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    Claire Stays in "The Devil's Mark": "Outlander" Season 1, Episode 11 Review


    Tonight’s Outlander is perhaps one of the most thrilling, gripping, and fast-paced episodes in the show. After Claire and Geillis were arrested in the previous episode, and with both Dougal and Jamie gone, it is exciting to know what awaits the two who were branded as witches. Fortunately, Outlander did not disappointed us with so many heart-breaking revelations in “The Devil’s Mark.” Here are the events of the eleventh episode of Outlander: 

    Thieves’ hole. Claire and Geillis are immediately brought to the thieves’ hole after their arrest. It is more like a pit where they sleep on rocks with the rats. In their first night together, both have a rough time arguing who is to blame and who shall come to rescue. Inevitably, Geilllis confesses to Claire that she has been poisoning her husband with arsenic months before his death. Claire is horrified but has no other choice but to work with her.


    False witnesses. The following day, the trial begins and the firewood is prepared for burning the witches. Much to Claire’s delight, Ned Gowan comes to court and becomes their lawyer, without Colum MacKenzie’s knowledge. Three witnesses are initially brought in. First is Jeanie Hume, Geillis’ housekeeper, who exaggerates Geillis’ activities, making them truly appear as witchcraft. However, Ned rebukes him and convinces the crowd she is only a discontent maidservant. Next is Robena Donaldson, the mother of the child which Claire found dead in the forest in the last episode. She accuses Claire with interfering with the fairies, but Ned argues that the switch between the child and the changeling was completed before Claire came. The third one is Alistair Duffie who preposterously tells the crowd about Geillis summoning a thunder during a battle and flying on air. 

    Bitter witnesses. The first witnesses are ridiculous and Ned seems to win the case…. Until the next day when Laoghaire MacKenzie and Father Bain take the witness stand. Laoghaire sheds crocodile tears while she narrates how Claire took Jamie from her with a love potion. Meanwhile, Father Bain performs an act that convinces the crowd that Claire cast a spell on him. In the end, the people want blood and the two are decided guilty of witchcraft. 

    Truth about Geillis Duncan. After heeding Ned’s plan, the process to death penalty begins and Claire is stripped off and whipped. Before much damage is inflicted, Jamie suddenly comes to the rescue and fights the people hurting Claire. Geillis empathizes with Claire and declares she is indeed a witch who bears the child of Satan and who bewitched Claire into doing things for her. She shows her vaccination mark on her arm which she says to the crowd as the Devil’s mark. Enraged, the crowd takes her out of the court to be burned (though it was not shown that she has been burned). 


    Claire's confessions. When she sees her vaccination mark, Claire realizes that Geillis is also like her – a time traveller. After Jamie rescues her, they ride to the forest and hide. Jamie demands the truth from her and Claire, for a long time seeking someone to tell her secrets, confesses everything – about her life in the future, about what she deduced about Geilllis, and about the history of Scotland that she knows. Surprisingly, Jamie believes everything she divulged. 

    Return home. More surprisingly, Jamie takes Claire to Horrock where the standing stones are located. They say painful goodbyes and Jamie leaves Claire so that she can go home. But that night, while Jamie stands guard from a distance, Claire comes to him and declares that she wants to go home with him to Lallybroch, Jamie’s home. 

    FINAL THOUGHTS. Two major events happened tonight – Geillis’ death and Claire’s confessions to Jamie. Now, it is clear why Geillis does the ritual dance by the stones. It is just very unfortunate that the two women discovered each other’s secret at the last moment. They could have worked together to return to their own time. But if we think of it, going back to their own time may not be their choice at all as shown by Claire. She has indeed fallen in love with Jamie that she opted to stay. Not much cliff-hanger in there, but still a good reason to await for the next episode and the two’s life together in Lallybroch.  





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