I had an Uncle who helped free the camps in World War II. You didn’t talk to Uncle Harry about the war. He never talked about his experience and in fact, it was a hushed topic in the family. However, when I was old enough to realize my uncle had been in a war, I gathered up enough courage to ask. I wanted to know what it was like. The only thing he would ever say was, “More terrible than God willing you’ll ever know”. This week’s episode of Outlander, let us see how terrible it was for Claire and gave some weight to the seriousness of the battle Jamie and the highlanders face. War isn’t an abstract concept for Claire. She knows full well what lies ahead and the cost to everyone involved. This was one of those times a visual adaptation added to my experience of this story and deepened my appreciation.
What I was told was that these next two episodes would be about battle. These were the episodes about training and fighting, swords and strategy. What it was really about was much more than what was presented on the surface. This was an episode about characterization and character.
PERSPECTIVE, EXPERIENCE, AND DREAMS
I loved that Matt and Ron chose to let us see different perspectives. We got to see how many different ways folks could look at this upcoming battle. Claire, Jamie, Dougal, Lord Lovat, and the highlanders with families and crops to tend, and even Bonnie Prince Charlie, all had their own ideas about what this war meant based on their own experience and dreams.
Claire: Maybe, more than anyone Claire knows what war means. Before this episode we have seen some of what she must have experienced. Episode one showed us a Claire taking charge of a man whose injury was causing him to bleed out. Blood splattered, she looks around her at people celebrating and we get the sense that too much has happened for her to feel joy at the ending of the war Later, we see her treat the wounds of a boy whose leg is badly damaged by a boar and we see Claire’s anger at what she sees as a senseless risk. We see her lament the fact that she must be destined to see mangled and maimed men in her dreams when she helps amputate the British soldier’s arm and Geordie’s fatal injury reminded us that Claire has seen men die before….many of them.
Despite these reminders of Claire’s experience of war, over the course of these last two seasons, her focus was first on surviving her fall through time and then trying to change it. This episode helped us understand more deeply why she needed to try to change the future. It is because that future means death for people she has grown to care about and love. These aren’t random Yanks eating shit on a shingle. This is Rupert and Angus and all the others she has lived with and cared for…and Jamie. She locked her worst experiences away in order to keep going. It made sense to me. Claire’s pragmatic nature would have made it necessary. Of course, she is remembering her previous experience now. How could she not? Everything about this preparation for battle reminds her and us that people are people no matter when in time and that war is the same whether it is fought in 1940’s or the 1740’s. It is always bloody, painful, and full of death.
Dougal longs for the glory of war, the Prince rightful and righteous power restored. Claire just wants people she loves to survive. Like my uncle Harry, Claire knows that war is “more terrible than God willing we’ll ever know”. She experiences her own bout with PTSD, but it was so Claire like for her to feel fear and do it anyway. More than anyone save Jamie, she knows what lies ahead for these men and despite her fear she knows she could not live with sitting at home alone and helpless like a dragonfly in amber She can only make what is coming bearable for herself if she can be there to ease what suffering she can. I thought the flashbacks were a brilliant vehicle for bringing the truth of war home to the audience. They put a personal face on the trauma to come, Claire’s. The Claire we saw in last night’s episode was the real Claire intensely caring and real.
Jamie: Kudos to Terry Dresbach for putting Jamie back in his father’s leather jacket…it finally fits. This is the laird of Lallybroch, this is the clan chieftain, this is Himself. The Jamie we saw in last night’s episode was the real Jamie. This is the Jamie we book readers all knew him to be. As one of my readers told me, she and many others struggled with the adaptation , “Mostly it came down to I wanted book Jamie from day 1. But I now see how much more interesting a character he is to see him grow and become that man he will be.” I’m not sure that there was any other way to show viewers how he got to be THIS man without letting us actually see that growth happen. This man is a warrior to be sure, but he is a warrior tempered by knowledge of war, knowledge of the future if he fails, and by personal trauma. He is a man sure of his responsibility and himself. He knows himself like few of us ever will. This Jamie has earned his identity, his soul. Poor Dougal doesn’t understand how insignificant his barbs and attempts to undermine Jamie’s confidence are. This Jamie has been to the depths of Hell and back. Never has there been a man more sure of who he is and what he stands for. The boy with the scarred backed is gone. The man with the scarred back is here and those scars are no longer anything he feels the need to shamefully hide.
