Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow, as do discussions of sexual violence.
If you thought the last episode of Outlander was disturbing, the Season 1 finale probably made you reconsider your evaluation. Being a book reader and knowing what was ahead between Black Jack and Jamie didn't make any of it easier to watch. Jack's sadism was on full display, and it was a challenge to keep looking at the screen. The scenes presented in "To Ransom a Man's Soul" are easily some of the most distressing ones that have been on television. But they were also accompanied by an emotionally charged and hopeful recovery.
Balance was key to getting through this episode. Jumping back and forth on the timeline meant a break between the graphic torture and rape. That's not to say they shied away from showing everything because they didn't. The actual acts and the repercussions were fully depicted. But in between Jamie's memories, we see Claire fighting for him. We see her love for him and her determination to save him and cutting between Wentworth and the monastery was an effective way to temper the atrocities at the prison without downplaying them. The depth of what happened was never minimized.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...
If you thought the last episode of Outlander was disturbing, the Season 1 finale probably made you reconsider your evaluation. Being a book reader and knowing what was ahead between Black Jack and Jamie didn't make any of it easier to watch. Jack's sadism was on full display, and it was a challenge to keep looking at the screen. The scenes presented in "To Ransom a Man's Soul" are easily some of the most distressing ones that have been on television. But they were also accompanied by an emotionally charged and hopeful recovery.
Balance was key to getting through this episode. Jumping back and forth on the timeline meant a break between the graphic torture and rape. That's not to say they shied away from showing everything because they didn't. The actual acts and the repercussions were fully depicted. But in between Jamie's memories, we see Claire fighting for him. We see her love for him and her determination to save him and cutting between Wentworth and the monastery was an effective way to temper the atrocities at the prison without downplaying them. The depth of what happened was never minimized.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...