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Young Ian’s sacrifice makes him our Outlander #MCM

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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In the Outlander Season 4 finale, Young Ian made a sacrifice. He offered himself as a trade for Roger and that makes him our #MCM this week.

During the Outlander Season 4 finale, it looked like Claire and Jamie might be separated. However, it was Young Ian who would be separated from his family, making a sacrifice by trading himself for Roger Wakefield MacKenzie. While the trade certainly makes sense, it was a big step for the boy and that makes him our #MCM this week.

I do classify this as a sacrifice, and an honorable one. If it hadn’t been for the need to get Roger back, Young Ian would have never needed to offer himself to become part of the tribe. Jamie was willing to do it, but he did have the intention of escaping the tribe at the first chance he got. That was never in the back of Young Ian’s mind.

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Jamie makes a note of telling Young Ian to escape when he can, but Ian disagrees. He’s given his word and a man is only as good as his word — something that Jamie had taught many of us long ago. This is Ian’s chance to become a “man of worth,” something that Jamie has wanted for him from the very beginning and something Jamie didn’t think Ian would get the chance to be remaining in the Colonies.

Young Ian’s trade was for a man he didn’t even know, a man who he had mistakenly sold to the Mohawks. Had this been a trade for someone like Jamie, Claire, or even John Quincy Myers, it would have still been grand but not as grand as this moment became.

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

This sacrifice was actually for Brianna’s happiness. Despite offering to marry her because of the mistake he’d made and her baby, he knew that she just wanted Roger back. He would do anything to make that possible, including separate from the family he’d known to a new family. And he was willing to become a full member of that family.

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

In the end, you could see that joining the Mohawks was something he wanted to do. While it was a sacrifice, it was also an adventure for him. After spending months getting to know the Cherokee, he had now had the chance to get to become part of a tribe. He’d already gained a respect for one tribe and now it was time to make his mark in another.

The smile at the very end made it clear that this was an adventure he was excited to take part in. As a young man growing up, he was making his mark on the world and gaining a future he couldn’t have anywhere else.

Next. 5 reasons more Young Ian is so great. dark

What did you think of Young Ian’s choice to remain with the Mohawk tribe on Outlander? What are you excited to see from Young Ian in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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