Outlander Season 3 finally saw the reunion of Claire and Jamie in Episode 6, titled A. Malcolm. It was the most highly anticipated episode of the season and here’s a look back at it.
Outlander Season 3, Episode 6 brought the most anticipated moment of the whole season. Titled “A. Malcolm,” it was all about the reunion of Claire and Jamie. After seeing a glimpse of it at the very end, this extra long episode gave us Jamie’s side of the story when he saw Claire for real for the first time in 20 years.
This was one of those episodes that people seemed to love or hate. Like fine wine, it has aged well, though. If you want to catch the first-impressions recap, you can do over at Hidden Remote, where I wrote before coming here. This recap takes it from a look of watching it again and again to see details that may have been missed.
Seeing Jamie’s life in Edinburgh
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One thing that was disappointing was not really seeing much of Jamie in Edinburgh. The last we really saw of him, he was leaving Helwater–leaving his son behind. Outlander Season 3, Episode 5 was all about Claire’s decision to go back to the past. We missed out a lot of Jamie’s life. Sure, this was to look back at later stages, but just seeing some of his life in Edinburgh before Claire with adult Fergus and Young Ian would have been interesting.
Instead, we saw him walking through the streets to his print shop. He quickly got to work (Sam Heughan really learned how to use that printing press for the scenes) on his latest job and that’s what we got before the bell to the shop rang. Jamie was sure it was Georgie (who we’d get to see for all of two seconds later on), but it was actually Claire.
When Jamie realized it was Claire and she was really there, he fainted. Claire’s face was priceless at this moment and she quickly rushed to him to make sure he was fine.
This led to an awkward reunion between the two. After 20 years, there were elements of shyness between the two, which for me was understandable. Jamie was a little nervous about Claire seeing him again without his pants on, which was sweet and funny at the same time. While he’s in a state of undress, we get to meet Georgie, who instantly jumps to the conclusion that Claire is a whore and he quickly quits and leaves. Oh well, no love lost there.
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Talking about lost children
One of the things that annoyed some fans was how Jamie brought up Willie. What I’ll say I still love about the scene of Claire showing the photos of Brianna, is that all three of Jamie’s children were mentioned. He brought up Faith, he looked at photos of Brianna and took a naturally shocked stance against the bikini, and then he decided to open up about Willie.
Telling Claire about Willie actually showed that trust was still there. This was a major moment in the story later, but he chose to reveal it sooner despite not thinking it would come up. Why then not bring up Laoghaire? Well, that’s not what this moment was all about. It was a discussion of lost children; of the people both have left behind.
Claire’s reaction about Willie is also sweet and caring. She’s not angry that Jamie had a life after her. He didn’t know she would eventually find her way back and he never left clues for her to know he was alive. She was just grateful that he was alive and that he felt comfortable telling her something that he hadn’t told anyone else.
A reunion between Fergus and Claire
After the talk of lost children, it was time for Jamie to get on with business. That meant going to the town square, where Fergus was waiting for Jamie. Of course, Fergus was shocked to see Claire back and she quickly needed to come up with a story for her disappearance for all this time. Fergus clearly doesn’t seem to care. He’s just glad Claire is back, but it’s clear that it’s bad for Jamie.
Fergus tries to bring it up, but Jamie cuts him off. They’ll have to talk to Ned Gowan later to find out where they stand with this problem, which we know is Laoghaire.
When they head to the tavern so Jamie can take care of business, Claire continues to learn more about Jamie’s life. This leads to meeting Mr. Willoughby, who Claire instantly finds some sort of bond with.
After this, it’s time to go to another “tavern.” This time, a brothel, which Claire clearly is uncomfortable about.
The awkward bedroom reunion
After an already innocent awkward reunion in this Outlander Season 3 episode, Claire and Jamie finally get a chance to come together in the bedroom. Both are worried of what the other will think of their bodies after 20 years. They are nervous about being together again and it’s a little like “The Wedding” in a sense.
Their time together is just as passionate and loving, though. They reconnect sexually, which helps them reconnect as a couple again. The two have a chance to talk a little more, which is when Jamie has a chance to bring up Laoghaire but chooses against it. Understandably, he wants this moment to last longer.
The next morning, Jamie continues with his business and that’s when Young Ian walks into the room and assumes Claire is Jamie’s “woman” from the brothel. However, he’s shocked, happy, and excited all at the same time to find out she’s his Aunt Claire. This 16-year-old doesn’t care where she’s been all this time or what she’s been doing–of course, there are questions but he’s just happy to finally meet his Aunt Claire.
When Young Ian leaves, Claire has breakfast with the other women in the brothel, until the madame shoos her out. By the time she gets back to her room, a man is there going through Jamie’s things. He threatens her, advancing to her just as the credits go to black. Of course, nothing is ever without its drama in Outlander Season 3!
Next: Outlander Season 3, Episode 5 recap
What did you think of the anticipated reunion? Did the print shop work for you in Outlander Season 3? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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