INTIMACY, MATURITY, AND NECESSITY
The intimacy in this episode shocked me. I didn’t expect it. It wasn’t even the fact that I thought for a minute we might get a version of Jamie’s issues with after “battle hardness” that caused me to feel this way . Seriously, how many of you thought we were gonna get a version of sex on the rocks and water-weed?! It was the closeness, the touches, the looks, the concern, and the knowledge that there is still a truth between them that caused me to feel the bond between the two of them was strong. This is the Jamie and Claire I longed for, as Claire told Dougal, “my husband and I share everything. This is a couple who are always aware of the other, working beside each other, caring for each other above themselves, riding side by side through life. This couple has been through the fire and it has forged a love that is strong and… sure. I saw a Jamie and Claire who were totally able to be themselves with each other without fear. Poor clueless Dougal cannot even come close to understanding either of them. Matt B. Roberts using Dougal as a foil was a stroke of genius. We were able to see the difference between these two war chiefs and it highlighted Jamie’s maturity and worthiness. Jamie has more important things to do than earn a place at the Prince’s table. Neither he nor Claire are motivated by power and greed, instead they are motivated by care, concern, and a sense of responsibility. In Dougal’s defense, I think he really does love Scotland and having Dougal announce their arrival to the prince was a nod to Jamie’s intuitive leadership. This is a man who is a leader of men and I for one would follow him.
THE ADAPTATION: It worked. There was so much going on in this episode I could have written pages, but I felt I had to focus my reflection on what stood out for me the most, the revealing of character. But, I don’t want to ignore how well done this was. There wasn’t a bit of dialogue, music, set, costumes, that didn’t advance the story of these characters. Everything was telling us a story. I felt transported. There was humor, and tenderness, and hope, and fear. In short, great story-telling. This episode came pretty close to perfect and Je Suis Prest for more.
My Outlander Blog! 
Thank you for your perceptive analysis. I can only feel a sense of dread for what lies ahead. Beautifully constructed and performed episode.
Well said, I liked Claire in this episode, a softer Claire since they came back to Scotland. Jamie came into himself and the strong leader has emerged. The Laird’s coat said it all. He is aware of what could happen and he wants his men to come back alive even if they lose. The PTSD Claire felt was important so people realize that not just soldiers are effected by war.
Yes, I wanted a little more intimacy (the kind we have come to expect between Jamie and Claire). But what we got was something so much more meaningful and loving. Their bond is tighter than ever, and we didn’t need to see it in action to appreciate it. I thought the episode was beautifully done, the characters were well-defined (loved Dougal’s trying to get the upper hand, not succeeding and giving in to Jamie’s authority), the story played out with precision and the music masterful. The end shot, along with the haunting music, made me infinitely sad and yes, I teared up knowing what future or lack of it was just ahead of them. Well done, cast and crew, for making this episode as achingly important as it needed to be.
Well said & TY 4 mentioning the music which I forgot 2 add 2 my comment even tho I had been looking fwd 2 it since Bear McC’s Tweet. It added beauty, sadness & the sense of a common cause and a forlorn hope, but also the altruism of a brotherly bond only known by soldiers protecting each other.
Yup! What you said…
My father fought in WWII, about 40 years later, a few years before he died, I was driving him to the last Highland Games he would ever attend . It was an hours drive away and that is when he told me a little of what he did in the war. He had gotten a letter from the only other survivor of his platoon urging him to do so because “someone needed to know”. They were secret missions. He, too, never talked about the war. We couldn’t have war movies on the TV
He did tell stories passed down through the generations of his family about the clearances, the pain, suffering, loss and consequent rage that they endured. They were transported to Northern Ireland, then went to Nova Scotia, then his parents ended up farming in Foxboro Mass. I remember visiting the old Aunties and Uncles on our summer vacations.
