Hamilton Knox did kill a man and does side with the British, but that doesn’t make him a bad guy on Outlander Season 5. Here’s why he’s not. (Yet!)
It would be easy to view Hamilton Knox as a villain in Outlander Season 5. If not the most hated villain, it would be easy to view him as a bad guy, someone out to hurt our favorite characters. However, taking our love for the main characters out of the equation, he’s not actually that much of a bad guy.
Sure, he killed a man. However, who hasn’t on this show? Every character has made a mistake or done something that they later regret. And you could tell from the minute Knox killed the Regulator, Ethan, that he regretted the action. He never meant for it to go that far.
That’s what stops him from being a villain. While he is following orders from Governor Tryon, he’s doing something that he believes in; he’s fighting for a cause he believes in. Nurture plays a huge part in this. He’s been raised to view the world in a certain way, and it’s not going to be easy to get out of that mindset.
There are moments when Jamie and Knox could get along. Knox has a respect for Jamie that many other British Army officers probably wouldn’t. He sees the way that Jamie commands trust and the way Jamie gives men the confidence to follow him. This is something Knox would clearly love, and instead of forcing it on Jamie’s men, he watches in awe and praises Jamie for the ability to do such a thing.
It’s not like Knox is the first British officer we’ve come across with a dislike towards the Regulators. Lord John Grey shared his dislike for them during Outlander Season 4, and we’re certainly not vilifying him for that view. In fact, when you look at what the Regulators are capable of, sometimes it’s hard to be sympathetic towards them.
Of course, things could change for Knox. He could decide that killing the Regulators without a trial is the best way to go. However, right now, he’s scared but wants to do the right thing. He has sent Jamie off to build a militia the size of an army to protect everyone against the Regulators. It will be interesting to see if the fear could lead to him doing anything that will make him a bad guy.
