It’s been six months since the Outlander midseason finale. In that span, fans have patiently waited, biding their time with marathon viewings, fanmade trailers, attempts to become one of #SamFanFollow (I thought I wrote a pretty sweet mission statement, but whatever.), and photoshopping Jamie and Claire Fraser into almost every movie poster.
You knew this was bound (no pun intended) to happen.
And in less than four weeks, it’s here: the Outlander midseason premiere.
Claire. Jamie. Black Jack. The Band of Merry Bearded Men.
Yes, all of them are back, and is it no coincidence that it’s before Easter Sunday? I think not: Jesus. Jamie. You get the picture.
(Total side note: Shout out to Starz for the April 4th premiere date. My birthday is the next day, and I’m telling everyone that it’s the weekend of Jesus, Jamie, and Julie; or the hashtag I’m trying to start: #J2the3rdPower. It will catch on, dammit.)
Now, when the show first premiered, many people began to set up camps: Team Frank or Team Jamie. Were you for the sophisticated Englishman who desperately wanted his wife safely back to him with lickable laugh lines? Or were you for the steadfast, red-headed Scotsman with an ass you could bounce a quarter off of and make change?
Ooo, straw. You’re a keeper.
And so began the debate.
Rather than choose either one, why don’t we focus on another; one of the reasons why we can relate to this story in a way that makes us want to pack up all of our belongings, buy a one-way ticket to Scotland, and throw ourselves against a standing stone. (Good luck, there’s at least 12 standing stones throughout Scotland. Have fun with that.)
I’m talking about Team Claire.
Claire. Elizabeth. Beauchamp. Randall. Fraser. (Yes, I know that she has as many names as Jamie does and that’s just a sign that they belong together. But give it a rest for a second, and let’s focus on Claire).
Diana Gabaldon’s creation and Caitriona Balfe’s interpretation gave us a woman we can relate to, want to be friends with, cheer on when she succeeds, and be jealous of.
So, here are just some of my reasons why I’m #TeamClaire:
Reason #1: She Goes With the Flow
Getting sucked through some standing stones and transported back to the 18th century?
Being held against your will as the physician on call and made to rub down Colum’s wrinkled ass?
Helping some village women set garment dyes by pissing in a bucket in front of everyone?
Why do you think J. Crew has a line of sweaters called The Claire Collection?
Now, let’s be honest: some of us wouldn’t even get past the first scenario without some heavy drugs. Others of us would pay Laoghaire a goat to have her be the one to touch Colum’s ass. As for me? Have you ever heard of pee anxiety?
But not Claire. Give her some standing stones, an old ass, and a piss bucket any day. Yes, she may be thrown off for a moment or two, but her ability to acclimate kicks in, and it’s through this that we’re able to go on this amazing adventure to her.
The kicker? She still looks damn good.
Because we all wake up like this…
Reason #2: She Holds Her Own
She’s a forward thinking 20th century woman transported back to 18th century Scotland. A horse had more rights back then than a woman did.
Does Claire let that deter her? Absolutely not.
Although the first half of the season saw her defend herself against two different rapes (Black Jack in “Sassenach” and the turned redcoat in “Both Sides Now”) and have a tug-a-war with Rupert over a goat, one of the strongest moments in the show came courtesy of “The Way Back,” and Claire’s confrontation with Father Bain during the healing of the poisoned child.
And I smell the vapors of a sore loser on you. Boom.
Not once did she back down, run back with her bum roll between her legs (ouch), and collect more herbs from the garden. She stood up for what she believed in, fought for her way, and ultimately gave Mrs. Fitz the cojones to tell the Father to back the eff off.
And you know what? If she had a few extra seconds, that damn goat would have been her’s. Suck it, Rupert.
Reason #3: Her Timing is Impeccable
Rupert: “So, there I am in bed, harelip Chrissie on my left, and sweaty Netty, the butcher’s daughter, on my right. They get jealous of each other, and start arugin’ about who I’m goin’ to swive first. Can you believe it?
Claire: “I believe your left hand gets jealous of your right. That’s about all I believe.”
Rupert, you just got Claire burned. And it was sizzling.
Should have given her the flipping goat, bitch.
She even made the horse laugh. That’s how powerful she is.
Reason #4: She’s Not Perfect
Thank God for that.
Whether it was her stubbornness, her mishaps (Nice Dougal-is-really-your-daddy-Hamish reveal, Claire.), or her voiceovers during sex, her flaws along with her strengths make her a character we could identify with, letting us see our own flaws and strengths.
And although we were screaming at our televisions for her to stay where Jamie told her to during “Both Sides Now,” we knew that her stubborn streak would win.
Fast forward a few scenes later: she’s laying on a table, a knife is to her nipple, Jamie is with a gun at the window, and Black Jack’s getting a hard-on.
And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Reason #5: She Knows What She Wants
Picture this: A virgin who’s only known the sweet, sweet pleasure of first base. An experienced lover who not only knows every position described in Cosmopolitan’s Kama Sutra Guide, but is also the first to be out in a game of dirty “I’ve Never.”
Now before you start thinking of floggers and a red room of pain, I don’t mean that.
I mean Claire Randall/Fraser and her sexual prowess that had many of us on our feet giving her a standing ovation or taking notes for completely educational purposes. Ingenue she is not. A poised, sexually forward woman she is.
Who could forget her moment of redirection of Frank’s “attention” during their Castle Leoch visit? (Yes, she did move his head down there! Get it, girl!) Or teaching Jamie that the horse position isn’t the only way to a girl’s love nub? What other woman could make Jamie’s heart burst and put him in a sex coma?
Deflowered a virgin? Check.
Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser, we salute you.
So, are you #TeamClaire? Tweet or message us your reasons for being a part of the Claire brigade.
