Why This Outlander Sex Scene Was So Important
Warning: Contains spoilers for Outlander season 3, episode 11, "Uncharted."
This is the third-to-last episode of Outlander's third season, and I'm not okay. Changes are piling up faster than, uh, a fast ship (see, I told you this whole nautical part of the show would be a challenge). It's hard to believe we've seen Claire and Jamie live apart for 20 years, their reunion, a huge fire, and yet another separation.
So what comes next? Oh, you know: Being stranded, almost dying, SNAKES, and a wedding. Good lord! Here's what we thought about it all.
1. This scene of Claire washing ashore is giving me end-of-Titanic vibes and I'm NOT ABOUT IT. That ocean is so wide and so blue and so empty.
2. What extraordinary light there is in this episode, though - so clear and penetrating and bright. Doesn't spell anything good for our lily-white Claire, though. Not sure they had any La Roche-Posay on that boat.
3. Where has Claire washed up? She could be literally anywhere (well, okay, not literally). That's terrifying. What if it were an uninhabited island? What if she'd stumbled upon Lost?????? She's suffered enough as it is.
4. Oh my god, these ants, no, get them away! No swarms of biting horrible ants please.
5. A SNAKE? A mother-loving snake, of all things. I'm sorry, please bring the ants back, I'll do anything. No? We're going to stick with the snake, then? Well, if you need me, I'll be in an extremely high tower in Antarctica. No snakes there, right? RIGHT?
6. If Claire is scratching at her bites, that must mean she's losing her grip on reality to some extent. Surgeon Claire would never risk the infection.
7. Oh dear. Although her savior, Father Fogden, seems kind, perhaps he's been alone too long? He is talking...to a coconut husk. I supposed it's nice that he has his own Wilson. But it's very weird that he won't do anything without consulting "Coco." This man–fruit friendship could cause some real problems for Claire.
8. Now there are bugs consuming a goat head. Fantastic. But while poor Arabella's fate is very unfortunate for the creature herself, it's a good omen for someone else. Claire's putting all the pieces together - a Chinese man killed and ate Arabella, and there's a ship that's landed nearby. Could the man be Yi Ten Chou, and does that mean Jamie's on the island, too? In my best Chandler-from-Friends voice: Could she be so lucky?
9. ....or so unlucky as to reach the shore just as Jamie's ship is well on its way? HEARTBREAKING. Luckily, ol' Claire is a regular MacGyver. Using the mirror she nicked from the good priest to get Jamie's attention? Now that's clever. But is it a tiny bit too clever?
10. Yes, that solution did feel a wee bit too coincidental - and Outlander knows it. That's why they gave us this little wink: "MacDubh's wife turns up in the most unlikely of places, does she not? Aye, she just drops in out of nowhere." She sure does!
11. It's all well and good that ClaMie have been reunited. But even though Claire's warned him that the English authorities are after him, he won't stop until he's found Young Ian. So much for them escaping the notice of the navy and dodging the charges against Jamie. And, most importantly, being safe forever. I was kind of hoping we'd get some kind of backdoor pilot for a show called Claire and Jamie's Cruise Ship Enterprises, in which they live happily ever after, juggling and serving up custard to pensioners as they sail around the world.
12. "He loves her as I do you, Sassenach." Look, I will admit that I'm warming up to Fergus and Marsali, but this comparison is a bit much, don't you think, Jamie?
13. Marsali probably never expected Claire would be the one helping her to prepare for her wedding, but it's Claire she's got. Honestly, she couldn't have a better person to discuss her pre-marriage worries with. The conversation also bodes well for Claire and Marsali's future relationship: Nothing helps women bond like discussing birth control.
14. Very rude of Father Fogden to bring up Fergus's missing hand...right in the middle of a wedding ceremony? And also his, er, genitals? Well, it will make a good story for the grandkids.
15. "She speaks her mind. One of the many things I love about her." Fergus, you sweetheart.
16. The fact that Fergus is an orphan hasn't been much of an issue lately; he might not have had parents growing up, but he's had Jamie as a father figure for many years now. But it seems cruel for the priest not to allow the marriage to go ahead just because he doesn't have a full name. I bet he wouldn't dare say that to Cher.
17. Luckily, Jamie steps in and says what everyone has known all along - that Fergus is a Fraser. Wow, this wedding turned into an adoption as well. Very efficient! Also: tears.
18. Reason #429 I could never be a doctor: Even considering the idea of injecting myself with a lifesaving antibiotic makes me feel faint.
19. Things Jamie learned about this week: Penicillin. "You want me to stab you in the arse with this?" Jamie can do swords, no worries, but these little needle thingies? Not a chance.
20. "Did you know turtle is supposed to be an aphrodisiac?" And we're closing out this episode with an extremely sweet, funny, and randy sex scene for the reunited lovers. Every time we see Claire and Jamie get it on, there's something interesting about it. This time, Claire's simply enjoying simple pleasures and having her needs met - like food (the turtle soup), health (the penicillin), and now sex. She's alive after a long ordeal, and feeling good about it; Jamie's teasing her for being "bawdy," but we all know her roaring appetites make him happy, too. Seeing their teasing, familiar energy here is rather a relief after the stress of their second separation and the rocky road of their reunion. Now that they can finally be alone, with relatively few demands on their time and energy, they can just focus on each other. Here is the relatively uncomplicated, delightful crux of Claire and Jamie's relationship: their chemistry, which isn't a fixed thing, but something that grows and changes as they do.
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