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Directed by: Anna Foerster Written by: Ira Steven Behr First aired on May 16, 2015 This episode picks up where "The Search" left off. It is not for the weak hearted or faint of spirit and will be really difficult for some people to watch. But it follows the story in the book pretty closely and they don't shy away from the dark material in the book. If you could not handle the flogging scene in "The Garrison Commander," then go ahead and just skip this one or at least have your finger on the fast forward button. The title card scene with the hanging ring of torture devices makes it pretty clear what is going to happen eventually. If you made it past that, then the opening scene greets you with multiple hangings. A group of prisoners wait for their name to be called, among them is Jamie (Sam Heughan) and MacQuarrie (Douglas Henshall). As they lead MacQuarrie to the gallows he says, "I've but one regret Fraser, I'll be climbing those steps before you." Unfortunately, MacQuarrie meets his end and it is not quick and easy as he'd hoped for (remember his toast in "The Watch" episode?). As the letter of execution with James Fraser is turned, emotions run high. Jamie Alas, the dread placed on this episode continues as Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) rides into the courtyard and stops Jamie's execution. You can see a moment of Jamie questioning whether to just step off the gallows and meet his death rather than let Randall lay claim to him. It is after this that we see the dungeon where the rest of Jamie's scenes will take place. He is chained to the wall in a dark, stone lined cell. Jamie tries frantically to free himself by pulling on the chain, but it is no use. He will continue to try throughout the episode as he has some fight in him and a wife to return to. Meanwhile, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) has arrived at Wentworth Prison and manages to get an audience with Sir Fletcher Gordon (Frazer Hines), the warden of the prison. Being an Englishwoman in Scotland has paid off again. Claire does not reveal who she is in relation to Jamie, just that she is an acquaintance of the family. She is refused a visit or a letter to Jamie. Sir Fletcher is not totally without redemption, as he takes pity on her and gives her Jamie's belongings to return to the family (the contents of his sporran containing Willie's snake, his fishing line, dried mole's foot and such). Claire is a strong woman; she keeps it together until she leaves the prison. Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) is there to rescue her from being weak in the knees and throwing up over the situation. It is in that moment, that you see how much Murtagh cares for Claire. Back at the local pub, Claire is resenting the fun that Angus (Stephen Walters) and Rupert (Grant O'Rourke) are having at a game of cards (it turns out they were purposefully losing) and being served plenty of drink by a servant girl (Saskia Grace Robinson). Willie (Finn den Hertog) keeps Murtagh and Claire company. Angus and Rupert were not entirely useless though. They managed to find out when Sir Fletcher would be away from his office for nearly an hour. Randall's interrogation of Jamie begins. Randall has brought along some muscle in the form of a daft, large man named Marley (Richard Ashton). When he saw Jamie struggling to pull the chain holding him out of the wall, he qjoted Thomas Mallory saying, "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of all England." Black Jack apologized to Jamie for the prison commissary, although he was glad that Jamie had eaten the food he'd sent him. The Duke of Sandringham evidently has loose lips when he's in his cups. The petition of complaint against Randall that both Jamie and Claire signed is in his pouch. He tells Jamie that if it had been presented to the Court of Sessions, they would likely find in his favor and it might be him up on that jibbot instead of Jamie. But instead, he sets it on fire dashing any hope Jamie might have of a pardon. The fact that they'd come so close to destroying him seemed to motivate Randall even more, if that is possible. Claire and Murtagh manage to get back into the prison and into Sir Fletcher's empty office. When they are left alone and start searching, they don't find much. A set of keys is all they get for their troubles, and that comes at a price when they have to knock out the Head Jailor (Owen Oakeshott) who has caught them in the act. This sets off Claire's excursion into the prison to find Jamie. Luckily, the sound of yelling for Jamie as she's walking around to several holding cells does not travel far enough for soldiers to hear. Thick walls, I guess. The entire first part of the Randall's time with Jamie is a mind game. Randall starts off cordial and asks if he can call him Jamie. Jamie replies, "I care not, but if you expect me to beg for my life, you'll be sorely disappointed." Randall says that he is unable to save him now, even if he wished to. "Our time together here is but a momentary reprieve." Jamie says, "Dunna bother, I prefer the noose." Randall wants Jamie to admit his fear of him and surrender to him, and in return, Randall will let Jamie choose his own manner of death. He said Jamie deserves a clean, honorable death, one of his own choosing. He evens mentions the death of Brutus, which is a nice nod to Menzies' role as Brutus in the TV series, Rome. He said, "Perhaps you do not wish to see my face at the end. I understand. I can simply slit your throat from behind. It's messy, but the choice is yours." Jamie does not surrender. He takes his only chance to take out Randall when Randall tries to see Jamie's back, which he calls his masterpiece. Jamie does not succeed and he pays a huge price for it as Randall and Marley retaliate by smashing his left hand. Claire hears Jamie's screams and follows the sound. Then Randall uses Jamie's weakened condition and starts to take advantage of him. Marley looks on with disgust and backs away. Randall manages to rein himself in and says, "No, I will not give in to coarse passion." Claire eventually finds Jamie, as Randall and Marley have left the door unlocked and open. She tries despirately to release him from his shackles, but then Randall says behind her, "You truly have a gift for showing up at the most unexpected times." She goes berzerk and attacks him screaming "You fucking sadistic piece of shit!" but Marley holds her back. Then she says, "I should have slit your throat when you were lying unconsious at Fort William." He replys blandly, "Yes, I'm afraid you will come to regret that small act of humanity. You're no coward; I will grant you that. A fit match for your husband, and I cannot give you a better compliment than that." What follows is one of the most painful sequences to watch, complete emotional wreckage as all three actors give their all to the scene. Claire fights off Marley creepy advances and Jack uses Claire, strangling her, to emotionally torture Jamie. Finally he yells "STOP!" and offers himself, unresisting, if Jack will promose to let Claire go unharmed. She refuses to leave him, but with no other choice, they steal a very brief but passionate goodbye before Randall, who is thrilled by the deal he's just struck, drags Claire out. As they're walking down the hallway, he mentions her recent witch trial at Cranesmuir. She takes that opportunity to tell him, "Witch I am, and I curse you, I curse you with the knowledge Jack Randall, with the hour of your death. Jonathan Wolverton Randall, born September 3, 1705. Dies ..." and then she whispers the date into his ear. He literally dumps her on the trash heap with the recently hung prisoners, including MacQuarrie. In a nice compromise for book readers, you hear wolves howling in the background as Claire makes her way through the forest. Angus finds her and brings her to Eldridge House, the home of Sir Marcus MacRannoch (Brian McCardie), a friend of the MacKenzie and Fraser clans. Claire begs for his help in rescuing Jamie, but he's got a wife and three bairns to protect and says it's not worth the risk of bringing the Readcoats down on them all. She offers to pay him with Ellen's pearls, which it turns out he'd given to her as a wedding gift. Murtagh confirms that Jamie is Ellen's son, "Aye, and ye'd ken it if ye saw him—he's the spit of her." Even though her son is the one who needs rescuing and he'd like to help Ellen's son, he tells them it's still too dangerous. Then Absalom (Gary Lind), who was sent out that morning to round up MacRannoch's forty missing head of cattle, returns with only nineteen of them. MacRannoch smells liquor on his breath and chastises him for losing 21 cows. Murtagh, seeing the substantial, even though diminished, herd of cows, smiles and says, "I know how we can save young Jamie." Adapted from Outlander TV News