Claire and Jamie
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‘Outlander’ Recap: Episode 7 “The Wedding”

By Sarah Bredeman

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It was the moment we were all waiting for. WEDDING TIME! In case you missed it, Claire is being backed into a metaphorical corner by Black Jack, who is suspicious as all get out and demanding that Dougal deliver her to Ft. William ASAP. Dougal, also worried Claire may be a spy, doesn’t want to give her up, understandably. So he’s hatched a plan… Marry her off to a Scot so that she, herself, becomes a Scot. It will keep them all protected. For now.

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This episode is told in a series of flashbacks as Claire and Jamie are sitting in a room alone, after their marriage ceremony but before their marriage consummation. The entire thing creates a real sense of suspense and anxiety leading up to THE DEED. And what that does, in return, is make the entire audience in a sort of trance, unable to look away, unable to step back from the ledge.

It really was done quite well.

So it begins with a flashback/forward of Claire and Frank’s wedding. They were star-crossed lovers and their nuptials were a little rushed. Just like her impending wedding with Jamie. At this point we’re all still a little unsure if we should feel sad for Frank, or if we should feel more excited for the Claire-Jamie story. I have to say, the flash to Claire and Frank pre-war and in their happy times gave me some feels. But all of that was completely wiped away when Jamie came back into the picture.

Outlander- Starz

What was sort of disappointing about this episode is that we didn’t actual *see* a wedding scene- we got flashbacks of it as Claire and Jamie are in their Inn room, getting to know each other and putting off the inevitable consummation of their spur-of-the-moment marriage. It started off disappointing, at least. It ended up being perfect, as I said before, but this is where we first learn that the actual ceremony will be told/shown to us in flashbacks.

So, Claire and Jamie are sitting in their room. A party is roaring downstairs as Scots don’t need much of a reason to get rowdy and so they’re taking the wedding and using it as the perfect excuse to drink themselves under the table. Claire isn’t sure how to act or what to do, so she drinks.

She spent most of the day drunk and/or hungover, including during her marriage ceremony. This is no different, except now Jamie is with her. And he reminds her that she doesn’t need to be afraid of him. We get the idea that she knows this- she’s not so much afraid of him (like, hurting her) and she is just afraid of the entire situation. Who blames her?

They start to talk. Why did he agree to this? What about his family? We learn a little about Jamie’s past and about his family, although it’s been thoroughly documented that the show skimped on the information that was disclosed to Claire in the bridal chamber in the book. Whatever, we’re going to learn more about Jamie and his family in later episodes where it makes more sense and helps fill out the story a little better later down the road.

They talk into the morning hours, asking the questions one would likely already know had an actual courtship taken place. At one point Rupert and Angus come wondering if the deed has been done yet. It hasn’t, clearly, but it helps set the tone- it’s coming. Quickly. Uhh… no pun intended?

Claire suggests it’s time for bed and Jamie asks “to bed or to sleep?”

THIS IS THE MOMENT.

Jamie helps undress Claire. She undresses him. Then he kisses her, and it blows her away.

Now, remember Jamie is a virgin. He said as much at the end of the last episode when Claire asked him if he was okay with her not being a virgin. So, after the fireworks kiss, Claire asks Jamie how he learned to kiss like that and his reply is SPOT ON. “I said I was a virgin, not a monk.”

So, the deed is done. It’s rather fast and about what you’d expect. Claire asks him if it’s what he expected it to be? He replies, “Almost. I thought… No, never mind. You’ll laugh at me.”

She assures him she won’t, and asks him to tell her.

“I didn’t realize you did it face to face. I thought you did it in the back way, like horses, ye ken.”

*Blushes*

He asks her if she liked it and she did. Which makes her realize that she is, now, an adulterer. Technically. With that thought stewing in her mind she goes to get food from downstairs, but Jamie tries to stop her. She gets out into the hall and is met with a cheer from down below and the men now realize it’s official- Mrs. Claire Fraser has been properly bedded by her husband. Jamie goes instead, to spare her anymore ridicule, and comes back with food.

Outlander- Starz

That brings them back to their conversation and so Claire asks Jamie about his conditions. He’d told Dougal he’d only marry Claire if his three conditions were met- Their wedding must take place in a church, Claire must have a ring, and she must have a proper wedding dress to be married in.

For the first, Dougal did some bribing to get a priest to agree to marry them. Murtagh took a key and had it melted down into a ring for Claire, and Ned went to a nearby brothel to collect a dress for Claire (and a little somethin’ extra from the ladies there, if you get what I’m saying.)

Outlander- Starz

We get flashbacks of their ceremony- of Claire coming into the Church, of Jamie borrowing a plaid to wear, of Claire having way too much to drink, and of their vows- blood of my blood, and all. It’s touching and Claire begins to feel… something…

Claire makes Jamie take off his shirt, to get a good look at him and she traces her fingers down his back, admiring her new husband. He has her do the same, and then they decide to go again. This time Claire *really* likes it, and cries out. He thinks he’s hurt her, but she assures him it wasn’t pain.

Outlander- Starz

Later, after they’ve been sleepily lounging and laying around, Claire tries to go downstairs again. Dougal catches her in the hall and propositions her, calling her a singular woman (ew) and offering himself to her. She’s saved by another drunk Scot and goes back to her room.

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The next morning as they’re getting ready to hit the road again, this time as man and wife, Claire is gathering her wedding dress. As she’s shaking it out, her wedding ring from Frank (which she’d slipping into her dress during her and Jamie’s ceremony) falls out. She puts that ring on her right hand, and once again we’re thinking of Frank.

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