Duel Battles are Waged in Outlander Season Three, Episode 1
The first episode of season three of Outlander picks up exactly where season two left off — Jamie is on the battlefield of Culloden Moor. The battle is lost, meaning Jamie and Claire failed in their quest to change history. Jamie is trapped under someone else (who we later discover to be Black Jack Randall) in a pile of bodies.
Outlander scales down the battle from last season. Instead of focusing of the grandeur of the highland army versus the British, director, Brendan Maher makes the battle personal. In a saturated battle scene, Jamie and Black Jack have their long coming final duel. Even as a book reader I was terrified watching the two fight it out, the scene is elegant and gripping, even somewhat sensual as Black Jack brushes he cheek against Jamie, taking in a final breath of him before they collapse together.
All hope seems lost for Jamie as he lies on the battlefield, it is only a vision of Claire striding across the devastation in her white gown that convinces him to rise when Rupert comes to get him.
Meanwhile in Boston, Claire readjusts to life with Frank. It’s a tense domestic war she’s waging in their new Bostonian home. Frank is exuberant at times, ready to embrace his new life with Claire. But Claire has changed, and the past few years spent in the past cannot be erased. She cooks over the fire in their living room. She can’t bear to let Frank touch her. And she doesn’t want Frank to refer to the child as “our child.” Additionally, she is disconnected from her English home, having been victim to the crimes of the crown, Claire no longer wants to recognize her British citizenship. It’s a poor choice to mention wanting to become American to Frank because he sees it as her opportunity to leave him. A giant battle erupts, which only ends with Claire throwing an ash tray at him. They are a very different couple than the one that joyfully jumped on a bed together on their Scottish honeymoon.
In addition to Claire’s tenuous truce with Frank, she is the odd woman out in the Harvard circle. At the faculty gathering, she is meant to be seen but not heard. She’s met to be entirely consumed with her domestic duties and not engage with the world around her. For now, Frank stands up for her pointing out that his wife served as a nurse in the Great War. But as the season progresses we’ll see whether or not Frank stands by her side. I anticipate more battles like the one Jamie and Claire had when she worked at the hospital in Paris. How will Frank accept a woman who wants to work? We already know that the Harvard medical school accepts women.
Back at Culloden, the few remaining soldiers have gathered in a shed. Their attempt to hide is futile and the British soldiers find them. The officer in charge dispatches his duty professionally. He is there to execute the treasonous highlanders. Rupert takes on a leadership role taking care of and speaking for the men until they are taken outside and shot. Rupert get a final tearful goodbye with Jamie, forgiving him for murdering Dougal and telling him he will miss him.
Jamie has spent most of the episode immobile and begging to be executed. When he volunteers to go next and give his name, the officer pauses and appears to panic. It’s a stroke of luck — remember back in season one when Jamie let John Grey go free? This guy’s his brother and duty bound to save Jamie. So he arranges for a cart to send Jamie home.
Back in the future, Claire’s water breaks and Frank rushes her to the hospital. The hospital is sterile and Claire’s usual doctor is unavailable. The attending physician patronizes her and refuses to listen to her when she begs not to be put to sleep. But when she awakes all is miraculously well, Frank brings her their newborn baby. For now, there is peace between the two of them as they celebrate new life. We’ll see what happens to them next week as they begin to parent together. The episode closes on the nurse asking how the baby got red hair.
Stray Observations:
- I feel Claire is inspired to become a doctor!
- I wonder if all hospitals were that terrible in the 1940s?
- RIP Rupert and Murtaugh, rock some kilts in TV heaven.
- I hope Fergus is OK!
Feminist Rating:
As a book reader, this episode was almost exactly what I expected it to be! It was fun to get back into Outlander and I appreciate that they are faithful to the books, but I would also be happy to see them take some narrative and directorial chances. This episode also had a lot of narrative setups to cover, so maybe once we get into the meat of the season it will be more exciting. I give it a three out of five Ruth Bader Ginsbergs because I really wanted to see Claire yell at that doctor.
