First off, I wish to apologize for the lack of recap last week. I won't divulge my personal life to you guys, unless you ask. I did that once before and had some rather rude anons on Tumblr get mad at me for it and I just can't handle the drama of that again. That being said, I will do this recap a little differently than what I normally do for this episode. Instead I want to focus on the acting, rather than what happens. And I doubt there will be much humor in this because there was nothing funny about this episode. It was grim, gut wrenching and disturbing. Also if you have any possible triggers involving brutality, torture, death by hanging and/or suicide, it would be in your best interest not to watch this episode. Also note that this post has possible spoilers for the final episode. You have been warned.
This episode was mostly focused on Jamie and Black Jack Randall. There were bits and pieces of Claire but the majority of it focused on the terrible BJR and his would be victim Jamie Fraser. There are several moments of true depravity in this episode. Moments of gut wrenching disgust at what the man does to our poor hero, but also moments of light.
Sam Heughan, until this point, has done a great job as Jamie Fraser but perhaps has been slightly outacted by the older and more experienced Tobias Menzies. Tonight, all of that changed. Instead, it was Sam Heughan who shone through in his riveting moments on screen. First when he is sentenced to hang. Even when facing his death, Jamie shows humor, poking fun at how his wife would be disappointed to know how he might die by the noose. Even joking with McQuarrie. And Jamie tries to go out by being shot but instead, is moments away from being hung before the bastard that is Black Jack Randall rides in on his fiery hell horse, giving Jamie a temporary stay of execution.
The moments after this are pivotal when considering the roles of Jamie Fraser and Captain Randall. Tobias Menzies manages to show cool aloofness, and true sexual pleasure in all the pain and torture he causes his captive. Sam Heughan, plays a man who even in the face of sexual deviance, and torture and true evil, can still find a sense of humor, still give a fighting chance. The struggle plays well on his face. Randall gives him the chance to give over his body in order to make his death quick and noble but Jamie Fraser is strong. The way Sam manages to convey his inner thoughts is truly a wonder.
At the pivotal moments in this episode, the hand being crushed, the moment Claire comes in to save the day, only to be thwarted and Jamie's hand being nailed to the table...Sam Heughan conveys all of it. Pain, anguish, heartbreak, humor. Even when he is at his lowest point, giving in to what BJR wants to protect his wife, there is that moment when the two are embracing and I can feel his heartbreak but also his determination. I can see that even though he knows the worst thing to happen to him is soon to occur, he wants her to feel reassured, to know that he loves her, even for what he must do. It is a full self sacrafice.
Sam manages to make me feel strongly, every emotion that comes into play in these moments. I'll admit that I cried. I didn't cry when he was having his hand smashed to bits. I didn't cry when his hand was being nailed to the table...I cried when he resigned himself to his fate and sat there with BJR licking his back and reveling in his defeat.
Before this episode aired, my favorite episode was Episode Six: The Garrison Commander. I had found Tobias' performance to be truly engrossing, and disturbing and every time the man is on screen, he steels the spotlight. Until tonight. Tonight it was all about Sam Heughan. He is a brilliant actor, who has had very little in the way experience compared to Tobias. Much like Cait, he's never truly carried many hard hitting, emotionally geared roles and he executes the part of Jamie Fraser so well, it is very hard to seperate the man from the part.
In real life, Sam Heughan seems to be an utter gentleman, a truly humorous and good man, unused to the limelight and yet he truly deserves some sort of accolade for the performance given tonight. It outdoes any performance he has done in the show or movies of the past. It's brilliant and genius and true perfection.
Even if this episode was hard to watch, it has become my favorite episode because it managed to make me feel so deeply, more than I've ever felt about any sort of show before. I'm an avid TV lover but no other episode of any show I have ever watched, has ever made me fell the way I feel tonight. Knowing that we haven't seen the end of Jamie Fraser's ordeal, knowing what's coming, I can only applaud Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, and Catriona Balfe for all giving great performances. And mostly, I give thanks to Diana Gabaldon because without her talent for writing, we would of never seen how truly wonderful each of these individual actors could be.
If this show doesn't win any awards, I feel like I'm going to riot.
With no new episode next week, and with the finale a week from next Saturday, be content in the knowledge that this story has a happy ending. That the final chapter soon to play out on screen, ends with our two main characters setting sail for a whole new life. That despite the horrors soon to play out, that Jamie recovers. After all, Claire has to save his soul does she not?
See you in a couple of weeks Sassenachs, and as always, thank you for reading my thoughts on the matter.
Thank you for this. I knew I wouldn't be able to watch this episode as if I was watching Jamie/Claire/BJR. I knew I'd have to watch it completely objectively for the acting alone. As if I was watching this as a screener before voting for the Emmy's/Oscar's or some such. Just studying the craft. Yay for compartmentalization. My emotional core is on hiatus until the last 5 min of the finale with Claire's reveal. Then I will likely bawl like the big sappy baby I am.
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