Happy birthday, Lauren Lyle: Hopes for Marsali on Outlander Season 6

Looking at hopes for Marsali to celebrate Lauren Lyle’s 27th birthday

Today is an exciting day in the world of Outlander. It’s Lauren Lyle’s birthday.

(It’s also Caitlin O’Ryan’s birthday, but we have a separate post for that coming!)

Lauren Lyle has become Marsali Fraser for us. She is a woman of her time, but she also shows some signs of being a woman ahead of her time. We saw a lot of growth for the character in the fifth season, so there are a lot of hopes for Outlander Season 6.

To celebrate Lauren’s 27th birthday, that’s what we’re looking into now. This is what I’d love to see for Marsali in the next season.

(Note: This doesn’t necessarily follow the book storylines but about the TV show character.)

Continuing her journey as Claire’s assistant

I adored the fact that Marsali became Claire’s apprentice during Outlander Season 5. Brianna was clearly not interested in medicine, but Marsali would have likely been a great nurse or doctor if she was in the future. As a kind and considerate woman who wasn’t afraid to butcher animals, it was understandable that Claire chose Marsali to be her apprentice.

We had already seen some of the growth in the bond between Claire and Marsali. By Marsali becoming Claire’s apprentice, that growth was able to continue even more. It got to the point where Marsali called Claire “Ma,” something that would likely have Laoghaire fuming. Could you imagine?

So, I want to see this continue. The question is whether it can. Not only do we likely have the Malva storyline but there’s something else I’d like to see after the Outlander Season 5 finale.

The guilt for murder

Is Marsali going to hell? That’s something she worries about after killing Lionel Brown. After all, as evil as this man is, she chose to take his life.

Of course, Lionel would continue to put the Fraser family in danger. Yes, it’s caused a rift between the Browns and Frasers, but Lionel being left alive would have been far more dangerous for all. Marsali was willing to protect her family by killing him, so in a way, it’s self-defense.

However, that doesn’t mean Marsali is going to accept that. What I’d like to see on Outlander Season 6 is her showing a little fear of what her actions mean. I don’t think Jamie saying she isn’t going to hell would be enough to stop her fearing it.

We know that her fourth baby is going to be born. This will be Henri-Christian if the show sticks to the books, a dwarf. Marsali is fearlessly protective of her son, but we’ve got to remember the time. Could Marsali fear that she’s being punished for her actions? That’s something I’d like to see explored, reminding us that Marsali is a woman of her time.

More bonding with Brianna

One thing I was happy to see on the fifth season was a little bonding between Marsali and Brianna. It’s clear that most of this happened off-screen. Considering the time jumps, that’s not all too surprising.

I’d love to see more of it happen on-screen, though. Marsali was upset that Brianna and Roger were leaving for Boston. I’d like to see a conversation between Marsali and Brianna now that the two are sticking around. I’d also love to see a little time for the children to play together, allowing for more bonding between the two women.

Female friendships and female support are important for TV shows. We’ve seen a lot of it between Brianna and Claire in the fifth season, but now it’s time for Bree and Marsali to bond.

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More screen time for Marsali and Fergus together

Outlander Season 5 was brilliant for Marsali’s growth, but Fergus didn’t get enough. Something that I’d love to see more of is Fergus during Season 6. More importantly, I’d love to see more of Marsali and Fergus together.

When Marsali gave birth to Felicite, Fergus was the only adult there to help. He was the one to birth his daughter, and I do think something like that would bring the couple together more. Marsali sees Fergus as her protector and her partner in life. Fergus got to see the strength women have to show during childbirth, while also getting to do something that men of his time would never do.

Plus, we know that they support each other. The books get the time to go into that in more detail. With Henri-Christian coming, we need to see Marsali and Fergus together and their bond as strong as it is during Outlander Season 6.

Happy birthday, Lauren Lyle!