Diana Gabaldon makes reference to “trust” more than 60 times in the first two books of the Outlander series alone. (Trust me, I used Kindle Search to count.) It appears in all manner of references, like this simple-yet-powerful declaration Jamie makes to Claire in Outlander:“I decided to trust you instead.” Considering that trust is defined…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Seasons 1-3, including Wentworth, Faith, Culloden, and Black Jack Randall’s death. Content note: This article discusses Black Jack Randall’s violence, abuse, sexual assault, and the lasting trauma he causes Jamie and Claire. We discuss those events through the lens of story, character, and adaptation, not to excuse or romanticize them. Black…
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Outsiders don’t fit in. That is their key characteristic. They fly solo through life. As humans, we conform to the expectations of the group(s) we belong to as this makes it easier to fit in and be accepted. But not everyone does so successfully. Like a dark thread in the weft of a plaid, outsiders…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 12, “The Hail Mary.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander “The Hail Mary” works because Claire and Jamie are still making desperate plays, but the season has reached the point where history is closing every door. Jamie…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 7, “Faith.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander Season 2 Episode 7, “Faith,” works because it refuses to treat Claire’s loss as a plot point. Claire does not simply lose a pregnancy. She holds the daughter she…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 6, “Best Laid Schemes.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander “Best Laid Schemes” works because every plan Claire and Jamie make finally turns against them. They tell Murtagh the truth, fake smallpox to sabotage the wine deal,…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 5, “Untimely Resurrection.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander “Untimely Resurrection” works because Black Jack Randall’s return forces Claire and Jamie into the cruelest moral bargain of Season 2. Jamie finally sees the man who destroyed him…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 4, “La Dame Blanche.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander “La Dame Blanche” works because Jamie finally turns Paris’ love of rumor into strategy. He makes Claire into a myth — a feared white lady with supernatural…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 3, “Useful Occupations And Deceptions.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander “Useful Occupations And Deceptions” works because Claire finally finds purpose again while Jamie is trapped doing work that drains him. Claire gets the hospital, healing, Mother…
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Full spoilers for Outlander Season 2, Episode 1, “Through A Glass, Darkly.” This discussion is spoiler-free for the books, but full spoilers for the television episode. Quick answer: Outlander “Through A Glass, Darkly” works because Claire escapes the eighteenth century, but she does not escape grief. The Season 2 premiere sends her back to Frank,…
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