Claire and Jamie are certainly the reasons why most fans started watching Outlander. Yes, watching. We’re focusing on the TV series for this post. The TV show brought some characters that the books didn’t, and it adapted some others in ways that only worked because of the actors.
Who made us stay for Outlander? It’s time to look at the five that we’re still drawn to this day.
Murtagh
Everybody needs a Murtagh. That saying is so perfectly true because just look at how things developed with Murtagh throughout Outlander. I know some people don’t like the changes that happened after Murtagh was saved from dying at Culloden, but I loved those changes because of how realistic they felt. They brought us more connection to the Regulators’ decisions and made us understand why good people could feel so disenfranchised.
However, it was from Season 1 that Murtagh pulled us in. He was loyal only to Jamie. He helped Claire understand the ways of Highlander life, but everything he did was for Jamie at the beginning. It wasn’t until Murtagh and Claire went in search for Jamie that he saw another side to her and treated her like a member of his family, too. It made it clear that people can change their initial opinions of people.
Rupert and Angus
Technically this is two people, but they count as one. After all, there isn’t one without the other. After the death of Angus, Rupert just wasn’t the same in Outlander Season 2.
These two brought the comedic relief to the series, something that was definitely needed. They gave us a look at how men could be in the time, but also that they had good hearts. You see, while they were sexist and misogynistic at times, they also protected Claire when she needed it. That fight in the tavern will always remain one of my favorite moments of the series, especially as Claire realizes that they were all fighting to protect her.
Mrs. Fitz
Just like everyone needs a Murtagh, everyone also needs a Mrs. Fitz. She was the mother of Castle Leoch, and you can’t say otherwise. Just look at the way she took Claire under her wing, even when everyone else believed she was a spy.
Mrs. Fitz loved helping people. She also took charge well and listened, but she didn’t allow people to waste time or take her for a ride. She was also a woman who knew when to go with her gut. While she didn’t really want to trust Claire’s treatment for her nephew when the priest believed he was possessed, she went with her gut and trusted Claire. After all, Claire had shown she didn’t want to do people harm, and that trust paid off.
Young Ian
The third season brought us some excellent new characters as the time jumped ahead 20 years. One of those was Young Ian, the youngest son of Jenny and Ian Murray.
Young Ian looked up to Jamie immensely. You could tell that from the first time meeting him in Outlander Season 3. Those puppy dog eyes and the way he brightened up when he found out Claire was back were just the sweetest moments. The best thing is the way he trusted his uncle. By Season 4, we saw a bond that couldn’t ever be broken.
Marsali
The third season also brought us Marsali MacKimmie, the daughter of Laoghaire MacKenzie MacKimmie. At first, she wasn’t someone we wanted to like, but she soon proved herself as a kind, caring, and loving woman. She was also a woman you did not want to mess with, bringing a piece of her great-grandmother, Mrs. Fitz, out.
Marsali stole my heart with the way she cared for Fergus on the ship. She never once cared that Fergus had lost his hand years earlier. To others he was just a cripple, but to Marsali, he was a good man she was deeply in love with, and that has shown time and time again. She is the one you want in your corner when it comes to hardship in life. She will fight for you.