Curious about why the Starz show Outlander has such a particularly devoted army of fans, its latest episode ought to help clarify things for you.
Well the Wedding is here, well, errrr almost here. At least it is tonight, so we can be thankful for that. This has been the longest week waiting for this night, this episode and all that we are hoping to see and get out of this episode. “The Wedding”—which centers on the two romantic leads doin’ it for the first time—is when the show really kicks into high, sexy gear.
For those of you who had watching the first six episodes, it can be a little confusing as to why the books have such a fervent fanbase. Sure there are some interesting culture-clash plotlines, and yes the handsome Scot, Jamie (the hero from hunk heaven, Sam Heughan), does smolder well with our lead. But, the show’s temperature plateaus at a cheery bubble, never reaching the furious boil we expected from the marketing campaign. We had some serious heat in the first episode, but then Claire was transported back in time and we wait, and wait and ummm wait. But, aha, during “The Wedding,” that all changes. Like, seriously changes.
Fans of the books, including myself, are so particularly hot and bothered by them, and were already so devoted to Heughan (ummm have you googled him?) before the show had even aired. It’s because they knew what was, ummmm, coming. The sex that happens during tomorrow night’s episode isn’t so graphic that it rivals any of the senseless f–king on let’s say Game of Thrones. But it’s more intense, personal, and intimate, and in that way daring. That’s probably owed to the delicately tortured romantic connection between Jamie and his new bride, Claire. There was always a romantic connection between Claire and Jamie, despite her loyalty to her modern-day husband, so when she finally relents to those urges on their wedding night (they have to consummate, lest the marriage be deemed invalid), it’s done with a heady mix of guilt and abandon and dare I say need. It’s quite a potent and lethal combination, the florid, fleshy result of hours of careful build up. Other shows could take lessons from Outlander in how to expertly delay gratification.
Many of them really have been waiting 20 years to see this coupling happen, which may seem a little strange to some, but is at the very least a rather stirring testament to the power of fandom. And, with an interesting tweak of the usual wedding-night scene—instead of the wide-eyed woman being ravished by her lusty new husband, on Outlander the man is the bashful virgin, while Claire is the experienced lover—there’s some interesting gender politics to pay attention to, as well. They might not freely admit it, but chances are that some moony-eyed bookworm in your life is already sweaty about the storied sexfest that’s about to go down. So why not join in on the only-slightly-dirty fun? Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with the show too. Its seductive powers ought to prove especially strong tomorrow night.
