"Outlander" surprised a number of fans and viewers with its midseason premiere, which aired on April 4. While the spanking scene between Jamie and Claire became quite controversial, the cast explained that it was an integral part of the story.
The Starz series, "Outlander" returned on April 4 for the continuation of the second half of season one. The series was based on the popular (and slightly controversial) book series by Diana Gabaldon. In the latest episode of the show, fans saw Jamie spank Claire as a punishment for disobeying his orders and putting the Highlanders at risk. Gabaldon admitted that this scene has been one of her book's most controversial scenes.
"Some female readers - often share her sense of indignation and outrage and start hopping up and down about, how dare Jamie? How dare I," said Gabaldon, according to Vulture.
Show runner Ronald Moore also explained that in order to tone the scene down, they had to shift the view from Claire's to that of Jamie's. Moore said that the scene was necessary in order to introduce Jamie's view, which fans were not able to read from the book. Moore described Jamie as a man who always had his mind set on giving justice and he did the right thing when he punished Claire for her wrongdoing.
"If you were a man [who put the lives of others in jeopardy], you'd be punished, and if you were a woman, this is how you'd be punished," explained Moore.
Actress Caitriona Balfe (Claire) also insisted that the belting scene was necessary and was a completely acceptable way of punishment at the time when the story was set.
"No matter how we as modern people perceive it, this has to be taken in the context of 1743," said Balfe, reported Variety. Sam Heugan, who plays Jamie, also explained that the punishment was necessary because "otherwise the Highlanders won't protect her."
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