More reactions to Claire's situation in Season 6
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS for OUTLANDER Season 6 below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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I have been struggling to deal with my reaction to what the writers have done to Claire's character over the course of Season 6. I thought I'd share my thoughts here, in case others feel the same way.
I found the OUTLANDER books in 2006, and I have re-read (or re-listened to) the books more than 20 times. I think of Claire -- books or show, it doesn't matter -- as a real person, almost like a close friend or family member. This is part of Diana Gabaldon's gift as a novelist, to make us care so deeply about these characters that they seem like real people.
So the thought of Claire on the verge of some sort of mental breakdown ("her sanity hanging by a thread", as I put it in my recap of Episode 607) makes me very upset. And angry, too, that the writers would do this to a beloved character. There is a sense of helplessness, watching a character I love being put through such a harrowing ordeal, knowing I can't do anything to make it better.
And fear, too, because I am desperately afraid that the writers might destroy Claire's sanity or traumatize her to such an extent that she will not recover. What's going to stop them, at this point? Will she be permanently damaged by this experience, so that it continues to affect her even as we move into Season 7?
I do not like this, AT ALL. <massive understatement!!!> I want it to STOP. PLEASE!!! And I am not convinced that the very emotional scene in Episode 607 where Claire confesses everything to Jamie has put an end to it.
But that's not all I'm feeling. Thinking back over the past weeks, my reactions to this whole plotline have covered a range of emotions. Anger. Frustration. Helplessness. Fear. Despair. Sadness. Depression. (The last three of those, I felt mainly in EP607, which was much too dark and depressing for my taste.) That's a lot for viewers to have to deal with, and I am not surprised to hear that some people have stopped watching on account of it.
I really am starting to wonder if they deliberately set this up as a direct parallel to Wentworth, to push Claire to a psychological breaking point, just as Wentworth did to Jamie.
Those feelings I listed above? They could describe my reactions on the first reading of OUTLANDER, when I did not know Jamie would live through it. It's been more than 15 years, but I remember that feeling very well. "How could you DO this to him?!?? You've RUINED him!" I was devastated. And I can see very strong echoes of that reaction in the way I'm feeling now.
I think it's probably a good thing that next week is the last episode of the season. I need a break from TV Claire for a while! It's just becoming too emotionally intense, too upsetting. I have been saving the audiobook of BEES for after Season 6 is over, and I am looking forward to immersing myself in Diana Gabaldon's words and her version of the characters. <g> Because, as I have said so many times, no matter what they do in the show, the books will always be there. After what we've been through in this episode, it will be a relief.
I have enjoyed many parts of this season, and I will certainly be watching the season finale this Sunday. But what they've done to Claire casts a pall over all of Season 6, IMHO, and that's a real shame.
UPDATE 3/23/2023: Please see my follow-up to this post, with some additional thoughts, HERE.
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Thank goodness we have the Outlander book version to appreciate and enjoy. Book 6 "A Breath of Snow And Ashes" is a particularly good book, why change it so that it is practically unrecognisable?
Thank you all for expressing so well my feelings about the writing of this season. The whole ether addiction story line is false and a stupid waste of the precious time available to cover the material. It appears that Season 7 is already in production. I sincerely hope that wiser minds will express the essentials of this story we love.
Claire second-guessing her decision to rejoin Jamie in the past AGAIN? It was a false note in Scotland with her dithering on the cliff as she and Jamie witnessed Ian get kidnapped. It was a second miracle for these two lovers to be reunited, not occasion to bicker with Claire being ambivalent and querulous. With another war approaching, this is this also not the time for Claire to fall apart, blaming herself for every hurt anyone around her has suffered. She is supposed to be gaining strength, power and stature as her hair whitens, not turning into a neurotic addict! Is there anything less sexy?
This is another needless weakening of what is supposed to be a titanic coupling between two powerhouses on their own who are unstoppable together. They are NOT ordinary people as the show writers keep forgetting.
