Why Outlander worked without Claire and Jamie temporarily
Outlander Season 4 had no Claire and Jamie at all last night and it worked. Here’s why it was a good thing temporarily.
Outlander Season 4, Episode 7 was all about Brianna and Roger. Claire and Jamie weren’t included at all throughout the episode. According to the Inside the World, it sounds like this isn’t going to be the only time we don’t see our two leading characters.
The episode worked without them. Albeit only temporarily, the show worked with just a focus on the two younger leads. I know there are lots of people who don’t like the idea of no Claire and Jamie and have threatened to stop watching the show if it’s all about Brianna and Roger, but I’ve really enjoyed the change of pace and focus.
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While it is Claire’s story (the books are Jamie’s story from Claire’s POV, but the show has always been described as Claire’s story), the series has moved forward. Brianna and Roger have become more central characters in the books and the show has needed a full episode just on them. That’s especially the case for an episode like this.
Here’s why I believe Outlander worked without Claire and Jamie temporarily.
It mirrored Claire’s travel back through time
In a way, focusing just on Brianna and Roger mirrored Claire’s journey back through the stones in Season 3. When Claire traveled, we got an episode that was mostly about Claire, Brianna, and Roger. Jamie appeared at the very end, but that was only for the cliffhanger moment of Jamie fainting.
Season 4’s “Down the Rabbit Hole” was Brianna and Roger’s journey through the stones. There wasn’t the buildup, but instead the immediate life after heading through the stones. We got to see Brianna’s journey on the road alone and that despair as she twisted her ankle and never found someone on the road to catch a ride from.
For Roger, we got the journey from the harbor. Knowing where Brianna would go, we saw him go on a dangerous journey in the hope of finding his love.
More character development
Most importantly, an episode just focused on Brianna and Roger allowed for more character development. This has been desperately needed for some time now.
Had the episode focused a little on Claire and Jamie, there wouldn’t have been as much time to add another layer to these two characters. We’ve had been jumping between multiple locations and it would have meant another episode needed to show more of this long journey the two had to go through from the stones to the harbor.
The development allows for more connection to these two characters. We can feel more for them along this journey and understand more of their motivations and actions. This is the chance to get to know them better, getting us ready for more storylines that are just about them.
There’s no denying that I missed Claire and Jamie, but I enjoyed an episode on just this younger couple. While it wouldn’t work on a regular basis, every now and then is just right.
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What did you think of the episode just focused on Brianna and Roger? Would you be happy to see another episode without Claire and Jame? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Outlander Season 4 continues on Sundays at 8/7c on STARZ.