‘Outlander’ Season 3, Episode 9 “The Doldrums” – 5 Things I *LOVED* About Last Night’s Episode

I have been more than vocal about my overwhelming love for Outlander‘s theme song and opening credits sequence. As I put it about a month ago:

It puts me in the same mood that bubble baths and lavender candles and massive bottles of Pinot Grigio do. It makes me feel happy and fuzzy all over. It makes me believe that I can escape the maddening horror that is the 24 hour news cycle and the boring tedium that sometimes seizes my day-to-day life. It helps me cope with ever-creeping void. It just calms me down.

So imagine my shock, my joy, my utter delight when I saw that they’ve updated the opening credits to fit the show’s new island setting. I was beside myself! I squealed, hit pause, then rewind, and then I watched it all over again. It’s a lot to digest, right? There are beaches and shipwrecks and island dances! It’s a true Caribbean dream! Best of all? I heard that slight bit of Calypso that Bear McCreary added to “Skye Boat Song.” I mean, if Outlander must leave Scotland behind, there are worse places to go than a tropical paradise.

Guys, do I need to explain this? It’s Sam Heughan with some adorable needles in his face. It’s great. It’s empirically lovely, like a puppy rushing to you to shower you in puppy kisses. That’s all.

When we left Claire and Jamie last week, they were in a bad spot. Not only did they put Young Ian in peril, but they were talking about maybe breaking up. This week? Oh, you know, they’re having steamy hookups on a boat that’s a-rocking and cuddling under the milky white moon. It’s nice! It’s sweet! It’s great to see Claire and Jamie reaffirming their love for one another. It’s especially wonderful to see them do this in a rather dreamy place. I don’t know about you, but I like boats! I also like the fantasy of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in the arms of some handsome Scotsman. (Note I said fantasy because the reality of trans-Atlantic crossings back then was grim.) The sweetest moment, though? When Claire starts to murmur Goodnight Moon, which gives her an opportunity to express to Jamie how much she misses their daughter.

Man, it was great to see these two bond. If only it didn’t take Young Ian being captured by West Indies slavers, but you know…

I have to be honest, I found Willoughby’s passionate tale of falling for women and their peach-like mounds and being close emperors’ wives a wee bit hard to follow, but I was transfixed nonetheless. Like everyone on the Artemis, I was completely awed by the performance put on by actor Gary Young. The way he commanded the attention of all with his bell-ringing, how he transported us to a faraway land…it was all so poetic. As was his clever little act “summoning the wind.” It was all, well, rather magical, even if that magic was good old fashioned showmanship.

I found it refreshing to see how the men of both the Artemis and the Porpoise had the utmost respect for Claire’s medical expertise. Sure, they’re skeptical of her because she is a woman and the sea is a den of superstitions, but when push comes to shove (or stitches are needed at once), they don’t give her crap about it.

I was particularly excited to see how Claire snapped into action when confronted with a Typhoid outbreak. Was it gross? Sure. Was it awful that the British Navy kind of commandeered her via a kidnapping? Definitely. But I loved watching her swoop in like a superhero, saving the day, and ordering British naval officers around. This is the Claire I love – the smart, brilliant woman who isn’t afraid to get dirty to do the right thing.

Again, it sucks that she’s stuck on a separate ship from Jamie…but then again, this is Outlander. I wouldn’t expect anything less.

Where to Stream Outlander