In this episode of Outlander, titled “Uncharted,” Claire meets an unusual man on the island of Saint-Domingue and worries how she’ll reunite with Jamie, the Artemis encounters rough waters and a couple weds.
Claire successfully escapes the Porpoise and makes landfall on an island. She’s a bit discouraged since she has no idea where she is or how or where to find Jamie. A more immediate concern is the lack of fresh water. (She didn’t think to grab a flask of water before jumping ship?) As a doctor, Claire knows she can only survive three days without it.
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Is This Outlander or Survivor?
She wanders inland, hoping for a road where she can hitch a ride to a nearby port and buy passage to Jamaica. After a day, it looks like this island could be of the Gilligan’s Island variety. Her first night in the wilderness, she’s able to use two stones and light a fire but wakes up with her legs covered in fire ants.
Claire ventures into the jungle and spots some cocunuts, but they’re too high for her to reach. She falls asleep at the base of a tree and awakens to a giant snake slithering across her body (literally a snake, not a certain part of Jamie’s anatomy). Unlike most women — myself included — who would jump up and start screaming bloody murder, Claire maintains her composure until the snake goes merrily on its way.
Everybody’s Gone Nuts
By day three, Claire is becoming a bit delirious and stumbles upon a man preaching and then passes out. When she opens her eyes, there are no snakes, but she is tied to a bed. A woman, Mamacita (Vivi Lepori), gives her some water and explains that she can’t free Claire or she’ll scratch her ant bites, which the woman has treated with some green paste. Mamacita removes Claire’s clothes and takes a keen interest in the zipper on the corset.
Claire passes out again, and the next time she wakes up, she’s greeted by a very cheerful Englishman, who introduces himself as Father Fogden (Nick Fletcher) and welcomes her to Hacienda de la Fuente. Fogden proves to be a solicitous and gracious host. He unties Claire and offers her food and water, warning her to drink slowly. She tells him she’s a doctor, and he’s shocked, but Claire insists it’s quite common in the American colonies. Fogden believes Claire’s arrival to be a good omen since one of his goats just gave birth — the first newborn in some time.
Claire learns that she’s on the island of Saint-Domingue. Claire explains that her husband is traveling to Jamaica, and she needs to find him. There is a village a day’s walk away where she can catch a ride on a fishing boat. Claire is ready to leave immediately, but Father Fogden insists it is too dangerous. More specifically, Coco — an actual coconut — thinks it’s not a good idea. (Yes, Coco bears a resemblance to Wilson the volleyball.)
This island has an unsavory element known as Maroons — escaped slaves who have fled their masters and seek refuge in the hills. Father Fogden also warns of pirates. So, all in all, either Claire takes her chances with Maroons and pirates if Father Fogden is telling the truth, which is unlikely since he talks to coconuts or she hangs out with a guy who … talks to coconuts.
Claire, Father Fogden and Mamacita sit down to dinner, and while Mamacita is no fan of Claire’s, Father Fogden opens up about his past. Fifteen years prior, Fogden was working with the poor in Cuba. He met a woman, Emenegilda, and they fell in love. In addition to Emenegilda being married to a very cruel and wealthy man, Fogden was a priest, so they were forced to flee Cuba and ended up on Saint-Domingue. Unfortunately, Emenegilda became ill not long after their arrival and died.
Fogden offers Claire some yupa to smoke, which he promises has some “euphoric” effects. This probably explains why the guy is talking to a coconut — he’s high all the time.
Claire wisely refuses and asks how to get to the nearby village. She plans to leave in the morning. Fogden won’t let Claire make the trip alone; he insists on accompanying her. He also doesn’t want her to leave for at least a week. Claire emphasizes the urgency of her journey, but Fogden isn’t swayed. Mamacita, on the other hand, wants Claire out immediately. She thinks Claire is a whore. (Why does every woman who meets Claire in the 18th century immediately call her a whore?)
