All of Outlander Season 1 Episodes: Ranked

12. “By the Pricking of My Thumbs” Episode 10

What a way to open up an episode. Outlander has never been shy about showing sex in the series, but starting the episode with fellatio makes viewers sit up and take notice. Please don’t think we are complaining because that’s not what’s happening here. We genuinely believe it to be a novel idea to see a woman enjoying having sex on television. We wish more television shows, and movies showed as much concern as Outlander.

The writer of “By the Pricking of My Thumbs” threw in everything and included the kitchen sink. It’s incredible to think how much of the book they were able to fit in with just 60 minutes. What I found interesting about this episode is not the relationship between Claire and Jamie but the one Claire has with Geillis. Most fans from the books loath Geillis and for a good reason. She’s not without sin but, we rather enjoy her kind of crazy. A lot of that has to do with the talent of the actress Lotte Verbeek. She does crazy in such a way that it makes you question your own sanity. Geillis, for her part, is drawn to Claire. She isn’t sure why but understands they are sisters of sorts. Both women, time travelers in a time where it not safe to be one.

In this episode, we get a visit from the infamous Duke of Sandringham who is still interested in Jamie’s bottom. We also find out Dougal’s wife has died and his lover, Geillis is carrying his baby. We hated seeing Jamie gone for most of the episode, but it did give room for characters like Geillis and Dougal to flourish.