I have to say, one of the things that sets Outlander apart from quite a few television programs is their handling of sexual violence and assault. Don't get me wrong, at times sexual misconduct is overused for plot purposes, but normally, the portrayal itself is done with care, even at times where the violence itself is horrifying, ie. Wentworth Prison. This episode is one of the few times where I do not think the portrayal is responsible.
My issue is not with the fact that it happens. In fact, I think it's a good reminder that sexual abuse is not always perpetrated by men and not always an act of violence. Geneva's threat of blackmail to force Jaime to lie with her is actually a rather nuanced, in that you don't often see situations in television where a woman sexually assaults a man in such a way. But there is something about it that just rubs me the wrong way and makes it difficult for me to engage with it.
On the one hand, it's frightening how much the showrunners made Hannah James (Geneva) look like Caitriona Balfe in this episode. It looks like Geneva could be Claire's younger sister. It freaks me out because it feels like Claire is raping Jaime in this episode. I don't know if it was by design, but her looks, her mannerisms, her profanities, they all remind me of Claire. The writers probably wanted this, to show the difference between passion and love, of something you could share with any person as opposed to the one you give your heart and soul to. If so, maybe I missed the point, but for some reason it just freaks me out. The second problem is that the episode is not tonally consistent. I feel like the episode is designed for us to pity Geneva; that she is just some poor inexperienced girl who thinks she's in love who is forced to marry some rich old man and is thus somehow justified in lying with Jaime. Big problem is, she forced Jaime to lie with him by blackmailing him. It's hard to justify her actions considering the amount of abuse that Jaime was put through.
Perhaps the show wanted to add complexities to Geneva's character, but tell me any other time where the show has tried to defend a rapist's actions. Outlander gives you insight into Randall's character, Sandringham's character, Dougal's character, etc. but never portrays them in a way to try to convince you that they were justified in their actions.
Besides that, I think this episode is the weakest in Jaime's storyline because it is a plot driven episode. It doesn't tell you very much about Jaime's character or his state of mind in the same way the last two episodes did. Couple this with the somewhat questionable portrayal of Jaime's "relationship" with Geneva, and the story feels mechanical. Jaime goes to Hellwater, is forced to lie with Geneva, she's pregnant, she dies in childbirth, Jaime kills her husband, the baby goes back to Hellwater, Jaime cares for his son until he starts to resemble Jaime, Jaime leaves. It's hard to find any moments of real character development or complexity. Jaime's scenes with Willie are nice, but standard.
Compare this with Claire's story in this episode, which has about 1/10 of the time Jaime's story gets, yet it is so much more compelling. We've seen before the themes of chasing the ghosts of the past, false hope, and being frozen in time, and all of these themes come into play as Claire's search for Jaime fizzles out. Despite her desire to find Jaime, there are other considerations in her life that are affecting the search. She has a daughter and a career that cannot be put on hold forever. The story resonates because you remember the hope that Claire had at the end of season 2. It feels like Claire is so close to finding Jaime, but just when she gets close, the search stalls and her life in Boston begins to catch up with her. At the end of the episode she has to make the crushing choice to say goodbye to Jaime again, to give up and return to Boston.
It is reminiscent of the problem that this episode has. Claire's decision to give up the search is so character driven and portrays a depth of character that you don't get in Jaime's story. So much happens in Jaime's story that the emotional flashpoint of the story, Jaime's decision to leave Hellwater, just kind of happens. It's a missed opportunity because the conflict, the turmoil that such a decision would have entailed is ignored. In my opinion, the weakest episode in the first half of season 3.
5 out of 18 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
