All of Outlander Season 1 Episodes: Ranked

7. “The Reckoning” Episode 9

For many who watched the episode “The Reckoning,” it was called the spanking heard around the world. Many media and news outlets tried to make this into a bigger deal than they should have. The event is straight from the books and is not advocating for men to beat their wives. If anything it shows our young Jamie still has a lot to learn how to deal with his wife. Diana also wrote this scene this way for a reason. Claire allows herself to get caught by the redcoats. Jamie’s and his gaggle of misfits have to get her back at great peril to themselves. Many book readers secretly waited to see if Outlander would skip this portion of the book, but to everyone’s surprise, they totally went for it. We have to admit; they are brave for sticking with it even with all the potential criticism.

Because of the brouhaha over the spanking, people forgot about Jamie pouring his heart out to Claire right after they rescue her. It was an intense moment that was carried entirely by Sam Heughan. The quiver of his voice, down to his collapse is so realistic you can’t help to want to hold him. For everything Heughan does right on the show, we’ve never felt he get’s the recognition he deserves for it.

What we really missed from the books Claire and Jamie long walk back to Castle Leoch. It would’ve fortified the relationship a little bit more in the eyes of the audience who hadn’t read the book.