Why did Malva cut off the Sin Eater’s fingers in Outlander?

Outlander Season 6, Episode 5 brought us more of Malva Christie’s story. What exactly is she up to with the Sin Eater’s fingers?

Malva Christie quickly proved herself to be a character to watch out for. She was fascinated by Claire’s knowledge of medicine, but it was soon clear that this wasn’t because of her eagerness to learn like Marsali wanted to. Malva has an ulterior motive.

We get a sense of that ulterior motive in each episode up to this point. However, it’s this episode that gives us a bigger look into what the youngest member of the Christie family is up to.

Did Malva make the love charm in Outlander?

During the episode, we see Malva walk up to a lone cabin. The Sin Eater is inside, but he’s not alive. Malva isn’t even that shocked that there’s a decaying body in the cabin. It’s clear that she’s seen this body before. Even the smell of a rotting corpse doesn’t bother her.

Whether she killed the Sin Eater or not isn’t clear. What is clear is that nobody else knows that this man is dead. That means Malva has time to do what she wants and needs to do. During this episode, it involved cutting off a finger.

Why would she do such a thing? We need to remember what Marsali said about the love charm she, Brianna, Malva, and Lizzie found. There were bones in the charm—human finger bones. It seems too much of a coincidence that we see Malva cutting off fingers from a dead body.

While the women are more than willing to initially blame Amy McCallum, it’s clear that another woman from Christie’s following is up to something. Malva is the one dabbling in witchcraft, making her much more like her mother than Tom would likely want to believe.

Who would the love charm be for? The promo for the next episode gives us a clue. Malva wants Jamie Fraser.

What do you think of how the show is adapting Malva’s storyline so far? What do you hope to still see in Outlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander airs on Sundays on STARZ.