User Reviews

I have mixed feelings about this episode.

The successes came from the brilliant performance of the actors/actress involved in the episode. I thought the acting done by Sam Heughan (Jamie) and Tobias Mendez (Black Jack) was excellent. Both actors grasped the essence of the characters they were playing; making the viewer feel the torture/rape was real. The directing/editing was also well done. I also thought Caitriona Balfe (Claire) acting was convincing in her scene where Claire was trying to get Jamie to come to terms with his torture and rape. Duncan Lacroix (Murtagh) and Finn Den Hertog (Willie) performance were good as well. However, I didn't like the long exchanges Gaelic (without screen translations) nor the comic lines of Rupert and Angus (really unnecessary in this episode, other than to make Rupert/Angus out as fools, which they were not in the book.

I realize that to Ron Moore the rape of Jamie was the part of the story he found most interesting when reading the book. It's the part that shocked him and he wanted to spend time shocking the audience with it. I get it. He wanted to tear that hero character of Jamie Fraser down. That was the important part of the story to him and not the rescue/recovery. The switching of the branding from Black Jack branding Jamie, to Jamie branding himself was indicative of Ron Moore's desire to break down Jamie's image as this brave, moral and invincible man. In the book it was Jamie cutting out the brand as soon as he was able to. There was no cowering, hiding of the branding mark. Our Jamie doesn't cower. He may get angry, he may rage, he might also want to kill himself for his lost honor but cower never! In the book, it was Jamie not wanting to take laudanum for pain while Claire tended his hand, not because he wanted to be a hero, because he didn't want to be knocked out if the British discovered them again. He would fight to the death rather than return to Wentworth. If Jamie did want to die at the abbey later, it was because he thought his hand would be cut off when it got infected. He didn't know if he could live with that after seeing what the loss of Ian's leg cost him in terms of his manhood. Jamie will have after effects from the rape (bad dreams, the knowledge that a dark side resides in all men) but it wasn't about the loss of his manhood. Although he had a sexual response to the attack it was shame at that, rather than the fact that he enjoyed or allowed it to happen. He allowed it because he had given his word not to fight back, and to Jamie or any Scot his word was his honor. Our Jamie is always an honorable man. Ron Moore wanted to make Jamie Fraser less of a hero, less of a man, less honorable and I ask myself why? Was this done for the show or for his own satisfaction. I for one think it's the latter.

I knew the male sadistic rape was a part of this story and accepted that. What made the rape relevant to me was what Diana Gabaldon did with it afterward, much of which was lost in the script adaptation. The entire escape scene where Claire does kill a soldier who stops them, along with her conflicted feeling about killing this person and what impact that may have on the future was cut too. Claire's delving into her religious beliefs, questioning the validity of her killing a man, her decision to remain in the past with Jamie was for the most part downplayed into a rather weak scene with her and Father Anselm. Her revelation that God was with her there in the Abbey was gone. There were scenes in the book that showed Jamie, near to death and Claire actually rescuing him from the brink of it both mentally and physically. They could have done the dream sequence from the book which would have made brilliant TV while showing Jamie's tormented soul. They could have ended the show with the sex scene in the pool. Another magic moment between Claire and Jamie completely eliminated. That scene was so much stronger than the ending scene on the boat they did give us. The reconnecting of Jamie and Claire sexually reinforced the theme of the book where Jamie and Claire are soul mates and would be no matter what happened to them.

To me the biggest failure came in not following the book ending to this whole story. I feel all of the torture/rape scenes should have been included in the Wentworth prisons episode (115) and this episode 116 should have been about the rescue, going to France, the Abbey and Jamie's recovery actually "Ransoming a Man's Soul".

Throughout this TV series, time and again, the writers/editors have added unnecessary weaker scenes like the hanging stuff, or the endless search while cutting out any of the romantic scenes that made me love these books.

I don't care that author told us to forget the book, I can't it's unforgettable. So my final analysis is for the actors/acting I give it a 10, for the script/production decisions I give it a 5.

