Claire attempts to escape Castle Leoch in Outlander Season 1, Episode 4. It doesn’t work out according to plan thanks to a hiding Highlander. Here are my favorite moments from the episode.
Outlander Season 1, Episode 4 is the first episode after Claire learns about the stones. In another episode with a small time jump, we learn that Claire has been plotting her escape for a while. She knows what she wants and will risk everything to make sure she gets it.
Throughout the episode, we watch her certainly risk everything. She’s a little awkward in being sneaky, which is completely believable and charming. After all, she was a World War II nurse, not a spy!
With that in mind, here are my favorite six moments from Outlander Season 1, Episode 4.
6. Claire using a game to scope the land
There was no way Claire would get the chance to go for a walk and roam the castle grounds. Nobody trusted her and she’d immediately be accused of scouting out the locations of the guards and finding her exits from Castle Leoch. Claire knew that she had to find another way to manage it.
What better way than playing a game with the children who lived there? Nobody would suspect a woman playing a simple game of chase was actually scouting out her exits from the castle.
This moment at the very start of the episode reminded us that Claire is a smart woman. She’d had some sense to make it look like she was doing something completely innocent.
5. Rupert and Angus
Honestly, this isn’t quite a moment, since it’s just the two of them every step of the way. These two characters cracked me up from the start but it’s in Outlander Season 1, Episode 4 that I know I want to see more of them. Especially when they come as a duo.
More from Top Moments
- 3 best Brianna moments in Outlander Season 7, Episode 8
- 3 best Roger moments in Outlander Season 7, Episode 8
- 3 best Young Ian moments in Outlander Season 7, Episode 8
- 3 best Claire moments in Outlander Season 7, Episode 8
- 5 best moments from Outlander Season 7, Episode 8
I’m so glad that Angus’ character was completely adapted from the book and that we got this partnership in the series. In this episode, we see more of the partnership and how they’re certainly not the best guards.
The whining about missing the festivities is cute and this is something that continues throughout.
4. Geillis’ questioning
During Episode 3, I’m certain that Geillis knows Claire is a time traveler. She asks far too many leading questions to suspect otherwise. In this episode, she’s able to cover her tracks a little better. She looks for some sort of clue in Claire’s wording, like when Claire states that her husband isn’t “alive.”
“So, he’s dead, then?” Geillis asks and it’s clear that she’s trying to get Claire to admit the truth–that he’s in the future somewhere.
There’s also the pregnancy questioning. Geillis knows that Claire is planning something else. This is a woman you never know whether you can trust, but I guess she also feels the same way about Claire. I’d love to see a story from Geillis’ point of view to see what she was actually thinking.
3. Jamie escorting Claire back
I adore that Jamie sacrificed himself for Claire. He knew that it was dangerous to go back to the castle, but he took her back anyway because it was too dangerous for her to be on her own. This really pushed the point forward that he was in love with her. I couldn’t see him doing this for anyone else, despite being honorable and caring.
The scene that follows is also a great one. We get the moment that he tells Claire his motto is “Je suis prest.” He says it quietly, knowing that others would understand the wording and know he was a Fraser. How many already knew, as surely Rupert should have?
However, we also see Claire realize the danger she’s put Jamie in. And this leads me to the second best moment of Outlander Season 1, Episode 4.
2. Murtagh’s bluntness
Murtagh is definitely one of my favorite side characters in the series. His bluntness gets me every time. However, it wasn’t until this episode that I fully appreciated him when I first watched the series.
It’s during the gathering that I have my laugh-out-loud moment. As Jamie is getting ready to risk his life by possibly taking the oath, Claire realizes that everything she has done has led to this; that her decision to escape has possibly put someone else’s life at risk.
Murtagh simple tells her straight. “Aye, it is.”
That’s all he needs to say. There is no sugar-coating the fact that her decision has put Jamie in this predicament.
1. Dougal and Claire helping Geordie die peacefully
A death scene shouldn’t be a best moment, but it’s not really the death that is the best moment in this point. It’s the way Geordie is able to die. This is also the moment we get to see the battlefield nurse that Claire would have been during her time in World War II, which is an important part of her character.
Outlander Season 1, Episode 4 sees Geordie attacked by the boar they’re hunting. After already chastising one, Claire switches gears immediately. She knows that Geordie’s injuries are bad and he doesn’t need chastising in this moment. He needs comfort.
As Dougal struggles to hold back the emotion, Claire is the one to take over. She can stay somewhat cold but caring in the moment. She has that experience in seeing men she barely knew or didn’t know at all die. And she knows exactly how to make them feel calm and at ease. Home is where the heart is, as they say.
There’s also surprise but admiration fro Dougal. He never expected this from Claire, but his feelings towards her do begin to change in this moment.
What were your favorite moments in Outlander Season 1, Episode 4? Which parts stood out the most for you? Share in the comments below.
Follow Claire and Jamie on Twitter for more Outlander Season 1 to get through Droughtlander.