From The WSJ:
Warning: This article contains major spoilers from tonight’s episode of “Outlander,” “The Hail Mary”
Read more after the jump!
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When “Outlander” audiences were first introduced to Mary Hawkins this season, the character wasn’t much to write home about. The sheltered daughter of an English baronet, Mary was living in Paris, preparing for her arranged marriage to an elderly French aristocrat, and balking at the repellent idea of sexual relations. But as she developed a tight friendship with Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe), Mary’s integral role in the story became more evident, the teenager eventually evolving from a stuttering, meek aristocrat to a shamed rape victim to an empowered woman capable of slaughtering her assailant.
In tonight’s penultimate episode, aptly titled “The Hail Mary,” Mary’s story came to its conclusion, as the young girl took her rightful place in the Randall family tree as the wife of Capt. Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies), securing the future of Black Jack’s descendant (and Claire’s 20th-century husband), Frank Randall (also played by Menzies). But as it turns out, the marriage to the ruthless but pedigreed Black Jack was merely to ensure the protection and legitimacy of Mary and her unborn child – a baby fathered not, as Claire had always presumed, by Black Jack, but by his kinder, gentler brother, Alex Randall (Laurence Dobiesz), who died of tuberculosis shortly after the marriage ceremony took place.
Needless to say, there was much to discuss about Mary Hawkins’s narrative, so actress Rosie Day called up Speakeasy from her family’s Winchester, England, home to chat about her character’s season-long transformation. Although Mary’s story may have ended, Day has been keeping busy since wrapping on “Outlander.” Prior to getting on the phone, the 21-year-old had spent the day recording her voice role in the BBC’s upcoming remake of “Watership Down” (“The terrifying cartoon rabbit film”), which stars James McAvoy, John Boyega and Ben Kingsley.
An edited transcript of our conversation follows:
What was your reaction when you found out that instead of Jamie – as in the book “Dragonfly in Amber” – Diana Gabaldon (who wrote episode 211, as well as authored the “Outlander” novels) had Mary kill her rapist, Albert Danton?
I loved it, because when we were filming [the Paris scenes] in Prague, we were talking about what was going to happen when Mary came back [for the Scotland episodes]. We had the swords on set that day, and everyone was playing with them. And I said to [co-executive producer] Matt [Roberts], “I want Mary to have a sword! I want her to kill someone! Like, girl power!” So when I read [the script] I was so excited, because I’ve done some killing before in some films and it’s actually really fun to do – as awful as that sounds – it’s quite fun to show.
Read the entire article at the source
Great interview. I find it fascinating to hear what actors think about the roles they are playing. Rosie Day is an astonishingly riveting actress for someone so small in stature. She really fills a scene, always interesting to watch wherever she may be on her character’s developmental arc. She made Mary’s journey a memorable one.
As with all episodes this season and the last, I’ve loved every minute of the journey and although we as the readers knew about Mary, Alex, the baby and that evil brother of his, we knew who the baby’s father truly was. Claire just had to find out. And Murtaugh. ..although we knew what was to come…his offer to marry Mary was so noble and sweet. And poor Mary..loved seeing how far she has come, it’s just soooo sad she had to marry Black Jack Randle and lose the love of her life in one night..let’s just hope she left her alone during the short time they’re married before he gets what he deserves for being such an evil person, especially for what he did to Jamie and to bring it up to Claire! I wanted to beat the crap out of him…but soon, he’ll get his..
Pinned onto Outlander the Series.