Catherine: Outlander delivered again last night, this time breaking through the taboo of frontal male nudity on screen. But before we get into that, let’s discuss the two new fascinating characters we met in this episode, Jamie’s sister, Jenny and her husband, Ian. Jenny is a determined spitfire and it’s clear that Jamie was no stranger to strong willed women when he chose to marry Claire.
Stephanie: I really liked this episode, and the deeper look into Jamie. While so far Jamie has been presented like a seasoned warrior, he showed his naivete and youth in immediately power-tripping as Laird. When he assumed his sister’s son was the product of the assault by Captain Randall, he doesn’t even ask her whether it’s true. That to me was a reminder that as much of a romantic hero Jamie is, he’s also a product of his time, and asking the opinions of women-even his sister-is not something expected of him culturally. As feisty as Jenny is back to him, it’s Claire who gets Jamie to show understanding to her. The chat between Claire and Jenny’s husband Ian about how to deal with the stubborn Frasers was sweet. I’m glad Claire has an ally in the household, though it seems Ian takes the more laid-back-and-watch-the-chaos approach.
Catherine: Ian is the apologetic member of the group and he has enough sense not to get in between the dueling siblings- though it’s likely he has a few words with his wife afterwards in private, much as Claire had with Jamie later on. Ian has been the only character to look sheepish while others squabble and bicker. For the most part, no one is ashamed of their actions or the actions of others on this show. People might be angry, vengeful, or gloating but embarrassment? Ian’s the first character to show it. He’s also the first not to blast off into a seething fury of emotions during a confrontation and for that I am thankful. Someone needs to balance these hotheads out. Jenny is going to be a fair match for Claire. They both go around verbally snapping people’s heads off but they both have good hearts. Claire’s aid to a beaten boy in front of the tenants might have pissed off Jenny but Jenny was plotting her own ways to help the boy. Her course of action (working to convince the boy’s aunt to take him in) is likely closer to the ways women were able to aid others without raining abuse down on themselves or the victim. Confronting the boy’s father was not Jenny’s place in this culture so she had to find another way to get the job done. Jenny’s actions also show a degree of subtlety that Claire would do well to learn while she’s in this world.
Stephanie: Good point how Jenny had a more subtle hand in helping the abused boy situation, while yet again Claire’s modern views are shown to have consequences. Though I thought Claire actually showed some tact for once, she didn’t flinch in addressing the abusive father rather publicly. Again, times are different, and now the kid has been pawned off to their household! I try to consider what I’d do, and I think it would be almost impossible not to intervene in something like that. Claire is fortunate that Jamie and Jenny both see value in having the boy protected. It’s not nothing to take in a child to raise.
Catherine: I would interfere as well. No thank you, child abuse! But here’s the interesting dynamic: it’s clear that Jenny has plan for everything on the estate and by showing up without a word of announcement (do trunks of announcements count?), Jamie and Claire are walking into the middle of everything without a clue. It’s endearing to have a clueless sweet Big Foot padding about but troubles are going to arise because for all his good intentions, he’s still Big Foot. And this episode labored on that point. By the end, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief because Jamie was a bit less clueless but this episode did a fine job showing conflicts between family members when one randomly pops up and decides to take over the show in complete disregard for anyone else. How many families could survive that happening without major disagreements? Jenny was frosty and she had every right to be. And it was shocking that he never sent a message to her in all the years he was gone. It’s impressive it didn’t come to blows and smashed crockery.
Stephanie: I’m a Jenny fan, for sure. Even when she was giving Claire the side-eye, I felt for her since she and Ian have been running the estate, having heard no word from Jamie in years (Men, right?) So, moving on to the very serious and uncomfortable flashback between Jenny and Captain Jack Randall. I find myself very on edge any time there is a near sexual assault on any TV show or movie, and Outlander is a bit unpredictable. The show goes to uncomfortable places and then lingers, letting the viewer experience all the character’s accompanying emotions, which is not easy to sit through. This time, a woman’s clothes weren’t stripped off, though Jenny was in just as much danger. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen on a TV drama what unfolded here-male frontal nudity in such an unflattering and let’s just say, “active” scene. (A few moments on Game of Thrones come close, but the balance is still overwhelmingly skewed toward female nudity.) The fact that Jenny laughed at him both dispelled some tension, and also revealed a horrifying detail about Captain Randall: he thrives on fear, and her laughter robbed him of power. Later, in the flashback to when Jamie was lashed by Randall, we learn he wants Jamie in a sexual way. Again, power and fear-driven. And again, a Fraser takes back that power by refusing to give in.
Catherine: Violence against women present again and I don’t think we’ve had one episode without it. So there’s that. But like you said, this time her clothes weren’t stripped off. And thank God for that because this was a very difficult scene to sit through. Whenever Jack Randall appears on screen, I feel physical revulsion and consider fast forwarding. So kudos to the actor for embodying such a powerful and repulsive abuser. It cannot be easy to inhabit that role for the actor. But moving on, this is the first time we’ve seen full frontal male nudity. Which, ha finally! But really ha finally? Because is this the dick the viewers want to see? I don’t think so. We’re only seeing a penis in a scenario of abuse. I’m okay with the penis part but not the scenario part. This happened in another series, The Crimson Petal and the White. It’s a series about a Victorian prostitute and her rise out of the whorehouse. In that series too, full frontal male nudity was only shown when a vile male character was having sex. He was loathsome and it was repulsive to watch. Both shows reveal the fully exposed male body when it’s abusing and attempting to dominate. There have been many chances to see other male bodies fully and completely naked during consensual and loving sex. That it’s only being revealed now in an act of denigration towards another says a lot about how our culture and this show views male nudity. And of course, this isn’t happening with naked women. Any woman is naked on this show just like so many other shows. It has nothing to do with the women’s intent, be it good or bad, whether she’s abusing another or not. So while male nudity has been a long time in coming, I’m troubled by how it’s being presented.
Stephanie: Part of the cause here is the source material. Being faithful to the book means a lot of abuse to cover (and there’s more to come). I agree however, opportunity exists in how the original material is adapted. In some instances, Outlander sheds the norm, and in others, like you pointed out, it doesn’t exactly leap forward. I do think the quieter moments are noteworthy. The conversations between Claire and Jamie on their roles as men and women and husband and wife, and especially with Claire and other women. I’m looking forward to more interaction with Claire and Jenny, since they have common allegiances now, both being Frasers who will protect their family at all costs. I think at this point, Claire is all in. She chose to come to Lallybroch with Jamie instead of testing out the stones (or they didn’t work-same result).
Catherine: And of course, there’s still some episodes left and some guy being nice while being fully exposed could occur. Showing Jack Black fully naked was about shock value and that always has it’s place on a cable show. Something I did appreciate about this episode was that we got to see more of Jamie’s background, particularly his father. It was tragic to see his father collapse from (I assume) heart failure due to Jamie’s beating. Outlander has been adept at portraying how subjugation and domination over another culture crushes the very heart and center of families and the selves being dominated. Jamie preserved his self by taking a severe beating over sexual violation by Jack but he lost his father in the process. With that kind of guilt over the cause his father’s death, it’s amazing Jamie can function and fight. And yet he does. As have so many who’ve functioned and fought after being beaten and terrorized.
Catherine Eaton is a contributor to The Stake. Catherine is a writer living in a western suburb of Chicago. She blogs over at sparrowpost.com and enjoys foraging around the neighborhood in her spare time.
Stephanie Scott is a Young Adult writer living in the western Chicago suburbs. Library superfan, award-winning TV-binger, and she just might be your cat’s new best friend. She tweets at @StephScottYA.
