The Scene Where Jamie Saves Claire At Fort William — The Book Vs. The Show

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The Scene Where Jamie Saves Claire At Fort William — The Book Vs. The Show

That blissful pre-wedding phase ended hard and fast for Jamie and Claire on Outlander when she was captured by the British army and taken to Fort William. As seen midway through Outlander Season 1, Jamie rescues Claire from Black Jack before the British captain can rape her. But the traumatic event takes its toll on the couple and they have the first real right of their relationship following the rescue.

The bulk of Claire being held captive at Fort William and Jamie saving her goes down in Chapter 21 of Diana Gabaldon's 1991 book Outlander. Meanwhile, the Starz TV adaptation milked the incident in Outlander Season 1 by ending the episode "Both Sides Now" with Jamie in the window at Fort William, which left the audience in suspense until the next episode. And as "Both Sides Now" was the midseason finale and aired on September 27, 2014, that meant six very long months before we got the conclusion of the rescue in "The Reckoning" on April 4, 2015.

The rescue was dramatic, for sure. But it also was a total game-changer for Claire and Jamie's marriage. Let's see how the TV show version compared to what Gabaldon had written for the page.

Claire's Flight

Claire doesn't want Jamie to leave her alone when he goes to meet Horrocks. But despite her protests, he forces her to stay behind. In the book, she's scared for herself and for Jamie. But TV Claire is angry, as she unnecessarily says in voiceover (as if you couldn't tell by her face). She's pissed at Jamie for not saving her from the British army deserters that nearly raped her (it takes book Claire a bit more time to realize she was angry at Jamie for the earlier attempted assault)... and she's mad at herself for losing sight of her goal to return to the future.

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