).
A nice little bow to tie everything up with, except Forbes runs into a complication at River Run itself where Jocasta has invited him so that he can write up some legal papers for her, gifting sums of money to her relations since, in her own words, she and Duncan Innes, her husband, can't take their earthly possessions with them when they die.
This enrages Forbes, who, as the petty man he is, believes she shouldn't be spending HIS money, so he loses it and goes to smother her with a pillow. In the ensuing fight, Jocasta manages to kick the table with the little bell on it which calls for servants, and Ulysses rushes in, lifts the little Hobbit lawyer, and breaks his neck.
That's one bad guy down, then, with consequences to be seen next week.
For the first, the Three Musketeers arrive at Wylie's Landing, where Roger tells Jamie Bonnet is his to kill, as Bree is his wife, so Jamie agrees and promises to avenge him should anything go wrong. Since Roger promises the same thing (which he probably thinks is just a saying but Jamie takes rather seriously because, 18th century man) their bond is pretty much signed, sealed, and delivered when a couple of pirates join the discussion.
And while Ian makes for a convincing A. Malcolm, the pirates smell a rat, and a fight ensues which includes but is not limited to Ian swinging the butt of his gun like a bat, Roger throwing a barrel at someone's head, and Jamie walloping another with a shovel.
Taking Bonnet is a bust, but we do get a lovely character beat of interrogation where the pirate is dismissive of Roger, until Jamie crouches down to eye-level with a rather pleasant expression on his face.
You can tell people take Himself as seriously as possible.
So while they're on their way back, Claire and Bree, having finished their errands in town, head off to the beach and enjoy some peace and quiet.
Until, that is, Bonnet puts in a guest appearance.
We ALL knew it was going to happen. Admit it.
Holding Claire at knife-point and knocking her out, he overpowers Bree in a scuffle (as Jamie previously demonstrated but she somehow forgot and/or ignored) and takes her to his private island, er, residence, er ... something. Once there, the story becomes a macabre retelling of Beauty and the Beast, as Bonnet asks Bree to help him become a gentleman and then they will raise little Jemmy together.
Doesn't matter what Bree thinks of this whole thing - she has to play along, and retell the Moby Dick story to him, which prompts Bonnet to reveal his worst nightmare: drowning in the sea with nobody coming to his rescue.
He somehow keeps his claws to himself, but realizes the next day Bree's been playing him all along (the fact that he might have expected otherwise is kind of silly, unless he was literally grasping at straws and hoping she would see the good in him - which, newsflash, isn't going to happen with a rape victim), and after a little down time with a whore heads out again.
Said whore pops up at the brothel Claire and Jamie drop in on after Claire rushes to the men to tell them about Brianna's kidnapping and Roger successfully interrogates Wylie as to where they can find Bonnet. Claire helps the woman, who suffers from having legs of uneven length (I feel her there; I have the same problem, to a minor degree, and let me tell you it is a PAIN), and in return, the woman tells them where to find Bree.
Just in time, too, since Bonnet justsells her to a captain (because could he be more despicable?) as the Fraser posse arrives with guns and fists blazing.
Long story short: Bree is rescued, Bonnet is beaten to a pulp by Roger, and it's decided he'll be taken to Wilmington to stand trial. But since he has most of the magistrates in his pocket, the clan agrees that Governor Tryon still owes them for the Alamance debacle, and appeal to him in New York. Being the reasonable chap he usually is (and unwilling to let Jamie Fraser close to his neck), Tryon passes the sentence post-haste, leading to Bonnet's worst fears coming to life.
He will die by drowning.
Speleers is BRILLIANT in Bonnet's final moments, trashing and screaming as he tries to avoid the rising tide, until the second when he goes deathly still - and a shot rings out which ends his miserable existence.
On the shore, Bree hands a musket to Roger and the two of them walk away - was it mercy, or ensuring Bonnet actually died?
Who knows.
Suffice to say that, as far as swan songs go, this was a lovely one for an actor who brought nothing but amazing skills to the role, and Ed Speleers will be missed. His character, not so much, but like I said, with only two episodes left in this season, it's time to start tying everything up, and check in on River Run to see how they'll deal with the Forbes-Ulysses debacle.
And oh, in case anyone DIDN'T notice: Ulysses calling Jocasta by her Christian name definitely means what you think it means (read: AFFAIR ALERT).
Until next week, clan!
xx
*images and video not mine
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