5 biggest questions from Outlander season 3, episode 12

The Bakra was full of twisty and shocking moments and here are the biggest questions.

Outlander isn’t afraid to drop a few shocking bombs in the episode. Nor has it been afraid to make a few changes to the book storyline, whether to condense the story or to flesh out side characters more. “The Bakra,” the penultimate episode of season 3, brought Claire and Jamie to Jamaica in search for Young Ian. Here are some of the biggest questions from the episode.

Just what was the deal with the blood bath?

This is something I’ve already explained, but it doesn’t stop it being a big question from the episode. Outlander has pulled from history before, and this was another case of that happening. There have been stories of individuals bathing in the blood of animals and humans to keep their youthful complexion. Geillis explains to Young Ian she does it for the proteins and iron. Matthew B. Roberts also explained that the blood bath helped to put Young Ian in a situation where he was scared but turned on at the same time.

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Why wasn’t Geillis overweight?

One of the changes to the book was keeping Geillis so trim 20 years in the future. In “Voyager,” she’s overweight and that shocks Claire. It’s not entirely clear why the show changed the storyline, except possibly to show this blood bath storyline; after all, the blood bath is a trope for TV’s evil characters. Also, the Geillis from the TV shows was always shallow. Would she have really let herself gain a lot of weight?

Why does Geillis have the same surname as Joe in the future?

Fans definitely didn’t miss the fact that Geillis’ surname is now Abernathy. Just why would it be the same as Dr. Joe Abernathy? Well, that’s linked to the slaves Geillis owned. During this time period, the salves would have taken the surname of their masters. It suggests that Joe is a descendant of one of Geillis’ slaves, so him getting those bones in the future is poignant.

Do John and Claire already not like each other?

Did you see the hints of jealously in John and Claire’s eyes throughout the episode? It shouldn’t be too surprising that they don’t really like each other in the books. John is in love with Jamie and jealous of Claire, while Claire is a little jealous of John’s close friendship with and want of her husband. This is already occurring in the show, although hopefully they can get over their jealous moments.

Why was the Campbell storyline changed?

If you’re a fan of the books, you’ll know that the Campbells’ storyline was completely changed. In fact, so has Mr. Willoughby’s storyline. Yi Tien Cho clearly likes Margaret and she him. Archibald is abusive towards his sister and Yi Tien Cho isn’t happy about that. He wants to see Margaret happy. This change likely happened to condense storylines to work with the TV show. Plus, Mr. Willoughby is a sweet character in the show (and much more likeable than in the books) and his ending would have needed to change. This is possibly the best way to do that.

Next: What's the meaning of the prophecy in Outlander?

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