So, if you're on the fence about this episode, and you're not sure if you can stomach it, find somebody who's already seen it and they'll tell you what's what. It's... yeah. There are certain parts where I had to look away, watch through my fingers, or even pause altogether and take a break to watch something light and fluffy on Netflix. It's an intense episode, and even as somebody who can handle a lot of dark content, I was feeling pretty queasy by the end of it. Let's start with a plot summary.
Jamie is standing in the courtyard of Wentworth Prison, waiting to hear his name called out to be hanged. McQuarrie is with him, and Jamie is forced to watch as he dies. However, just as Jamie has the rope put around his own neck, Jack Randall shows up and saves him from the noose. Jack brings Jamie down to a dungeon cellar. Jack wants Jamie to admit defeat and surrender to him. If he does that, Jack promises to let Jamie die in the manner of his own choosing. Jamie refuses to cooperate.
Meanwhile, Claire poses as a distant relation of Jamie's, hoping to be allowed to see him. This doesn't work, and Claire is given a box of Jamie's personal effects to pass along to the family. Murtagh and Claire despair, but some of the other MacKenzie men manage to find out information about the prison's schedule. They do so by drinking and gambling with some of the British guards. Claire goes back into the prison, lying and saying that she was given permission to retrieve a letter from Jamie. Murtagh knocks out a nosy guard, and Claire sneaks through the prison. She unlocks a backdoor that can serve as an escape later on, and then tries to find Jamie.
Jack is taking sadistic pleasure out of torturing Jamie. He lays his hand out on the table and smashes his fingers with a hammer. Claire hears Jamie's cries of pain and comes running. She finds him collapsed on the ground, barely conscious from all of the harsh treatment that Jack had administered. Claire tries to attack Jack, to keep him away from Jamie, but Jack grabs her and slams her up against the wall. He seems about ready to rape her, but Jamie begs him to stop. Jack says: "make me a better offer," and Jamie agrees to let Jack have his way with him. To test Jamie's sincerity, Jack has him put his injured hand on the table. Jack nails it to the table, while Claire watches on, horrified.
Claire is unceremoniously kicked out of the prison, but not before Claire tells Jack Randall that the rumors are true - she's a witch, and she curses him with knowledge. She leans over and whispers to him the day that he will die. Claire, Murtagh, and the others stay with a nearby Scotsman who is willing to offer them temporary shelter. Claire insists she won't give up on Jamie, and as the episode ends it looks like there's a plan in the works to rescue him... and it involves a bunch of cows!
So. This episode is really tricky to talk about. Because you can't really say that it was good, since it was, objectively, HORRIBLE. But it was trying to be, so it was well crafted, and it was certainly effective. Were I to complain slightly, I would say that the whole bit about Jamie being rescued by Black Jack Randall just as he was about to be hanged was a bit contrived. Isn't it a tad bit unrealistic that he'd arrive just in the nick of time like that? It's a small thing, but these overly dramatic close saves happen too often in this story.
But honestly, this episode is one of those hours of television that's going to stick with me for a very long time. It's up there with the infamous Red Wedding scene in Game of Thrones, or the Of Mice and Men inspired moment in The Walking Dead, or even "Ozymandias," the third to last episode of Breaking Bad, which I still consider to be one of the most flawless episodes of television ever created. I would put what we just witnessed on par with those noteworthy examples, mainly because of the extraordinary acting.
Sam Heughan. He just... he broke my heart. One of the things about Jamie is that he's not a stoic guy. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. So when he's being hurt by Jack Randall, he'll never give him the satisfaction of giving in, but he can't hide the fact that he's terrified, and in extreme pain. Heughan's performance gave me goosebumps. You could just see the sheer horror in his eyes as he offers himself to Jack. It's sickening.
And then there's Caitriona Balfe as Claire. She's so strong, and smart, but she's also scared, and she's so in love, and she's devastated by what's happening to her husband. The top moments for Claire this week include when she asked the guard to sit with her in his office. It was a bluff - she asked him to stay and watch her so that he wouldn't feel the need to do so, and they could search the office. This moment of strength and intelligence, even though she's terrified, is really important. And then there's the way she deals with Black Jack Randall. She pulls him off of Jamie and throws him against the wall at point point. You go, Claire! Seriously. But of course physically, Claire is no match for the stronger, taller, bigger Jack Randall. Psychologically, though, Claire can play twisted mind games right along with him. Telling him the date of his death... that's harsh. But obviously Jack Randall deserves the worst possible punishment. The hardest part to watch with Jamie and Claire in this episode is when she's standing right behind him as Jack is nailing his hand to the table. She's hugging him and sobbing, as he screams out in pain. This was the part where I had to look away. It was just... too much.
