4. If only Jamie knew the easier world Claire came from
I had to chuckle when Jamie mentioned Claire came from an easier world. He admits that Claire doesn’t know the Highlander ways and wouldn’t expect what was coming to her. Outlander Season 1, Episode 9 continually showed us that Jamie understood Claire was out of her depth.
Throughout the episode, though, I just thought “if only he knew.” This isn’t just about English vs. Scottish. This is about Claire coming from a very different time.
Jamie is often a man ahead of his time, but not during this episode. And I have no problem with that. He would be learning from others around him. He doesn’t know what it takes to make a marriage work well, what it means to be a partnership.
This is a learning point for both him and Claire. Claire needs to learn what’s expected of her in this time period — whether she likes it or not — and Jamie needs to learn how to treat a woman better. Just because the other men expect something of him doesn’t mean he has to go with their way of treating women.
One thing everything between them in the episode does offer is development. They create a bond that can’t be broken.