Rewatching Rent made me hate characters I usually love. It also made me question a few things since reading the book. Here are my thoughts from rewatching Outlander Season 1, Episode 5 this week.
Outlander Season 1, Episode 5 aired this week in history for the first time. As I reach each anniversary, I watch the episode that aired and think about the story a little more.
The first time I watched the series, I hadn’t read the book and I just watched for the story–and to see if it was a show I’d like. Now I’m watching with the book’s story in my mind, as well as knowing how the episode goes.
With those points in mind, here are the thoughts I had during my rewatch of “Rent.”
5. How long would Dougal have given Angus to find Claire?
It was clear Angus had been looking for Claire for a while. He was angry and embarrassed that he’d lost her, and clearly annoyed at himself for not doing his job properly.
This never really occurred to me the first few times of watching Outlander Season 1, Episode 5 but did yesterday. Just how long would Dougal have given Angus to find Claire? Dougal clearly realized she hadn’t gone too far because her horse was still around. But what if Claire had thought about that? What if she took another horse from the village?
What if Claire had come across the British soldier? He could have helped get her to Inverness without too much of a scuffle in that one episode had she found him before the women. What would Dougal have done then?
4. Why do I like these characters?
This is one of those episodes where I dislike a lot of the characters. Up to this point, I’ve loved Jamie’s honor and enjoyed seeing the multiple faces of Dougal MacKenzie. Later on, I know I’ll like the characters again. Yet, in this episode, I can’t stand a lot of them.
I’ll start with Angus, as he’s the easiest one. Because he did wrong, he starts to blame Claire for wandering off and the men losing her. She could have been part way to Craig na Dun by this point, but she’d stayed within the camp and found the women to chat to. Claire did nothing wrong, but because Angus had failed at his one task, he was angry with her. I hate people like that in real life, so I hate characters like that!
Dougal, I get, is suspicious of Claire, but he often gets suspicious for the slightest of reasons. Either don’t trust her or do. Make up your damn mind!
Okay, so Dougal is actually the least problematic in the whole episode. I get his side of the story, but it doesn’t mean I like him.
Jamie is the one that I really come to dislike in the episode and that surprises me. He doesn’t listen to Claire at all. All we really see is the men of the time. When Jamie shoots her down when she says “where I come from…” it’s just a Highlander speaking.
However, we know Jamie to be honorable and kind. This isn’t a kind Jamie moment at all. He just expects her to accept the Highland way of doing things (and unknowingly the 18th century way of doing things) but it’s not like she can turn her emotions on and off. Considering the view of emotional women of the time, he should have expected that.
But that’s my rant over! I just wondered at certain points in this episode why I even liked any of the characters.
3. How did Claire not realize the men were defending her honor?
The first time I watched the episode, I realized what was happening in the tavern scene. I could tell that the men were making lewd comments about Claire and the MacKenzie men didn’t like it. It was clear that while Angus, Dougal, and others weren’t particularly fond of Claire, she was still with them and they were going to protect her.
How did Claire not realize that the men were making the lewd comments? At first, I thought she was just trying to ignore them, but it’s clear a second time watching that she’s just oblivious to it all. She’s far more interested in trying to make Ned realize that the Jacobite cause is a lost one.
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And about that. Did she really think that making comments against the Jacobite cause was going to win her any favors? Nobody knew she was from the future. Saying the things she did would lead to many believing she was a spy.
In this scene, she just didn’t seem that smart! This is a woman who can screw the patriarchy in the 1950s by becoming a better surgeon that the majority could dream of being. Yet, in this moment, she doesn’t even think that she’s making her own situation worse by sharing her unwanted opinion.
On a side note, I do love Ned’s answer in Outlander Season 1, Episode 5. When he tells her that she’s entitled her opinion, he makes it clear that he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore and that he doesn’t agree with her. He makes a point in saying something he’d like her to respect–that he’s not forcing his opinion on her so please don’t force an opinion on him.
2. Are there some items that get reused?
This is something I’ve come to notice with time. The only reason I notice them now is because I’ve seen Outlander Season 3 and some spoilery photos for Outlander Season 4.
I know a lot of people don’t want spoilers that aren’t even in the book, so I’ll just mention Claire’s coat and how it may make a comeback in Outlander Season 4. If you’ve seen the photos, you’ll know the coat I mean and I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.
The other piece that seems to make a comeback is the Scottish flag that’s hanging in Reverend Wakefield’s home. I adore the use of this flashback (maybe forward with the whole time travel), as Claire remembers about the Jacobite uprising with Frank. This is how the flashbacks should have been used from the very beginning in Outlander Season 1.
During that scene, her eyes rest on the wall, where there’s a worn Scottish flag that’s nothing like you’d see today. In Outlander Season 3, that flag appears again. That flag is still on the wall at the manse and Roger is the one standing by it. After 20 years, that flag is still hanging and it’s something I didn’t realize until this rewatch!
Who knows how many other items are reused over the time. This is the beauty of Outlander and the costume and set designers. They are meticulous with the detail and it really shows in each season and episode.
1. How did it take so long for the word “Stuart” to stand out?
I think this is where there’s a slight change between book and show. I’m almost certain in “Outlander,” Claire realizes that the money is being raised for the Jacobite cause almost right away. Correct me if I’m wrong because I type this without the book to hand and it has been a while since I’ve read it.
However, I’m almost certain that Claire very quickly corrects her thinking that Dougal is taking money from Colum. Why does it take her so long to figure it out in the show?
Outlander Season 1, Episode 5 takes a very long time for the Jacobites to finally mention “Stuart.” Surely that name would have been mentioned in each of the taverns since the money was being raised for that rebellious cause. Had Claire just not been listening in her anger?
I understood why Ned allowed her to believe that Dougal was stealing from Colum. They had no idea who Claire was and wouldn’t have wanted her to figure it all out. Although, I do have to question why they’d want to have her around in the tavern when they couldn’t trust her. Regardless, I get Ned’s reasoning but not why it took Claire so long to figure it out.
Claire is a smart woman. In some of those instances, she should have really just kept quiet to help make it look like she could be trusted, but she was smart. It shouldn’t have taken most of the episode for her to realize that they were Jacobites.
What thoughts do you have while watching Outlander Season 1, Episode 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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