The flashbacks out of order
One thing I’ve always adored about the Outlander show is the ability to show us what characters are thinking. I’ve mentioned a few times recently how I loved the way Roger’s and Claire’s recoveries and events were handled. The use of the silent movie flashbacks and the disassociative state helped us see inside their minds without voice overs.
We got the same in the Outlander Season 3 premiere. Instead of seeing the entire battle play out, we just saw Jamie’s flashbacks. They allowed us to say goodbye to Bonnie Prince Charlie, see if Murtagh would make it out of the battle alive, and see what happened with Black Jack Randall.
But those flashbacks were completely out of order. Every now and then, we’d get a flashback of a scene we’d already seen, and there would be some small differences like the parting of the clouds or the lighting. Part of that would have been Jamie’s uncertain memory. It was a chance to see how his mind was trying to block some of the trauma from the battle out.
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Asking about Murtagh
As the Jacobites sat in the barn to wait for a chance to escape (and sadly, for the British soldiers to find them), Jamie asked about Murtagh. It wasn’t that he needed his godfather by his side in his time of death. Instead, he just wanted to make sure his godfather hadn’t died at Culloden. He needed to know that Murtagh got away free.
Nobody could answer the question. After all, people had seen him in the battle but not afterward. Jamie had seen him. Murtagh had sent the Lallybroch men away, but he remained with Jamie.
Did Murtagh make it out alive after that? We wouldn’t get to find out for a few episodes after that. And then, we’d have to wait until Season 4 for the full tale.