OUTLANDER Fights for a "Man's Soul"

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.

OUTLANDER Locked in "Wentworth Prison"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

The penultimate episode of OUTLANDER season one on Starz, which aired tonight, is called “Wentworth Prison.” Jamie (Sam Heughan) awaits execution there following his capture, but an unexpected visitor gives the Highlander at least a temporary stay. Meanwhile, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and her small band of recruits tries to figure out how to penetrate the jail, find Jamie, and get him out before it’s too late.

“Wentworth Prison” is the first episode of OUTLANDER that I didn’t enjoy much overall. This is not because the series is bad, the writing is weak, or the acting is wooden. None of those are true. Instead, it’s the constant brutal torture that permeates the hour. I haven’t read the books, so can only assume that the television program is being faithful to the source material. But all of the things Black Jack (Tobias Menzies) does to Jamie turn one’s stomach, and there are oh so many of them this week that it makes the episode hard to watch, and not in a good way.

I assume Jamie will be rescued. It doesn’t happen this week, but Claire plants the seeds that Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) and the others can follow to get past the walls and get to their clansman. Jamie is too essential a character to lose, and I think we see him in the 1940s in the pilot of the show, so he has to survive to get there.

The person that cannot survive is Black Jack. I do not know when he will die (though he himself now does), but I hope it’s sooner rather than later. OUTLANDER can bring in other villains to stay interesting. It doesn’t need this man who has been so ruthless and so awful to Claire and Jamie. I am ready for him to go down, and go down hard.

What I wonder is, how can Claire ever return to Frank after this? While Frank is not Black Jack and Claire has known him long enough to know this, there is no getting past that they look exactly the same (both played by the same actor). Any time Frank would get annoyed with her in the future, she’d have to see a bit of Black Jack in him. I don’t know much of what’s to come on OUTLANDER, but I’m pretty sure Claire gets home at some point long before the series finale (given some casting news that has been publicly released), so I wonder how her experiences in the past will affect her marriage.

Despite how much I didn’t much enjoy watching “Wentworth Prison,” there are some awesome parts worth praising. When Claire tells Black Jack she’s a witch and gives him the day of his death, I cheered. When Angus (Stephen Walters) gambles in the tavern and gleans valuable info, that’s a really fun scene. OUTLANDER maintains its layered, enjoyable characters and setting, even when the plot takes a dark turn.

There’s a bit of fun trivia that pertains to “Wentworth Prison.” The man running the place, Sir Fletcher Gordon, is played by Frazer Hines. Hines is famous for playing The Second Doctor’s (Patrick Troughton) companion in Doctor Who for several years, mostly during the late 1960s, and being the longest-running companion in the show. His character’s name was Jamie McCrimmon, and he was from 1746 Scotland. Diana Gabaldon, author of the OUTLANDER books, says her character and setting is inspired by this role. So, very cool to have him show up!

I don’t want to rag on “Wentworth Prison” too much. While I didn’t like it, it was the subject material, not the quality of the production, that sparked that opinion. I still think it sets up next week for a heck of a season finale, and I have no plans to lessen my admiration for the show as a whole.

OUTLANDER airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.

No "Search" for Goodness in OUTLANDER

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s episode of OUTLANDER on Starz is all about “The Search” for Jamie (Sam Heughan). Learning he has been captured by the British, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jenny (Laura Donnelly) set out to rescue their husband and brother, respectively. But rushing off without a plan could get Jamie into more dire straits than he’s presently in.

I like the arc of “The Search.” The episode begins with Jamie captured, and ends with the same. In the middle, though we do not see him, he is free for a time. However, Claire’s efforts to find him lead to him being nabbed again, or so we hear, which has to make her feel even worse than she already does, her actions resulting in the exact opposite outcome than what she wants.

It’s not all Claire’s fault. Jenny doesn’t have a plan, either, and having just given birth, she shouldn’t be out anywhere. She ends up heading home relatively early on, after a disturbing torture session, needing to return to nurse her child. Then, Claire’s second companion, Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix), comes up with the idea to make a reputation for themselves so that Jamie can find them. But Claire doesn’t just stick to his theory, introducing jazz music (highly amusing!) and trying to pay off a gypsy that is copying their shtick. That the gypsy ends up being helpful probably makes the whole thing a wash, at best.

Even with these setbacks, “The Search” is an entertaining episode of OUTLANDER. Jenny and Claire are still fairly new in their relationship, so it’s nice to see them bonding, even when it involves unwanted, painful branding. Murtagh is often around, but so little is known about him. Claire and Murtagh share one powerful scene this week that really helps flesh out his character.

In the end, though, it’s Clan MacKenzie that must help Claire rescue Jamie. First Willie (Finn Den Hertog) volunteers, then Angus (Stephen Walters), then the rest. Dougal (Graham McTavish) isn’t enthusiastic about the scheme to free Jamie from captivity, believing his nephew doomed, but he does allow his men to participate, so even if he’s not an asset, he’s not a strong detractor, either. Now we’ll just have to wait ‘til next week to see if they succeed, since “The Search” runs out of time before we actually get to the rescue.

A strange thing happens when Claire encounters Dougal in that he proposes she marry him. Dougal is obviously attracted to Claire, given that time he tried to rape her, but he never seems to like her very much. Why would he want her to be his bride? On the other hand, Dougal was in love with Geillis, who has much in common with Claire including being a time traveler, so perhaps he has a type that is not obvious to the observer. Or he just thinks he’s doing her a favor.

