Outlander season 3 episode 10 discussion: Claire Fraser, health educator
What we want to discuss here is the frustrations that Claire Fraser is going to have taking on a new role as caretaker on Captain Leonard’s ship. It’s very-clearly not a place that she wanted to find herself — she was taken there against her will, and knows that if she wants to make it back to Jamie, she is going to have to treat some of the people on board.
There’s a fascinating scene for this episode over at Cosmopolitan in which Claire tries to teach some of the crew about grog and sanitation, and while in some ways this is something that everyone should know (being dirty spreads sickness), they often do not. This is a case of her injecting some of her more-modern sensibilities into the time period. She’s not doing anything to completely alter the way in which people think about medicine, but this grog scene does serve as an interesting reminder that her profession, coupled with her knowledge of the 20th century, puts her in a very advantageous situation when dealing with a crisis like this. The crew of Leonard’s ship don’t quite realize just how lucky they are.
Let’s also think about things in terms of continuity and ripple effects. This is, by and large, something that Outlander doesn’t concern itself with — at least in comparison to some other time-travel shows like Timeless or Legends of Tomorrow. Is Claire’s wisdom altering history? For example, would Captain Leonard and his entire ship sink into the ocean without her? Is she altering the future in a dramatic way? We hardly think that messing up the timeline is at the top of the priority list. This is a story of survival for her and she needs to figure out the right way to do that.
Given that this is a story where Claire and Jamie are eventually going to reunite, obviously Caitriona Balfe’s character is going to make it through “Heaven & Earth” on Sunday in one piece. What we’re more interested in is what she teaches some of the surviving members of the crew, and also if something as simple as grog could have fear-reaching consequences for better or worse.
What do you want to see regarding Outlander season 3 episode 10?
Do you think that these people aboard Leonard’s ship are ever going to listen to Claire the way that they should? Be sure to sound off in the attached comments right now!
Meanwhile, take a look over here to get some more analysis on another part of this episode — the brewing tension between Jamie and Captain Raines!
You can also like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you do want to stay up to date with all of our Outlander coverage. (Photo: Starz.)