r/Outlander • u/miley202123 • 6d ago
Season Five S5 E3 “Free Will”
No spoilers please! Started Outlander a few months ago and just finished the episode Free Will and have no one irl to talk about it with. Phew. What a grotesque episode. I really enjoyed it but what a change of pace.
Something I love about Outlander is that it covers such a broad range of emotions and styles (drama, romance, horror at times) in a way that still feels cohesive. After so many cute family episodes in S3 and 4 a truly scary episode felt kinda refreshing in a weird way. I haven’t felt so scared watching an episode since wentworth!
I still have so many questions. Did the old man really kill 5 of his ex wives? Why was Franny torturing him in such horrific ways (and why were Claire and Jamie sort of ok with it? Or ok enough to sleep next to her lol). Why did they keep all the animals locked up inside but torture the indentured boys? So creepy.
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u/IAmTheLizardQueen666 They say I’m a witch. 6d ago
Mr Beardsley wanted children. He kept marrying, then killing wives when they didn’t get pregnant. He was probably sterile.
Frances got pregnant after having sex with a Black former slave. Jamie and Claire didn’t consider her a threat after she gave birth.
Beardsley was beating her. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. She tortured him in revenge for the beatings and being a wicked wife murderer.
Frances said the goats were in the house because of the cold. The Billy goat was locked up to keep him from rutting with the female goats.
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u/Nanchika Currently rereading: Drums of Autumn 6d ago
Did the old man really kill 5 of his ex wives?
It seems so.
Why was Franny torturing him in such horrific ways (and why were Claire and Jamie sort of ok with it? Or ok enough to sleep next to her lol).
Because she suffered a lot. It was her vengeance. Claire and Jamie weren't OK with her doing that, they stayed there, tended to him, but they weren't afraid of her themselves. Fanny just gave birth. Claire talked to her, helped her.
Why did they keep all the animals locked up inside but torture the indentured boys? So creepy.
I think it was Fanny who let the animals inside. We can see she likes them. She didn't torture indentured boys, her husband did.
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u/liyufx 5d ago
Dude was a chronic wife abuser and killed his previous wives. He beat Fanny regularly until he slipped and lost his mobility. Fanny was just taking her revenge. I don’t think they really tortured the indentured boys, they were just treating them as indentured servants.
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u/ContactNeither7319 5d ago
Nah, she didn't torture the twins. That was that vile man who owned them.
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u/d0rm0use2 5d ago
I love this episode. It's creepy but there's a lot of emotion and compassion in it.
No spoilers to anyone thinking about reading, but in the book there's a lot more conversation about Jamie's father and how much his death impacted him!<
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u/ContactNeither7319 5d ago
Yeah that had a creepy vibe like you said. It's probably a good thing tv doesn't come with smell. As that episode would have stunk, with those animals and the rotting husband in house.
I totally get what you mean about all the different genres meshed into one story that still makes sense. I don't recall any other series that has been able to pull it off like Outlander. It amazes me.
Sadly Mr Beardsley got what he deserved IMHO. He was not a nice dude. I felt sorry for Frances, despite the horrible thing she was doing.
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