*waves to everyone* Hello, I'm new here! Nice to find other Outlander fans to discuss this with.
I really enjoyed this episode, and since I've been dreading it during the entire hiatus I was actually shocked to have liked it. I've read all the books, and if I have one complaint about Diana's writing it's that violence is way, way, WAY too often linked with sexuality both in positive and negative contexts. This is, however, way more frequent in Outlander than in the other books, so I for one will be grateful when we get past this first book and into some of the others (it's still an issue, just...less of an issue). That being said, I didn't mind the way they handled the spanking scene in the episode, if only because I think I understand the dilemma they were facing. If they'd done the scene as it is in the book - with the added problem of the non-consensual sex which follows - then I don't think any modern viewer would really be able to forgive Jamie. As it is, making the tone lighter did take some of the fear and threat out of it, and I think it made it possible for the viewer to choose to see it as two very strong-willed people who don't mind engaging with each other physically. I still don't love it, but I can see why they made that choice.
Honestly, the whole spanking-forcing sequence in the book nearly made me give up reading them altogether, and it was only after reading much much more of the story that I managed to mentally get past it. I'm still angry with Diana for that decision and a few others, because as much as Jamie is wilfull, strong-minded and does have a temper, that just felt really over the line. I may enjoy the stories, but that doesn't mean I have to like or defend every aspect of them! And I'm so SO glad they didn't include the non-con sex scene in the show, because I honestly think it would've been the death of the show.
One facet of Claire's personality is that she's oddly practical (in the books) and this means that sometimes she comes to conclusions that I think make logical sense but don't always resonate with the reader emotionally - for instance, in this situation she is initially angry, but she's also able to accept that Jamie's ethical foundation is different than her own and apply this here and also to other scenarios where a less practical person would be angry/hurt/frustrated and unable to move past it. It's a helpful feature for a character who is constantly being forced into seriously unpleasant historical situations, but I do think sometimes as a reader you want her to react in a less logical/practical way and just let loose with some good old modern proactive feminism.
