For some viewers, season 2 can be very frustrating in the ways that its story telling differs from season 1. Season 1 is a romance with no particular event at its center. There are noteworthy ones to be sure, Claire's first meeting with Randall, the Wedding, the escape from Fort William, the Witch Trial, Wentworth Prison, but no single one of those events is at the center of the season. Each one is an escapade of sorts in the broader story of Jaime and Claire's romance. Everything in season 2 is building towards Culloden, every episode draws the characters and the viewer closer to that reckoning. Time is the enemy; every day draws the characters closer to Culloden. Jaime and Claire's biggest enemy is time, and every action they undertake is to try to stop that clock, and prevent the battle from ever happening. The episodes of season 2 reflect this; they build upon each other slowly, each one slowly raising the stakes, adding to the tension and desperation of the episode before it.
La Dame Blanche finally begins the payoff on some of the tensions that have been building in some of the more uneventful episodes that preceded it. There are parts that fall flat, the episode's foreshadowing of Claire' s return to the future doesn't do much for me, because we know that's where she will end up. I know what is coming, foreshadowing the result is not needed and doesn't add anything to the story. Mary's rape falls flat and gives credence to those who complain of Outlander's over reliance on sexual violence. Mary's rape does nothing to advance her character or say anything meaningful. It's purely a plot device used to advance the story.
So why give this episode a 10? Well, because the things that it does well are done masterfully. Outlander is worthy of praise for having the stomach to tell a meaningful story of Jaime's trauma resulting from his assault by Randall in a complex and compelling way. The hints of his suffering have been in the background for the entire season, his trouble sleeping, his lack of physical attachment to his wife, their failure to be on the same page for much of the season, the secrets that are being kept from one another. The revelation that Randall yet lives finally delivers the payoff on the simmering tension. Sam Heughan does a masterful job in this episode showing us the complexities of Jaime's ongoing efforts to recover. It's so complicated to see Jaime's happiness at the revelation because on the one hand, it's nice to see him reinvigorated, recharged, feeling alive for one of the few times this season, but at the same time its troubling to see him becoming consumed with revenge, feeling alive and excited for the sole purpose of watching the person who wronged him die, when you question whether Randall's death will have any long-lasting impact on Jaime's ability to overcome the trauma. Randall's death won't make him forget what happened, nor will it bring him closer to Claire.
Indeed, the episode actually does a good job of illustrating the limits of Jaime's recovery, of its shortcomings. Jaime is still unable to feel alive with Claire, is still haunted by Randall's touch. I think the sex scene between Jaime and Claire in this episode is too often dismissed as a "sex as healing" type scene but I think its rather more indicative of the connection that is missing between the two of them. It harkens back to episode 1, when Claire would lie with Frank in the hopes that their physical connection would somehow rekindle the connection that they lost during the war. The same seems true here. They lie together, but the scene does not last to climax, and the scene itself lacks the sensual passion that has been found in other scenes between them. It is indicative of the two searching for a way to rekindle their connection, but still missing something to be able to fully do so.
However, the highlight of the episode is the dinner party. In a season where the tension is constantly rising and threatening to boil over, the dinner party illustrates that perfectly. There is just so much tension at the table, St. Germain sitting across from Claire after having her poisoned and attacked in the street. Charlie and Louise, the quarreling lovers, Sandringham, the seeming bane of the Frasers existence, and of course, Sandringham and Charlie. I have to say, the most satisfying part of the episode was really seeing the contrast between the Duke and the Prince.
At first blush, they appear to be the same person. Both are blowhards, prone to hyperbole and self-aggrandizement. It seems like they would be two people that would naturally get along. But of course, the major difference which spurns their distaste for one another is self-awareness. The Duke is a blowhard, he, like the Prince, lacks substance, but he is self-aware. He knows what he is, he knows he's irreverent and over-the-top, but doesn't care. In contrast, the Prince believes himself to a proper gentleman, believes himself to be chosen, so naturally bristles at Sandringham's irreverence and bluster. The Duke is in on his own joke. He can poke fun at the pope and make base jokes because at the end of the day, he knows who he truly is beneath the façade. The Prince does not.
