‘Outlander’ Episode Seven – “The Wedding” Recap and Review

Outlander Season 1 Episode 7 Review
Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) in ‘Outlander’ (Photo © 2014 Sony Pictures Television)

The episode Outlander readers have been waiting for arrived on September 20, 2014 with the wedding of Claire Beauchamp Randall to Jamie Fraser. The seventh episode of season one turned out to be everything passionate fans of Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling book series, and the Starz series it inspired, could possibly have wanted, with “The Wedding” showcasing the undeniably strong chemistry between series stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe. “The Wedding” was poignant and sweet, mixing humor, romance, and drama while delivering one of the most sensual sex scenes in television history.

Over the course of the first six episodes, as well as throughout this latest episode, viewers have gotten to know Claire via flashbacks which shed light on her time spent as a war nurse as well as more personal moments between Claire and her husband, Frank Randall (played by Tobias Menzies). Episode seven even kicked off with a scene of Claire and Frank walking together giddy and in love, pausing before a Justice of the Peace where Frank suggested they go in and marry. The series is narrated by Claire and as such we’ve been allowed a more intimate look at her life, both prior to stumbling through the stones and as a stranger attempting to survive in world that’s foreign and, more often than not, frighteningly alien.

However, while Claire’s story has been fleshed out, thus far Jamie’s been an enigma. He’s charming, well mannered, physically impressive, quick with a joke, and has been able to put Claire at ease – something his fellow Highlanders have been unable to accomplish – but his life before Claire meets him following her accidental trip into the past has not yet been revealed. Finally, with the arrival of episode seven, Jamie’s become more than just the handsome Scot who flits in and out of the story. This episode gave Claire – and the audience – the first real opportunity to understand who this imposing giant is and what separates him from other men of his age and background.

Outlander Season 1 The Wedding Review
Claire’s wedding dress in ‘Outlander’ (Photo © 2014 Sony Pictures Television)

“The Wedding” shows us a gentle, caring Jamie, a man who was willing to marry a foreigner in order to keep her safe from the vicious Black Jack Randall (also played by Menzies), as he explains when Claire asks him about his motive while nervously awaiting the consummation of their marriage.

Told in nonlinear form, “The Wedding” begins with Frank asking Claire to forget about any wedding plans and immediately marry. That dissolves into a scene of Claire and Jamie exchanging their first kiss as husband and wife and then alone in their room where Jamie toasts his new bride, saying, “To a lady of grace, a woman of strength, and a bride of astonishing beauty. My wife, Claire Fraser.” The story switches back and forth over the course of the days leading up to the ceremony, through the ceremony, and up to their private time alone together upstairs away from the MacKenzie clan. As a means of getting comfortable with her new husband, Claire asks Jamie to talk about his family. A born storyteller, Jamie has Claire spellbound with tales of his parents and extensive family tree. The whiskey flows, the stories unfold, and the tension eases as Claire falls for this handsome man who vows to protect her with his life. Claire also asks for specifics on how Jamie chose the wedding ring and how they were able to obtain her gorgeous dress, and for other details on the wedding as she was hung over and her memory is fuzzy while Jamie confesses he remembers every moment from the ceremony. If there were any holdouts in the audience not already in love with Jamie, the revelation that he remembers every detail from the wedding surely swayed everyone to his side.

Smartly written and beautifully shot, Outlander‘s season one episode seven gets all the details right. Claire’s wedding dress is stunning, Jamie cuts a fine figure in his Fraser kilt, and when it comes time for Jamie to lose his virginity and for Claire to attempt to push aside thoughts of Frank, it’s such an intimate, tentative yet passionate scene that it’s actually a bit heartbreaking. The act of making love is so exquisitely staged that it’s breathtaking, and actors Heughan and Balfe heat up the screen.

The episode also did a terrific job of showing the friendship between Jamie and Murtagh (played by Duncan Lacroix), and the strained relationship between Jamie and Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish). It also featured a tense moment between Claire and Dougal in which the war chieftain of Clan MacKenzie expressed his desire to bed Claire, even though she’s now the wife of his nephew.

“The Wedding” lived up to all expectations and solidified executive producer Ronald D. Moore as a casting genius when it comes to perfectly matching actor to role in Outlander. This episode more so than episodes one through six demonstrated why Heughan, Balfe, McTavish, and the supporting cast were the right actors to bring Diana Gabaldon’s beloved characters to life on the small screen.

Outlander “The Wedding” Photo Gallery

GRADE: A-