So all of that history and more is probably why this episode has dragged more emotion out of me than any other so far. The whole episode was brilliant. Screenplay, score, costumes and above all the incredible acting of Sam and Cait as well as the entire cast. Sam has done an amazing job of portraying Jamie from young lad, through tortured and broken man to the strong, capable, fair and caring leader we saw in this episode. After 3 viewings I still cry at the last scene with them matching to meet Charles Stuart and subsequent pain, suffering, loss and rage. Next week we win at Prestonpans though, and on another historically positive note, America has certainly benefited from Scots having been transported here!
Great job on your interpretation of this emotionally charged episode. Love every second of this marvelous work, music acting costumes, etc. all exceptionally well done! Kudos to all!
I loved this episode. I really thought Claire’s flashbacks were powerful, and I think this episode set up what’s coming beautifully. Plus, it was good to have the boys back! I loved that the Jamie we all know and love is finally here, fully matured. Sam has done an outstanding job of showing Jamie’s growth and maturity.
My father and father-in-law both fought in WWII. Neither of them would ever talk about their experiences, but every time they got together, they’d go for a walk. I know that’s what they talked about, and I was glad each of them had someone they could talk with.
What a poinant review..loved it..❤This episode for me was a reminder of how difficult it is to watch someone you know and love go off to war..knowing they may never return. My cousin, Vietnam Veteran and Silver Star recipient, John E. Kelly Jr. died fighting for his country, I can only imagine what my cousins must have felt when the telegram arrived informing them of his death. He was only 25 years old. If any of us in the family had the choice to be with him in his time of need, to support, offer medical assistance, and certainly comfort in his time of death, I know we would have chosen to be there, as Claire did. Matthew Roberts did a wonderful job of showing us how war affects all of us, not just the warrior…another great episode for MBR.
Thanks Beth,
I so appreciate your thoughts on this episode…as usual!
What a journey we are on, and I am so grateful for the care of those crafting this show for the journey they have made. The depth of story and characterization amazes me and this episode for me is one of the keys to set everything else in motion!
The ptsd scenes with Claire make her story so much more poignant and help us understand her strength and how her heart is with this man…the sadness when she must go back to Frank is understandable, and also she is still grieving her baby. Random typing here, but just overwhelmed at the layers and complexity I feel so privileged to be watching. It does our lives and our deaths justice!
You are right on the money, again, Beth…I just loved reading your perspective on this episode because it is one I share. I was so very impressed with how Claire’s fear for the future were portrayed and how we see how much of a man of strength and honor Jamie has become. I love these two characters for their depth and interaction with one another. Oh, I know what is to come and so do they…still they travel it all together with a bond I’m so in awe of.
Grand review, Beth. The key point being that the evolution of a character is a beautiful thing to behold. Kudos and congrats to Matt B Roberts for making it so.
Beth, I think I’m just going to make a single post that will be appropriate for all your blog narratives for Outlander in the future: so incredibly insightful. You bring the story of Jamie & Claire/Outlander, to where each of us lives. Your ability to empathize with and analyze each character’s behaviors so honestly, helps to make sense of where the show, is emotionally trying to take us. Bravo!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love the way your mind works! Pulling small and large threads from life and the show and knitting them together into a beautiful whole. You are challenging me to find new ways to say “lovely, inciteful post Beth!” I love all the threads you pulled for this Ep.
I too loved that Jamie was wearing his father’s coat, it did fit now. It wasn’t just a costume he put on to dress-up for the tenants, he’s earned it and respects it’s meaning and value now. Jamie, oh my Jamie, you have come home. I loved that he had no qualm or 2nd thought about his position and Dougal’s role. I loved how that played out as quite strength rather than brute force, that is our Jamie. “I’ve been patient with you out of respect until now…”
Bear really got to me with the music in this episode. I don’t usually notice the music too much, it’s always good, which is as it should be, but he got me by the throat with this Ep. The singing grabbed me and made me want to stand at attention, hand on heart. Something significant, larger than all of them was happening. It added so much without distracting from the story.
