I have been to the Lake District in England twice, such an absolutely beautiful place, so serene and picturesque, home of Beatrix Potter and many stately homes.  Although different from Scotland, it would have been alike enough to make Jamie’s heart ache, but how he would have loved the stables and horses, the fresh air and relative freedom.  Still, a poor exchange for the Highlands he loved before Culloden, and his beloved Claire.

EPISODE 3 – HELWATER

1756-1758

While most Jacobite prisoners were deported or executed, Lord John Grey arranges for Jamie to be taken in as a groom at the Lake District estate of family friends, the Dunsanys, where he will be known as Alex MacKenzie. Jamie enjoys being outside and working with horses again. The daughter of the house, Geneva, follows him about and flirts with him. She has been promised to their neighbour the elderly Lord Ellesmere but she wishes Jamie to take her virginity and blackmails him into it. She marries and is soon in labour with her first child. Jamie is enlisted to take her father to her. Sadly, she dies from complications from childbirth. Jamie and the coachman are called to a scene in the house and to bring pistols. In the ensuing kerfuffle, Jamie shoots Ellesmere as he threatens to drop the baby out of the window. The murder is covered up by Geneva’s parents and her mother offers him his freedom to go home to Scotland but as he has just learned he has a son he decides to stay and we see Willie grow up into a feisty little lad beneath Jamie’s watchful eye.

1968

Claire has gone back to Boston to get affairs into order. She thinks back to a conversation she and Brianna had while cruising Loch Ness, discussing Gillian Edgars/Geillis Duncan and the methods of time travel from Gillian’s book. She also thinks back to when she first became a surgeon and met Joe Abernathy.

As she says goodbye to her home in Boston – Flashback – Frank and Claire fight about him going to live in England and taking Brianna, his alleged affairs, he accuses her of sleeping with Joe. He storms off, has car accident and then dies.

She receives a telegram from Roger to say he has found Jamie in the past.

What will be changed?

I first thought that Helwater would take the whole episode but looking at the break-up as it continues along, I think they will condense it more than I first anticipated.  They can’t have an episode without Claire in it, and I don’t think there is enough time in the season to add to much extra stuff.  Therefore, I think they will jump between the two timelines, showing what was happening with Claire while Jamie was at Helwater – bringing up Brianna, her life with Frank etc, as well as what is happening in 1968 to find him.  The first two episodes sort of broke up themselves, but now it is getting more difficult.  I don’t envy the writers!!

What can be left out?

There’s a lot of small detail that could be left out in Helwater, in 1968 and in the past but I think they have proven they can condense portions of the book and still cover the important parts, include some important dialogue and make it all seamless so I’m sure they will here too.

What CAN’T be left out?

I think it is important to see Jamie with Geneva, to show his gentleness and compassion even though he was forced to make love to her, even though we will all grit out teeth!  And we must see what happened to Frank.

What are we looking forward to most?

The scene where William is born – that will be a doozy!

 Most anticipated dialogue:

Not really dialogue but Roger’s telegram “HAVE FOUND HIM STOP WILL YOU COME BACK QUERY ROGER” 

Tissue Rating:  1/2 box (depending on how much you love Frank)

Sexy Times Rating: * – well, it’s not Jamie and Claire…..

I have to say that reading through this section of the book I fell in love with John Grey as I do every time.  He is such a sweet and tortured soul and his love for Jamie is heartbreaking.    I have seen many ideas pop up in fantasy castings and can’t wait to see who they choose (I don’t have a particular “actor” in mind myself).  Diana once said she saw LJG as a “Young Jude Law”, so let’s just pop this image here to help us along!

EPISODE 2 – WHEN I AM THY CAPTIVE

(alternative title – Ardsmuir)

1968

Claire, Brianna and Roger search for Jamie through historical records while getting to know each other. Thanks to Fiona’s story of the Dunbonnet, they know he gave himself up and was sent to prison. Now they just need to search all the prison records to find him. Roger asks Claire how she became a doctor (possible flashbacks). She finds him – Ardsmuir Prison.

1755

Jamie is incarcerated in Ardsmuir Prison and has become a leader to the men there, known as Mac Dubh. The new Governor of the Prison is 26 year old Major John William Grey (we see a flashback to his first meeting with Jamie to establish his identity). He is furious to hear that Jamie is there but eventually must ask for his help questioning a man who was found wandering the moor muttering about gold in a combination of Gaelic and French. After their return, Jamie escapes but is recaptured. In order to find out if Jamie had found the treasure, he befriends him, arranging for him to have dinner and play chess with him. He eventually finds out what he needs to know and Jamie uses the friendship to make things better for the men, resulting in a strange friendship. However, John becomes infatuated with Jamie and when he shows his hand, Jamie becomes angry and will no longer participate. Jamie takes the blame for another inmate when a scrap of tartan, which is forbidden, is discovered, and he is whipped. (Flashback – he recalls his first flogging at the hands of Jack Randall and the recovery).

