Two Takes: Outlander “The Wedding” 

Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone
I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One.
I give ye my Spirit, ’til our Life shall be Done.

Tina: Kara, I don’t know if I can even express exactly how much I love this episode and the way they executed the wedding (and the wedding night). This is the moment that fans of the book and the series have been waiting for. And the show didn’t disappoint. At first when they interlace Claire and Frank’s wedding with the end of Claire and Jamie’s — I was like, no, no, no, no, no. There better be more wedding goodness here. And there is. A lot more. And it is amazing. I love the flashbacks of the three conditions Jamie gives Dougal to insure a wedding takes place. I love the conflict on Claire’s part that exists almost the entire episode until she and Jamie truly become one. I love that kiss at the church once they’re married (so hot!). I even love Ned Gowan gettin’ some at the brothel where he goes to procure a wedding dress for Claire. This is a perfect hour of television.

You have my name, my clan, my family and, if necessary, the protection of my body as well.

Kara: Completely agree. I want to make a joke about how Claire is a bigamist now, but that would be undercutting the seriousness of what she’s done. Claire had to marry Jamie to keep herself safe from the clutches of Black Jack Randall. She did not enter into this union lightly – in fact, she was so apprehensive, she drank enough the night before to leave her with a hangover on her wedding day. We’ve got to remember that even though she refused to answer Frank when he asked her if she’d strayed during their time apart during the war, Claire admitted to Geilles that she’s never been unfaithful to her husband. And she’s nervous enough on her wedding night that she starts hitting the bottle again. I think it’s both the fact that Jamie vows to protect her with his own body if he has to and his unwillingness to move faster than she’s comfortable with, that allows her to relax. I love that they get to know each other a bit more before they seal the deal. In the book, Jamie asks Claire to talk about Frank. I have to say I’m glad that doesn’t happen in this episode.

It’s awfully late. Maybe we should go to bed.
All right. To bed? Or to sleep?

Tina: That Claire sure is a drinker, isn’t she? I don’t blame her. She clearly has Frank on her mind for so much of the episode. As frustrating as that is for me as a viewer to see, to me, Claire’s reactions, her expressions and even her knocking more than a few back, is so incredibly realistic. Their first time is a bit awkward and quick and not very sexy and that’s realistic, too.

Jamie has to ask her if she liked it. She does, she says. But I don’t know if I believe her. What ends up happening after that is so much better. After the flashbacks, after the finding out about each other’s backgrounds, they get to know each other in a more profound way. And they make love again. It turns out to be a definite rewind and repeat moment for me and I’m sure for everyone else who watches “The Wedding.”

Take off your shirt. I want to look at you.

This is the moment Claire and Jamie form a more intimate connection. They take turns exploring each other sans clothes. And it’s really beautiful.

Kara: I even feel like this sex scene was filmed in a way that both men – but mostly women – could enjoy. When Claire starts to go down on him…wait, am I getting too graphic here? We’re all adults, right? When Claire’s mouth starts to travel south, I love that the camera stays on Jamie’s face. We see the joy, the (slight) pain, the pleasure. Claire is the more experienced of the two and as we already know, she enjoys sex. I love that about her. Why shouldn’t she guide him and help him enjoy this physical manifestation of their attraction? Later, when Claire’s knocked him right out with her sexual prowess, she decides to go downstairs and forage for some sustenance. It’s then that Dougal makes his indecent proposal. Yes, we know Dougal’s attracted to her – he kissed her back at Castle Leoch and told her he wanted to “grind her corn” before he suggested Claire wed Jamie. But when he suggests that her marriage doesn’t have to stop her “from sampling other pleasures,” I didn’t like it. We see just how brightly the flame he carries for her still burns. I mean, Claire and Jamie haven’t even been married for 24 hours. She literally just left her wedding bed and Dougal thinks it’s ok to proposition Claire? I’m not pleased with his behavior. Not pleased at all.

Tina: I feel like the show is playing up Dougal’s jealousy for some reason. It’s subtly prevalent throughout this episode. In the book, Dougal certainly doesn’t pounce on her right after Claire and Jamie make love. So I wonder about the need to see Dougal lust over Claire so soon after she becomes his nephew’s wife. I’m perplexed by this. And intrigued. It’s time for me to take a wait and see approach here. I don’t have a smooth transition here. I’m headed back to the shallow end of the pool. Kara, we talked about this in person and I feel the need to say it here. Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan are perfectly cast as Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser and James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. But having watched the wedding night, I especially feel Heughan was destined to play this role. He’s the personification of the Jamie that is in the Outlander novels. It’s as if Diana Gabaldon had him in mind when she wrote the book (it was originally released in 1991). He is Jamie Fraser. And, wow, is he beautiful. Seriously beautiful.

Kara: Tina, I’m totally with you. I don’t mind splashing around in the shallow end with you. In person, we also talked a lot about what happened in the book vs. what happens in the episode, and another thing I think is important to bring up are Claire’s wedding rings. We see her put Frank’s ring in her cleavage right before she enters the church. She doesn’t think about it again until she’s fluffing the wedding dress and the ring comes loose. It’s so interesting that she puts the ring on – while she’s wearing Jamie’s ring – and looks at the contrast between them on her hand. Those rings are as different as the two men she’s married to. And I love that getting the ring made from that key is one of Jamie’s three conditions for marrying Claire. Jamie tells Claire about it, but I’m wondering why he doesn’t want to tell her what the key unlocks. It’super cheesy, but I wanted him to to say it unlocks his heart. I told you. Super cheesy.

Tina: I’ll allow it. Here’s more cheesiness: I totally melted when a gruff and grizzly Murtagh talked about Jamie’s mom after Jamie asked his godfather what his mom would think of Claire (or something to that effect). Murtagh says that “Claire’s smile is just as sweet.” Awwww. Have I said how much I love me some Murtagh?

There’s only one more episode left in this first half of season one. The mid-season finale of Outlander airs Saturday, September 27th at 9/8c on Starz.