Claire is offended because, to her eyes, Dougal is leaving his nephew to die while trying to steal his bride, but I don’t think Dougal sees it that way. He is a practical man, and as much as he likes to fight for what he believes in, he’s not anxious to embark upon a suicide mission. I think if Dougal thought there were a decent chance to save Jamie, he would do so, and his dismissing the idea is purely because he doesn’t see a good way to make that happen.

Similarly, he seems to think he’s being noble by offering Claire protection, not trying to be an opportunist. Dougal is a man of his time, and I believe he is acting in what he thinks is a kind-hearted manner to a relation. Or, at least as kind-hearted as Dougal MacKenzie can get.

Not a lot happens in “The Search,” but it is chock full of compelling scenes, funny moments, and has great character development, especially for Murtagh and Dougal. That makes it a great episode in my book.

OUTLANDER airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.

OUTLANDER Worth the "Rent"

Article first published as OUTLANDER Review Season 1 Episode 5 Rent on Seat42F.

In this week’s installment of Starz’s OUTLANDER, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) sets out on the road with the clansmen, intent on using her time away from the keep as an opportunity to escape. That is, until she pays attention to these folk and learns more about then. Similarly, my first instinct is to dismiss “Rent” as a slow hour that doesn’t get to much, but the more I consider the events, the more I realize the importance of revealing politics, history, and the implications of time travel.

In the first part of “Rent,” Claire witnesses the payment of taxes as expected, but then sees Dougal (Graham McTavish) collect more coin the evening after, leading her to suspect he is skimming money for his own greedy purposes. Dougal seems content to let this impression stand. However, the more Claire hears, even in the nearly-incomprehensible Gaelic, the more she realizes that Dougal’s motivations are not selfish at all, but a collection to fund just rebellion. The Scots want to restore who they see as the rightful heir to the throne.

The way “Rent” plays this out is very interesting. Like Claire, we don’t understand Dougal’s words, as the Gaelic in OUTLANDER is not subtitled. The show is told through her point of view and we must rely on her conclusions, even if they don’t line up to reality. The show has us thinking ill of Dougal and the others until Claire discerns the truth, and like her, our minds are immediately flipped by the greater understanding.

What is the writer’s purpose in doing this? Is it to point out how often preconceived notions are wrong? Is it just a clever storytelling device? Or is it the way to brilliant craft a compelling hour of television so that viewers are not only drawn into the tale, but learn something about the world and themselves through it? Most likely, it is a combination of all these things.

Dougal and Claire’s new friend, a lawyer who counts the money, are content to let Claire believe they are criminals because they are more afraid of what she will do if she knows the truth. They don’t want her to think they are treasonous against the ruling monarch, just in case she should be re-united with the Red Coats and tell on them. This makes sense, allowing her to misinterpret, even if it casts them in a bad light, to protect themselves.

That’s a sign that they don’t trust her. Why should they? She came into their midst, a foreigner who often doesn’t see eye-to-eye, and they don’t accept her as part of their group. Yet, over the course of “Rent,” this begins to change. Once Claire sees their true intentions and respects them for it, they respect her. The clansmen fight for her honor, whether they believe in her or not, and she is able to join in their risqué jokes.

Which brings us to the climax of “Rent.” The English soldiers come for Claire, knowing she may very well be being held against her will by the Scottish clan. The episode ends without revealing whether or not Claire will stick up for Dougal et al, but I think it’s pretty obvious that she will, even if she has to lie about whether or not she’s a prisoner. After all, by now she understands them and is growing fond, even perhaps of jerky Angus (Stephen Walters). Surely she would not say anything to risk any of their lives?

We see Claire try to protect the clan this week as she talks to her new pal about the rebellion they are collecting for. She knows it’s doomed to fail and fears for their lives, but voicing her suspicions just make them all more wary of her. They don’t know that they’re on the losing side, so they see her warnings as threats or an attempt to undermine their determination. Claire wants to help, but it isn’t seen that way.

This is one of the inherent problems with time travel. Even should Claire seek to preserve the past, something many a person may do when finding themselves back in time, she really has no sway. Her motivations seem more to save lives than worry about the time stream, which makes sense, given her character. But there’s no good way for her to prevent ill from befalling them. Unless she could get them to believe she came from the future, a seemingly impossibility that she wisely doesn’t even attempt, she can do nothing to stop their coming demise.

The one person Claire may be able to confide in is Jamie (Sam Heughan). They grow closer this week when he sleeps outside her door to protect her. He’s far too gentlemanly to come inside, even when she offers, but the charge between them is obvious. They are definitely destined to be a couple, though there’s no rush on that, since Claire is still very much in love with her husband, Frank (Tobias Menzies), even though he won’t be born for nearly two centuries. Still, the seeds are more than planted and we see it growing here. And Jamie will probably believe Claire when she inevitably gives him her entire narrative.

“Rent” uses Frank sparingly, with just a couple of key flashbacks (flashforwards?). I still think OUTLANDER would be better without including Claire’s time in the 1930s and ‘40s, as the story could be told without it. However, at least this episode doesn’t make these too large a part of the proceedings, only using them to emphasize a few points.

Overall, “Rent” gives us a lot to think about, and thus is a worthy entry for a series that is fast becoming a favorite of mine. While it may start slow, the second half ramps up its importance, and the hour ends up being a pivotal one in the season-long arcs. The cliffhanger ending makes me wish we didn’t have to wait seven days to find out what happens, but at least tonight’s viewing is quite satisfying.

OUTLANDER airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.