The Honeymoon is Over for Outlander

After a long break, Outlander is coming back for a second part of 8 episodes. Following up the crucial cliffhanger of the mid-season “The Reckoning” made it quite clear that the beautiful time of honeymoon is definitely over for Claire and Jamie and that nothing will be the same anymore. It’s the day of reckoning on Outlander.

The episode goes all crescendo, mixing both angst and relief focusing mainly on the consequences of the wedding for everybody: Claire and Jamie but also Dougal and the rest of the group.

One of the biggest differences between this episode and the ones of the first part is probably that this one is said via Jamie. A quite refreshing change offering a new interesting point of view to the viewer and not because the story isn’t told through feminine eyes. Since his appearance, Jamie has been quite a fascinating and mysterious character who both voluntarily and involuntarily has been linked to Claire’s destiny.

The arrival of the beautiful Englishwoman changed totally his life. He became a man, yes he has (finally) lost his virginity, and thank god we witnessed this passage, but it’s not only a physical matter. This brings him to a total new state of mind that is pretty enjoyable to hear out loud. The opening scene is also a good opportunity to tease the audience. While they’re having some time with Jamie’s mind, Claire is still a captive of the Captain Randall and the poor lady is left alone for a little while.

However, the episode didn’t take too long to build and did a great job of establishing what we will see in the rest of the season.

The poor Jamie still doesn’t understand how she ended up in Randall’s hands and for Claire can’t just say “well darling I was trying to go back to some those big magical stones so I can travel back two centuries later where I’m coming from.” In one scene, some characters explode into anger, angst and express fears of the unknown. Fear of not being able to reach Craigh Na Dun for Claire, fear of losing each other, fear of those secrets in the air. It’s becoming clear that the explanation is inevitable and that after this event and that Claire won’t be able to hide the truth to him anymore, especially if she tries again to run away. The countdown until the revelation has officially started.

The whole post-honeymoon/Claire’s escape moment tests also the boundaries of the Mackenzie. Dougal, despite being faithful to his brother, was an independent man who is ready to act on his own if the situation requires it. This is what he has done for Claire and Jamie’s wedding. He acted without asking to his brother, well how could he being apart from the family’s castle? But there’s a little feeling he would have done the same even if he had asked Colum and that he had refused it. The more we go, the more Dougal is revealing about himself and the episode is the occasion for him to confirm his choice and his leadership’s figure.

Meanwhile, Claire thought forgiveness would come after a few apologies but she doesn’t realize she made a big mistake and it’s time to receive some instruction about why she should always follow her man’s order. Without describing the scene too much, let’s just say that Christian Grey is decisively beaten by Jamie in the spanking field. Man, the boy may have been a virgin and inexperienced before his wedding but apparently he has a few hidden talents. Behind the small violence, the scene is nothing but laughs: the joy of being married to a woman born in the 20^th century. It’s impossible to not think immediately of the actors while they’re were shooting it; the bloopers will be totally priceless.

This brings a new view of Jamie; a proud Scot but now he is now also a possessive and protective husband. As he said in the first minutes of the episode, he is a changed man. It’s not only about protecting his own life anymore, it’s also protecting his wife and his wedding which doesn’t please some people who may be a great danger for both of them. Claire has also changed; her little encounter with Randall has apparently cured her from any new escape attempts but it’s still pretty clear that she is torn between her past life and her feelings for Jamie.

For its return, Outlander succeeds in offering a perfect midseason premiere, benefiting from an impressive story arc. Mainly riding on the post-wedding situation, in the background there are many things in the works, such as the storylines that will escort the viewers until the end of the season.