As we start to get ready for Outlander season 8, we can’t help but look back at some of the past storylines. That’s especially the case after getting the prequel series, and meeting some of the younger versions of characters already love (or hate).
Arch Bug is one of those characters on the hated side, and it doesn’t matter if we look at him from Outlander or Blood of My Blood. As for Murdina, it’s a little harder to full-on hate her, but she did stand by her husband and remained loyal to him all the way to the end of her life. In fact, she clearly believed that the two of them were owed that French gold.
However, Murdina was still sweet on Jemmy and other children, making it clear that she could have been a wonderful grandmother. Yet, she didn’t have children of her own, and it’s time to delve into that arc.
Murdina couldn’t have children in Outlander
We learned in both Blood of My Blood and Outlander that Arch and Murdina tried to have children, but they couldn’t. Arch shared with Henry that his wife had had miscarriages, and in Outlander, Murdina explains that while she wanted to have children, she couldn’t.
In fact, Murdina went to a woman who was supposed to help grant her desire to have children. There was just a warning about this. If Murdina had children, then Arch would die young, and that was something Murdina definitely didn’t want to see happen. In the end, she chose a childless life with her husband, and it’s possible that this led to them becoming the people they eventually became.
It’s not clear why Murdina couldn’t have children
One thing the series didn’t go into was why Murdina couldn’t have children. This never came up in conversation with Claire for her to share her medical opinions about it, but there are a few theories out there.
The first is that she just couldn’t have children. There are many woman who can get pregnant but can’t keep their children for one reason or another. In fact, Downton Abbey focused on this with both Mary and Anna, leading to surgical help to ensure both carried to term. There wouldn’t have been that sort of help or even understanding in the 18th century.
There is also the theory that an earlier miscarriage caused health problems later that nobody knew about. This could have led to her having difficulties in carrying a child to term, and we know she had four miscarriages in the space of a year, which would have been heartbreaking.
In the end, she chose Arch, and I don’t really blame her, considering the time period. As much as I don’t like the characters, I do feel for Murdina on a human level.
Outlander is available to stream on STARZ.
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