With 19 cattle, Claire and the Highlanders execute a plan to rescue Jamie. But can she also save his soul after Black Jack’s torture? Preview Outlander‘s Season 1 finale “To Ransom a Man’s Soul”, airing Saturday, May 30 at 9:00pm ET|PT on STARZ.
Well Sassenachs, what is there to say about “Wentworth Prison” that we haven’t already said/read/cried about? I won’t go into detail (you can get a full recap with new-ish images and clips HERE), but I do want to highlight three points that still remain with me:
1. “Wentworth Prison” is tough…it’s stressful, agonizing, and heart-breaking, just as many of us thought it would be. Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) is evil and depravity incarnate, and Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) bear the brunt of it. As BJR says, we do come to regret that he wasn’t killed Fort William.
2. The way Jamie and Claire love each other…MERCY. Claire would let *nothing* stop her from saving Jamie. She keeps struggling and striving and grappling. If Claire is knocked down or meets an obstacle, she just picks herself right back up and tries again. Similarly, Jamie would do anything to protect the woman he loves, even sacrifice his own body, soul, and sanity. It’s so tragic; it’s so beautiful.
3. Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, and Caitriona Balfe deserve ALL the awards. EVERY SINGLE ONE. The level of honesty, vulnerability, and fearlessness that each of these three actors bring to this episode (and the entire season, to be honest) is tremendous. It’s probably why many of us are devastated by “Wentworth Prison”, why we feel it so deeply—because the acting, writing, and direction are palpable and evocative. While the episode guts me, I’m beyond grateful to the cast and crew for their phenomenal work.
As many of us suspect, we haven’t quite finished enduring repercussions of Wentworth. In Saturday’s finale episode “To Ransom a Man’s Soul” written by Ira Steven Behr and Ron Moore and directed by Anna Foerster:
A plan is put in place to attempt to free Jamie from Wentworth Prison where he is once again being held by his tormentor, Black Jack Randall. Can Claire save Jamie’s soul after Black Jack’s torture? (via STARZ)
Very few details have been released about Outlander‘s finale; however, what we do know gives reasons for me to be scared/nervous/excited. The Huffington Post calls Episode 116 “revolutionary”, while E! Online says it’s “the biggest TV risk of the past decade or more”.
In an editorial article Terri Schwartz (Zap2it) remarks that the Outlander Season 1 finale proves that it’s the most fearless show on TV: “sometimes an unblinking look at humanity’s greatest horrors can be the best way to face them.” And in particular, spectacular and visionary work from Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Caitriona Balfe, Anna Foerster, and Ron Moore elevate the episode.
Finally, Diana Gabaldon, Herself, spoke out yesterday in a Twitlonger, lauding Sam Heughan’s performance and ability to bring the horrors (and consequences) of Wentworth to life. She also encourages hardcore book fans to “Put. The. Book. Down.” and enjoy the adaptation for what it is: “watch the ending on its own merits…you’ll be uplifted, emotionally filled and charged with the thrill of having seen a lot of people doing wonderful, difficult, thrilling, heart-rending, amazing Stuff. I guarantee it.”
Well, I for one will be taking Herself’s advice and I hope you will tune into STARZ at 9:00pm ET|PT for the last show of the season. You know I’ll be live tweeting, so join me while we watch #OutlanderFinale!