Article originally published as OUTLANDER Review Season 1 Episode 16 To Ransom a Man's Soul on Seat42F.
OUTLANDER
wonders how much it costs “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” in its first season
finale, airing tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Starz and already available on
StarzPlay and On Demand. (If you have not watched the finale yet, go
watch it before continuing on in this article).
“To Ransom a Man’s Soul” begins with
Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix), Rupert (Grant O’Rourke), and Angus (Stephen
Walters) rescuing Jamie (Sam Heughan) from prison. They are in time to
save his body from execution, but not in time to save his psyche, as the
man they find lying naked in the dungeon is broken in mind as well as
body. With Claire (Caitriona Balfe), they rush him to a monk’s retreat,
where the true depth of his shame slowly reveals itself.
This week’s hour is easier to watch than
last week’s. While what Black Jack (Tobias Menzies) is seen doing to
Jamie in the finale is rough and scenes of rape are never fun, at least
there isn’t the blood and gore of last week’s outing. Instead, most of
the torture this time around is psychological, with Black Jack
determined to break Jamie and “make love” to him. Black Jack sadly
succeeds at his wicked mission.
None blame Jamie for what happens to him
save Jamie himself. Everyone else understands that Jamie was in a very
bad position, worried about Claire, delusional and beaten. No one tries
to make him feel bad or want anything more than to protect him, not one
of the men questioning his manhood. This is a rare glimpse of the depth
of affection these clansmen have, both MacKenzies and Frasers, and how
understanding they can be in the right circumstances, as caring as they
are stubborn.
Claire, the one Jamie is most afraid of
disappointing, is the most compassionate. When Jamie refuses to open up
and asks Willie (Finn Den Hertog) for a knife so that Jamie might kill
himself, Claire goes to him and forces him to relive sensation until he
spills the full story. And when he does, Claire remains unwaveringly
there for him. A weaker woman would shy away in horror, or let her
jealousy override the sweetness this man needs to get through what he’s
been though. Claire succumbs to neither, being his rock.
That’s why their marriage must last.
Claire still carries guilt about having two husbands, as we see when she
spills her entire tale to Father Anselm (Ian Hanmore, Game of Thrones,
The Fades). But her love for Jamie is true, as evidenced by the way she
stands by her man, even fleeing the country with him for France at the
close of “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” when it’s clear that no place in
Scotland will be safe. Plus, they now have a wee one on the way, raising
the stakes for them both.
Will Black Jack pursue the couple? He
has a twisted devotion to Jamie, but “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” doesn’t
give us much of him after the sex, so we don’t know if his urges have
been satisfied or if he’ll always be obsessed with trying to get Jamie
away from Claire. He remains one of the most demented characters on
television screens, and I can’t help but admire how believable Menzies
plays him, even as I’m focusing more on the pain Heughan makes us feel
for Jamie.
OUTLANDER also brings up a very
interesting idea in the mythology in the season finale. Claire and Jamie
decide to try to change history and save the Highlanders from being
wiped out. In any time travel story, leaving the timeline alone tends to
be a primary concern. OUTLANDER takes the opposite tack, and it’s hard
to blame Claire for her decision, given how fond she’s become of the
Scots and how deserving they are of her protection. It’s unknown if she
can alter the course of events, or if that might split off an alternate
timeline. But for a show so far not heavy in studying the mystery at its
heart, I’m deeply intrigued that these characters are going to make
such a bold move.
OUTLANDER has, at times, made its
viewers very uncomfortable, but it’s a good story with as high a degree
of authenticity one can expect from a time traveling adventure. The
music, the production, the performances, and the writing are all of
top-notch quality, and I’m glad this final hour of the freshman run
balances horror with a happy ending and hope. The show knows how to make
us squirm and how to go dark, but it also doesn’t make the fans suffer
needlessly. Let’s hope these trends continue in season two.
OUTLANDER has been renewed and will return to Starz later this year.
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