The latest episode from Outlander is out and we got building of a future, native culture
and a mind-blowing revelation that’s setting up a delicious plot development.
Let’s go.
Outlander season 4 episode 4 Common Ground
Hey guys it’s Marcia and welcome to Really
Seriously For Real.
Going into this episode, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Knowing the Cherokee nation would be introduced, I hoped it would be done in a respectful fashion
and not some cartoonish reveal or the Fraser’s are their saviors; and Roger.
Last week Roger’s 0-60 anger really bothered me, so I wished the show could give me bridge
of understanding.
Let’s begin.
I appreciated that the episode title card highlighted the Cherokee warriors.
And you hear only the drums, not the usual instrumental version of the Outlander theme
song.
In fact, can we give a shout out to Bear McCreary please, because I felt like the music really
stood out in this episode.
It set the mood and captured spirit of the time.
Although, I guess that what it’s supposed to do.
We open in the office of the governor where Jamie is signing his land ownership papers
with pride.
Marred only a bit the governor when he insinuated to Jamie that the quote unquote “right”
people would take residence on Jamie’s land.
10,000 acres.
I was a little jealous until they were showing the montage of them clearing out their own
land…by hand.
I mean, it’s a beautiful thing and I absolutely admire those early settlers and tribes that
literally paved the way for many to come, but wow…. when you think about what it took.
We bought our first home this summer and we’re doing our own renovations.
Needless to say, we’re not done but power tools are where it’s at.
Anywho, they also made sure to pick up many provisions while they were in town, like meat
and such so they have enough to last.
Before they set off, there was a nice scene between Marseille and Claire one that actually
managed to get me choked up.
Marseille shared how much she misses her Mom, especially now that she’s pregnant.
She shares how scared she is to be a Mom and tells Claire that she’s the only healer
that she would have by her side.
My, how far those two have come.
And that’s what made the moment even sweeter.
And wow!
Lauren Lyle really knocked that home.
Maybe I was missing my Mom, but I had to wipe a tear or two.
A bit later, Jamie recognized that the conversation hit Claire especially hard because it made
her think about Brianna and what her life will be like without her.
Jamie comforts her citing Brianna will cling to her memory of Claire like he did when she
was gone.
Ummmmm, maybe we shouldn’t tell Claire about the Dunbonnet years.
So off they go to begin mapping out their land.
Claire was so happy.
She was quoting lines from My Country Tis of Thee.
I was waiting for her to start twirling around the mountain like Julie Andrews in the Sound
of Music.
Not making fun.
The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies.
I would’ve been twirling around the mountain.
Have your fun Claire.
Because that was short lived when a group of Cherokee warriors showed up.
I really loved how the scene was structured.
The Cherokee men spread out ahead and Jamie and Ian face front, but Claire had them at
her back, so she couldn’t see who it was until she finally turned around.
Nothing worse than everyone else can see what was going on, but you can’t.
It’s like hearing a loud noise in your house and you yell downstairs to the kids, “What
was that?” and they say nothing.
(SIGH) Anyway Claire slips Jamie a knife and he slowly approaches the men and drops the
knife with his arms raised.
Gradually the Cherokee leave and all appears well until they return the next day and angrily
toss the fence posts at their feet.
The warriors shout at them in their native tongue.
No subtitles, but did we really need it.
I understood.
You ever heard this saying?
I don’t care where you go, but you need to get the heck outta here.
That’s what they were saying.
Let’s take a breather and head on over to the 20th century where a forlorn Roger is
off feeling sad in Cambridge in 1971.
So quite some time has passed since the famed proposal.
He’s milling around in the book that Brianna gave him and stumbles on a mention of a place
called Fraser’s Ridge.
Digging further, he wrote to the author who supplied him with the land deed and eureka!
Confirmation that Claire made it back to Jamie.
Did she ever?!
Now he has the perfect excuse to call Brianna.
So, he does and she’s all googly eyed and he’s all awkward, and Bri’s friend Gayle
is all like, get it girl!
And then he tells her the news of her mother and of course she’s overjoyed.
Score one Roger.
But then that’s it.
He tells her he needs to grade some papers or something and ends the call.
Geez Roger.
I’m going back to the 1700’s So Claire and Jamie are still building away,
mapping their property, practicing their gunplay foreshadowing the need for it later.
That night, Rollo starts barking, so they all go investigate.
They find meat they had hung high in the air previously, had been taken and the remaining
posts around their property were dumped in a pile.
They initially blamed it all on the Cherokee until one of their horses showed up with claw
marks on its belly.
That, and likely the stolen meat was due to a bear.
In the comments someone wondered if we’d see Jamie fight a bear, well we’ll get to
that.
The following day, Jamie speaks with John Quincy Meyers in hopes that he could help
them figure out a way to peace with the Cherokee.
Meyers offers him a portion of his tobacco that he could trade with the tribe, deciding
instead it would be best if he spoke on Jamie’s behalf, since he knows them….
ugh, yeah.
Put in a good word for the Frasers please.
Meyers also tells Jamie that the Cherokee have mentioned a bear, though they called
it the Tskili Yona.