I like the thread you pulled about the different perspectives on war. Claire’s PTSD was an unexpected and enlightening piece of the story. My favorite was one of Jamie’s last straws with Dougal’s interference, “I want them to fight and LIVE for their country.” Dougal was all about the glory, Jamie was about about the reality.
I loved the intimacy in this episode. I did not feel the need for sexy time, in fact I think it would have in someways broken the intimacy of this Ep. Jamie and Claire truly felt connected to me, working as one, often silently, through their connection. Even with Claire struggling on her own, Jamie’s eyes never left her, he noticed, he prodded, he accepted her “I’m fine” for the veil it was and kept watching, noticing. I felt there was a new calm, deep connection between them in this Ep. One that did not need discussion or outward displays. It was a quiet, subterranean hum that did not require the spark of sex to fuel it.
The anxious fog of dread for what’s to come in the remaining Eps has not settled over me yet, but I think as soon as I see that block-headed Italian fop it will creep up over me. He’s playing a game with all their lives for the approval of his father, and for his wealth and power. His perspective on war I like the least.
“inciteful”?? Where did I get that? I meant insightful, but your certainly do incite quite a bit as well!
This whole season has been a great ride. The depth of emotion the characters have displayed is something I have not seen on tv for a long time. Although fearfull of what’s to come I cannot wait for it all to play out. Someone wrote in another post how horrible it will be for Claire to witness those she loves and cares for to be killed. I think it will be sad for me as well. You can see it in her eyes every time Jamie tells her he will keep her safe. She knows what that could mean and so do we.
As much as I disliked last week’s episode, I loved this one. Finally, there was the closeness, love and dedication I had wanted to see. Jamie’s maturity vrs Dougal’s itching for a fight (prepared or not) was brilliant. But showing Claire’s PTSD was spot on and fascinating, And watching the awareness of misogynistic Highland men of her “difference” spoke to their caring of her as well as her love and fear for them.
This was an episode I needed to see as it glued pieces together in a coherent story. Thank you Matt and Ron. Thank you, Beth, as well for your continued spot on analysis.
Very well articulated description of Ep 9. Like yourself, I was most pleased to see Claire’s repressed suffering & PTSD finally addressed. Except for the fact that her WWII patients were strangers, their wounds, their experiences, that whole dreadful war was more destructive and caused more lasting mental anguish than Jamie’s mostly physical damage. My Hubby’s dad buried thousands of dead in pits wherever he was assigned and, tough old buzzard that he was, kept most of it to himself. Although substantially enhanced from book ver, ep.9 redeemed some of Season 2’s discouraging alterations and is the first that failed to disappoint in any way. Good work by all and excellent blog by you.
I second every thing you say. This was a well done episode. Kudos to Matt Roberts for the writing of it. So many things to be said and so many emotions. I loved everything about this episode. It was about how they prepare for battle. A love scene between J and C would have been out of place. Yet we see the closeness between these two as a couple and how they work together. Looking forward to the balance of the season and then I’ll do my wishful thinking about the next two books to be adapted.
beth, this is a brilliant, psychoanalytically and sociologically informed review. i experienced the episode as coherent and hanging together [as compared to episode 208]; your review explains why!
Agreed, this episode was as close to perfection as you can get. I actually hesitated watching it but finally gave in 3 days after it became available. We know what’s coming. We know we’ll be broken but we go forward anyway. That’s what Diana’s Jamie and Claire do. Good story telling does that. The acting was superb, the writing was brilliant and let’s not even start on the directing or cinematography. What got me was Bear McCreary’s music. The haunting song of the Scots instantly brought me to tears. Bear McCreary has shined throughout this entire series!
I loved this episode immediately, but your insights help me see more details and appreciate it so much more. When Jamie tells Claire she will never be alone, I cried knowing that she and we can be surrounded by a crowd and still be alone.
Such a wonderful review – I too noticed the intimacy – at just the thought of bad news to come about Willie they moved together to share it immediately, without thought.
Does anyone think Jamie’s promise that Claire won’t ever be alone is a promise that if things do indeed go badly Claire won’t be allowed to break her promise to go back? That he’ll force her to if he has to?
