It’s Time of “The Reckoning” (And New Points Of View) on OUTLANDER
Episode 109 “The Reckoning”
[Photos: Sony Pictures Television]
After years and years (in TV time; in real time it was more like six months) of waiting, Outlander is finally back on our screen. And like Claire’s tumultuous relationship with Jamie, my love affair with this show is ready to be resumed.
The episode picks up right where we left off: with Claire being assaulted by Black Jack, and with Jamie swooping in to save his wife. And while the rescue does not go as smoothly as anticipated, in the end (with the help of some diversions and explosions) the newlyweds manage to escape.
It’s not the end of their troubles though, since the first thing they do after stopping, is to get into a huge fight about who’s to blame for the entire “Claire got captured” debacle. It continues into the evening when Jamie decides to punish Claire. Big mistake on his part, as Claire gives him the cold shoulder long after they return home. They, of course, reconcile (in a scene I’m not going to talk about much, since I promised to keep everything PG-13) on the floor, which leads Claire to discover an evil charm stashed under their bed. Gasp!
There is also a slightly more political Game of Thrones sub-plot with Jamie, Colum and Dougal, where Colum confronts them about fundraising for the wrong king; as well as Jamie’s sub-plot where he is dealing with his previous almost lover Laoghaire (who is currently the top contender on Whose evil charm is it, anyway?).
What’s interesting about this episode is that, unlike all episodes before it, it’s told from Jamie’s point of view – complete with Jamie’s voice-over thorough the entire thing. At first, I was confused when the show opened with Sam Heughan’s Scottish accent, telling me what it meant to be a man. But as the plot progressed I realized it was a very good choice on the production team’s part, to let us into Jamie’s head. The events of this episode, especially what happened between Jamie and Claire, if told from Claire’s modern perspective, would damage the way I (and probably other viewers) see Jamie Fraser forever.
The way Jamie has been portrayed so far left us with a certainty that he is a “good guy”. Watching him punish Claire was painful, and I’m afraid that if I wasn’t allowed some insight as to where he was coming from, I would no longer like him as much.
And even though one of the biggest selling points for me about Outlander is that it’s told from a female protagonist’s perspective, I quite enjoyed coming back to something different. I wouldn’t say no to a repeat performance (does it feel like an Outlander post without a sexual innuendo isn’t complete? Yes, it does!). As long as they don’t switch completely away from Claire, of course.
Things to look forward to:
- Will Laoghaire turn into a serious romantic antagonist? I think I’d like it if the answer to that question was “Yes”. In the first half of the season, she reminded me of a lovesick puppy, with not much of a spine. And while stereotypical portrayals of women annoy me, it’s been pointed out to me that Outlander is keeping things pretty realistic regarding social norms within the time period. Maybe I should be glad another female character is getting interesting? I’ll remain cautiously optimistic for now.
- Will Colum and Dougal’s conflict turn more public? Eh, probably not. Not to mention we already know how this whole rebellion ends. Spoiler alert; not well. I have to say, watching this sub-plot isn’t as riveting as the other parts of the show mostly because at times it feels like a poor man’s substitute for Spartacus. You know it will end bloody, but you’re supposed to want to know how they get there. And while it was true for Spartacus, with Outlander I’m not as captivated with the political and rebellious developments. Are you?
All in all, it was a strong comeback and I’m interested to see where they take it from here.
What did you think? What sub-plots are you following closely and which ones you could do without? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Social Media of your choice!
