Outlander - To Ransom a Man's Soul - Recap/Review
Last week on Outlander, Taran, died by hanging. Jamie was taken prisoner by Black Jack and was given the option of an honorable death in exchange for him to give Randall his body. Jamie refused but was later forced to agree to it, after Claire arrived, in an attempt to free him. He decided to give Randall what he wanted in exchange for Claire's freedom, but first Claire had to witness Jamie's sincerity. Randall kept his word and let Claire go where she and Murtagh hatched a plan to save Jamie, but it's too late as Black Jack was about to begin.
"You belong to me, I belong to you and nothing will ever change that" Claire
Jamie was forced to make a choice last episode, protect Claire or see her suffer the same fate he was about to. He showed signs of strength, not weakness, signs of nobility. He's brave, honorable and willing to do anything if it means preventing Claire from suffering. That's not someone who's weak.
Jamie, this episode, was broken. Randall broke him. He knew it, Claire knew it, and I knew it. Jamie may have been rescued, but it wasn't his hand that he may lose, it was his soul. Jamie wasn't angry that he'd suffered at the hands of Randall or even raped, it was that he allowed Randall to break him. He let him, and for that, he wanted to die. Jamie's not one to give up, but everyone has a breaking point, a point of no return. Jamie had reached his.
Randall has always been a terrifying character, but watching him get inside Jamie's head was horrifying. It wasn't about what Randall did to Jamie that frightened me, it was how he went about it. Randall forced his way into Jamie's mind, pretending he was Claire. Jamie was disorientated, sleep deprived and probably starving, so he wasn't entirely with it. Randall used that to his advantage as he knew if he kept pushing that he was Claire, Jamie would go for it because he wasn't with it. Jamie was also in severe pain. Randall had just raped him for the first time earlier; he needed the pain to stop. He wanted it to. So when Randall raped him again, he willingly let him, not because he wanted him to, because he didn't, it was because he had to. He couldn't take it anymore. He was bloodied and bruised and in agony, but only Black Jack knew what was happening, Jamie was hallucinating Claire.
What Randall did to Jamie was cruel and psychologically twisted, but it showed Randall's extreme desire to break him and ruin his and Claire's happiness. Randall kept on reminding Jamie that he was Claire, knowing too well that Jamie would accept that. He was hallucinating, he wasn't aware of his surroundings. The shock causes a person to hallucinate and having someone remind them that there someone else just adds to it. Randall's a twisted man, but proved that everyone can be broken.
It was hard to watch Jamie, a beloved character, someone who maintained a good-humoured spirit throughout the series, lose that. It wasn't what Randall had done that got me, it was the fact how it had changed Jamie, enough to make him seek death as his only solution. It was hard. Jamie's been the life and soul of the show, Claire's rock, and seeing his soul being torn apart, was devastating to watch. Sam Heughan delivered a mind-blowing performance. Even when he didn't say anything, it was the raw emotion, his expressions, that was equally powerful. He moved me. It was moving, as it was powerful. He deserves some attention for that.
Jamie has taken his fair share of undeserved punishment over the years, from the lashings to watching his family be violated. He remained whole and stood his ground; he never gave up or never stopped fighting. He soldiered through it all because he had someone to protect, to help. This episode, he helped Claire. He was fighting for her. He didn't care what happened to him, only that Claire was safe. Jamie is Claire's protector. Everything that happened to him this episode was for her. To prevent her from being treated like he has been.
"He made Love to me" Jamie
It was the scenes that followed Jamie struggling to allow anyone near him that caught my attention. Watching Claire confess to Jamie that he was her heart and without him there was nothing else for her was devastating, no, heartbreaking. I was heartbroken. More than that even, I was in tears. Jamie wasn't the only one who was broken, Claire was as well. She had watched Jamie in agony at Wentworth, but watching him give up, was tougher and was ultimately harder to bare. Claire never gave up on Jamie though, her optimism, her faith, is what I love about her. She's always positive and hopeful even if the odds are stacked against her. The odds of getting her Jamie back were against her, but she never gave up, and for that, she got him back.
Claire may have brought Jamie back from the darkness, but it's his memory of what happened that will haunt him forever. He may have recovered, but he'll never forget.
They all decided that Scotland isn't safe for Jamie, and that the best option is to flee the country, to France. Leaving Scotland will help Jamie to recover as well, so perhaps it's a good thing. A fresh start somewhere new will do Claire and Jamie a world of good.
After securing a ship, Claire had to say her goodbyes to Angus, Rupert and Willie. All three of them have been joys to watch and have each added something special to the story with their appearances in episodes. I will miss seeing them around, especially Angus. He was a hard man, but, at times he was humorous, I enjoyed that. His goodbye to Claire was a typical Angus moment, I bet he had waited to kiss her ever since he first met her. At least Murtagh is going with Jamie and Claire, he's the supporting character I enjoy seeing the most. So that's something.
Elsewhere, Claire, aboard the Cristabel, reveals to Jamie she's pregnant. After all he's been through, he needed something positive, something to look forward to and Claire gave him that. Hearing the news put a smile back on his face, something we haven't seen for a while now. Jamie's has had it rough these past few episodes, but it was nice for him to be able to be have something to look forward to, something to hold onto. Jamie's not quite whole again, but with Claire by his side and the prospect of a child on the way he'll get there.
The ending was sweet, but, for me, it failed to live up the books ending. I loved how it ended, it was beautiful and I was satisfied with it, but the book ending was slightly better. More romantic, I felt. But not everything can be the same as the books, so I'm not too bothered by it. In the end it was about setting the story up for a new chapter, and in that regard Outlander fully delivered.
Summary
This episode was a beautiful end to a fantastic season. It was dark, twisted, at times, but yet the acting was so good that it overshadowed it all to the point where watching it was hard but bearable. Watching Jamie struggle to cope after his ordeal with Black Jack was hard, as it was devastating. Black Jack is a twisted man and accomplished all that he hoped he would, and more. Jamie will never be the same again, he'll live, and recover, but he'll never forget. Watching Claire though deliver him the good news about her pregnancy was touching and lovely, something that was needed to overshadow the horrific bits. The ending was satisfying and sets the next chapter up nicely and I for one can't wait for Outlander to return.
As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of "To Ransom a Man's Soul"
