Outlander - Wentworth Prison - Review: "Shall We Begin?"

Outlander - Wentworth Prison - Review

Last week on Outlander, Jenny and Claire began the search for Jamie and ended up torturing a courier for information. Claire and Murtagh sang and danced for all to see, they both later ran into some trouble with gypsies. Also, Dougal returned and offered his hand in marriage to Claire, in which Claire accepted, but only if Jamie turned out to be dead. Claire also asked Dougals men to accompany her to Wentworth, three joined her and Murtagh and they headed for Wentworth Prison.

"Truth be told, I'm not looking forward to it much myself" Taran

Jamie, this episode, is at Wentworth Prison, about to be hung for his crimes. Taran, who also faced execution, was with Jamie. Both men, whilst honorable and fearless, were scared of something, dying like cowards, not men. Taran faced the ugliest of executions, instead of a quick neck snap like the previous criminals, he felt it, Jamie felt it, I felt it. It wasn't justice, it was cruelty. No matter what the crime no one deserves to have a painful and agonizing death, Taran especially didn't deserve it. He was loyal, respectable, and honorable and deserved to go out fighting. Jamie narrowly avoided death himself and was saved by Black Jack, which later, he would soon regret being thankful for.

Claire, after spending the entirety of last episode searching for Jamie, knows where he is, except the task that lay ahead, she knew and we, wasn't going to be easy. Wentworth is a fortress and to escape it, yet alone enter it, you'll need to be intellectually brilliant, luckily for Claire, she is. Claire is persuasive and can be manipulative when she needs to be, and she showed that when talking to Sir Fletcher. Claire uses a different type of persuasion, which is what makes her unique. She connects with Sir Fletcher on a personal level because she notices things, such as the Christian book on the table. She uses her surroundings to her advantage which when persuading people, such as Sir Fletcher, appears all the more believable.

Even though Claire made a persuasive argument, and a believable story up in order to see Jamie, Sir Fletcher wasn't able to help her. This not only crushed Claire, but whatever hope she had was gone. She wasn't devastated, she was mortified, knowing her husband may well die because she failed to save him. Watching Murtagh carry her away from the prison was powerful and showed his affection for her, they may not be close, but they're getting there. He's the closest she has to a friend, and boy did she need one for the things to come.

When all hope was lost for Claire, a solution came in the most unlikeliest of places. Both Angus and Rupert were never too fond of Jamie, so just going with Claire was a surprise to her, and even to me. This episode they did show some affection for him and proved that they weren't just two drunks. They found vital information out about the warden which provided a way into Wentworth Prison. We haven't really got to know either one of them, but like Murtagh they keep their feelings hidden, and although they may not present any affection or emotion for anyone, do care. They want to help Jamie as much as Claire does, and they proved that.

"I should have slit your throat when you were unconscious at Fort William" Claire

Claire's desire to get her husband back had never been stronger, than this episode. She loves Jamie and was willing to risk her life getting him back. Claire only had one thought in mind, rescue Jamie or die trying. Her entering the prison alone, once again, proved how powerful their bond is. They have only been together for such a small amount of time, but their connection is intimate and powerful. The story of Claire and Jamie, will not only go down as one of the greatest ever told, it will go down in the history of television. I have seen a lot of shows where a husband and wife take center stage, but nothing quite on the scale Outlander is with Jamie and Claire, it's magnificent.

It was the scenes that followed Claire entering the prison that caught my attention, not because they were heartfelt or beautiful scenes, but because they were horrifyingly brilliant. Black Jack is a tormentor, he enjoys, no, he takes pleasure, from making people uncomfortable and miserable. He's a sadist. He does what he wants for his own satisfaction, nothing else. We saw back in "Lallybroch" the work Black Jack had started, and also in the "The Garrison Commander" on Jamie. He wasn't trying to seduce him, he was trying to break him.

In a failed attempt at a rescue, both Jamie and Claire had to endure violations from Black Jack and his man. Claire may not have received half of what Jamie did, but watching Randall's man feel her up, was uncomfortable and disturbing to watch. It's never easy to watch something like that, but it did represent how filthy and dishonorable men were back then, not all men were good, and that man showed that. Thankfully, Jamie killed that man, during another failed attempt by Claire, this time, to kill Randall.

Claire may have been there to rescue Jamie, but it was Jamie who rescued Claire. Jamie, in what was one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have seen, told Randall he can have him if he let Claire go. Jamie feared Randall, but he feared for Claire's safety more. He's a protector, Claire's protector. Jamie was treated to only a small portion of what Randall was about to do to him, he kissed him, forcefully, and also nailed his hand. It was brutal, but it was Claire's harrowing screams of disgust and devastation that made the scene horrifying, unpleasant and unbearable to watch. This wasn't torture, this was a sadist who procures sexual pleasure from hurting people, something I fear Claire and Jamie will never fully recover from.

We may not have seen what Randall did, that will be left for the finale, but our imaginations are much worse than seeing it. Hearing Black Jack say "Shall we begin" was chilling as it was cold. You didn't have to see what he meant because you knew, my imagination didn't do me any favors. Also, Tobias and Sam deserve to be commended for their fine display of professionalism and fine acting, it was nothing short of outstanding within that scene, in particular.

Elsewhere, much earlier in the episode Randall was made vulnerable by Jamie's letter to the Duke. Randall isn't entirely fearless, he fears people finding out about him, he's scared of dying, even if he won't admit it. Seeing the letter gave him all the more reason to torment and torture Jamie. He's see's Jamie as a trophy, someone who he's tormented for years, someone who he's trying to break. This episode it worked. He was slowly breaking Jamie piece by piece.

Jamie doesn't give up, but once Randall crushed his hand, he was partially done. Watching the hand crush was painful and excruciating, but showed how Jamie is a warrior, someone who, despite being at his lowest point, will always get back up. Through the years, even after Randall's continued attempts at breaking him, has continued. He's brave, which is what makes him such a great character. He's strong and courageous, and may be one of the greatest characters ever to be created.

Summary
This was a horrifyingly brilliant episode. It was dark, twisted and in some cases unpleasant to watch, but that's a part of the story, not everything that will happen will be pleasant. This showed, in a sense, the true darkness that surrounded Black Jack. He's a monster and enjoys the satisfaction he gets from knowing he's breaking someone. This episode also represented the glorious acting from Tobias and Sam who were both outstanding throughout, if awards were given out solely on one episode, Sam and Tobias would be winning by a clear mile. Overall, it was a solid episode that left chills going down my spine, and presented a nicely drawn cliffhanger that makes the anticipation for the finale even harder to take. Sadly, there's no new Outlander next week, but it's back on the 30th.

As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of "Wentworth Prison"

About the Author - Robert Fruin

Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are Grey's Anatomy, The Walking Dead and The 100. Some other interests include Cycling, Kayaking and Photography.Robert is currently reviewing Black Sails, Game of Silence, Limitless, Outlander, The Bastard Executioner and Z Nation. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.

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