There isn’t a single aspect of this episode that is not wonderful. In fact, for many fans it is the most highly anticipated and memorable event in the Outlander universe.
Conditions
This is a favorite scene because we see how serious Jamie is about the marriage contract. Before he agrees, he consults Murtagh, saying he intends to be wed but once and asking him what he thinks about Claire and whether his mother would approve. Murtagh assures Jamie that she “will do,” and that her smile is as sweet as Jamie’s mother’s smile. (”Still waters run deep, ye ken?)
After having received Murtagh’s approval, he agrees to marry Claire in order to keep her out of the clutches of Black Jack Randall. However, the fact that he takes it so seriously and gives Dougal conditions for the marriage tells us that there is more to his decision. Jamie’s conditions will insure that the ceremony will be as special as possible for both of them under the current circumstances. He demands the ceremony be held in a church before a priest and that Claire have a ring and a proper wedding dress. Jamie is always thinking about Claire. This is why he is the King of Men. Every woman needs a Jamie.
A Blood Oath is Made
The visuals in this episode are most pleasing (ahem..), but the the significance of the Gaelic Wedding Vow should not be diminished. If Claire had been aware of its significance, she may have refused to do it at the time because she saw the marriage as a temporary resolution of her problem and had every intention of getting back to the stones.
The magic in this story (especially the books) is sometimes subtle, but it is potent, and the Gaelic Wedding Vow that Claire and Jamie take is essentially a blood oath. Blood is a powerful symbolism, and sometimes even has mystical powers. The blood oath makes use of this to make a commitment that can’t be broken.
Blood spilling is a potent force in the working of magic, and in some mythologies certain types of blood are deemed more powerful than others. Some consider the blood of royalty, the blood of a special line (Fraser, the Fraser Prophesy), the caster’s own blood (Jamie and Claire), and virgin’s blood (Jamie) to be most powerful.
In many ways their wedding ceremony represents the traditions of their time, but their blood vow may be described as something between a binding handfasting and an initiation. It is a spiritual blending, a binding of their souls, not just to God but to one another, and not just for this lifetime but forevermore. Not until death-do-us-part but for all lifetimes to come. Jamie knew what he was doing and knew it’s significance, but Claire did not. Claire viewed the wedding as a temporary solution until she could return to her time, but Jamie took the ceremony and it accompanying oath very seriously. As he tells Murtagh, he intends to marry only once, and he wanted to do it right. He insists that they wed in a church, before a priest, with a ring for Claire and a proper dress. He wanted to make it special for her as well. Claire’s heart may not have been in it initially, but, as we know, looking back she wouldn’t have changed a thing. That, my friends, is a commitment.
I Said I Was a Virgin, Not a Monk
Nothing else need be said about this scene other than it is perhaps one of the most beloved and anticipated lines from the Outlander novel.
“I did like it, Jamie.”
After the first round of obligatory sex to consummate their marriage, Jamie asks Claire if she liked “it.” The highlanders had given him advice, and Murtagh had said that women don’t usually enjoy “it.” Poor Jamie is crushed when Claire fails to respond immediately and he assumes she had not liked “it,” as Murtagh had warned.
In truth, Claire does not respond immediately because of her own internal conflict. She is ashamed that she had indeed enjoyed their sexual act and feels like a “bigamist” and an “adulterer.” Upon realizing his disappointment she admits that she had enjoyed the sex, which immediately improves Jamie’s outlook. It is written all over his face.
Don’t worry, Jamie. You and Claire will enjoy a fabulous, “not usual” sex life together.
Duty, Pleasure, Love
Jamie and Claire’s lives will never be the same now. At the beginning of the episode they have already formed an attraction and at least a friendship. Jamie’s feelings are stronger than Claire’s, but they begin their marriage as equals.
With an act of sexual duty they establish consummation and fulfill a contract. As noted before, Jamie still hoped Claire would find it pleasing, and was gratified (and a little smug) to learn that she did.
