A moment in the Outlander Season 5 trailer that shocked people the most was Jamie in the British Army uniform. Why would he wear it?
There was a moment in the Outlander Season 5 trailer that certainly had everyone shocked. It was jarring to see Jamie wear the bright red uniform of the British Army. While there are debates over whether it’s a spoiler or not, it’s raised a question: why would Jamie do such a thing?
Dougal would be turning in his grave! Let’s be honest; there’s absolutely no way that Dougal would have guided Jamie into wearing that thing. After everything the Highlanders stood for and lost, it could be seen as a betrayal. But there are plenty of reasons why Jamie would wear it.
It’s not quite in the books. To be honest, “The Fiery Cross” doesn’t go into the details of the clothing of the militia, except that items would be bought by the head of the militias with the hopes of being reimbursed later on. Roger brings up a question of how everyone knows who is on each side, which suggests that Jamie is certainly not wearing the uniform of the British Army. I’m sure if he was, Roger or someone would have said something.
So, it looks like a suggestion just for the show. And it was a suggestion made by Sam Heughan. He must have felt while other members of the militia may not have warn it, Jamie might have done.
Jamie is a colonel
During the Outlander Season 5 trailer, Governor Tryon makes a note that Jamie is a colonel, a rank given to him as the head of a militia. That could be a reason to wear the uniform of the British Army. It marks him as that higher rank, a leader of his men.
Plus, we have to remember that he’s made an oath to serve the British Army. The only way he got his land was to make an agreement with Tryon, which involves following orders. For all we know, Tryon orders Jamie to wear the uniform as a mark of allegiance.
We’ve got to remember that the British would wear their uniforms with pride. Tryon wouldn’t necessarily want to diminish Jamie’s love of his own heritage but instill that pride for the British within. At the same time, he gets to test the loyalty because there’s absolutely no way that Jamie would want to wear that uniform.
It could be just for show
While in a novel, we’re left to our imagination. We get to picture something written on the screen, and we will always all picture something different. Nobody has the imagination we do to transform those words into pictures in our minds. However, a TV show has to be a little more direct, and that means showing through the pictures instead of through descriptions.
The last thing the show would want is for people to get confused about who was on either side. To help with that, the militia (or at least the heads of the militias) could be put in the British Army uniform as a way to make it easier for the viewers to know.
It also takes a little out of the show, the focus on how to tell the difference. The writers are able to cut out a part of the novel easily, focusing on the main storylines within.
The need to find out more
While it was jarring, the moment in the trailer was also intriguing. Hands up if you now need to know why Jamie is wearing the uniform? It’s going to keep me watching each episode, figuring out when it happens, why it happens, and how Jamie (and others) feel about it.
This is going to be a major, dramatic moment. I get a sense that it will be towards the middle or end of the season, too.
Why do you think Jamie would wear the uniform of the British Army? What did you think when you saw that moment in the Outlander Season 5 trailer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