And then I guess we have to give props to Tobias Menzies. Honestly, I feel like if I ever saw him in real life, I might not be able to separate the actor from the character. He's just so... twisted. The pleasure he takes in his torture is what really makes it horrific. He gets this look on his face, this bright-eyed smile, and it's just... he's gleeful. Most of the times, villains don't express such personal, private joy in hurting people. Or at least, most fictional villains. Jack feels real - he feels like an actual sadist, like a person who could really exist. It's so extreme. It's so scary. He's definitely on the short list of best onscreen villains ever. Soooo creepy.
One of the discussions that I've seen going on in the reviews of this show overall is that it overuses rape as a plot device. And let me tell you - that is one of my main complaints about Diana Gabaldon's series. She uses rape way too often to drive the characters. Rape causes relationship conflicts, it facilitates daring rescue plot points, it leads to further complications in the inner psychology of the characters, etc. But while it bothers me that she can't seem to think of another type of trauma she could use instead of adding in more rape, I will admit that the rapes are not just plot devices for the sake of plot devices. At the very least, the multiple attempted (and successful) rapes that are perpetrated against the principle characters don't just disappear once they happen. They have lasting influence. There are eight books in the series so far, and I can tell you that what happens between Jamie and Jack is a continuing part of Jamie's character, and greatly affects his relationships not only with Claire, but also with the other people closest to him. I'm on the fence about the issue of rape as it's being portrayed in this show... Claire has been nearly raped like four times already, three times by Jack Randall and once by the British soldier. Jenny was nearly raped as well. And now Jamie. It's... excessive. But the show has won my trust in terms of how it will deal seriously and completely with the fallout of these issues. We'll have to see how it goes down.
We have to wait two whole weeks to see the last episode of the season, and the anticipation is killing me. I know what happens next, but I'm curious as to how the show is going to handle it, vs. how the books did.
I'll see you then!
9/10
And then there's Caitriona Balfe as Claire. She's so strong, and smart, but she's also scared, and she's so in love, and she's devastated by what's happening to her husband. The top moments for Claire this week include when she asked the guard to sit with her in his office. It was a bluff - she asked him to stay and watch her so that he wouldn't feel the need to do so, and they could search the office. This moment of strength and intelligence, even though she's terrified, is really important. And then there's the way she deals with Black Jack Randall. She pulls him off of Jamie and throws him against the wall at point point. You go, Claire! Seriously. But of course physically, Claire is no match for the stronger, taller, bigger Jack Randall. Psychologically, though, Claire can play twisted mind games right along with him. Telling him the date of his death... that's harsh. But obviously Jack Randall deserves the worst possible punishment. The hardest part to watch with Jamie and Claire in this episode is when she's standing right behind him as Jack is nailing his hand to the table. She's hugging him and sobbing, as he screams out in pain. This was the part where I had to look away. It was just... too much.
And then I guess we have to give props to Tobias Menzies. Honestly, I feel like if I ever saw him in real life, I might not be able to separate the actor from the character. He's just so... twisted. The pleasure he takes in his torture is what really makes it horrific. He gets this look on his face, this bright-eyed smile, and it's just... he's gleeful. Most of the times, villains don't express such personal, private joy in hurting people. Or at least, most fictional villains. Jack feels real - he feels like an actual sadist, like a person who could really exist. It's so extreme. It's so scary. He's definitely on the short list of best onscreen villains ever. Soooo creepy.
One of the discussions that I've seen going on in the reviews of this show overall is that it overuses rape as a plot device. And let me tell you - that is one of my main complaints about Diana Gabaldon's series. She uses rape way too often to drive the characters. Rape causes relationship conflicts, it facilitates daring rescue plot points, it leads to further complications in the inner psychology of the characters, etc. But while it bothers me that she can't seem to think of another type of trauma she could use instead of adding in more rape, I will admit that the rapes are not just plot devices for the sake of plot devices. At the very least, the multiple attempted (and successful) rapes that are perpetrated against the principle characters don't just disappear once they happen. They have lasting influence. There are eight books in the series so far, and I can tell you that what happens between Jamie and Jack is a continuing part of Jamie's character, and greatly affects his relationships not only with Claire, but also with the other people closest to him. I'm on the fence about the issue of rape as it's being portrayed in this show... Claire has been nearly raped like four times already, three times by Jack Randall and once by the British soldier. Jenny was nearly raped as well. And now Jamie. It's... excessive. But the show has won my trust in terms of how it will deal seriously and completely with the fallout of these issues. We'll have to see how it goes down.
We have to wait two whole weeks to see the last episode of the season, and the anticipation is killing me. I know what happens next, but I'm curious as to how the show is going to handle it, vs. how the books did.
I'll see you then!
9/10
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