Spoilers! Watch it before reading on!
This show is fantastic, to say the least. There are so many components that make it so, the historical elements, highlander culture, the scenery, the concept and plot for the show, the accents, and of course, the kilts. It is so well done, they captured Scotland beautifully and it's a show that generates a lot of sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments.
But I will say, one thing in particular stands out. The thing that holds it all together. The thing that makes the show worth getting deeply invested in. That thing is Jamie Fraser.
Not to be dramatic, but he is honestly the best character I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is perfect well rounded. He is sweet, and kind. A total badass, but has a poetic side. He is the man we all want to marry.
Season one of Outlander really builds the foundation for a relationship you can't help rooting for. Jaime and Claire's love story is enviable. They were brought together in such strange, impossible circumstances. They never had much peace between them, always a problem they had to face, but they did it together.
The main antagonist throughout the first season is Captain Jack Randall. If Jamie is the perfect man, then Randall is the polar opposite of that. He is twisted in every sense of the word. His calm and artistic persona hide a disturbed man with desires that are, well, evil. The actor did one hell of a job portraying this character, there were moments where he made your stomach churn just be the way he looked at someone. And it was worse when he did something sick, like referring to Jamie's back, scarred with 200 lashes, a piece of art that they created together. Disturbing, right?
Jamie and Claire both saw this in Randall and they worked so hard to keep each other out of his hands. First, Claire gets captured as she tries to return to Craig Na Dun to get home to Frank, so Jamie rescues Claire before anything too traumatic can happen. Then at the end of the season, Jamie gets taken by redcoats while he is searching for Claire, and before getting hanged Randall rides in and 'saves him,' (the guard ironically telling Jamie he was lucky) only to torture him in a cell. To make these awful circumstances worse, Claire attempts to break Jamie out, but Randall catches her and then Jamie has to offer his submission in order to save Claire's life. Instead of Jamie spending his time with Randall fighting and resisting, he has to obey. I can't say how much better it would have been if Jamie got to keep fighting, perhaps he would have been overpowered anyway, maybe even killed, but Randall used his submission to essentially destroy his dignity and will to live anyway. He made Jamie brand himself for god's sake!
Eventually Claire managed to free Jamie, which was quite the task, but Jamie was already violated in so many ways that he wasn't exactly thankful. The aftermath of Wentworth prison was painful to watch. Jaimie, trying to kill himself. Claire, Murtagh and Willie struggling with how to help him.
Besides Claire and Jamie, another really good relationship in this show is between Jamie and Murtagh. Jamie is Laird and Murtagh is his protector and friend, but he sees Jamie as a son. He was in love with his mom, but it's more than that. He knows Jamie better than anyone, even if Claire is the closest to him. Murtagh says that maybe someone needs to step into the darkness with him, and Claire takes the hint and makes Jaime talk about what happened. This scene is where the waterworks really come out.
After Jamie explains what happened, and Claire doesn't retreat but cries and insists she still wants him, saying that if he dies she will die with him, he asks, "how can you have me like this?" To which she says, "I will have you any way I can. Always." and it brings him back. He can touch her again, it moves to a scene where Murtagh cuts off the skin that is branded and you know Jaime and Claire are going to be okay.
The way I put it, it sounds cheesy, but those last two episodes are heart wrenching. A glimpse of hope was needed. I think his question and her answer proved that they are stronger together and they have such a strong force of love between them. Jamie didn't want to live, he felt he lost everything in that room with Randall, but Claire pulled him out. In season two there's a part where Jamie mentioned the fortress inside him has been torn, so he is vulnerable and trying to hide under a blade of grass, but that Claire has built him a lean-to and a roof. It might not be a fortress (yet) but I love that relationship. Where they can depend on each other, support each other, and even live for each other. God, I want that.
I seemed to have gotten really ahead of myself, jumped straight to the finale and their great acts of love without talking about how they got there. So lets back track a little.
Jaime and Claire were not always this strong. In fact, for the beginning of their marriage, Claire was not invested at all. She liked Jamie but she only married him to avoid Randall's interrogation. Their wedding episode was really beautiful, and Jamie was perfect, but Claire was not all that good a bride. She drank a lot and was hungover for the wedding and didn't remember everything. While I can't exactly blame her, she was already married and her goal was to get back to Frank, I do hate her a little for this. Jamie was marrying her to protect her, and he already loved her at this point, so it would have been nice if that were reciprocated. But he was patient and kind nonetheless. On their wedding night Claire was anxious so they drank and talked. Jamie was honest about how he felt and it had me swooning. They consummated the wedding multiple times and while I'm not usually a fan of those scenes, I was happy Claire was opening up to Jamie since they're clearly they are meant to be together!
And can we just talk about how adorable it is that Jamie calls Claire Sassenach? It was a word used against her by others as an insult, even in her own time when she was visiting Scotland with Frank. But Jamie says it so affectionately. Being english never stopped him from loving her. The nickname is cute and his accent makes it all the better.
feel free to discuss with me below!