Yes. As we see in the opening scene of Season 2 Claire returns to her time. And I’m sure not by a choice of her own. Jamie promising that she will never be alone again is a catch 22 because despite her returning to Frank she will be alone without her soul mate, Jamie. The only comfort & joy she will have is Bree….really sad to imagine a life with your heart hurting like that.
There were many sober moments in this episode. But Claire portraying a captured English woman in order to get a confession from the boy was laugh out loud funny. Especially when Jamie gave her a victory kiss of sorts, and she played it off as repulsive. I thought about Romancing the Stone. Gosh, that was some needed comedy in a dark hour….
Another quick note from me – I couldn’t help think of Mrs. Fitz when Rupert picked Claire and hugged her. Her laugh was delightful!
An awesome review of an extraordinary episode. I too had an uncle who saw the horrors of WWII and never spoke of it. His name was Harry Gordon. To him and to all warriors, there is nothing glorious about war. It was a job that needed to be done and Jamie gave us that insight. He has stood where these men will stand and he was trying to teach them to hold their ground and to survive. Amazing television to be sure. The PTSD of Claire is totally understandable and moved the story forward as well. Two people damaged by war and trying their best to survive another one.
Thanks Beth for this amazing blog!! I look for your posts everyday. You always make me look at each episode in such a different way, very insightful!! Dreading the future episodes.
Thank you Beth for this wonderful article. I love reading all your blogs! Cannot wait to read your future blogs on the upcoming episodes!
Beth, I always enjoy reading your blog! When Jamie tells Claire that she will never be alone again, I think of the baby she will be carrying into the future after she returns to her own time. She won’t have Jamie, but she will have a part of him. So sad!
Beth – I never set out to write such long comments and apologize for taking up so much space, but your writing style starts unfinished thoughts and half-formed feelings rattling around in me like a hot pan of Jiffy Pop. Your insights and connections along with other commenters starts bringing things together for me. Thanks for that. I wish I’d found your blog a year+ ago.
I went back and read your older linked posts on Jamie and I have to ask, how long have you been living in my head?! Exactly what I was thinking and anguishing over at the time. It only made it worse when I saw deleted scenes from the DVDs that left our book Jamie on the editing room floor. I vowed never to watch any more deleted scenes because they broke my heart, mourning for a Jamie I was beginning to believe we would never see. I did not have any faith in the production team that they would allow two strong, complex, emotionally rich, equal central characters to exist in the same show and they HAD TO to do any justice to the books.
I have been so programmed by the schlock we have been fed on network TV and movies for years, that I did not believe they would allow these two to live equally. We’d have to settle for a lesser someone. It is Claire’s story and as season 1 was playing out, Jamie looked like Claire’s hunky but fairly shallow accessory. At the same time in the media Sam was showing up all kinds of beefcake photo shoots and stories were all about his physical magnificence. It seemed our Jamie was a goner. As you wrote, TV Jamie wasn’t that interesting to me. I also didn’t believe that Claire would fall for this immature boy. Her decision to stay in the 18th Century when presented with the option to go, baffled me. Jamie was so much more complex and interesting in the book at this point that I did feel a wee bit conflicted about her choice.
You’ve mentioned in many posts that we the viewers don’t know TV production, how it works, what they are planning, what these breadcrumbs they drop mean. Because we have 8 volumes of well worn road maps, we think we have the answer. “Hey! They never took that side road”, “wait a minute, that person is not in our list!”, “hang on, that never happened in our encyclopedia!” They are taking us on a new adventure to the same destination. The same trip we’ve taken so many times before, but they decided to take the side road when it looked interesting and we meet new people and learn new things on these side roads. Our road maps are still there and we can go back and take that well traveled and loved trip any time we want. I’m finally settling in to really enjoy where the side roads take us, who we meet there and what new and interesting things we learn. I’m excited at the possibility that I won’t have to go on some of the routes I did not enjoy in our road map and if I do, maybe they’ll remove some of the pot holes and detours to make it a more interesting trip. I’m ready to trust the production, they’ve taken me on many an interesting side road, most of which we’re still traveling.
