Outlander Book Club: The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 1 breakdown

We start The Scottish Prisoner in our Outlander Book Club, and it all starts with a chapter from Jamie’s perspective. This is sure to make a lot of Outlander fans happy.

The story takes place in 1760. Jamie is still on parole at Helwater, where he is a groomsman. Geneva is dead, Claire is gone, and Jamie is simply trying to survive. Things are taking a turn in this novel, which is set to see Jamie and John’s world collide again.

After all, this is a Lord John Grey story as well as a Jamie Fraser one. We finally get a chance to see how their unusual friendship developed.

Breaking down The Scottish Prisoner Chapter 1

The chapter opens with Jamie Fraser at Helwater dreaming of Claire. He doesn’t want to lose the dream, so he quickly heads to a stall in the stables to “sort himself out.” It turns out that he’s not quite as alone as he thought he was.

Betty, Geneva’s former lady’s maid, is there. Jamie startles her when she places a hand on his shoulder. This wakes up the other men, but Jamie tells them that he caught a rat and killed it. That sends them back to sleep so that Betty can give Jamie a message. Betty shares that an Irishman turned up with the message “the green branch will flower.”

That message sends shivers down Jamie’s spine. He knows what it means, as it is connected to the Jacobites. Jamie is done with all that, especially knowing how history is going to play out. It’s clear, though, that the Jacobites aren’t done with him for now.

Betty does make a pass at Jamie, but he declines. Once Betty leaves, Jamie thinks more about the fact that Betty was likely in the stall when Jamie was handling himself. He also thinks about how as Geneva’s lady’s maid, Betty likely knew about the two of them together. Jamie feels exposed in more ways than one, and it’s an uncomfortable feeling. I do think that it sets the tone for the novel.

Could this chapter be used in a TV show adaptation?

If the Lord John Grey books were ever adapted, I could see The Scottish Prisoner being used. It’s a great look at the way Jamie and John’s relationship develops. Up to this point, we’ve just seen John as a man infatuated with Jamie and Jamie as his prisoner. There’s no reason for them to end up with the friendship that they do have in the main Outlander books.

This chapter would certainly need to be used in some way. Would the show include the gratuitous part? I think it’s important to show us who Jamie is. We need to see that he misses Claire and he still thinks about her in that way. We need to see his want and the fact that he is a human with needs. He doesn’t go after anyone else. It’s simply a chance to relieve himself.

The part with Betty is a must as it sets up the rest of the story. We need to see Betty deliver the message, with the threat of the Irishman looking to restart the Jacobite rebellion.