All in all, La Dame Blanche is just a very interesting episode to watch and succeeds in starting to pay off the tension that has been building at the start of the season. The lies, the deception, the trauma, the enemies that have all been building since the start of the season are, for the first time, beginning to catch up with the characters and have an impact on the plot of the story.
La Dame Blanche finally begins the payoff on some of the tensions that have been building in some of the more uneventful episodes that preceded it. There are parts that fall flat, the episode's foreshadowing of Claire' s return to the future doesn't do much for me, because we know that's where she will end up. I know what is coming, foreshadowing the result is not needed and doesn't add anything to the story. Mary's rape falls flat and gives credence to those who complain of Outlander's over reliance on sexual violence. Mary's rape does nothing to advance her character or say anything meaningful. It's purely a plot device used to advance the story.
So why give this episode a 10? Well, because the things that it does well are done masterfully. Outlander is worthy of praise for having the stomach to tell a meaningful story of Jaime's trauma resulting from his assault by Randall in a complex and compelling way. The hints of his suffering have been in the background for the entire season, his trouble sleeping, his lack of physical attachment to his wife, their failure to be on the same page for much of the season, the secrets that are being kept from one another. The revelation that Randall yet lives finally delivers the payoff on the simmering tension. Sam Heughan does a masterful job in this episode showing us the complexities of Jaime's ongoing efforts to recover. It's so complicated to see Jaime's happiness at the revelation because on the one hand, it's nice to see him reinvigorated, recharged, feeling alive for one of the few times this season, but at the same time its troubling to see him becoming consumed with revenge, feeling alive and excited for the sole purpose of watching the person who wronged him die, when you question whether Randall's death will have any long-lasting impact on Jaime's ability to overcome the trauma. Randall's death won't make him forget what happened, nor will it bring him closer to Claire.
Indeed, the episode actually does a good job of illustrating the limits of Jaime's recovery, of its shortcomings. Jaime is still unable to feel alive with Claire, is still haunted by Randall's touch. I think the sex scene between Jaime and Claire in this episode is too often dismissed as a "sex as healing" type scene but I think its rather more indicative of the connection that is missing between the two of them. It harkens back to episode 1, when Claire would lie with Frank in the hopes that their physical connection would somehow rekindle the connection that they lost during the war. The same seems true here. They lie together, but the scene does not last to climax, and the scene itself lacks the sensual passion that has been found in other scenes between them. It is indicative of the two searching for a way to rekindle their connection, but still missing something to be able to fully do so.
However, the highlight of the episode is the dinner party. In a season where the tension is constantly rising and threatening to boil over, the dinner party illustrates that perfectly. There is just so much tension at the table, St. Germain sitting across from Claire after having her poisoned and attacked in the street. Charlie and Louise, the quarreling lovers, Sandringham, the seeming bane of the Frasers existence, and of course, Sandringham and Charlie. I have to say, the most satisfying part of the episode was really seeing the contrast between the Duke and the Prince.
At first blush, they appear to be the same person. Both are blowhards, prone to hyperbole and self-aggrandizement. It seems like they would be two people that would naturally get along. But of course, the major difference which spurns their distaste for one another is self-awareness. The Duke is a blowhard, he, like the Prince, lacks substance, but he is self-aware. He knows what he is, he knows he's irreverent and over-the-top, but doesn't care. In contrast, the Prince believes himself to a proper gentleman, believes himself to be chosen, so naturally bristles at Sandringham's irreverence and bluster. The Duke is in on his own joke. He can poke fun at the pope and make base jokes because at the end of the day, he knows who he truly is beneath the façade. The Prince does not.
All in all, La Dame Blanche is just a very interesting episode to watch and succeeds in starting to pay off the tension that has been building at the start of the season. The lies, the deception, the trauma, the enemies that have all been building since the start of the season are, for the first time, beginning to catch up with the characters and have an impact on the plot of the story.