I am so glad to see that we found our Jamie waiting for us down a long, meandering and at times confusing and aggravating scenic route.
I whole heartedly agree with your review. I love how you’re able to tie all things together.
I had read 2 other reviews where the writers felt the episode was pointless and did not add to the story. I felt if you didn’t read the book, this was a very important episode. It showed us who Claire really is and how she became to be this way. She has always put up a strong front, but for once we see her weaknesses/demons. It showed a strong and confident Jamie no longer hiding. And it showed us a couple united in all things…in love and war. The intimacy between them is so palpable even in the smallest gestures or words. They read each other so well that even if they suddenly improvised a hostage situation …hilariously done by the way…they can immediately pick what the other is doing.
Heh we see where she picked up JEsus H Roosevelt Christ lol!
I love how Murtagh’s role has expanded in the show. The wink he gives Claire when they arrive is adorably sweet. And the smile on his face when he watches Jamie gets kicked in the nuts is hilarious. I literally burst out laughing in this scene. I’m looking forward to the “ham/sandringham” scene. I hope it’ll be like the book.
I did feel a bit sorry for Dougal…being shot down over and over. That interaction between him and Claire felt a bit harsh but I guess if I were in her place, I’d feel a bit wary and angry at him.
Yes. That’s all for now.
Very insightful Beth!!! Thank You!!!
I echo everything the other folks have said about the season, this episode, etc., but please… the word for Jamie’s back is not scared but scaRRed. I was reading merrily along and the tripped over this jarring error.
then tripped…
Nicely done!
I loved how Jamie is now in command. This is the man we know. He took charge with Dougal on more than one occasion and when the time was right he gave him the honor of announcing their arrival to the prince. Yes, Jamie Fraser is a man of honor. This is it…the beginning to the end of a beautiful people and their way of life. I’m taking a pause in my re-read of DOA and reading chapter 36, Prestonpans to prep and refresh my memory for 210. Beth, once again you have nailed it!❤️
TY!
You review is right on. This is the Jamie that we all love and remember from the book. He had to develop to become this person just as you said. You can feel the love between Jamie and Claire as never before. Her PTSD was a stroke of genius and so very real. Who wouldn’t have these flashbacks after all she had been through? This is real life. Thank you for your right on review and I will watch this episodes many more times.
I love your posts. They are absolutely spot on.
I few things I noticed and loved about this episode:
–The way Fergus runs to Claire when they are re-united. Jamie, Claire and Fergus are a family.
–The way Jamie is always pulling Claire close when they are standing and talking to someone, beginning with meeting up with Murtagh when they arrive. The tough times they have faced together have melded them into one.
–Jamie’s face has matured. His cheekbones and chin are more defined. Not sure how they managed that since Sam Heughan is only one year older.
–Claire looks better with less make-up. It makes her face wonderfully endearing. I can imagine that Jamie is overwhelmed with love when he looks at her. As beautiful as she was in her red dress, this is his Claire.
So many other things were terrific about this episode, but most of them have already been covered by your post and the comments. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights.
Thank you everyone’s comments are so nice!
Oh Beth…I am clearly one of your “Fans” and glad of it ! You didn’t miss a heart beat, a nuance, but then, you never do. I hope you give us advanced notice when you finish your First Book, I know it will be great no matter the Title or Content. Thank you for being.
Awwwwww
Just recently found your blog!!! Sorry I didn’t find it during Season 1….
You have great insight….I know I will not be disappointed in the remaining comments you’ll be making on future episodes!!
I too, found myself weeping when the music started and though I know what is to happen in the remaining episodes, it did not diminish the impact in how the story unfolded.