1968 – They know he was at Ardsmuir, now they just have to find where he went after that.

What will be changed?

Both the search for Jamie back in 1968 (including a lot of flashbacks) and Jamie’s time in Ardsmuir were long and detailed in the book but I think they will condense them to fit in this one episode. The book includes Claire and Frank’s reunion after she returns through the stones but it has already been dealt with at the start of Season 2.

What can be left out?

I don’t think they will include a lot of John’s POV – his letter to his mother, his pining for his lover Hector. John’s sexual orientation should be obvious through actions and looks. Some of the flashbacks to Claire becoming a doctor may not be necessary either.

What CAN’T be left out?

Jamie finding out about the treasure and the “white witch” and his escape to search for them.

What are we looking forward to most?

Jamie meeting grown-up John Grey for the first time.

Most anticipated dialogue:

“Take your hand off me, or I will kill you.” (Jamie to Lord John)

 Tissue Rating: ¼ box (or more, depending on how sad they make lonely Jamie)

Sexy Times Rating: *** (assuming they include Jamie’s sex dream in Ardsmuir!)

I totally feel for Maril Davis, Matt Roberts, Ron Moore and the other writers of Outlander because breaking a book into episodes is bloody difficult!  Trying to find a break point, an end point, and fill the episode with relevant storyline without meandering all over the place is mind-exploding.  Anyway, bored and sick as I was, I gave it a red hot shot.  I’ve kept it short enough to scan through quickly over a cuppa.  Please tell me your own ideas too!  I’ll an episode every couple of days, but lets start, as they say in the classics, at the beginning.

EPISODE 1 – Battle, and the Loves of Men

1746

Jamie awakens on the battlefield, unaware if he is alive or dead, the corpse of Jack Randall across his body. (Flashback to the battle where Jamie kills Jack). Some Highlander survivors find him and they take refuge in a farmhouse where they are eventually discovered by Redcoats led by Lord Melton. As the Highlanders give their names before their execution Melton realises he has captured Red Jamie, who had spared the life of his younger brother John William Grey, and he owes him a debt of honour. He sends him home to Lallybroch.

1968

Picking up exactly where the finale of season 2 left off, Claire asks Roger to look into what happened to Jamie after Culloden. She talks to him about what happened when she came back through the stones, and their life in Boston.

Flashback – Claire is not adjusting well to being back and being a new mother. They fight and eventually they make love on the nursery floor, the first time since she has returned.

Brianna discovers the legend of the Dunbonnet and realises it is Jamie.

1752

Jamie (“The Dunbonnet”) has been living in a cave not far from Lallybroch for the past 6 years. He comes to the house to wash and shave once a month when it is safe. Jenny is pregnant again, but Ian has been taken to Inverness under suspicion of being a Jacobite sympathiser so Jamie says they must come for him when her time comes. Fergus fetches him but while he is with Jenny and her newborn, Redcoats arrive looking for illegal weapons and Jamie has to hide in the cupboard with baby Ian, trying to keep him quiet as Jenny tells them the bairn died. Young Jamie overhears and is hysterical and in the resulting stramash the soldiers depart. A couple of months later, Fergus is intercepted bringing Jamie supplies and has his hand cut off. Jamie decides to have himself recaptured to save his family and the people of Lallybroch. Mary McNab comes to him with food and offers herself as comfort.

What will be changed?

Although it was fine to omit it in the books, I think viewers will feel they have earned the right to see Black Jack’s death, and it also gives the creators the chance to show a bit of the Culloden battle, as it is not actually included in the book. They could also include Murtagh’s death in there as well.

What can be left out?

Although there’s a good chance the entire sex scene on the nursery floor will be shown, if they decide to do the flashback, I don’t think viewers are ready to see Jamie with Mary McNab so I expect we will just see him take her hand in acceptance and the rest will be implied, as it is in the book.

What CAN’T be left out?

Fergus losing his hand – that’s a must!

What are we looking forward to most?

The scene with Jamie and baby Ian in the cupboard is a tense, emotional and even slightly funny scene – classic Diana!  I for one can’t wait to see that on screen!

Most anticipated dialogue:

“I dinna want to go home! I want to be shot!” – Jamie to Melton

Tissue Rating: ¼ box (for Fergus alone – maybe more if they up the emotional tone on Jamie wanting to die).

Sexy Times Rating: ** – well, it’s not Jamie and Claire…..