Welcome back to Lallybroch, Sassenachs! It’s time for another Scottish summer with a look at Outlander‘s second season. But this year, we won’t be in the Highlands: we’re crossing the Channel to the Continent, where Claire and Jamie will find a new temporary home in the City of Light.
And in spite of their escape to France, Claire and Jamie find that where they go, trouble follows. But first . . . why is Claire back in the 20th century? And what does that mean for the two spouses she shares?
It should also be noted that Outlander is very much an 18+ series, with graphic violence and sexuality throughout. As well. there may be spoilers within for both the tv show and the novel series.
1. Yeah, That’s Me. You’re Probably Wondering How I Ended Up In This Situation
And so are we, Claire, when our second season opens with Claire wailing in anguish at the stones. We don’t even have time for the record scratch, as Claire laments a loss of the world she left moments ago. So where is she? The presence of a car reveals she’s back in the 20th century, clearly having traveled through the stones. But when? When we last left her, she was on a boat to France, pregnant and in bliss with Jamie. Now, she is in 1948, but still fixated on the Battle of Culloden and its outcome.
There’s a pleasant if less than loving reunion between Claire and Frank. While both express some form of gratitude that Claire has returned home, Claire’s heart and soul are left two hundred years prior, with the modern trappings of radio and photography harsh to her eyes and ears. Even her husband is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time – – sharing a face with a man who menaced her life, no matter how supportive he tries to be. (Though his tune changes when Claire reveals she’s pregnant and the child is Jamie’s.)
Will Claire continue to chase the ghosts of the past – – her past – – even with Frank right there beside her? And what effect will her pursuit of those ghosts have on her marriage? There’s certainly a valid argument for her to put her experiences in the 1740s to bed and move forward with Frank. But what she has experienced, the joys and the traumas, are a part of her now, and that’s not something you can hide under a bushel basket or easily explain to another.
And hiding that bushel basket is just what Frank asks of her. No research, no chasing ghosts – – at least while he’s alive. Even though it is what Jamie wanted of Claire too, this is going to be a hard promise for her to keep.
2. Chante-moi une chanson d’une jeune fille qui est partie
The subtle changes in music, images, and lyrics in the opening credits do give us a cue that of this season’s setting of France, including a portion of the Skye Boat Song in French. This is a touch we will see throughout each season, and I love how it sets time, place, and mood, all while keeping the same structure. In a way, it mirrors Claire’s search for home across time and space – – always looking for the right place for herself, and finding something familiar in each unfamiliar world she encounters.
3. The Wizard of Oz Effect
Rewatching this show reveals subtleties that one misses upon first viewing, and one I saw in this episode is what I like to call “The Wizard of Oz effect.”
In the 1948 scenes, colors in setting and wardrobe tend to be muted and drab. There is color, but it is very diluted. But when Claire steps off the plane in one world and off the ship in the port at Le Havre in another, the colors change. The palette is similar to the 20th century (jewel and earth tones), but the saturation is definitely turned up a notch. There’s more vibrancy, more life, in the 18th century scenes. And while no doubt the luxury of France is a part of that, it’s also a symbol of the joy and life she finds in her memories of this time.
Continued belowIt’s not the dramatic transition of sepia to Technicolor that Dorothy saw, but it serves well to show where Claire feels most herself.
4. Docking at Le Havre
After more than half the episode passes, we’re finally in France in 1744 where Claire and Jamie will make their home for now. But there’s no time to revel in French luxury, it’s time to get down to business with Claire’s knowledge of what will take place but no idea how to change the course of history. It’s Claire who comes up with the first part of that how: Jamie’s cousin Jared, well-placed in Paris society to make introductions and offer assistance.
After Claire’s missteps throughout the first season, it’s gratifying to see her show some growth and thinking strategically. Last season, she used her knowledge of the future almost as a crutch, and mainly for her survival. Naturally, this makes sense: she had to do what it takes to survive. But she’s past survival at this point, with a partner by her side that she has to take into consideration – – as well as the course of world history. That calls for deliberation and discretion, not just sharing information but when, where, how, and what to share.
5. You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours
Initially Jared doesn’t buy his cousin’s newfound Scottish patriotism, but finds a way they can help each other. Jared needs someone to run the wine business while he is away, and with the run of the house and business, Jamie and Claire can make their way through French society. It’s right to work for Jamie when he runs afoul of the Comte St. Germain, Jared’s main business rival after a smallpox outbreak on one of the Comte’s ships. The only solution is for the ship – – and the cargo – – to be burnt. This is certainly not the news the Comte wants to hear, much less from an English woman.
This is a small subplot that does us well to introduce what will be one of many conflicts for Jamie and Claire in their new life. It does feel rushed, as the viewer doesn’t have the context as to just why the Comte and Jared remain at odds with each other, besides the fact they are two men in the same industry. Could there have been more time in France and less in 1948, perhaps? Most definitely, especially since the time we spent there plays more of a role in the third season than it does here. Flashback is an effective storytelling tool when used in the right doses. Here, there was too much exposition for that flashback and not enough of the actual flashback.
While short and rushed, it does one thing well, which is set up a central theme for this season: wherever the Frasers go, trouble will follow. If Jamie and Claire had any illusions their life in France would be easier than Scotland, they’ve now burned up with the port on the Comte’s ship.
The Lost Papers of Black Jack Randall (Our Afterthoughts Section)
- The title of this episode is taken from the Book of Corinthians: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. This title is also the title of the first part of the second Outlander novel (which provides the basis for this season), Dragonfly in Amber.
- The abrupt shift from caring supportive spouse to menacing man that takes place in Frank when Claire reveals she’s pregnant certainly shows he’s inherited some of Black Jack Randall’s worst qualities (along with his sterility).
- “I know nothing of the wine business, besides drinking of course.” Hey, that’s halfway there, Jamie.
- “Only an English woman would be so ill-bred and vulgar.” Having returned from France a few weeks ago, I’m happy to say I didn’t encounter this attitude!
- The Comte St. Germain is in fact based on a real figure, the Comte de Saint Germain, who is quite the opposite of his television counterpart.
We’ll see you next week for “Not in Scotland Anymore” and let us know what you thought of the episode in the comments.
As of this writing, the first five seasons of Outlander is available for viewing on Netflix in the US and Amazon Prime Video in the UK. All six seasons of the show are also available with a subscription to the Starz network in the United States. The seventh season of Outlander is currently in production.
