It’s not easy for Jamie to open up to people, but I feel like Ian has always seen another side to him than anyone else has. That’s certainly the case in Virgins section 2.
We pick up off the back of Ian learning that Brian Fraser has died, and it’s clear that it’s not from natural causes. The thing is that it is from natural causes, and Jamie is unfairly blaming himself. However, we know now how Jamie holds onto a lot of guilt, and that’s evident to Ian in this section.
Breaking down Virgins section 2
While Claire has certainly seen a side to Jamie that others haven’t, Ian sees it in Virgins section 2. Jamie goes into the details of Fort William, even sharing what led to Jamie being sent to Fort William in the first place. Ian is shocked to learn that Jamie received 100 lashes after already getting 60.
I do have to question this, though. Didn’t he get 200 lashes? I could have sworn it was more of a round number, but I guess Jamie may not have recalled everything clearly show soon after the ordeal.
Jamie focuses on what happened to Brian. He’d watched Jamie get the lashes, and when Brian thought that Jamie was dead, he had a stroke. This is what Dougal told him, and we know now that Dougal was jealous and felt threatened by Jamie, so of course, he was going to make Jamie believe that he killed his dad.
During all of this, Ian has his hand on Jamie’s knee, and Jamie asks him to remove it. Ian does without question, telling us that he understands his future brother-in-law well enough to do and not ask. However, he doesn’t stop comforting his friend, pulling him in for a hug to comfort him that way.
Could this section be used in a TV series adaptation?
We’d need to see this section of Virgins play out. While we know the story, Ian doesn’t at this point, and this is more of a time for Ian to learn of everything that Jamie has been through. I think this offers more of a raw memory element to Jamie’s story, and the memory changes with time.
Seeing Jamie react to Ian’s hand on his thigh is also important. The trauma is raw, and we know that there was a lot more to what was expected of Jamie while he was at Fort William. It’s important to see this play out, especially getting the right actor to show the change in Jamie’s eyes as he thinks about Fort William, and then see how Ian can’t help but comfort his future brother-in-law.
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