Outlander Recap: The Bakra
Holy plot twists- episode 312, “The Bakra,” is a wild ride from start to finish. There are enemies at every turn, some very familiar faces showing back up, and more action packed into one episode than we’ve seen all season. Let’s take a closer look at all of it, because there is more than meets the eye in this episode.
*Spoiler Warning! The following recap contains spoilers from episode 312. Do not read further if you have not seen the episode and wish to avoid spoilers. You’ve been warned.*
Sword Score: 9.5/10. This episode has Jamie and Claire doing what they do best- infiltrating the ranks of the nobility. Upon landing in Jamaica, Jamie orders the ship to be offloaded as quickly as possible so that it can be hidden out of sight of Captain Leonard. He and Claire then hit the streets to look for clues to Young Ian’s whereabouts. They are immediately intercepted by Kenneth McIver, the representative of The Artemis’s owner. He is delighted with the arrival of the ship and he dispenses all kinds of useful information. Most importantly, the Governor is throwing a ball that evening and The Bruja has come and gone a week ago.
Claire and Jamie’s next stop is the slave market. There, they discover that the Governor purchased some slaves from The Bruja, so they decide to accept Mr. McIver’s invitation to the ball. Claire then witnesses a man being auctioned off and nearly starts a riot in her anger at the injustice. Jamie buys the man to appease the slaveowners. He and Claire promise the man, who is named Temeraire, that they will release him from his bonds, but they ask him to help them find Young Ian first. Temeraire agrees and the entire group heads to the party.
It’s at the ball that everything turns upside down. First off, Archie and Margaret Campbell are there, telling fortunes to the party guests. Then the Governor of Jamaica turns out to be none other than Lord John Grey. There’s a substantial bit of shock on everyone’s part at that discovery, but not nearly as much as when Claire spots Geillis Duncan across the room. The ballroom is now one ghost short of becoming a Halloween Ball. Which is exactly when Captain Leonard shows up.
Claire and Jamie race to slip out the front door. They nearly escape too. They pause to fulfill their promise to Temeraire and release him at a designated safe spot. Just before they can get back on their way, Captain Leonard and his men show up. It takes a cold-hearted person to look into the face of the woman who saved you and your crew’s lives and arrest her husband, but that’s exactly what he does. The man clearly doesn’t know who he’s messing with. Unfortunately for him, Claire and Jamie are excellent at teaching others that lesson.
Skin Score: 8/10. Young Ian’s story ends up on the Skin side because boy, does he see a lot of it this week. He is dumped into a dark and cold cell in Jamaica, but not for long. He’s taken to see The Bakra. She’s a terrifying woman of dark power who greets him while bathing in goat’s blood. She’s also none other than Geillis. It’s good to see that her narrow escape from being burned at the stake hasn’t deterred her from dabbling in dark magic.
When she’s not torturing young boys, Geillis is the Campbells’ benefactor. She’s hoping that Margaret will be able to tell her when the next Scottish King will arise, but first she needs to find all three sapphires from the MacKenzie treasure chest. When she spots the missing stone on Governor Gray’s coat at the ball, she insists that he let Margaret tell his fortune. As soon as Margaret has all three stones in her hand, she delivers a terrifying prophecy. The next Scottish King will rise on the day that a 200-year-old child is born. Geillis is extremely frustrated at the lack of a clear answer, but she’s overlooking two possible answers: both Brianna Fraser and Geillis’s own illegitimate son with Dougal MacKenzie were born to parents who lived 200 years apart. Geillis does not know about Brianna. Here’s hoping she doesn’t find out, as she’s clearly still no friend to the Frasers.
There is just one episode left in Season Three and so many loose ends left to be tied up. With any luck, next week’s season finale will provide all the answers we need. In the meantime, be sure to check back here to FanFest.com for a sneak peak at the finale, as well as a full episode recap next Sunday!
Kade is often described as, “here just a minute ago” and can often be found just around the corner from where you’d expect. Approaching is not encouraged, unless you come with a strong wifi connection and a nice charcuterie board with gluten-free breads.
