Come sail over the sea to Skye with us this summer, as we take a trip through the stones to the first season of the television adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander book series. First published in 1991 with Outlander, Gabaldon’s multi-genre novels features the time traveling love story of Claire (Caitriona Balfe), a 1940s woman who finds herself out of time and place in Scotland in the era of the Jacobite rebellion. The U.S. pay TV network Starz debuted the Outlander TV series in 2014, with the show concluding its fifth season last year. In celebration of the ninth novel out this autumn and the sixth season of the TV series debuting in early 2022, we’re spending our 2021 summer vacation at Castle Leoch.
It’s take two of the Wentworth Prison rescue attempt. Will the Scots succeed? And what prison will Jamie still remain trapped in as we set forth on closing out this inaugural season?
It should also be noted that Outlander is very much an 18+ series, with graphic violence and sexuality throughout. Spoilers within for both the tv show and the novel series.
This episode contains a content warning for prolonged sexual assault against a man, along with some graphic medical imagery.
1. Morning MOO-d at Fort William
It’s the start of a new day at Fort William. The sun’s risen in the sky, the British flag is raised while the troops stand at attention . . . but it’s a world away from Jamie, physically and mentally broken inside his cell. But he’s not alone. Black Jack Randall is there. And they’re both naked.
No doubt you saw this coming after the final moments of last week’s episode, and we’ll see how the two got to that state later on in this episode. But not at the moment, there’s some commotion outside of the prison that everyone but Randall seems oblivious to. Someone’s got a bit of a beef with Jamie still being in prison, and it requires some bullish action and sowing some trouble to get the Laird of Lallybroch to safety. Randall’s going to have a cow later.
(I admit this entire thought is an excuse to get as many words associated with cows worked into this recap as much as possible. We need the levity, for the rest of this episode is going to have some very difficult moments to watch.)
2. “I have no doubt you can mend his body…”
…but there are other wounds not so easily dealt with.” Such is the advice Claire receives when she, Jamie, and their traveling party arrive at refuge in the Abbey of Ste. Anne de Beaupré in Scotland.
In the moment, though, Claire and one of the monks come to brief conflict over which of Jamie’s wounds need to be tended first, the emotional or the physical. Once again, science versus faith coming to a head. Claire wins the moment working to tend to Jamie’s hand, but it’s clear the hand is the least of Jamie’s injuries. It’s the mental scars that run deeper than his broken hand, the result of a night Jamie describes as full of “too much and not enough.”
With this, we transition into one of the more disturbing moments of the series, so while I put a content warning on this recap above, I reiterate it here. This is going to go dark very fast and quite often.
3. To Ransom a Man’s Soul
Every worse thing you can imagine to Jamie happens at the hands of Randall in that evening. And while he’s given consent to Randall to “do what he must” it’s most certainly not a consent given wholly freely, and certainly not a response that is to Randall’s liking. It drives Randall to even more destructive and sadistic behavior, his desire for control overtaking his sexual desire for Jamie. Neither sleep for him nor the precise work for surgery for Claire bring peace to either one of them, as Jamie sees Randall’s face and hears his voice even when Claire approaches him. The monk that first greeted them was right: a broken hand is easy to fix, but not a broken soul.
For the first time in this series outside of her 18th century wedding, we find Claire in a house of worship. And while she admits she wasn’t praying (just “clearing her head”), sharing her story with the priest, unbelievable as it is, unburdens her of some of her pain. The truth truly will set you free.
Continued belowThe same cannot be said for Jamie, who still refuses food and any kind of treatment. He is a man that does not want to be saved. That’s where I think a lot about the title of this episode and just what Randall took away from Jamie: his soul, his trust. Randall’s sadism holds it ransom, underscored by his repeated ask of Jamie “are you mine?” and even a branding of his initials on his skin, as if he were cattle. (That’s a fascinating bit of cow double imagery in this episode. It was cows that rescued Jamie, and yet he was treated like a cow by his captor.)
What price will our heroes have to pay in ransom to make Jamie Fraser’s heart and soul whole once more?
4. From Flower of Scotland to La Marseillaise
(French history scholars: before you come after me, yes I do know that the timeline of the show at this point is about 50 years away from La Marseillaise being the official French national anthem.)
Time for the obvious: Scotland is no longer safe for Jamie and Claire. There’s Frasers in France, so plans are underway for the newlyweds to cross the Channel. Except: Jamie doesn’t want to. After what he’s endured, he’d rather be dead, a wish that unnerves both Angus and Claire. Gentle treatment and kindness isn’t working to break through Jamie’s depression, so it takes some tough love from Claire (with the help of some lavender, Randall’s signature scent) to awaken the anger in Jamie, leading to an unburdening of the rest of that fateful night to Claire.
This truth does not initially appear to set Jamie free – – it actually draws him further away from his wife at first. But Claire fights back, offering to die with Jamie since she will absolutely not let Randall take away their bond, their love, their souls. And that awakens Jamie’s fight to live. It’s a bit too neat and clean of an epiphany, right down to the symbolic (if gruesome) removal of Randall’s brand from his chest. Rest assured, though, we will continue to see the effects of this night on Jamie’s life and his marriage.
And with that, Jamie and Claire are off to a new life on the Continent, as they start to strategize how they can change history. There’s new life for them in more ways than one, though: Claire’s pregnant.
5. All That Was Me Is Gone
This line from the Skye Boat Song in the opening credits stuck with me as I reflected not only on this episode but this season. Initially one can associate it with the changes in Claire, moving from the comforts of the 20th century and Frank to the rough and tumble life of 18th century Scotland. All that was 1945 Claire is gone. But in further reflection of this episode and the back half of this season, which focused more on Jamie’s growth as man and husband, assuming the role of Laird of Lallybroch, and coming to grips with his sexual assault, I also realized how much that applies to Jamie Fraser as well. All that was both of these people before they met each other is gone.
I’m reminded of a passage from the book of Genesis that is often heard at weddings: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). Claire believes she and Jamie can do anything they want as long as they have each other, that shared bond that supersedes all they were before. And with their old lives gone by the wayside, truly anything is possible.
Will history put their ambitions up against the wall? Right now, the answer – – as the mother tongue of their new homeland will say – – is nous verrons (we’ll see).
The Lost Papers of Black Jack Randall (Our Afterthoughts Section)
- This episode title comes from Chapter 39 of the Outlander novel
- If you’re wondering why you’re not hearing “God Save the Queen/King” as the Union Jack is raised at Fort William, the song didn’t become more well-known as the British national anthem until the following year (1744). Continued below
- Those who read the Outlander novel will recall that the location of the Abbey of Ste. Anne de Beaupré was changed for television. In the novel, the Abbey is located in France, whereas in the series it is in Scotland. No doubt this was changed for television to allow for the journey to France in the final scenes a sense of finality and closure, just in case the show was not picked up for a second season.
Normally this is where I would tell you what we’ll be watching next week except . . . there’s no next week, as this episode concludes the show’s first season and our 2021 Summer TV Binge of the series. Time to pack up and leave our Castle Leoch room key at the front desk.
Outlander‘s second season debuted in April 2016, about eight months after “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” aired in September 2015. We’ll pick up with it in our Summer TV Binge next May/June as well. Thank you for joining me on this journey with a show that defies convention and genre in many ways, and I hope it inspires you to pick up the remaining seasons of the show and/or the Outlander novels.
As of this writing, the first season of Outlander is available for viewing on Netflix, where seasons 2-4 are also available (except in the UK). In the UK, the show is available on Amazon Prime Video UK. All five seasons of the show are also available via Starz (in the United States).