Their next sexual act is for pure pleasure. They take their time, engage in verbal foreplay, and are playful in bed.
Finally, they make love. He shows her how much he values her by giving her the last remaining memory of his mother. He has brought her into his family by this gift and she recognizes the value of that.
I think it is important to realize that in each of these encounters, Claire initiated the sexual act.
“Perhaps we should go to bed”
“Take off your clothes. I want to look at you” (thank you Claire!)
And finally by reaching out to him and making love with him, maintaining eye contact the entire time.
Jamie never once forced the issue with her. She had been forced into too many things already. In this instance, the choice was always hers. The agency was always hers. The power was always hers.
He is “under [her] power and happy to be there.” It is a beautiful thing.
Once on their journey to collect rents, it isn’t long before Claire begins to feel isolated from the Highlanders. She is concerned that their use of Gaelic represents an effort to exclude her, and she reminds herself that being on the road would be her opportunity to escape. Jamie notices her unease and comes to her. She asks him if the Highlanders hate her. Jamie reassures her but admits that they don’t trust her. Then she asks him if he thinks she is a spy for the British. He tells her, “No, but I do think there are things ye’re not telling us, and I know you tried to run during the Gathering. It’s on your mind still, plain and clear.”
Once again, Claire’s righteous indignation causes conflict, and Jamie comes to her rescue when Angus does not take kindly to being called a thief. Claire believes Dougal is not only collecting rent from clan members, but is using Jamie’s scars to garner sympathy from them in order to line his own pockets.
Claire’s healing skills had begun to give her some credibility and help build a measure of trust with Dougal and Colum. However, when she confronts Ned about her suspicions, that trust quickly dissolves. It isn’t until another collection night that Claire realizes Dougal is raises the extra money to finance a Jacobite rebellion.
This is my single most favorite scene from the episode. The collection party stops at an inn for the night. While the men drink downstairs in the tap room, Claire retires to her room upstairs. A noise outside her door leads her to investigate the source of the disturbance. She finds Jamie just outside the door after she steps on him. For fear that the drunken men might wonder upstairs, he again intends to protect her by sleeping at her door. She offers to let him come inside, but he fears it “would ruin [her] reputation.” Amused, Claire instead offers him her blanket, “If it isn’t too scandalous,” and he bashfully accepts. The sexual tension in this scene can be cut with Jamie’s dirk. (Yes, pun intended.)
The next morning during breakfast when Claire tries to convince Ned that history will never again record the name of a Stuart king, a group of rowdy locals are heard referring to Claire as a “Hoor.” Ironically, Angus, who had previously drawn his knife on her, is the first to throw a punch in defense of her honor. After the fight, Murtagh explains to Claire that as she is a guest of the Mackenzie, “We can insult ye, but God help any other man that does.” Even Dougal joins in the fight. This represents a turning point in Claire’s relationship with the Mackenzies. A bond is strengthened and she is defended as one of their own.
Rupert regales the group with a story about his experience with two women in bed, where they become jealous and begin arguing over who he will “swipe” first. “Can you believe it?” he jokes. Claire replies, “I believe your left hand gets jealous of your right. That’s about all I believe.” After a brief silent pause, Rupert breaks into a hardy laugh, the Highlanders following suit. “Ah, you’re a witty one,” Jamie says. Amazed at what he has heard from Claire, Rupert says, “I’ve never heard the woman make a joke!” Claire responds, “There’s a first time for everything.” Clearly the entire groups appreciates the moment, and the bond with the Highlanders is now solidified.
Source: Starz
He never tells her why he wasn’t at the Gathering. He doesn’t need her to know that. He isn’t doing it so she will love him. He just wants her safe.
Jamie is obviously nervous and uncomfortable. He doesn’t know how Claire will react and you can see his vulnerability. Claire responds not with pity, but with compassion and empathy. It is her heart and her healing spirit that come through in this moment. She is being Nurse Beauchamp and it is the start of her finding her place, with Jamie, and in this world.