Yona means bear, but Tskili?
He didn’t know…except its bad news.
Ugh raise your hand if you love John Quincy Meyers.
He’s so nice.
Offering to help them and even gave them meat to help replace what they lost.
Genuine nice guy.
And no one better come up in the comments talking about, in the book he’s the evil
mastermind behind the stones either…I’m convinced he’s the good guy-LOL
So, next night, Rollo sneaks off and you hear him barking in the distance.
The scene is smattered with images of the Cherokee involved in some type of ceremony.
I wondered if they were conjuring something that would harm Claire, Jamie and Ian.
Our friends venture out in the darkness once more and find my new favorite mountain man
bleeding in the darkness with claw marks down his chest.
Not cool!
“Tskili Yona” he repeats over and over again.
At first, I was just like, why didn’t he just say bear!
Everyone there speaks English.
What if Jamie forgot that means bear, and two words is a lot of effort if you’re bleeding
out.
But then I realized John saw that it wasn’t a bear, and Tskili Yona was the easiest way
to describe it.
Like, yes.
I understand what that Tskili part meant now.
But Jamie doesn’t.
He’s charged off to look for the bear knowing if he doesn’t handle this now, that so called
bear will continue to bother them all.
And find him he does, just as Claire realizes John was assaulted by a man.
Jamie fought this man bear in the dark of the woods and wins after getting him with
one of the wooden stakes that plotted his land.
He literally defended his territory.
After this, we see Jamie dragging the man bear to the village of the Cherokee.
Which, you can’t tell me this tribe didn’t have a lookout ready to warn of approaching
invaders.
No, instead Jamie just waltzes in there with a man bear and the Cherokee are actually startled.
Like, “How did you get in here?”
I doubt that very seriously.
Anywho, it turns out this man bear was cast out of their village after he forced himself
on his wife.
He basically went mad and lived the life of a bear constantly terrorizing their village.
But they couldn’t take him out because you cannot kill what doesn’t exist.
Ok.
So next day the chief visits Frasers Ridge and proclaims Jamie Yona Dihi
or Dahi...
Yona...
ok, “Bear Killer”!
Sorry
Excellent work Jamie.
Jamie invites them to join them and Claire meets Giduhwa and her grandmother Adawehi
(adaweigh-he) who had a dream about Claire.
A beautiful story acknowledging her gift as a healer.
A gift both Claire and Adawehi share.
She tells her she has medicine now, but she’ll have more when her hair is white like snow.
Which makes me rethink if she would perish anytime soon.
But she goes on to cryptically say that she should not be troubled, death
is sent from the God’s it will not be your fault.
Claire doesn’t understand nor do I and Giduhwa and Adewehi say no more.
Now, on to fun killer, Roger.
{Laughter} Kidding
He’s over at Fiona’s picking up some more boxes and she’s going all Mrs. Doubtfire
on Roger imparting her wisdom and then drops this juicy tidbit.
She knew that Claire went through the stones to find Jamie.
Roger is all shocked and shaken, and she’s like, ugh my granny was a druid and danced
at the stones…not to mention the walls are super thin.
Score one for Fiona.
But then she goes to her drawer and pulls out some old documents that belonged to her
granny.
They show that Jamie and Claire die in a fire in their home, but the date is smudged so
while he knows it will happen in the 1770’s….he doesn’t know exactly when.
For all he knows, it could happen a couple of years after signing the land deed.
After lamenting for bit whether he should tell Brianna and break her heart, he finally
decides to call.
Gayle answers with her 4-legged friend which is producers Maril Davis’ doggie.
Gayle tells Roger that Brianna wasn’t there and that she went to see her Mom in Scotland.
When Roger asks when?
Gayle says a couple of weeks ago.
Oh boy, that can mean only one thing.
Brianna must’ve found out about the death of her Mom and Dad and went through the stones
because if a couple of weeks have gone by and no word from her…yeah, this is it folks.
So, my final thoughts?
This was the best episode so far, I think.
It was well rounded giving us moments of genuine fun and overwhelming splendor, to danger and
depth.
The characters explored were given ample moments to shine and you felt you had enough of a
breather where you could get to know them all like my new favorite character John Quincy
Meyers.
Or watching Claire, Jamie and Ian carve out the land and see how excited they were, was
great.
It was even nice to see Marseille and Fergus given a decent word to say.
Something with depth.
As for Roger and Brianna.
I like how you’re only seeing things from Rogers perspective.
Piecing the puzzle together with him.
He wasn’t my favorite last episode but they’re setting up a comeback for him.
Lastly bravo on the Native Americans.
They used Canadian First Nation performers and gave them a rich and stoic appeal.
My only issue was the cryptic and unexplained ritual they did during the bear scene that
seemed to be in there without explaining the real purpose, It was just for show.
If you’re gonna show me, you gotta tell me.
And I also thought it was crazy that Jamie walked into their village without anyone seeing
him.
But it ‘s an improvement.
Alright, Question of the day.
Should Jamie have fought a real bear or the Man-Bear?
Comment down below and on anything in this episode.
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Thanks for watching.
Until next time.