Written by Diana Gabaldon and Ronald D. Moore
Directed by Mike Barker

As the second season of Outlander winds down, Claire and Jamie are forced to ponder what they can do differently from what Claire knows of the history of the Jacobite Rising to produce a different result. Since she is not a historian, her knowledge of events is limited.

As Vengeance is mine opens, the Uprising is at a stalemate. Prince Charles (Andrew Gower) thinks they can march into England and take London, while the senior advisers think they need to turn back. There are three armies between where they are and London, although Prince Charles sees it as a matter of just 5 days and he could enter London. Jamie (Sam Heughan) is the sole man to stand with him. His theory was that marching on London was something different than the history Claire (Caitriona Balfe) knew and might change things, even if they couldn’t hold the City.

Dougal (Graham McTavish) finds Jamie and tells him they are being sent to Inverness, away from any possible influence on the Prince. On the way, they are attacked. As they try to make an escape, the patrol comes upon them and begins shooting. Rupert (Grant O’Rourke) is shot, and Dougal saves him from falling from his horse.

They hold up in an abandoned church, Claire treats Rupert, who is in a great deal of pain. That night, the British surround them. They are threatening to set fire to the roof. Claire urges Jamie to say he’s holding her hostage in hopes of using her as a bargaining chip. Jamie refuses. Claire says that as Lady Broch Turach, the men are as much her responsibility as his. Claire leaves with the British army. They take Claire to the estate of Lord Sandringham (Simon Callow).

Sandringham tells Claire that he is being watched very carefully as he’s still suspected of being a Jacobite. He doesn’t reveal who Claire is to the soldiers, hoping that he will be able to escape with Claire when Jamie comes to rescue her. As she’s writing a letter to smuggle to Jamie, Mary Hawkins (Rosie Day) appears. She begs Claire to help her. Lord Sandringham has arranged a marriage for her to a loyalist as a way of proving his loyalty to the King. Claire goes to plead Mary’s case to Sandringham. She recognizes a birthmark on the Duke’s valet as that of the man who attacked her and Mary in Paris. Sandringham tells her it was the Comte St. Germain’s idea, although he wanted Claire to be killed. He also tells her that he has entered into an agreement with the soldiers watching him that will prove his loyalty by luring “Red Jamie” to the estate.

Mary tries to help Claire, but her anxiety gets the better of her. They are in the kitchen with Sandringham and the valet when Jamie and Murdoch (Duncan Lacroix) arrive. Mary kills the valet while Murdoch beheads the Duke and lays his head at Claire’s feet.

There are a number of turning points in Vengeance is Mine. As the Prince and the Jacobite Army seem to hold the throne within their grasp, they are forced to step back. There is logic on both sides, although watching it, I know the Jacobite Army is overmatched. The small victory they managed to win has buoyed their spirits, but that will not hold up against a full-blown assault on the British. The further south they move, the less likely they’ll find support for their cause, which means the potential of fighting street by street, where they face opposition. Jamie thinks that because attacking London is different than the history Claire knows that it might change history to do just that.

Reusing the ruse of Claire being a hostage might seem like it won’t work a second time, but these were the days when communication wasn’t what it is today. It’s likely that no one ever talked about that the first time it happened. A soldier would be more worried about receiving punishment for being deceived by the Jacobites. This also works as a way of separating Claire and Jamie, which they really need to do at this point. This is how Claire will figure out who was behind the attack in Paris, as well as make sure that Mary Hawkins’ future is the one she knows of. Things are happening just as they should, although neither Claire nor Jamie has an idea that’s really going on. It seems as much as they try, history cannot be changed.

The Duke of Sandringham was never completely trusted by Claire or Jamie, and he finally shows his true colors in this episode. He’s played a game of being the middleman, ready to throw his lot in with whoever it seems might be winning the war to put a new King on the throne. Murdoch follows through on a promise he made in Paris, as grisly as it is, and this ends the Duke’s storyline. Mary has also become stronger throughout the season. She’s still not all that assertive, but she is making objections to the plan the Duke had for her life. That’s also settled with his demise. Mary also helps Claire warn Jamie that the Duke has set a trap for him. She’s evolved quite a bit, which is nice to see.

There is gorgeous scenery and cinematography as Jamie and Dougal take their men to Inverness. Scotland is a very attractive country, and the camera captures it all quite beautifully.

The story is building towards the season finale. Having read all of the books, I know what’s going to happen before they reach that point. I have to say they did a good job of being faithful to the book Dragonfly in Amber at this point. It’s in later seasons where they skip entire stories. The changes made in this season have been relatively small and help with the flow of the story on the small screen.

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