Sometimes, you need a break. That's what Creme de Menthe feels like, a kind of break after after a season full of emotionally charged episodes. Freedom and Whisky and A. Malcolm are so gut wrenching, so charged, and have such a high stakes, that I bet the showrunners thought it was necessary to pump the breaks, and have an episode that wasn't teeming with consequence from start to finish.
I find that my favorite parts of the episode are when the other characters are talking about and making observations regarding Claire and her return. I always love these sections in the book as well because normally, in any time traveler story, Outlander being no exception, you see things from the point of view of the traveler, in this case Claire's perspective. It's just fun to hear Fergus and Ian talk about Claire, to get a perspective of the main character from two supporting characters who have no knowledge of her true nature. And, who can argue with watching Ian and Fergus working together in the smuggling business. It doesn't make for the edge-of-your-seat watching experience, but it is nice to get something different.
But I do think that this episode does more than provide a little diversion. This episode actually reminds me a lot of the Watch episode from Season 1 in that it gives a glimpse into what Jaime's life might have been like had Claire never gone through the stones. In Season 1, we see a world where Jaime might have been Tarren McQuarrie, a solider seeking profit until he meets the hangman. If Creme de Menthe, you see Jaime's life as Alexander Malcolm, print shop owner and smuggler go up in flames. And it is not a surprise because Alexander Malcolm was never going to survive Claire's return. The life he was living was always going to end if he picked up his marriage with Claire, and you see the chaotic effect that Claire's return has on his old life.
It's episodes like these, while not memorable on their own that make Jaime and Claire's relationship so beautiful. In one episode, Claire the healer ends up inadvertently killing a man and Jaime's old life goes up in smoke. But, it reminds me of the time in Season 2, when Murtagh asks Jaime whether it ever occurred to him that taking Claire as a wife was not the best idea. Without hesitation, Jaime responds, "no".
So, while not the best episode, it is enjoyable and does serve a purpose in the series as a whole.
I find that my favorite parts of the episode are when the other characters are talking about and making observations regarding Claire and her return. I always love these sections in the book as well because normally, in any time traveler story, Outlander being no exception, you see things from the point of view of the traveler, in this case Claire's perspective. It's just fun to hear Fergus and Ian talk about Claire, to get a perspective of the main character from two supporting characters who have no knowledge of her true nature. And, who can argue with watching Ian and Fergus working together in the smuggling business. It doesn't make for the edge-of-your-seat watching experience, but it is nice to get something different.
But I do think that this episode does more than provide a little diversion. This episode actually reminds me a lot of the Watch episode from Season 1 in that it gives a glimpse into what Jaime's life might have been like had Claire never gone through the stones. In Season 1, we see a world where Jaime might have been Tarren McQuarrie, a solider seeking profit until he meets the hangman. If Creme de Menthe, you see Jaime's life as Alexander Malcolm, print shop owner and smuggler go up in flames. And it is not a surprise because Alexander Malcolm was never going to survive Claire's return. The life he was living was always going to end if he picked up his marriage with Claire, and you see the chaotic effect that Claire's return has on his old life.
It's episodes like these, while not memorable on their own that make Jaime and Claire's relationship so beautiful. In one episode, Claire the healer ends up inadvertently killing a man and Jaime's old life goes up in smoke. But, it reminds me of the time in Season 2, when Murtagh asks Jaime whether it ever occurred to him that taking Claire as a wife was not the best idea. Without hesitation, Jaime responds, "no".
So, while not the best episode, it is enjoyable and does serve a purpose in the series as a whole.
