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Outlander

When Outlander returned on Saturday night, we got all the danger and romance that we’ve come to expect from the adventure series, but we also got a healthy dose of controversy.

Claire (Caitriona Balfe) disobeyed Jamie’s direct orders and found herself captured by Captain “Black Jack” Randall. Because her disobedience placed the whole clan in a position of dire physical and political danger, the highlanders all demanded that she be punished. If a man had committed the same act, he would be flogged, or worse, killed. So, it was her husband Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) task to beat her with a belt.

We asked Outlander‘s executive producer Ronald D. Moore about the controversial spanking scene and, while he understood that some fans of the book might have read the scene as sexy, he was shooting for something far different.

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He told us, “I didn’t want that [sexy] aspect of it. I said, ‘That’s not really this scene. To me, this scene is fundamentally about justice.'” He added, “Jamie’s not approaching this from a place of anger. This isn’t about emotion. This is about — in his mind — right and wrong.”

“If there’s a sexy quality in it, that’s fine if that’s what people want to take away, but that wasn’t…that was kind of something I specifically said, ‘We’re not going to play that aspect of it.'”

The scene sparked instant controversy because it carries with it the specter of domestic violence. It’s a befuddling episode in the novel— which otherwise paints Jamie as the most noble of men and caring of lovers—and has inspired years of debate amongst fans. In fact, Jamie has to swear never to lay a finger on Claire again in order to reenter her good graces.

However, there are also obvious sexual implications to a man spanking his wife in a bedroom — Hello, Fifty Shades of Grey! — and that seems to be how some fans are interpreting the scene. When I attended the premiere of Outlander last Wednesday, I was actually taken aback by the sighs, moans, and giggles of glee I heard rippling through a good half of the audience. Many of the women in the audience were turned on by this scene — even thought it’s made explicit that Jamie’s actions are non-consensual.

Outlander‘s creative team might not have viewed the scene as foreplay, but that doesn’t mean that the show’s rabid audience didn’t see it that way. There are many women (and men) out there who would like Jamie Frasier to whip them with a belt, but it’s important to note that Claire isn’t one of them. It’s a scene that can only be read as sexy if you willingly place yourself in Claire’s position, but the key is you have to be willing. She’s not in this instance.

[Where to stream Outlander]

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