I was so excited for this season to get started after such a long break and the minute I saw that ether come out I was like, wait...what just happened? That. is. not. in. the. book.
Now, don't get me wrong I understand they can't make the show exactly like the book but that whole ether thing? I mean you can't even sell me on it because it's just not who Claire is. It's not how she copes with things.
This has been the most painful season to watch. I've actually have to force myself to get through every episode, it's painful. Losing a fan over here writers, I hope you all fix this mess...
What I've been even more disappointed in is the emasculation of Jamie and the way the relationship between Jamie and Claire was portrayed. Jamie was made to look clueless and detached from what Claire was going through. Even after Malva's death, Jamie didn't comfort her in any way for 42 minutes into the show. He certainly didn't act like the man who loves her madly. It was almost as if the writers don't want him to be heroic anymore. For me, Jamie and Claire are the story. If I had just started watching this season, I would have no idea how strong and powerful their love is. That's made me sad.
I was drawn to the story of Claire and Jamie in the books and am bored by the others. I like the show because it does have fewer characters although I still think there's not enough emphasis on Jamie and Claire.
I don't care that these characters are not like the book characters. For me, the books and the show are two completely separate universes - similar to the television adaptations of Anne Cleeves' books. The absolutely phenomenal acting by Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan is what makes this show so superb - doesn't matter what the material is.
But that's one of the things I love about the series
They deal with real stuff - I am a bereaved parent
Faith/207 I have dealt with PTSD Jesuis Prest/ 209
Dissasociative Disorder/516.
There are plenty of other episodes to watch in 1-5
that are exciting and lovely.
I think a great opportunity for a bit of humour was wasted in the Lizzie/Beardsley story, I have never seen actress Lizzie as she was portrayed in the books. She was a very young, sickly, innocent girl, this actress appears the same age as Brianna and the story loses it's impact.
I'm really looking forward to the last episode, I think it has been on the whole an excellent series, considering this has never been a favourite part of the books for me.
I'm sorry some people were disappointed, but one satisfied viewer here.
Karen
To clarify I wouldn’t believe this from book Claire and I wouldn’t believe that book Jamie wouldn’t notice it. Claire’s infamous glass face is just one of the things that has been omitted from the show.
I haven’t struggled with Claire using ether. I think Claire is still strong. Ep 1 started in early 1773 by episode 6 it was early 1775 which means Claire has been doing this for 2 years. The way I interpret that is that she doesn’t do it very often – it is a last resort and sneaks up on her bought on by a comment, nightmare or some visual reminder. It built in a major way in ep 6 and 7 due to the added trauma of Malva’s accusation, murder and the way the ridge folk are treating the Frasers and came to a head quite quickly. 90% of the time she presents as her normal character and she is fully functional. You would have to be a very strong person to be able to present a normal attitude to the people around you and not have them notice. She continues with medical inventions, she still speaks her mind and stands up to people - she hasn’t been cowed into changing her ways. A lot of things have happened to Claire but she has never been raped by multiple men. She has finally experienced something that she cant cope with. This is true in the book too – her rape is something that continues to haunt her albeit it in different ways. I find it all completely believable. I also think there is weight to the argument that the show has to visually show us her struggling rather whereas the book can tell us because we are inside her head. I haven’t struggled with Jamie’s supposed ‘obliviousness’ either. I don’t think he was oblivious. I think he was distracted at times by all the other shit going on but he looks deeply concerned about Claire multiple times and is watching her but he also knows her well enough to know he can’t force her to open up. She has to be ready. He can only ask her if she is ok and have her reply fine so many times before she shuts down further. Again this isn’t perhaps how book Jamie would handle this. Book Jamie would probably go in like a bull in a china shop and force her to talk to him. But I find it entirely believable that show Jamie would do this.
Writer's room: "OK, we already know that Claire is a functioning alcoholic, so let's turn her into a drug addict, too". Did they really think we'd accept them doing that???