The TV series Outlander returned last night after a lengthy hiatus. Although I objected to the hiatus at the time (because I was really enjoying the show and did not want to have to take a break), I have to acknowledge that I appreciated the separation between episodes, and think it worked to create a break between what came before and the new approach.
"The Reckoning" introduces Jamie Fraser as the narrator. To this point, all episodes have been narrated by Claire. It made for a slightly different perspective on events, and gave a window into some of the political clan intrigue not otherwise available from Claire's perspective. I hope we get to stick with Jamie's point of view for a bit, to get a different take not only on the world and its politics, but also on Claire herself.
One of the things I'm really looking forward to is whether there are any indications of what Frank Randall is doing to locate Claire. If it's a true perspective from Jamie's point of view, then there should be no indications of what's happening to Frank (since as far as Jamie knows, he's deceased). And if that's the case, then it probably means that all of the interludes we've seen of Frank searching for Claire have been purely her imagination of what he must be doing and going through. That is, there is not an objective narrative standpoint from which we view Frank, but rather Claire's reconstruction of what he must have been doing up to the point he called to her through the stones. Which I think is kind of fascinating and will make the first batch of episodes worth re-watching.
I was also quite intrigued with how the show treated Jamie's perspective of Claire, custom and the relationship between spouses. It didn't shy away from domestic violence (or discipline, as it seemed to Jamie's mind) but presented it in a way that felt historically viable and showed some of the challenges in a relationship separated by two hundred years of history and progress. I also liked Jamie interpreting the relationship as Claire wanting to be the "lord and master" in the feudal sense of the word, and being prepared to pledge her fealty to move past the rift in their relationship. I also really liked how Claire handled it, (not dissimilar to Jamie handling the Mackenzie's demand for fealty earlier in the season) by neither denying the pledge nor accepting it, yet nevertheless making sure that Jamie understood the sense of power imbalance his attempt at discipline created, and that physical correction would no longer be part of their relationship from either side.
Finally, I really liked the advertisements offering a package deal on the books available (2 for $15 I think). I especially appreciated the explicit tie-in of the show to the books, since I think there would be a lot of viewers who would be intrigued to try out the books. I still think I'm going to wait on the books though, until I'm sure I'm past the spoiler point. I'm just enjoying the show too much.
Excellent review Gentleman Farmer. I found the narrative from Jamie's perspective to be quite fascinating. While the domestic violence was quite shocking, it did have the feel of something historically accurate. The only false note I found in the episode was Claire's continuing inability to grasp the concept of a power hierarchy. As a nurse in uniform in WWII, I doubt she would have survived 5 years on the front lines if she couldn't or wouldn't take orders, even those that she disagreed with.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, (being halfway through the first book) her actions in the book are similar, if not more extreme. I haven't yet come to the Reckoning in the book, but there are aspects of her character that are more in the nature of a modern woman than a member of the British army. My own view is that it's probably intentional, to give the intended reading audience a proxy to whom they can relate. The book (and the show) is otherwise fairly careful about anachronisms and diction, so I think some of these are deliberate choices to make Claire accessible to her readers and viewers rather than a more historically and situationally accurate representation.
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