Mamacita thinks they’ve done their Catholic duty, but Fogden argues that Claire has brought them good fortune and is welcome. The two argue because Mamacita is convinced that Fogden is hoping Claire will replace her daughter, Emenegilda. In this particular hacienda, Mamacita has the last word — well, her and Coco.
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Arabella, Abandawe and the Artemis
The following morning, Mamacita brings Fogden the skinned head of one of his goats, Arabella, claiming a sailor is responsible for the beloved goat’s death. Fogden retrieves a jar of black insects and dumps them on Arabella’s skull, and they immediately begin to consume what remains. Fogden tells Claire they come from a sacred cave known as Abandawe. This rings a bell with Claire because the fortune teller in Edinburgh warned her of this very place. Fogden says Abandawe is a place of great power, and many have disappeared there.
Fogden laments that his Arabella was killed by a Chinaman. (Mamacita broke this news in Spanish, one language Claire doesn’t speak.) Claire suspects the man in question could be Willoughby and learns there were many sailors and broken sails on the beach. Claire asks how to get to the ship, and while Fogden is distracted by goat grief, Mamacita instructs Claire to run through the jungle and just keep on going.
The Artemis ran into some trouble and broke one of the main sails. Many crew members died, including Captain Raines. Jamie, Fergus, Lesley and Hayes, along with the rest of the survivors, repair the mast and prepare to set sail.
Claire rushes through the jungle towards the beach and gashes open her arm on a branch along the way. She reaches the beach and sees the Artemis in the distance and begins to scream Jamie’s name, but he’s too far away. Claire stole a small mirror from Fogden’s house and uses it to catch the light, sending a signal to the boat. Jamie spots his wife and goes rushing back for her. Hayes and Lesley comment how Jamie’s wife has a tendency to turn up in the most unlikely places. (That’s putting it mildly.)
Willoughby stitches up Claire’s arm, and she tells her husband about the warrants. Willoughby regrets that they didn’t cut the body up, leaving nothing for anyone to find. (He’s a dark one.) Claire assures her husband that Captain Leonard is an ambitious man, and he won’t stop until he finds Jamie, but Jamie has no intention of stopping until he finds Ian.
On a less dismal note, Jamie shares with Claire that he has given Fergus and Marsali his blessing. He thinks that with all the death and suffering, it might be a good time to find some joy — a wedding. Good thing Claire knows a priest.
First, Willoughby has to apologize for Arabella. He offers up a chicken as a mea culpa. To his credit, Fogden decides to let bygones be bygones, citing that he too was once a stranger in a strange land. Then they get high on yupa.
Claire tends to Marsali before the ceremony, asking if there’s anything Marsali wants to know. She’s a bit surprised when Marsali inquires about birth control. She does want babies, but she saw how unhappy her mother and Jamie were together, and she wants what Jamie and Claire have. She wants some “alone” time with her new hubby before pushing out bairns. Claire assures Marsali she can be of assistance in that area.
During the ceremony, Fogden asks Fergus for his full name, but like Madonna and Prince, Fergus explains that he’s just Fergus. Fogden insists that a surname is necessary, so Jamie informs the priest that Fergus’ full name is Fergus Claudel Fraser.
Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?
Back on the ship, Claire enjoys some turtle soup made for her especially by Willoughby. It contains a whole lot of sherry, so Claire is buzzed. She’s also got a huge gash in her arm and has a fever. Good thing she brought that penicillin from the future. Jamie tries to give his wife the shot but can’t bring himself to stick her with the needle. (Insert filthy joke here.)
Once she’s full of antibiotics, Claire really starts to feel frisky. And when Jamie talks about her nipples being like big, round cherries, all of us ladies know why. He does make a valiant attempt to fight off his drunken, infected spouse, but the power of the turtle overwhelms them, and sex ensues.
How will Claire and Jamie avoid Captain Leonard? Are the bones that Abernathy and Claire examined in Boston related to Abandawe? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Outlander season 3 airs Sundays at 8/7c on Starz. Want more news? Like BuddyTV’s Facebook page.
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Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
