The Pieces of the Puzzle Are Falling into Place in Outlander, “The Bakra”

Jamie and Claire: It’s a good thing they’re soulmates, because their bodies are rarely together, but that’s a problem for later. There’s a lot to catch up on.

After a few episodes, we finally see what happened to Young Ian, and who was behind his kidnapping? None other than Geillis Duncan.

We find this out when she’s bathing in a tub of blood in front of Ian.

After the tales he’s heard about her killing other young boys, you can kind of read his mind: Is that the boys’ blood? (It’s not. It’s goats’ blood, because it’s good for her skin. I’d rather have wrinkled skin than dip myself in the blood of goats, but I’m a weirdo.)

Of course, she turns to her weapon of choice, drugs, and gives Ian a type of truth serum. He spills the beans about who he is, why he was getting the treasure, and about his Uncle Jamie.

This catches her attention…

She tells him that she likes to use virgin boys—but thanks to a night out with Fergus, Ian isn’t a virgin anymore.

Sometimes sin can help you!

Meanwhile, Jamie and Claire run into an acquaintance of theirs from France and they are invited to a governor’s ball. At first they decline and just start out looking for Ian.

Claire suggests they split up, but Jamie won’t have it. He wants to stay together.

In this instance, his want works out.

But the whole scene is deeply troubling to Claire because she sees the slave trade in person. She is a woman who has lived through the civil rights movement in the 1960s. It’s something that, up to this point, has only been real to her in books. and now she sees the horror of slavery firsthand. She’s outraged. When she sees a slave being auctioned off she loses her mind and tells Jamie to save him.

Jamie saves him by purchasing him for Claire.

That was not what she had in mind, but Jamie explains it was the only way to guarantee her safety and his. He promises they will set him free.

Oh, the slave’s name? Abernathy. Is everything connected?

They decide they must go to the ball because of a lead on Ian, and Mr. Willoughby, Fergus and Marsali join them in fancy clothes. Jamie even dons a wig.

When they walk in, the woman who foretold misery for Claire is there with her brother and he is treating her terribly.

But now we know these two are in cahoots with Geillis, so of course they are bad news. They are trying to help Geillis find the missing sapphire from the treasure box Ian had with him when he was kidnapped.

Mr. Willoughby, however, has sympathy and even love for the woman. When they touch, they have a spiritual connection. Hopefully that will help in the future.

While Claire has seen someone she knows, Jamie sees the man who loved him—Lord Grey.

He’s stunned, and of course he is worried about his son, but Lord Grey is standing there looking longingly at Jamie and wearing the sapphire he gave him.

The sapphire that Geillis needs.

The woman is then asked to tell his fortune and with sleight of hand, they steal his memento from Jamie.

Geillis then greets Claire with the line “of all the gin joints in all the towns.” Shocked that the two have met in Jamaica, Geillis explains how she avoided death at the stake by putting a dead person on the pyre.

Dougal instigated her salvation and the salvation of her child.

While the pieces of the puzzle seem to be falling into place—and Abernathy tells them where Ian is—Jamie is caught by the young captain Claire helped on the open sea.

Jamie is arrested and taken away and he tells Claire to find Ian.

I think this family could keep a therapist in business for many years.

Keri is a professional chatterbox who loves watching TV & movies, reading about pop culture, and gawking at any craziness on the internet. You can follow Keri on Twitter.