Happy birthday, Sophie Skelton: What Brianna taught us from Outlander Season 4

Mar. 7 is a special day within the world of Outlander. Sophie Skelton and Tobias Menzies both share a birthday. To start today, we want to wish Sophie a blessed birthday and we can do that while looking at what Brianna taught us during Outlander Season 4.

Happy birthday, Sophie Skelton! The English actress shares a birthday with fellow Outlander actor (and her “Daddy” in the series), Tobias Menzies. There will be a post for him later today, but for now it’s all about the young actress that stole hearts as Brianna Randall Fraser.

Brianna certainly went to hell and back throughout Outlander Season 4. Between breakups, being raped, finding out she was possibly pregnant with her rapist’s baby, and meeting her biological father, Brianna’s life was turned upside down. While there may have been some angry at her actions, Brianna taught us a lot about life.

It’s okay to be sure

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When Roger asked her to marry him, Brianna wasn’t certain. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Roger, but that she didn’t really know what love was. A young woman of her time, she’d seen her parents distant towards each other. It was clear that Claire didn’t fully love Frank but they remained together for her sake.

Then she had the knowledge that her mother thought she was in love only to realize that her soul mate was in another century. Brianna was scared to love someone and hurt them later. She didn’t want to potentially put Roger through the pain that Frank went through.

I admire her for making that decision. It’s something we can learn from — it’s okay to be certain of what you want rather than giving in for the sake of someone else’s happiness.

You can survive

Brianna went through a major ordeal in the past before finally finding her parents. Her trek through Scotland, dealing with Laoghaire, and everything with Bonnet were all just part of her journey, making her the woman that she is now.

Outlander Season 4 made it clear that it is possible to survive something like that. We’d seen it from Jamie’s point of view and now it was time to see it from Brianna’s. She went through months of trying to figure out whether it was her fault. The shame and guilt could have overwhelmed her but Jamie helped her through it.

And, in the end, she was able to face her attacker. She managed to gain closure for herself. Whether the baby was Bonnet’s or Roger’s, she was ready to raise it as hers.

Don’t give up hope

If you lose hope, you lose everything. That’s something that a lot of fiction teaches us. Brianna started to lose hope that Roger would return to her, but it was Lord John Grey who helped her realize that she shouldn’t give up on that hope.

Brianna managed to hold onto the chance that Roger would return. She was able to manipulate her life in a way that suited her and that handfasting to Roger. She could feel empowered and supported, especially with the help of Lord John Grey by her side.

However, it wasn’t just in that moment that she kept the faith. Throughout her ordeal to find her parents, Brianna held onto the hope that she would be reunited with them. She needed to hold onto the hope that she could warn them of the fire in the chance that she would save their lives.

Hope fuels us. Don’t give it up!

What did Brianna teach you throughout Outlander Season 4? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy birthday, Sophie Skelton! Here’s to another season of Brianna’s journey.