Hi Beth, So loved the episode and your review. For me this ep, hit hard coming on the heels of Memorial Day. On that day, my family and I visited Tahoma National Cemetery to pay respects to my father-in-law, a veteran who was laid to rest there less than a month ago. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about war; the cost and the legacy. There were so many red flags in that cemetery marking the graves of those who were Killed In Action. It was very emotional. As my husband and I were making the long trek back to our car, we passed a grouping of red flagged graves. We left a trinket at each grave (think a stone on a cairn) and noted that one of the young men was killed in action in 2003. He was born the year my husband graduated from high school. My husband asked for a tissue, which I thought was meant to wipe his eyes, but instead, he wetted the tissue at a nearby faucet and proceeded to clean off bird droppings that marred the front of the marker. We stood, hand in hand, crying for this young man, one of the best and brightest, who died in service of his country. The cost and the legacy. Claire’s flashbacks were a reminder that she was already fully aware of the cost of war. Jamie embraced his own legacy and, being a leader in every sense of the word, prepared his men as best he could to mitigate that cost. I hope Matt B Roberts gets duly recognized for writing such a strong episode. That the actors all did it justice, goes without saying.
Oh Gina Thank you for sharing this!
That is so moving. Thank you for sharing that and for taking the time to care for a lost soldier. A small thing with such huge meaning.
They’ve all said it Beth….and I agree totally. I might also add that the pace of this episode was perfect…plenty of interwoven threads, no feeling that too much info was being squeezed into a tight space…the perfect pause before….
What a difference watching an episode written by someone who had been a fan of, and read the books, LONG BEFORE Outlander was a gleam in Ron’s eye. I read an interview with Matt Roberts, as I’m sure you did, where he noted that it WAS SO IMPORTANT to be true to the story, include the really important lines thst he knew fans would want to see (because he would want to, being a fan himself) and he felt it was important for people to see that Jamie and Claire were a solid couple. Something that has been sorely lacking in so many of the previous episodes. It was why he felt it was important to tell Dougal through Claire, that she and Jamie share everything. Matt Robert gets it. I don’t understand why the others don’t get it. But he does, it was evident. If this could stay like this for the rest of the season, I would actually be convinced that this would be a show worth renewing. I am hoping that they let him write more episodes. He did not adapt the storyline unnecessarily, or in a way that did not make sense. It was wonderful to see him try to explain where Claire picked up the saying Jesus H Roosevelt Christ. He tied pieces together. Claire’s PTSD was not gratuitous, but it helped us to see how she was going to deal with another War. Of all the writers, he gets it. Can’t say the same for everybody else. But when you watch him in an interview he so enthusiastic because he’s a devotee of the story! Sometimes you wish tnat it could be mandatory, that the writers have to have read the books, and I mean read them, and read them well, and really understand the future story arcs so that they can write reasonable, and plausible episodes, and not bizarre stuff that wouldn’t happen in a million years. I thoroughly loved this episode, I’m looking forward to Prestopans, I hope they get that right too.
DIA is just so packed it was difficult to get it all in in the time allotted. I still feel we needed to see more of the actual healing after the terrible fight in Paris they had and how they came back together after losing Faith. Ignoring it or the VO we got didn’t do it. Those are the moments that we love most about the book and wanted to see. No more talk about adapting for tele, changes that had to be done. I don’t buy it. The important stuff needs to remain. Overall, as we approach the inevitable, I love this show and truly thank everyone involved. Please get the print shop right. We know Sam and Caite will give it their all.
And also, I loved how Matt Roberts brings us back to Episode 1, when Claire cries out, “not another f#%en war” to Mrs. Graham. Now I get it…
Beth, your reflections are pure eloquence; thank you. There was definitely much to enjoy and admire in this episode (for me, the music most of all), but your decision to focus on the characters does it immense justice. i’m very slowly getting through the first book, but have loved every moment of Jamie’s development in the show – Sam Heughan carries this development with incredible skill. It is very exciting to see him become a commander of men… just knowing that they fail in their cause breaks my heart without even knowing how DG has described it!
Xx
I am in tears reading your wonder blog and all the insightful comments. It was touching to see the MacKenzies of Leoch back and Jaime step up to his best and true self. I especially liked that the bond and partnership between Claire and Jamie was so wonderfully portrayed
Great write-up. Definitely agree how much Claire’s flashbacks added to the episode. Also I did not even catch that Jamie was wearing his father’s coat!