Knowing that the controversial rape scene was in this episode I wondered how it would be done. It's not your typical every day scene; a sadistic man torturing and raping a young man who has agreed to be complacent to save the woman he loves. How could the production company do this with an audience of women who just loves the characters Jamie Fraser and his wife Claire without turning them off to the show? It's not only rape, but sadistic homosexual rape. I actually think more men would be turned off by that as many are homophobic, and one rarely see's rapes directed at their sex. Yes the rape scene was in Diana Gabaldon's book. Jamie's rape and it's after affects plays an integral part in the story line in the following books, so it had to be in the TV series.

Well they did it, and they did it well. It was real. It was raw. It took you into the minds of the characters and it touched your soul. It was probably the rawest and most tender scene I've seen on TV to date.

The acting by Sam Heughan, Tobias Mendez and Caitriona Balfe was superb. Sam who had the hardest role to play as the victim, was just so real. Sam made you feel Jamie's loathing, his despair and finally his shame at being raped and used. He made you see his unwillingness yet inability to succumb to the sexual impulse to respond. He made you feel like he was Jamie and that's what the viewers needed, to allow them to connect to this horrific scene.

Tobias lets you see inside the mind of a man most of us would consider sick. He went into that darkness knowing many would despise the character. Yet he also let you see the deep feelings a man like Black Jack has inside to do such a thing another human being. Tobias' acting showed Black Jacks desperation and tenderness. This was not rape done for power, this was rape done for unrequited love. It does not make it right. It does not make it easy to watch (because it wasn't) but it does give you an in-depth insight into the minds of these 2 characters in a way TV has not done so before. We see a lot of rapes on TV, what we don't see is that insight into the characters and victims. And, we especially do not see many male rapes. I'm sure many will be shocked at it's realism. But it does happen and it happens often in prisons. I for one thought Ron and the actors pulled it off extremely well. I can't image it being performed better.

Caitriona, who for a change took second stage in this drama, was Jamie's redemption. There had to be a redemption for the story to go forward from this. She was touching, she was loving. Claire is the rock by which Jamie breaks his soul against and Caitriona is an actress that can bring that to life, and did.

The writers (Ira Steven Behr and Ron Moore) and director (Anna Foerster) understood these characters. They wrote a script that delved into the psyche which allowed the actors the opportunity to make the scene come alive. I know from reading Ira's article about the day shooting the scene, it was not an easy scene for the actors to perform and feel normal, nor for the crew filming it. It takes a kind of bravery to do that; Sam Heughan and Tobias Mendez are truly brave and great actors, and Ron a brave leader.

Did I miss things from the book in this Episode? Yes, of course. The book is a masterpiece. The ending of the book was just fabulous. I did miss seeing Jamie and Claire make love in the hot spring in the cave under the Abbey. That scene should have been in the TV show's ending too. The show's ending was nice but not as dramatic and effective an ending as the book's ending. Jamie and Claire's love drives this story, it should have been part of the season's ending, especially after this horrific rape. It is interesting how "rape scenes" are never too much to show but the book's tender love scenes are always the scenes that they cut. Anyway, I also thought they could of spent more time in the Abbey exploring Claire's conflicted feelings about her 2 marriages, and the man she killed during the escape. The end of this book was important to everything that went on before and after, much of which was cut out.

If this season had any real faults, it was in the initial decision the production company made that they could do an adaptation of this book in 16 episodes, 20 would have been more realistic. I truly think they did not understand the book totally when they started segmenting the series. Even if they had limited funding, they seemed to spend too much time/money in the beginning episodes and not enough in the end where most of the action and important scenes take place. I will not say this episode is responsible, it was more the initial planning. This episode was extremely well done, and that's why I'm rating it highly (not for what I missed from the book).

That being said, I appreciated the production companies efforts to take one of the most difficult adaptations and make it real for so many people. It's not perfect but it's pretty dam good! We're all hooked and will be feeling the loss of Outlander until next season starts. A job well done goes to all involved, and especially to Caitriona, Sam, Tobias, Duncan and Graham (and the boys) who make the show real for us each week.

I just started watching this entire show 4 days ago, and I finished the first season today. I have been impressed and absolutely captivated by the intensity, realism and beauty of this entire adaptation. I have been outright obsessed.

