Outlander: Eye of the Storm (3x13)

I'm really bummed that this was the finale. I feel like I was just getting back into the swing of Outlander again, and now I have to wait several months for more?? Let's take a look at everything this finale had to offer us.

Cons:

I know I've been repeating myself with this a lot, but there is this problem in the pacing of the TV show vs. the books. In this episode, I quite enjoyed individual scenes, but found myself getting whiplash as we jumped from one important plot point to another. For example, last week's episode ended on a cliffhanger where Jamie was being arrested. But... it's really easy to handle. Fergus runs and tells Lord John, Lord John tears down the captain and states his authority over Jamie's fate, and Jamie is free. Claire's not even in any of these scenes that decide her husband's fate. She's so sure he'll be fine that she turns to the more pressing matter of Ian's rescue. That kind of undercuts the tension, doesn't it?

Another example: you have this big, climactic moment with Geillis, and when it's over there's still twenty minutes of the episode left. These twenty minutes hastily provide us with a second climax, where their ship is hit by a storm as they start their journey back to Scotland. Claire is thrown overboard and nearly drowns, but Jamie rescues her and they wash up in Georgia. There was nothing wrong with these scenes at all - very intense, beautifully shot, edited, and acted. But they felt like they belonged in a different episode than the rest of this stuff.

Pros:

So... the pacing was off, but the pieces making up this puzzle are all still amazing and good. Let's just go down the list -

Lord John Grey is such a bad ass and my love for him will never fade. I loved the verbal dressing down he gave that poor little captain. He kept calling him "Lieutenant," a blatant sign of disrespect, and it was so satisfying to watch. Jamie and John share a fond farewell, John assuring Jamie that they've each been indebted to each other often enough that it hardly makes sense to keep count. Again we get that first name thing, which is maybe a bigger deal in the book, but whatever. It warms my heart to hear John calling Jamie by his first name. Simply precious.

Fergus and Marsali played a relatively minor role, but they continue to please me. When Fergus finds out that Jamie is in trouble, he rushes to help, and tries to get Marsali to stay behind. She simply tells him that as his wife she will be accompanying him, and Fergus smiles, takes her hand, and leads her out of the room. He wants to keep her safe, but he appreciates and honors her autonomy. Yay!

I've been displeased thus far with Geillis' return, but this finale did showcase the best things about this actress and about this disturbing character. Her conversation with Claire was chilling, as it's not entirely clear what each of these women believes the other woman to know. Does Geillis know that Claire knows about Young Ian? Does Claire know that Geillis knows that Claire knows? That's the kind of subtext you can read in to their conversation, and it's quite the delight. The actual action climax where Claire cuts Geillis down was similarly intense. It makes sense that poor Claire would go in to a bit of shock after murdering a woman she once thought of as a friend. It was also a cool idea to bring Brianna back into the mix just in time for the finale, to up the stakes all the more. Two hundred years starts to look like much less of a separation when you've got Geillis planning on murdering Bree.

There were a lot of moments that gave me such happy family vibes. The best one is after Young Ian has been rescued, and he breaks down crying in relief. Jamie hugs him and kisses his forehead. Claire is having a bit of a panic attack over what has just happened, and Jamie pulls her into his arms to comfort her. He then pulls Ian back in and just stands there, holding his family close to his chest, relief and happiness suffusing his expression. A great moment of peace and happiness after an entire half-season of stress.

Jamie and Claire have what might be my favorite sex scene in this whole show's history. We don't see a ton of the actual sex, we just hear Jamie describing what he'd like to do with Claire, and the two of them begin to act it out as he talks. But it's not just a passionate dirty talking session... it's sweet, and playful, and Claire gets indignant at Jamie's suggestion that she makes "squeaking noises," and Jamie sets about to prove it, and it was just delightful. It speaks to familiarity and true happiness in a way that's so needed for these two after all the separation and hardship they've been through.

There you have it. A satisfying finale in many ways, even if it did have a few issues. I'm constantly wishing I could have more of certain characters, like John, or Fergus, and I suppose the fact that I'm left wanting more can only be a good sign. Here's hoping that Season Four can keep up the good pace!

8/10