Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 19 breakdown

Foreshadowing within the Outlander chapter

There is certainly some foreshadowing within this chapter for both Fergus and Murtagh.

When it comes to Fergus, we continue to get this foreshadowing that Fergus will always be connected to the Frasers. He is so loyal to them, worried about Jamie as a son would be for a father who had been arrested.

We also get this hint that there’s far more to Fergus’s backstory than meets the eye. This is something we’re only just learning about in the books and the show hasn’t even covered it, but it’s clear from this chapter that Fergus is far more important than he initially seems.

As for Murtagh, the foreshadowing is death on the battlefield. When Murtagh is apologizing to Jamie, Jamie points out that good men die on battlefields all the time. It’s not a failing of the soldier. It’s a matter of war.

We know in the books that Murtagh dies at Culloden. In the show, the death was kept for Alamance. Either way, Murtagh dies in battle.

More importantly, he dies protecting Jamie. It’s clear the oath is important to Murtagh. Like Jamie, once he’s made an oath, he keeps it.

Adapting the Dragonfly in Amber chapter for the show

This was certainly a chapter adapted slightly for the series. However, events didn’t quite work out in the same way.

During Outlander Season 2, we don’t get to know everything about Fergus’s background from what I remember. I don’t remember much of a mention that his mom was one of the ladies at the brothel, although we do get to know that he lived there until Jamie employed him.

Fergus does stay up for Jamie, though. It’s something both Jamie and Claire comment on, saying to leave Fergus to sleep once he has crashed out.

Then there’s the brushing of the hair. This isn’t something we see at this moment, but it comes up after the loss of Faith. Fergus is there for Claire after that while Jamie is in the Bastille, and I always thought it was a beautiful moment.

As for the Murtagh scene, this does play out a little bit. It’s all about Murtagh feeling like he failed Claire and Murtagh. In the show, Claire and Murtagh’s relationship is much stronger than in the books (at least, that’s how I feel) and Murtagh takes the attack hard. He certainly promises vengeance.

They all just need to figure out who the men who attacked Claire and Mary were.

What did you get from your reading of Outlander Book 2, Chapter 19? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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