I can understand why this episode is so controversial, and while some, especially those that haven't read the books would despise this episode, as it is yet another situation of sexual violence, and one of the most brutal that I can remember being put on screen in quite a while. One of the difficult things about this is similar to the difficulty you have with Jaime's rape and Brianna's rape. Those moments are so important to their character arcs in the book, have such a lasting impact on the events following, that it's difficult for the showrunners to simply change the story. For example, what happens between Ian and Gellis could have been changed. The plot point is not one that has a particularly lasting effect in the story. Claire's abduction however is an event that has a profound impact on the story and on Jaime and Claire's relationship moving forward. I can understand too why the showrunners had this event happen at the end of the season. In Breath of Snow and Ashes, the abduction happens early on in the book. I think you can do this in the book, because you have 900 more pages to explore that trauma and tell other stories. There was probably a concern that if the abduction occurred in the beginning of the next season it would so dominate the story to the point where it becomes the entire focus of the next season. That's not to say that it cannot be prevalent, and the showrunners will have to justify their decision by giving it the treatment it deserves subsequently.
This episode is so difficult for me because of the duality of it. It's horrifying of course, I think not just because of the act itself but because of the physical nature of it. When Claire is rescued you can physically see the scars, see how shoe has been battered and abused in a way that differs from Jaime and Brianna. You can see in their emotions the trauma, and Jaime's hand was ruined by Randall, but Claire's entire face is battered and bruised, her body weak and unsteady, which draws attention to her expressions, which are cold, steady and distant. It's just such a visceral attack that it makes my skin crawl.
Yet, the episode is so beautiful as well. Throughout this season family has been the central theme, and as horrifying and gut wrenching as the abduction is, it's also heartwarming. Jaime comes to save Claire, she never doubts he will, but it is Ian, Fergus, Marsali, Roger, the Beardsleys even John Qunicy Myers that deliver Claire's vengeance. It's those people who Claire and Jaime have helped for so long that pay it forward, that rush to Claire's defense when she is in a position that you don't see in her in, weak, vulnerable, and helpless.
However, I think this episode has to be in the Pantheon of all-time great episodes of Outlander for no other reason than the fact that Caitriona Balfe is majestic in this episode. Honestly, after watching this episode, I have to wonder how difficult it must have been for the actors playing the rapists to act as the story required them to act. Clearly this is a work of fiction, as viewers you know that Caitriona Balfe wasn't actually raped on the set, but dear God is her portrayal so incredibly realistic. I can't fathom how talented an actress she must be such that she can command her soul to literally drain out of her eyes in the way she does in this episode. The command that you can have to make your body go limp and portray such weakness while also portraying a character who retains her dignity and who by sheer force of will refuses to be broken.
I think Cait's performance is so incredible because it illustrates the exact feeling Claire has after the attack in the book. In the book however, Claire is the narrator, she tells you what she is feeling, her thoughts, her innermost feelings. On screen, the fact that Cait is able to show us these emotions without the benefit of narration, without the benefit of much in the way of dialogue is truly amazing. And, to illustrate just how well it was done, in the book, Claire's feelings are much the same as in the tv series. Claire is confident Jaime will rescue her. After the attack, she has that same stoic sort of mix of shock and resolve that you see in the show. In fact, in the book, she actually sets her own broken nose immediately after the attack. And most importantly, many of her thoughts are outward in nature. Unlike Jaime, she's not shamed in the same way, doesn't want to kill herself, but rather is fearful that what happened to her will dredge up Jaime's memories of what happened to him.
And I think this is the point as to why Claire's abduction needed to happen for the series and what makes what happened so tragic. Claire is in the position of vulnerability and weakness, but knowing what has happened to the other members of her family, throughout the rest of the series she tries so incredibly hard to be strong, to overcome those feelings, and no become a burden to others. I think that's the difficulty for her, not in being vulnerable but being in a position where she needs to allow herself to be vulnerable to heal, allow herself to grieve, and allow herself to be healed, rather than the healer.
Ultimately, this episode will be judged by whether the show in Season 6 can touch upon the nuances of Claire's recovery. If they can manage that complexity this episode will be justified. If Claire's recovery becomes a rerun of Jaime and Brianna's recovery, they will have failed.
This episode is so difficult for me because of the duality of it. It's horrifying of course, I think not just because of the act itself but because of the physical nature of it. When Claire is rescued you can physically see the scars, see how shoe has been battered and abused in a way that differs from Jaime and Brianna. You can see in their emotions the trauma, and Jaime's hand was ruined by Randall, but Claire's entire face is battered and bruised, her body weak and unsteady, which draws attention to her expressions, which are cold, steady and distant. It's just such a visceral attack that it makes my skin crawl.
Yet, the episode is so beautiful as well. Throughout this season family has been the central theme, and as horrifying and gut wrenching as the abduction is, it's also heartwarming. Jaime comes to save Claire, she never doubts he will, but it is Ian, Fergus, Marsali, Roger, the Beardsleys even John Qunicy Myers that deliver Claire's vengeance. It's those people who Claire and Jaime have helped for so long that pay it forward, that rush to Claire's defense when she is in a position that you don't see in her in, weak, vulnerable, and helpless.
However, I think this episode has to be in the Pantheon of all-time great episodes of Outlander for no other reason than the fact that Caitriona Balfe is majestic in this episode. Honestly, after watching this episode, I have to wonder how difficult it must have been for the actors playing the rapists to act as the story required them to act. Clearly this is a work of fiction, as viewers you know that Caitriona Balfe wasn't actually raped on the set, but dear God is her portrayal so incredibly realistic. I can't fathom how talented an actress she must be such that she can command her soul to literally drain out of her eyes in the way she does in this episode. The command that you can have to make your body go limp and portray such weakness while also portraying a character who retains her dignity and who by sheer force of will refuses to be broken.
I think Cait's performance is so incredible because it illustrates the exact feeling Claire has after the attack in the book. In the book however, Claire is the narrator, she tells you what she is feeling, her thoughts, her innermost feelings. On screen, the fact that Cait is able to show us these emotions without the benefit of narration, without the benefit of much in the way of dialogue is truly amazing. And, to illustrate just how well it was done, in the book, Claire's feelings are much the same as in the tv series. Claire is confident Jaime will rescue her. After the attack, she has that same stoic sort of mix of shock and resolve that you see in the show. In fact, in the book, she actually sets her own broken nose immediately after the attack. And most importantly, many of her thoughts are outward in nature. Unlike Jaime, she's not shamed in the same way, doesn't want to kill herself, but rather is fearful that what happened to her will dredge up Jaime's memories of what happened to him.
And I think this is the point as to why Claire's abduction needed to happen for the series and what makes what happened so tragic. Claire is in the position of vulnerability and weakness, but knowing what has happened to the other members of her family, throughout the rest of the series she tries so incredibly hard to be strong, to overcome those feelings, and no become a burden to others. I think that's the difficulty for her, not in being vulnerable but being in a position where she needs to allow herself to be vulnerable to heal, allow herself to grieve, and allow herself to be healed, rather than the healer.
Ultimately, this episode will be judged by whether the show in Season 6 can touch upon the nuances of Claire's recovery. If they can manage that complexity this episode will be justified. If Claire's recovery becomes a rerun of Jaime and Brianna's recovery, they will have failed.
