Outlander Book Club: The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 19 breakdown

The group makes it to the abbey in The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 19. It’s time to find out how Jamie knows Abbot Michael Fitzgibbons.

It doesn’t take long for us to get to the bottom of Jamie and Michael’s relationship. Michael knows Jamie’s Uncle Alexander, and so, Michael knows all about Jamie’s wife and family. It brings up some difficult topics, and Michael knows exactly how to deal with that. I love that we see him not press Jamie for information.

Breaking down The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 18

When the group gets to the abbey, Jamie realizes that he will need to face Abbot Michael and get some answers about the poem. However, the topic of Claire comes up, and Jamie has to admit that he lost Claire in the Rising. Like so many others, Michael believes that Claire has died. Jamie is good with his use of words.

Jamie passes Michael the letter to ask of his opinions. The topic of the tithe comes up, and Jamie understands that the fairies must sacrifice to hell every seven years. Just as Michael talks about how he’s sure the poem is modern, he notices Jamie looking at a case with a beetle. Jamie is interested in the work that Michael is doing, so Michael takes the time to explain a few things.

One of the items is a hand, which Michael explains is from a body the monks found in the bog. It was clear that the person had been left in the bod some time ago, and that man was killed in three ways and the man was found with a cup, a sword hilt, and an ancient horn. There is a lot of speculation about this man.

The cup has been hidden in the vegetable cellar, and Michael takes Jamie there to show him. The cup is wooden with jewels around the rim. At the bottom is a split standing stone, which certainly connects back to Claire.

Jamie decides that he needs to talk to Michael about everything that is happening now and things that have happened in the past with Geneva and Willie. He needs some clarity and Michael is able to offer him a little of that. Part of the suggestions are leaving it all behind. Move forward, and that includes leaving Claire to God and seek a marriage. It’s sound advice, especially since Michael doesn’t really know where Claire is. Considering the time period, the advice makes a lot of sense, and it’s repeated by Jenny.

When Michael takes Jamie to the bog where the body was found, Michael rambles on a lot about Celtic lore and religion. There’s a rock that is said to be the seat of kings, and shares that in the past, Jamie was a warrior for a rightful king. He wants Jamie to take the cup and continue to lead the rebellion. Jamie makes it clear that the Jacobite cause is a lost one, and he isn’t going to push on with another one. He thinks about telling Jamie about what Claire told him, but in the end, he decides against it.

Jamie now starts to think about the man in the bog. Was he a time traveler? Jamie starts to wonder if Claire made it to her own time. He says a prayer for Claire and the baby, and then asks Michael for absolution. Michael initially holds back, but when Jamie accuses him of denying it due to not taking up the cup, Michael gives Jamie absolution.

Could the chapter be used in a TV adaptation?

This chapter is important in the grander scheme of things when it comes to the Jacobite rebellion part of the storyline. It’s clear that more people want Jamie to be a part of it. They see him as a good warrior, but Jamie is done with all that. We’d need to see that play out if The Scottish Prisoner was adapted into a TV series, so I could see this chapter being used.

I would love to see Abbot Michael. He believes in the supernatural, and there is a chance for Jamie to fully unburden himself of everything that he knows. Instead, he holds back and keeps some information to himself. I would love to see how Sam Heughan would play that out with his facial expressions.

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