Claire and Jamie
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Why have some Outlander Season 4 episodes not included Claire and Jamie?

By Alexandria Ingham

Outlander -- Courtesy of STARZ -- Acquired via STARZ Media Center
Outlander -- Courtesy of STARZ -- Acquired via STARZ Media Center /
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Claire and Jamie were in all of about 10 seconds of Outlander Season 4. In Episode 7, they weren’t in at all. Why is that when it’s their story?

Diana Gabaldon has always said her books are Claire’s story about Jamie. The showrunners of the series keep saying that the show is Claire’s story. However, episodes of Outlander Season 4 haven’t included any Claire and Jamie at all. Why would that be?

The most recent episode included them for about 10 seconds and they didn’t say anything, bar Jamie’s voiceover as Lord John Grey read the letter to Brianna. In Episode 7, neither appeared at all, although they were mentioned plenty. So, why would the showrunners cut out the two characters?

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Those who have read the books will know that Claire and Jamie aren’t in every chapter. This is the point where the books expand considerably. While it started in “Dragonfly in Amber” and continued slightly in “Voyager,” it’s in “Drums of Autumn” that some of the focus moves onto Brianna and Roger and that eventually leads to other characters’ perspectives.

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Watch Outlander with a FREE 7-day trial of Amazon Channels! /

While the stories are still Claire’s of Jamie (she is still the only first-person narrative in the books), the other characters start to take more of a focus. That’s what’s happening in the show. The storylines are expanding and other characters require more time.

Outlander is starting to become more of an ensemble cast. Not only do we have Brianna and Roger’s storylines getting more focus, but Fergus and Marsali’s, Young Ian and Rollo’s, and even Murtagh’s storylines (in the show only) will need to grow more. They’ll need more time to develop because there’s nothing worse than two-dimensional characters on TV.

Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ — Acquired via STARZ Media Center
Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ — Acquired via STARZ Media Center /

One fan in a Facebook group recently worked out that Briann and Roger (whether on their own, together, or in scenes with Claire and Jamie) take up more than 50% of the book. So, they would naturally need to take up more than 50% of the show. Yet, Claire and Jamie did get two episodes that were just them. There were other episodes that focused more on them than anyone else.

It’s not that the show is forgotten about its roots or even about the books. Outlander is growing just like the books have done.

And I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize how little Claire and Jamie were in the last episode, which is ironic for a site with their names in the URL. I was so pulled into Roger’s and Brianna’s storylines that I didn’t feel like anything was missing for that episode in particular. I didn’t need to see more of Claire and Jamie wandering the forest.

Next. 15 best Claire moments in Outlander in 2018. dark

Did you feel like something was off in Outlander this week? Would you like more focus on the main couple? What do you think about the growing cast? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander airs its Season 4 finale on Sunday at 8/7c on STARZ.

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