On Outlander last night we finally got to see Jenny and Jamie interact, but was it a good thing?
Jenny and Jamie Fraser share a complicated history as siblings, that is filled with both joy and tragedy. Their older brother, Willie, died when they were both young. Additionally, they lost their mother when she died in childbirth. To top it off, their father died of a heart attack or stroke upon seeing Jamie being whipped by Captain Randall.
Now all of the above is not to say that Jenny and Jamie didn’t share any happy times, it’s just that we didn’t hear about any of them. They obviously do have affection for each other, because by the time they meet at their father’s grave to make up, Jenny says, “And if your life is a suitable exchange for my honor; tell me why is my honor not a suitable exchange for your life? Are you telling me that I may not love you as much as you love me? Because if you are Jamie Fraser, I’ll tell you right now, it’s now true. Welcome home, Laird of Broch Tuarach.”
The only clue we have about Jenny’s softer side is through her husband, Ian. As Claire looks at a portrait of Jenny holding a bird, Ian tells her of Jenny’s past. He states that Jenny used to tend sick birds back to health as a child. Once the animals had recovered, they would eat out of her hand.
Ian also tells Claire how it was Jenny who nursed him back to health after he came home from the wars in France minus his leg. It seems that as the daughter of the laird, Jenny could have had any man she wanted, but she wanted Ian. She didn’t consider his loss of a limb an impediment to their marriage. So, on that level at least, we know Jenny isn’t selfish, or hung up on appearances.
The main problem is that Jenny is pretty rude almost from the word go. She calls Claire a trollop, and threatens to grab Jamie by the balls to make him listen. Obviously, Jenny was provoked. Jamie did in fact suggest that she had “played the whore” to acquire her second child. Provocation or not, Jenny’s intense reaction, specifically towards Claire, who has done her no wrong, doesn’t make her instantly likeable to viewers.
Things don’t get much better just before and during dinner, when it’s obvious that Jenny has contempt for Claire. Claire being English is a problem. Jenny makes a comment about Jamie being too close to the English, that is in response to his deal with Sandringham, but it’s obvious from Jenny’s sidelong lance she also means Claire.
Jenny is also disdainful of Claire’s lack of experience in running an estate house, and sounded none too pleased that Jamie and Claire intend to stay. Later on, she essentially accuses Jamie and Claire of being selfish and ignorant, thinking the world just started upon their arrival. Jamie might not have done his best at quarter day, but Claire played her role well. It’s hard to see where Jenny could reproach Claire’s actions.
When Claire brings Rabbie McNab into the house to get food, Jenny takes over, rather than consulting Claire as to what she saw. It’s more or less the very same thing that Jenny later accuses Jamie of doing. In this instance, she’s not outwardly rude to Claire, but she certainly isn’t friendly either.
By the end of the episode, Jenny and Jamie have made up. Both siblings admit, as Ian earlier alluded to, that they each were stubborn and out-of-line. The only thing is that we don’t see Jenny warming up to Claire. There may have been enough blame to go around on both sides where Jamie and Jenny are concerned, but that doesn’t apply to Claire. She made amends with her brother, but does that mean she’s going to give a warm and sisterly love to his wife? Did viewers find the apology not enough or too late?
On Saturday, we’ll have to see if Jenny and Claire can work things out. In the meantime, join us on Monday night for our regular Outlander post-show Google Hangout called HangOutlander at 10:00p.pm. Use the hashtag #HangOutlander to sound off ahead of time or interact during the show.