Fans of the steamy Starz romance have come to rely on a certain amount of romantic tension between its leads. Without the love story between Jamie and Claire, Outlander wouldn’t be much more than historical fiction about two (kinda) boring folks. It seems like the writers should know this by now. To this end, it also seems like they should have brought Jamie and Claire back together long before the closing moments of “Freedom and Whisky.” It took them five whole episodes, for heaven’s sake.
The show’s magic comes exclusively from the chemistry between the lovers. On her own, Claire isn’t much more than a stoic, put-upon martyr who could stand to let her hair down once in a while. Jamie, on the other hand, is little outside of a free-spirited adventurer who needs constant adult supervision. But together … oh boy. They are one of the most remarkable duos in television history, and theirs will go down as one of popular culture’s greatest love stories.
Making audiences wait for five episodes is just downright disrespectful. Stop trying to make Jamie and Claire apart happen, Starz.
Even when we did get to the moment of reunion, the cheeky Outlander writers slowed down the passing of time to a crawl — Claire’s interminable taxi ride, her hand lingering over the sign with his pseudonym on it, the eons of time that passed before he turned around, only to faint at the sight of her. I felt like 200 years had gone by in my own living room.
I can acknowledge this separation built an insane amount of tension — sexual and otherwise — but I resent the series asking me commit to Jamie without Claire, or vice versa. After all, I didn’t sign up to watch a show about two lonely hearts, separated by space and time. Who needs that?
Now that they’re together, sort of, do you think the pacing will pick up? Do you think they spent too long apart? Don’t you think it’s about time they head to the 21st century? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Outlander season 3 airs Sundays at 8/7c on Starz. Want more news? Like BuddyTV’s Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of Starz)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
I am a freelance writer and critic, blogging about pop culture, and how it effects our shared identities. I absolutely love TV and will watch anything once, and I love to talk about TV. So, it makes sense that I am also an University professor teaching courses in, popular culture and mass media.
