Brianna didn’t get a lot of screentime in Outlander Season 3 being in just the first half of the season. However, she was a beautiful soul on the screen, making her our #WomanCrushWednesday for the day.
Outlander Season 2 introduced us to Brianna in the finale. The third season helped to develop her character more. As an only child who had just found out her father wasn’t actually her biological father, she was standoffish and troubled at times. It’s easy to overlook a major sacrifice she made that makes her a beautiful soul in Outlander Season 3. This is why she’s our #WomanCrushWednesday for the day.
While you may think of the arguments Brianna and Claire had, it was clear that Brianna was just a young girl struggling with the truth. After 19 years of believing that Frank was her father, her whole world turned upside down. Suddenly, she found out her parents’ marriage certainly wasn’t a happy one, time travel was real, and her biological father was an 18th-century Highlander. With all that combined, it’s not surprising that she decided to move out and drop out of school to find herself. Yet, she became a beautiful soul.
She opened up about her fears
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In “Freedom and Whisky,” Harvard held a memorial for Frank. It was in this moment that Brianna finally found the courage–yes, courage–to admit her fears and talk to her mom about them. The reasons for her lashing out became clear. She was afraid that Frank had always hated her and Claire had always resented her. After all, she was very much like Jamie.
Opening up made her human. She had the chance to show her worries; the worries that all of us would likely have had with the knowledge she’d gained. At no point was she angry at Claire once she learned the truth. She wasn’t moving out to be spiteful. This was a young girl who needed to find her way and she realized that way was with her mom.
She sacrificed her last living parent
Sure, Brianna was 20 years old by the time Claire had found real proof that Jamie was alive and had thought about returning through the stones. At 20, many of us were thinking about moving out or had moved out a few years earlier. But for most of us, we knew we had our parents just there to turn to.
I’ve moved thousands of miles from my parents, but I know I can get in touch with a phone call or Skype call. Brianna wasn’t going to have access to that. When Claire went through the stones, she was going to lose the only living parent she had left. After losing one parent, she was effectively becoming an orphan.
Yet, Brianna knew that her mother’s happiness was important. She knew that her father’s happiness was important. After Jamie had sacrificed his own happiness for the sake of Brianna, Brianna was able to do the same for Jamie. She did something many of us would struggle to do, all to put her parents’ dreams and wishes first.
She gave Roger what he jokingly said he wanted
Roger made the excuse of wanting an American Christmas when he showed up at the Randalls’ front door. It was clear this was a cover for the real reason he was there, but Brianna had listened. With everything going on, she’d chosen to find ways to give Roger his American Christmas.
Both are so sweet for each other, without them necessarily realizing. Roger bought “A Christmas Carol,” but it was Brianna who sat and read it with Roger, creating their first Christmas together and showing just how grateful she was to have him around. This was in a time of pain and loss, but instead of pushing someone else away–someone who had helped find a reason for Claire to leave–she pulled him closer.
She listened to her mother
Brianna could have easily just have overlooked some of the important items needed to time travel safely. Despite seeing time travel work, she could have lived in denial. Instead, she embraced it and listened to Claire. She spent time listening to the stories, even those that happened off-screen.
One of the most thoughtful moments was when she gave Claire gems. She’d remembered that gems were important to navigate through the stones and went out of her way to find them.
Next: Sophie Skelton talks Brianna in Outlander Season 4 [Spoilers]
Brianna can be overlooked in Outlander Season 3. It’s easy to forget her importance in Claire going back through the stones, but she made sure her mother was happy and sacrificed her own happiness to ensure that.
Is Brianna your #WCW? What did you love about her in Outlander Season 3? Share in the comments below.
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