Governor Tryon is the one that wants Jamie Fraser to wear the British Army uniform in Outlander Season 5. Does it show his insecurities in his leadership?
One of the biggest questions that came from the Outlander Season 5 trailer was why Jamie would even consider wearing a British Army uniform. It was a shock to see him dressed that way, and we now all want to know how it all plays out. It’s clearly an order from Governor Tryon, but does it suggest that he is insecure about Jamie’s loyalty?
TV Tango shared the questions asked during the STARZ winter TCAs at the Outlander panel. One of those was about Jamie wearing the British Army uniform, something that Sam Heughan had wanted to see happen. It’s not quite in the books—although the books never really describe the clothing Jamie wears during the Battle of Alamance or other major moments like this—but was something important to Heughan.
During the interview, some spoilers were revealed. One of those is that Governor Tryon is the one to order Jamie to wear the uniform. It’s a way for Tryon to test Jamie’s loyalty. That, to me, suggests that Tryon is worried about Jamie’s keeping his oath.
In the promo, we do see Tryon tell Jamie that it is time to fulfill that oath. It’s clear that Jamie hasn’t made progress in finding Murtagh yet (which isn’t all that surprising considering what we already know) and Tryon won’t be happy about that. As this drags on, it’s understandable that Tryon will start to doubt Jamie’s loyalty. He would want to test Jamie because of those insecurities.
There will be part of Tryon that knows Jamie would never want to wear the uniform of the British Army. He doesn’t know everything that happened to Jamie, but he’ll know enough. After all, Jamie was a Jacobite and fought against the British at Culloden. This knowledge would likely be enough to cast doubt on Jamie’s loyalties to the Crown now.
By testing Jamie, it gives Jamie the chance to give up everything. Of course, that would mean Jamie would be branded a traitor to the Crown, which would be a death sentence. There would have been no fair trial back then. Jamie’s entire family would be at risk. Jamie has to make a choice.
Why do you think Tryon would force Jamie to wear a British Army uniform? What do you hope to see in Outlander Season 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Outlander Season 5 premieres on Feb. 16 on STARZ.