With The Space Between Section 44, another Outlander short story comes to an end. This one is arguably the most frustrating of endings so far. While it is on a happy-ish note, there are just too many questions to end with.
We have no idea what happened to Le Comte St. Germain and Master Raymond. Joan and Michael clearly don’t even want to think about them, and that’s understandable. They need to focus on their own healing. That night was a lot.
Breaking down The Space Between Section 44
The section starts with Michael and Joan getting out of the cave, with both of them agreeing that Le Comte St. Germain and Master Raymond had to be Auld Folk. That’s the only way to explain the entire situation, which is something that they agreed on previously. I get this decision. How else would you explain what you just saw, especially in that time period?
Michael gets a brief memory of Claire explaining things, but again, I can’t remember where in An Echo in the Bone or Written in My Own Heart’s Blood that this happened. I remembered Claire telling Michael and the Murrays in Outlander season 8, but I don’t remember Jenny and co. finding out that Claire is a time traveler in the books until Jenny points out that she’s worked something out. It was always something that frustrated me.
But back to the story. Joan decides that she wants to head back to the safety of the convent. Her intention is still to become a nun, and she knows that Michael needs to grieve. He still hasn’t really dealt with the loss of his wife, and there’s been a lot going on to help distract him from that.
However, there is an element of hope for the two of them. She wants Michael to kiss her so that she knows what that is like. They can reevaluate their friendships in a year and see if there is more to it. I love that Joan knows that Michael needs to grieve, and she’s not jumping into a change of mind just because of what she’s seen. This is a smart move on both of their counts.
With that, the short story comes to an end. I swear I have more questions than answers by the end of it!
Could this section be used in a TV adaptation?
I do think that if The Space Between was adapted, then this section would be a good way to end it. There is hope for Michael and Joan. My only complaint is all the questions about Le Comte and Raymond. It’s like when there’s one season of a series and it’s been canceled abruptly, and then we’re left with a cliffhanger and no second season.
This ending would make a limited series frustrating and disappointing. There would need to be some sort of ending for Le Comte and Raymond, even if it’s to see them land together somewhere.
Let us know what you spotted in this chapter via Facebook and Twitter