Now, I had already heard a lot about certain things that happen in this show and how well it portrays different scenarios in ones life even though this is a sci-fi show. When I came to this episode I already knew what was going to happen, because they had been leading up to it somewhat in the last few episodes. I have never been so uncomfortable watching a show in my entire life. I cried my eyes out, and I was almost shaking by the sheer terror I saw in Jamie's eyes.

It portrayed r*pe in a entirely different setting than from other shows, and even from what you learn in school, about what rape is and how it happens, and whom it happens to.. etc. I was in utter shock to see them take up stuff like manipulation to the point of Jamie thinking it was Claire he was with, and getting an org*sm while being r*ped. Because these are things that happen!

It also causes even more shame as in "You're a strong man, how could you be r*ped?" (It should be mentioned that none of his friends judged him for it) and "If you came, was it really r*pe?". The confusion r*pe survivors experience when this happens is devastating.. And it was so perfectly portrayed in several horrific and terrible scenes.

As I mentioned, I was so uncomfortable, but I could look away, even though I was crying like crazy. It felt like I was there. It was so real it was scary.

It also showed the aftermath of the r*pe and coming home to your loved ones, and not being able to be touched, or to even look at them in shame and fear of being judged.

This was truly a f*cked-up, beautifully made and terrifying episode about something that happens too often. Hopefully it puts new perspective to this serious subject. I'm sure a lot of people was shocked at how realistic and horrifying it was.

Episode of strong emotions and contrasts ; The actors have the talent to make us feel what they feel , I have never felt like this before watching a TV show, like in a blockbuster romance movie, that is truly Art. Usually I do not like romantic movies nor do I watch History series, I was attracted to the show because of the sci fi part and the mystery of time travel; and here I am, crying and laughing, riding a horse in the middle of the beautiful Highlands, or smelling the awful odor of Wentworth prison. Thank you for the outstanding acting and a perfectly written story; the scene of the torture is very hard to watch but more because we suffer for Jamie and understand all the mixed feelings that occur to him as he portrays perfectly every single detail of the situation. The ending is superb and allow us to be happy again , just like the main characters, with an unexpected revelation that let us hope great adventure in France ( very exciting if we get to see the Court and the King ) which has the power to cheer up our poor Jamie. I can't wait to see season 2 !

I will firstly say that the cast and crew did a sensational job at portraying a very difficult storyline.

I have never felt so emotionally ravaged from watching an episode of television ever. What Jamie goes through is truly horrific and other reviewers have preivously covered the analysis of this in good detail - ultimately it was gut-wrenching to witness a man so courageous and loving to be broken so horribly both physically and psychologically.

The episode took me on a roller-coaster of emotions - outside of the tears flowing from the darker scenes, there was also a touching scene when Claire made him realise what he meant to her, which helped to bring him back from the brink. My heart was aching throughout this episode.

There was also some moments which brought a chuckle, like the herd of cattles trampling in, or Angus getting overexcited when saying goodbye to Claire.

Also the final scene provided some hopeful tears for the future.

Overall the episode really pushed the limits on how the viewers will feel, such was the intensity of the hour in this finale. Credit to all, the impact of this episode will live long in my memory.

I have enjoy most of the episodes of Outlander but however this episode just did way too much to make me not think about anything else other than seeing Jamie raped and tortured for the majority of the episode. It completely turned me off from anything else what was going on. I don't know if I can trust this show to never see anything like that again.

The entire sequence between Jaime & Randell was unnecessary. I forward the entire segment through or start watching it about 17 minutes in. I agree with the other 1 star reviews and would give this a complete minus zero if I could. The viewer doesn't need to see the gratuitous rape & torture and any review that ok and calls it artistic and all that are just glamorising rape. It's just terrible.

Disgusting and perverse torture scenes... I liked the show up till now but I'm done.

I was enjoying the series. I liked the history, action, and yes even the romance. The prison rape and torture scenes are ENTIRELY over the line and gratuitous. You've effectively ruined the franchise with this disgusting display that couldn't even be shown in an adult theater. You could have hinted at the horror without showing it (as talented directors do) but instead, you went all in on prison rape. I'm not sure what audience you were trying to reach with these scenes, but I assure you it isn't the typical period adventure and sci-fi audiences. Only a sick mind wants to see that violent, torturous rape. I see there are several more seasons, but I will stop watching here. I only wished I'd stopped an episode sooner.