Outlander questions: How much did Frank Randall really know about Jamie?

As we get ready for Outlander Season 4, it’s worth exploring theories and questions fans have from the books. Considering Frank was a historian, just how much did he really know about Jamie? Here’s a look at important Outlander questions.

Outlander Season 4 is going to delve more into Brianna and Roger’s life, which means Frank’s memory will still be very much alive. We’re going to learn more about just how much Frank really knew about Jamie and some of the things he did. We may get answers to important Outlander questions.

Yes, this was a man who researched more about Jamie and Claire in the 18th century, despite telling Claire not to do any digging. Much of the initial research is uncovered by Roger when he’s going through Reverend Wakefield’s things. It’s only then that we truly get Frank’s side of the story.

Of course, there are going to be spoilers in this post if you haven’t read “Drums of Autumn.”

Did Frank really continue researching?

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In Outlander Season 3 (and in “Voyager”), it looks like Frank wanted to live in the present. He already had enough reminders of Jamie, so he didn’t want to do the research to gain anymore. However, as a historian, there was no way he was going to be able to let the past lie. I say that as a hobby historian, who loves researching people I didn’t even know. If I knew of someone in the past, of course I’d want to find out more.

In “Drums of Autumn,” Roger finds a letter to Reverend Wakefield from Frank Randall. This letter makes it clear that Roger researched Jamie and Claire, despite telling Claire not to look into the past. That research told him something extremely important: Claire’s story was true. While fans may be angry that Frank didn’t believe her at first without proof, we just have to look at the way Brianna initially reacted. It all sounded like fairy tales, so it wasn’t surprising that Frank didn’t initially believe his wife, but he was willing to pretend to get his wife back.

Brianna deserved to know her true heritage

However, Frank didn’t just research to hurt Claire. After all, he never let Claire know he was looking into Jamie and didn’t want to tell Claire that Jamie was still alive. He even had a gravestone created with Jamie’s name on it to look like Jamie had died at Culloden. Not only did he not want to lose Claire, but he didn’t want to lose Brianna. Yet, he knew Brianna deserved to know the truth about her own heritage.

The gravestone was to give Brianna something to eventually find. By finding it, Brianna could ask Claire for information and Claire could eventually tell the story.

In truth, Frank knew that Jamie had survived Culloden. It’s not clear if he knew anymore. Did he know what happened at Ardsmuir? How about the change of name to get him to Edinburgh? Or even Jamie and Claire being in the Colonies in the 1760s and later?

A letter that Brianna finds in a later novel, “Written In My Own Heart’s Blood,” certainly suggests that Frank didn’t do too much digging after finding out Jamie was alive. He knew Brianna’s lineage and believed she was the last of the Fraser line, which could be dangerous for her.

It’s an interesting look at events. While Frank may have been cold and awful to Claire, he wanted the best for Brianna. He wanted to make sure she was safe and ready for whatever life would throw at her after his death. His research into Jamie and actions later to help Brianna showed that. It’s going to be interesting to see how all that plays out in Outlander Season 4 and beyond.

Next: 5 best Frank moments from Outlander Seasons 1-3

How much do you think Frank knew about Jamie in the novels? What do you think will be included in Outlander Season 4? Share your thoughts and Outlander questions in the comments below.

Outlander Season 4 premieres in November 2018. Follow us on Twitter for more news and Outlander questions.