THE Episode! #OutlanderWedding *SPOILERS for Episode 107 The Wedding* VERY LONG!

THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING — THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! RIGHT NOW! JUST UNDER THIS! So if you are somehow trying to stay spoiler free and yet hanging out on the internet reading blog posts that say “Spoilers for The Wedding,” then… I got no time for you. 😉

People, if you think I usually yammer, you are in for a seriously long read. Feel free to skim. Or, you know, check out my Twitter or OUTLANDER SQUEE Facebook Group (if you ask to join, I’ll approve you. It’s a very small group with a very small set of rules that basically boil down to DON’T BE A POUTLANDER — which is why I do my poutlandering here.). In fact, this will be only the first of at least TWO posts about the wedding. This sort of general thoughts one, and another when I do a blow by blow. Heh. Yeah, I stole my own title, what of it?

Anyway, I do go on, so grab a snack, a dram, and buckle in. I’ll tap you if you fall asleep.

So, thoughts off the top of my head:

1.) This was seriously some of the best television storytelling I think I have ever seen. The pacing, the editing, the writing and directing, the filming, the lighting… technical stuff I normally couldn’t care less about was conspicuous in its mastery. Beautiful to watch, it was so easy to get lost in (I speak like I’m not going to watch it at least twice more today. Pft.) The format was great, going out of order made it somehow more emotionally engaging? Even though I might have bugged out a little bit at first, thinking RDM GYPPED us. I can’t help it. Joss Whedon hurt me in the past.

2.) Sam and Cait were… just wow. I mean… wow. Not only was every single emotional beat of the episode right on (imo), but they managed to make the sensuality perfectly organic as well as HAWT. No mean feat! Did I mention HAWT? Because yowsa, it was. Sex on TV is often so gratuitous, so prurient, that even when it’s between characters who care for each other deeply, you don’t get any sense of true connection or intimacy. Sometimes that’s on purpose, or sometimes it’s just difficult to do (like on soaps, when you have to tell a full hour of story every day — sex is like taking a moment to drink a gulp of water or something, not real plot material). This was plot material. As a writer of smut (AND DAMN PROUD OF IT ALL YOU  ROMANCE HATERS), I can tell you it is HARD (heh) to pull off good sex, no matter what kinds of feelings the characters have for one another (unless it’s pure, white hot lust, which… EASY). The writing, acting, and everything in this episode brought more dimension to Jamie and Claire as people who we are getting to know. They aren’t just going at it, they’re showing us more of who they are.

Which is not to say they’re not HAWT, and the sex was… okay, I’ll stop saying HAWT. But these two are stunning human beings in the prime of their lives, they move together so gracefully (as if the actors were build to fit together as well as the characters are in the books), and I BELIEVE their reactions. The faces, the sounds. One of the things I liked the most was that Jamie’s first time was REAL. HE lasted all of about four seconds, just like a young guy would, and it was awkward after. I still call bullshit that Claire actually enjoyed it. She was simply being kind because he seemed sort of hurt when she didn’t answer right away. And of course, there’s the little matter that she HAS this gorgeous, sexy, charming young man now, and this is just the beginning. Girl gets to LEARN HIM UP RIGHT.

Also ADORED that Jamie fell asleep on her. Men. Even the King of Men. Which he isn’t totally yet.

Dear people who called bullshit on Claire’s O. Sisters, have you never been with a big, hot guy who fits just so? Because yeah, all the booze, the romance, just the penetration and some hard slamming is all it takes. YMMV, of course. 😉

All of this falls directly at the feet of Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, who were carrying a heavy weight on their shoulders (or Claire’s chest… ba dum dum), and bore it beautifully. Bravo, Mr & Mrs Fraser.

These are my pervert bonafides — I just talked about the sex for two paragraphs.

3.) Speaking of hot: HELLO JAMMF. Look, everyone knows I’ve been in love with this fictional character to an unhealthy degree for over 20 years, so lets not pretend I’m sane or anything. For all this time, I mostly didn’t want to see an onscreen adaptation of any kind regarding my favorite books, hero, and couple, because we all know what a bad adaptation can do (it’s my understanding that Herself always resisted for similar reasons). Mostly, I was concerned about Himself. I am fully a Jamie/Claire worshipper, but JAMMF… he isn’t just the King of Men, he’s the King of My Heroes, and that’s saying something. I didn’t want the Jamie in my head, who I have watched struggle, learn and grow, achieve and lose, laugh and love and cry for over 30 years of HIS life to be crowded out by some film or TV maker’s narrow vision.

I saw Sam, and I was like, “Okay, he’s cute. Let’s see how he does ‘Scruffed Up Highland Butch’.” Sam’s not a big, bulky guy, and neither is Jamie, so when I say “butch,” I mean “manly man.” Sam is definitely all man. And he had me at episode one. I thought, “Yes, this guy is Jamie. He could be even more Jamie. And I have a total crush on him either way.”

