#TT: Jamie Fraser’s transformation over the 20-year separation in Outlander

He needed to be rebuilt

Throughout the 20-year separation on Outlander, Jamie had become a broken man. Losing Claire, losing Culloden, and not getting to die on the battlefield all affected him initially. Then he had to have his family do the one thing they never wanted to do: turn him over to the English.

While in prison he became the leader of the men and was reunited with people he’d fought beside, but he was still lost. He was half the man that he once was, as his soul was breaking. Then Helwater finished him off.

It was only when he married Laoghaire and found a footing in Edinburgh that he finally found a way to live; he found something to live for. Marsali and Joanie helped to rebuild him again. Fergus and Young Ian with the printshop helped him become someone new. They all helped him find this new identity, as he was rebuilt.

All these years and the upheaval would have naturally had an effect on future relations, even with the woman he loved deeply. It wasn’t surprising that he didn’t initially want everything to change right away. He was a scared man, who, of course, wouldn’t admit such a thing. He didn’t want to change his life in case he changed again as a person. This is a man who would have been afraid of losing it all again and breaking once more.

Eventually, he did find a way to make things work with Claire. He did find a way to adapt his life and gained the courage to move forward. That only came because he felt responsible for the loss of Young Ian. Without that and the ability to reconnect on the voyage to Jamaica, it would have been much harder for Claire and Jamie to reconnect.

Next: 5 best Jamie moments in Outlander Season 2

What did you think about Jamie’s transformation over the 20-year separation? Did you look at if from the fact they were separated for two decades (rather than the minutes the book and show made it look)? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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