The midseason premiere of "Outlander" has set tongues wagging with the spanking scene featuring Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe's Jamie and Claire, resulting in the characters renegotiating the terms of their relationship.
The episode gave viewers an opportunity to see things from Jamie's point of view, realising what all he had to go through to rescue Claire from Black Jack. Their first fight and the ensuing spanking scene was one way for Jamie to vocalise his fears about the prospect of losing Claire.
In the book series by Diana Gabaldon, the controversial spanking scene was dark, but the television series somewhat trivialised the violence with the background score that made the whole scene seem playful. And as fans saw, the spanking did not hinder the romance between Jamie and Claire, as the two got hot and steamy once Jamie laid down new rules in their relationship.
From the looks of it, there will be more steamy sessions between the newly wedded couple, and executive producer Ron Moore told Entertainment Weekly that "there's definitely more sex" in the second half of the season.
Elaborating on what else to expect as the season moves forward, Moore said: "I'd say the story really picks up momentum and starts rocketing on a little bit more. The twists and turns come a little faster. You're going to see things like a witch trial. You're going to get back to Lallybroch and see where Jamie is from and more of his family members. There's a big search episode where Claire is looking for Jamie. And then, of course, it all moves toward this big climax and the finale where Black Jack and Jamie—all the things that have been building between those characters comes to a head."
The next episode is titled "By the Pricking of My Thumbs," and according to the synopsis, Claire will work towards saving an abandoned child and Jamie hopes the Duke of Sandringham will help remove the price on his head.
"Outlander" season 1 episode 10 will air on 11 April on Starz.
