Article originally written for Seat42F.
“The Reckoning” picks up pretty much right where Starz’s
OUTLANDER left off in its midseason finale last fall. Claire (Caitriona Balfe)
is in the custody of one Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies), about to be
raped. The episode, which is narrated by Jamie (Sam Heughan) for a change,
begins with his daring rescue of his wife, which of course must happen. But
Black Jack trying to rape Claire and make Jamie watch is actually arguably not
the most disturbing thing in the hour.
Yes, that scene is absolutely awful. Black Jack is a truly
twisted individual, a cold-blooded exhibitionist and sadist who would kill
Jamie while taking Claire against her will and probably take extreme pleasure
from it. But we expect that from Black Jack. We know he’s a bad dude, and no
one would think he’d do anything more civil than this.
No, “Reckoning” takes the aftereffects of this event and
continues to make us uncomfortable with them. Claire and Jamie’s reconciliation
is easy enough. There’s an ugly screaming match, but as soon as she realizes
that his anger comes from a place of fear for her safety, she can forgive him.
He’s a noble man who just wants to protect his wife, and she can understand
that, as she is surely scared, too. The fight is emotionally raw and moving,
and concludes with mutual forgiveness.
That doesn’t satisfy the clan, however, who are not her
husband and are also put in danger. In modern times, a heartfelt apology and
some fresh baked goods might be enough to get Claire back into their good
graces, but that is not the way of the MacKenzie clan of past centuries.
Instead, Jamie takes Claire upstairs and beats her bare bottom with a belt as
punishment for her recklessness.
I find this scene even more disturbing than what Black Jack
does. Not because of the clan’s reaction, which seems in character for those
rough and tumble men, but for Jamie’s. He doesn’t offer Claire an out; he
doesn’t try to keep her from harm. He thinks he’s doing her a favor, fighting
her physically to be able to inflict the lashes, and enjoying her squirming in
pain. This is 50 Shades, but without the sub agreeing to it.
I know I am judging Jamie through modern eyes, and I can’t
help that. Because Jamie is so loving towards Claire, I forget he is part of
that larger group and expect him to be better than them. It’s Claire’s
resistance and anger, more than anything, that ruin this scene for me, and
Claire seems perfectly justified in freezing Jamie out until he promises to
never do it again, even threatening him with a knife during sex to even the
score. Now, Jamie will be the man that Claire, I, and other fans want him to
be, but he must be punished to get there, which has a certain sort of poetic
justice, even if his chastisement is emotional, rather than physical.
“Reckoning” may understand what it’s doing to Jamie, and
thus gives him a more respectable plot as well. Colum (Gary Lewis) is furious
with Dougal (Graham McTavish) for collecting money for the Jacobites and
confiscates the funds. The clan almost splits into civil war, with various
members siding with one brother or the other. Jamie intervenes, though, and
brokers peace as only an outsider can. This proves his worth to Colum, even if
he won’t swear fealty, and shows Jamie’s level headedness that many of the
Highlanders lack.
Lastly, Jamie gets a very cold welcome at the castle from
Laoghaire (Nell Hudson). She has flirtation with him before he leaves and he
returns a married man, so she has plenty of reason to be upset. However, she
handles it poorly, offering herself up as a fling in the woods and planting bad
totems in the couple’s bedroom. Thankfully, Jamie resists, though he does
appear tempted by her charms, as many men would be. I’ve heard Scottish women
have a temper and can be vindictive (a stereotype I know that does not apply to
all of the group), but Laoghaire takes this to a terrible level. She isn’t
going to accept the union anytime soon, which makes her a danger to Claire in
the meantime. Let’s hope she doesn’t step up her stunts to the level of
violence against our heroine.
Despite the scene I spend a great deal of this review
discussing, or maybe even because of it, I do think “Reckoning” is a strong
return for OUTLANDER. It gets us back to the characters, tells an unexpected,
engaging story, and maintains the complex, beautiful tale told over the first
eight episodes. I’m greatly enjoying the show, and think it has stayed true to
form during its break.
OUTLANDER airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.
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