An added scene in the most recent episode of Outlander, “The Reckoning,” is considered to be controversial by the fandom: the scene in which Laoghaire meets Jamie at his secret hideout. She disrobes and puts his hand on her breast. She is basically tempting him and wants to have sex with him. Overall this scene was a great addition to this episode. It is probably one of the many reasons that leads Jamie to make peace with his wife. However, this scene’s main purpose is something that will revealed in the next episode. From Claire’s point of view, here are some interesting book quotes:
There was, after all, the little scene I had witnessed in the alcove, Jamie holding the girl on his knee and kissing her ardently (I’ve held women in my arms before, his voice came back to me, and they’ve made my heart pound and my breath came short…..) (Outlander 311)
I found, a bit to my surprise, that I strongly disliked the memory of Jamie kissing Laoghaire. I remembered what he had said about that , too – ‘Tis better to marry than burn, and I was burning badly then. I burned a bit myself, flushing strongly as I remember the effect of Jamie’s kisses on my lips. Burning, indeed. (Outlander 311)
There is no question that Claire is falling in love with Jamie and she will have an argument with Laoghaire especially regarding the ill-wish. This fight will be the evidence that Claire has started to love Jamie. This controversial scene is also establishing the plot line for the witch trial. The first quote emphasizes Jamie’s nature as a man who can falter but able to restrain himself, except when it comes to Claire.
Concerning Laoghaire, she is just an immature teenage girl having impulses caused by the hormones circulating in her body. She wants a man that she is attracted to. She is not thinking properly (and she never will). I pity her in this scene for two reasons:
- She is rejected (how many of us felt that way when we were teens by somebody we were attracted to).
- It seems she was never advised to not go for a married man (the best advice my mother gave me when I turned 12).
As readers we dislike Laoghaire. However, this scene needs to be seen and analyzed without knowing much about her, like if the books were never written.
Concerning Jamie, he is tempted. He is about to kiss her but restrains himself. He falters but he does not want to take advantage of her – that is honourable.
I am big fan of Jamie Fraser (and Roger MacKenzie). I love him for his virtues but his flaws attract me more – they make him more interesting as a character. In Voyager, for instance, he does not tell Claire about his marriage to Laoghaire. Of course, he was afraid of losing Claire but the truth is that he was hiding it from her and he should have told her. At the same time many things were happening at Edinburgh but he could have gotten just a few minutes to discuss his current situation on their way back to Lallybroch.
Regarding the controversial scene, fans have speculated many things that Jamie could have done. I agree with most of those speculations. However, as humans, we always encounter a situation and realize afterwards that we should have acted differently. I guess this is what the writers want to transmit to the audience. In their first encounter after Jamie’s return to Leoch, Jamie could have told Laoghaire that he married Claire to protect her but that he also loves her. However, he did not do that to avoid hurting Laoghaire, something that eventually occurs at Jamie’s secret place. They also had little time to discuss things in this encounter.
This small but controversial scene is probably one of the reasons why I cannot wait for the next episode.
If interested in reading funny episode recaps, I really love this post.
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Featured image is from Outlander-Online.com.
Excerpts from
Gabaldon, Diana. Outlander. New York: Bantam Books, 1991. Print.