Now I SEE him in Sam. It’s funny, I’m re-reading The Fiery Cross right now (started the series again right when the TV show started up, or right before), and Sam Jamie hasn’t in any way reduced My Mind Jamie. I think the former may have infused the latter, but not enough so I feel him very differently when I read. I’m so pleased with Sam’s casting, and I can’t wait to see what happens as time goes by. I’m curious — how are they going to get still young, sexy Sam to play a believable Voyager Jamie? Or Cait Claire, for that matter?

4.) One thing I REALLY adored — finally getting things substantially from Jamie’s POV. A lot of people have poutlandered *coughmecough* that Jamie hasn’t gotten nearly enough development to be one of the central characters of the show. I mean, we’ve seen glimpses of just how deep his still water runs. We know he’s gallant, strong, stubborn, funny, a trouble magnet and can flirt the knickers off a nun, but we don’t really KNOW him. WELL. Now we’ve got a lot more material. This story seemed more… touching somehow, from Jamie’s semi-innocent and definitely smitten point of view. This shows nowhere more stunningly than when he says he remembers “every moment, every second”of the wedding. And an excellent reversal by the creators, making Claire the Resplendent Sun for Jamie — anybody else notice and love that when he says that, and we see her in her dress, they literally light her in a high glow, making that fucking FANTASTIC dress sparkle and glimmer in a way that’s really impressive, considering there was no glitter or sequins involved. Jamie looked positively poleaxed, but still managed to make a leg for her and GAH. By the end of the episode, I felt as close to TV Jamie as TV Claire. How he reacted to everything was… I LOST MY WORDS. Anyway, the Emmy this week goes to Sam, although I suppose it will (not-so)sadly have to be a Naked Emmy.

“To a lady of grace, a woman of strength and a bride of astonishing beauty. My wife, Claire Fraser.”

Oh, my Great Googly Moogly. I am the easiest geek wench on the planet, because I would have had that virgin Highlander boy flat on his back and singing FRANK FRICKING WHO? at the top of my lungs in my mind after that. And Claire is all RUDE and can’t even pretend to toast back to like, his pretty outfit and hair or something. BITCH!

Aside: What is it with Dougal and his fucking sex and food metaphors? Sounds to me like that’s a therapy worthy issue. Or possibly a really fun kink. Corn? Cake? Dude, we know you bang all the sisters (tm The Scot and the Sassenach OMG I HAVE NO ORIGINAL IDEAS), but all the food too? I’m tying my food portions up in a tree like you would against bears when I go on the road with Dougal. Although… I have this thing for Graham McTavish, and I have nothing against the creative use of food during sex…

Oh, right… TMI. Anyway, expect further shenanigans from Dougal in the future. Or maybe the PAST. DUM DUM DUUUUMMMMM!

5.) A surprising thing about this ep is the hearty vein of humor that runs right alongside the serious smexytime and not-so-vague remaining undercurrent of dread for the future. There are some genuine laughs, like Ned in he hoorhoose, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 in pretty much all of their appearances. I adore this — it’s part of the world, and a BIG part of JAMMF in the books. I was about to spoil people who haven’t read them, but suffice it to say the guy could be on the edge of death or the most dire situation, and probably make a funny about it. That’s a MAN. *unhealthy levels of fictional love*

6.) Dougal had really started to grow on me with the white knight routine and the corn grinding, but this week he lets his Clan Douche flag fly as he freaking HITS ON CLAIRE, HIS NEPHEW’S WIFE, on their wedding night. Now… I could comment further about this, but again, I’d be spoiling the books. Hey… you guys, how many of you care if I spoil the books? I’ll refrain.

7.) Sam Heughan as Jamie the Earnest Puppy. I keep bringing up Sam and his JAMMF, but he was so sweet in this episode. His confusion, soft bafflement, his obvious feelings for Claire, the way he looked like he WAS going to jump on her when she suggested they go to bed… trying to be coy but having no idea how. And one of my favorites, when he’s undoing Claire’s corset, and he gets this expression like, “JHRC! WTF? How many of these freaking things ARE there? Why do the go on forever, vexing me?”

Oh, and not only did he last four seconds and fall asleep on Claire, he left his BOOTS ON. Dude. You’ve held onto it for 23 years, take two minutes to take your boots off, aye?

8.) The morning after. Before the Ring Incident, I mean. They are just adorable. Seriously. And once she gets over this Frank nonsense, it really reminds me of what they’ll become more and more over the years. How just comfortable and naturally intimate they are. But we have a long time before we get there.

Next week: OMGERRRD!

My blow by blow… heh… when/if I ever finish the freelance assignment I should have been concentrating on all day instead of fangirling. *sigh*