Outlander Recap: “Mercy Shall Follow Me”

As we edge closer to the end of season 5 of Outlander, Sunday night’s episode found the Fraser clan in Wilmington, getting ready for the “meeting” of Alexander Malcolm and Stephen Bonnet. The set-up meeting coordinated by that lecherous cad Phillip Wylie in order for the Frasers to put an end to Bonnet, the man who attacked Jamie and Claire – even after they saved his life- and worse yet the man who brutally raped Brianna.

Roger, Jamie and Ian – the latter of whom was going to be the “stand-in” for Alexander Malcolm, the identity Jamie used when he was a printer in Edinburgh – were in place to get the drop on Bonnet under the guise of his smuggling whiskey for them. They had what should have been a well-thought out plan; however, Bonnet was not among the men who arrived at Wylie’s Landing, and their plan was perhaps not as well-thought-out as it should have been.

As it turned out, Bonnet had spied Claire and Brianna walking through the muddy streets of Wilmington – they were working on getting a new syringe made for Claire’s surgery, using Brianna’s engineering skills – and Bonnet sent three of his men to meet Alexander Malcolm instead.

The Frasers had to drastically alter their plans, fighting Bonnet’s men inside that boathouse with Roger actually holding his own fairly well, and Jamie giving him a few extra minutes – much to Roger’s consternation – to fend off one of Bonnet’s henchmen.

Meanwhile, Claire and Brianna took some time at the shore to gather items for Claire’s surgery as well as shells for Jemmy while the men were off hopefully taking Bonnet down. While on the shore, they saw a number of whales jumping into the air and splashing in the surf. It was kind ironic to see so many of them, and it made Brianna think about the legendary story of Moby Dick (which played a part later in the episode). Of course, Bonnet showed up on the beach, frightening both women and while they used what few weapons they had – a small knife from Claire’s waistband and a malfunctioning pistol – Bonnet knocked Claire out with a blow to the head and kidnapped Bree. Damn that man!!

When Claire came to, she was shocked to discover that Brianna was gone, and raced off to find Jamie, Roger and Ian, who had bad news to share with her. Bonnet had gotten the better of all of them. Again, damn that man!!

They raced back to Wilmington and confronted Wylie – you go Roger for slamming that leach against that building in that back alley!! Threatening that little weasel with a knife, he gave Jamie and Roger details about the bordello where Bonnet frequented – the same bawdy house we saw Bonnet and Forbes, Aunt Joacasta’s solicitor (and the man who had wanted to marry Bree) talking about not only taking Jemmy away from Roger and Bree but also getting River Run as their own. Both men seemed to believe they had a right to that little boy and Jocasta’s flourishing plantation. [FOOLS!]

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Let me interject here that the scene of Aunt Jocasta meeting with Forbes was quite eventful as well, given that she called him there in order to bestow gifts to her family, giving away HER money to her family as she saw fit. But, Forbes, being another delusional fool, believed that money should have rightly been his – since he had made an agreement with Jocasta for Brianna’s hand only to have that usurped by Lord John Grey – Forbes lost his senses, grabbed a throw pillow and attempted to kill Jocasta because she couldn’t spend “his money.” That attempted murder was halted by none other than ever-faithful Ulysses, who upon hearing a commotion, arrived just in time to pick that little weasel up off the ground, easily snapping his neck and rushing to the side of his “mistress” to revive her. [Good riddance, I say!]

When Brianna awoke, she discovered she was being held by Bonnet in an undisclosed location; and it was clear that he was under a lot of delusions: that he was going to become a proper gentleman, that Brianna would come to love him and that he would raise “his son.” Brianna had no choice but to play along or risk her life; but when the whore from the bawdy house – who earlier in the episode Bonnet stated he “frequented” – was ravaged right before Brianna’s eyes after she was ‘forced’ to kiss him – and he realized she was faking – Brianna knew she was in trouble.

Despite her begging and even offering her wedding ring, the whore would not help Brianna, and soon enough Bonnet sold Brianna to a – for lack of better words – business associate of his, who was set to sail away from Bonnet’s “private island.” During this nightmare experience for Brianna (being sold as nothing more than a sex slave to another leech), Claire found the whore at the bawdy house, who after receiving some unexpected health tips from Claire [which tied back to the opening scene of the cobbler], gave up some information about where Brianna was being held.

As Bree was being pushed by Bonnet down the beach towards the awaiting men of the sea captain she was sold to, a gunshot ran out, one of the sea men fell dead and the fight was on to get Brianna back. Roger raced after Bonnet, caught that bastard and beat him down; but rather than allowing him to just be shot right there on the beach – despite the fact that he so DESERVED to lose his life that way – Brianna insisted he be taken back to Wilmington to be tried in court. Thankfully, the family called on Governor Tryon (even from his new post in New York), who owed them for his “mistake” at Alamance.

Thankfully, the story didn’t linger on his trial but went directly to his guilty sentence being read while he was chained to a post in the ocean – which hearkened back to a recurring nightmare Bonnet has had throughout his life for which he shared with Brianna. As the water rose higher and higher, it appeared that he was going to be consumed by the sea until another gunshot rang out, a bullet went straight through his head and the assailant was none other than Brianna utilizing her weaponry skill. The final scene was Roger asking her if that was mercy or to make sure he was dead. She didn’t answer, but I’d say it was satisfaction that she KNEW without a doubt that Bonnet was dead and was no longer a threat to their family.

What did you think of this tumultuous episode? Please share your comments below.

[Photo Credit: Starz]

The next new episode of Outlander, its penultimate episode in fact, will air on Starz on Sunday, May 3 at 8/7c.