Outlander: Freedom & Whisky (3x05)

I have to wait two weeks to see the continuation of that scene? Arghhhhhh.

Cons:

Okay, so this episode stays entirely with Claire, Brianna, and Roger the whole time, and we don't learn anything more about what Jamie gets up to after he leaves Helwater in the last episode. This is true to the books, in that the next steps in Jamie's journey are something we've got to find out alongside Claire, now that she's finally back in the eighteenth century. That's all well and good, but spending the entire episode in the twentieth century highlighted for me how much less interesting it is than the stuff in Scotland's past.

This becomes especially true when we look at Brianna. God, I feel bad. I want to like Sophie Skelton in this role so badly, but she's not very good. She has a very monotone delivery, and she's expected to carry some pretty heavy and often hokey dialogue. When she's talking about how Claire gave up Jamie for her, and now she has to give her back to him, or how Jamie doesn't know Brianna, and Claire owes it to him to go tell him everything, I was just not at all invested. She comes across really stilted, and just cannot carry the emotions of these scenes.

Also, I felt like the transition at the end, where Claire arrives in the eighteenth century, was really abrupt. They don't show her going through the stones, they don't show her finding her way to Edinburgh. She's just in a taxi on her way to Craigh na Dun, and suddenly she's stepping out of a carriage onto a cobbled street. I under stand the efficacy of this move, but since everything else has been drawn out, I felt a little startled at the suddenness of this. The stones are such a symbol for the show, and to not get a chance to see them here felt like a missed opportunity.

Pros:

There are plenty of good things going on in this episode, though, and that's even before we get to the ending.

Roger is so charming and sweet. I love him. He's awkward and bookish but he doesn't come across like he's desperate or thinks he deserves a woman's affections, either. He's just a genuinely good person and he's also a huge nerd. As I've mentioned before, Sophie Skelton's best moments as Brianna come when she's interacting with Roger, and that gives me hope for the future. They really do make an adorable couple. Roger also serves as a good reason why Claire feels able to leave her daughter - possibly forever - and journey into the past to find Jamie again. Roger is Brianna's future. I'm going to ignore the fact that it still seems like an odd choice that Claire would consent to leaving her daughter forever. That's a complaint from the books too, but it's necessary for the story, so... what can you do? Roger is there for Brianna. He's the only one that knows the full truth of what's going on, and so is the only one who can properly be there for her as she says goodbye to her mother.

Also, there's Joe. I love this guy. He's not a huge part in the books and he's not huge in the show either, but he's undeniably wonderful. I love the moment when he reassures Claire that she's attractive. That was just such a hilarious and truthful thing for two old friends to discuss. And of course we've got the creepy skull that gave Claire weird murder vibes. I guess I won't spoil this for anybody who doesn't know where it's going, but suffice it to say... pay attention. I was actually pleasantly surprised that this scene made it into the show, as I wondered whether that plot thread would be cut. It was so heartbreaking to see Claire say goodbye to Joe without his realizing what was going on. She's never going to see her dear friend again.

This is turning in to a bit of a short review, but I really don't have much more to say before we get to the ending. I think Outlander made a really smart decision to delay the reunion. It's true to the books, and it makes for really great tension. We actually do get to see the moment of reunion at the end of this episode. I wondered if that would be the case, or if we'd have to wait until episode six. We did indeed get The Moment, but of course it's cut short and we have to wait two whole weeks to see them actually speak to one another. Noooo.

Anyway. Here's what happens: Claire enters Jamie's print-shop in Edinburgh, he hears the bell and starts talking to a man named Geordie, who he believes has just come in. Claire approaches from an upper floor, sees Jamie's back, and speaks to him: "It isn't Geordie. It's me. Claire." Jamie turns around very slowly. He sees her. He has to steady himself against the table behind him. Claire looks joyous and terrified. Jamie looks like... well, like he's just seen a ghost. And then he passes out and crumples to the ground, and we get a brief glance of Claire's shocked face before cutting to black.

Okay this is too good, you guys. The fact that they kept Jamie fainting from the book just makes me so happy. That's such an iconic moment. Also, Caitriona Balfe did such a good job with this moment. She hears Jamie's voice and she's almost deranged with the strange mixture of nerves and happiness. She doesn't smile gently, or give a longing sigh. She has a strained look on her face as she approaches. You can really imagine that a hundred different things are going through her mind. I cannot wait to see the immediate aftermath of that moment. I really hope they don't skip past it.

And so the waiting begins! I'm so upset that we have a week off next Sunday... I need more!!! All that being said, this was unfortunately not a particularly strong installment of Outlander. A lot of it felt like just a way to pass the time until we get to the good stuff in the next episode.

6.5/10