Episode 6 of ‘Outlander Season 6: EP Breaks Down Villains, Conflict

SPOILER ALERTThis article contains spoilers about the Season 6 premiere. “Outlander,”This was aired on March 6.

It has been nearly two years since Outlander’s fifth season ended. The episode was a somber and foreboding finale. Claire’s brutal assault by Lionel Brown (Ned Dennehy) and his gang of men was eventually avenged by Jamie (Sam Heughan) and the men of Fraser’s Ridge. Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) realize home is exactly where they’ve been this whole time, not in the future, confirmed by an unsuccessful time-traveling jaunt. In the finale’s last moments, a thunderstorm comes rolling over Fraser’s Ridge — the low rumbling signaling not just rainfall to come, but a revolution.

With the premiere of the sixth season, the long droughtlander ended on Sunday. Maril Davis, executive producer of this season, says that fans can still expect a sixth season despite the fact that it was reduced to eight episodes. “jam-packed”A series of episodes that will end with a cliffhanger. “It’s like a roller coaster ride. There’s not a lot of chances to breathe this season.”

Season 5 tension is addressed in the season opener. The season opener introduces new characters and conflict for Jamie and Claire to deal with. First, to shake things up: Tom Christie (Mark Lewis Jones), who arrives at Fraser’s Ridge asking if the offer Jamie put out for former Ardsmuir men to settle in the backcountry still stands. The premiere reveals how Tom met Jamie in flashbacks after being held at Ardsmuir.

“One of the reasons we wanted to start off with that Ardsmuir flashback is because we didn’t get to meet Tom in a past season, where it kind of naturally happens in the book. We wanted to set up their conflict,” Davis says. “Tom and Jamie are just such different people. Jamie is such a leader of men. It’s natural, that’s just what he was born to do. And Tom is not a natural-born leader but aspires to be one. I think there’s something so dangerous about a person who wants that position of power, but just doesn’t have the tools.”

Davis adds that Tom essentially resents Jamie for all he’s attained since getting out of prison — “a great love of his life, all this property, the admiration and respect of men.” As seen in their first few exchanges, Tom and Jamie’s ideologies are very different. Jamie agrees with Tom’s desire to build a church immediately, but Jamie is not so sure. “a meeting house.”

“That’s setting up a great conflict, both in terms of who they are as people, but also their ideologies about life. Jamie has to make it very clear in that first episode it’s his land, it’s his rules.”

Compared to the previous season’s villains, Davis notes Tom fits the title but not in the exact same way as Jonathan Randall (aka “Black Jack”), Geillis Duncan or Stephen Bonnet.

“I don’t even like to call Tom a villain, but he is technically the villain of our piece,” Davis says. “[Past antagonists] were very clear what their purposes were fairly early on. What makes Tom so dangerous is we really don’t know what he wants or what he’s after. Is he a villain? Is he not? That’s a great question to have as we go through the season.”

Someone who checks plenty of villain boxes and whose visit to Fraser’s Ridge disturbs the peace is Richard Brown (Chris Larkin), Lionel Brown’s brother. In the Season 5 finale, Jamie delivered Lionel’s body to his brother — not knowing that Marsali (Lauren Lyle) murdered him vs. him dying from his injuries. Richard seems fine with Lionel’s death, admitting he got what he deserved. Jamie is told by Richard that he will get his revenge.

Brown first returns in the premiere to intimidate Ian (John Bell) and Tom Christie’s son Allan (Alexander Vlahos) while they are out hunting, going as far as to tell Ian, who still wears attire connected to the Mohawk tribe he lived with, to dress in a more “civilized fashion.”Brown explains that he and his group of men have gathered a “committee of safety” — in reality, they’re scouring the area with the intent to blame Indigenous people for recent house fires and other incidents in the name of “justice.” Later, Brown arrives at Fraser’s Ridge to arrest Allan for stealing a powder horn. Jamie manages the matter and whips Allan for the theft, telling the Browns to go.

Davis says that while the Browns won’t be as prominently seen this season, Davis believes their importance will be. “ominous presence”It will be there. “Not only from a carryover from last season and obviously Claire’s traumatic attack, but their presence just is like a cloud over the Ridge. I think that’s what’s important,”Davis continues.

Richard Brown’s arrival, unfortunately, puts Jamie in a predicament. Jamie has been asked to serve as a representative for Indigenous tribes and British. He plans to decline this position. Jamie realizes that a very aggressive Brown will be his agent. He decides to accept the position. Jamie finds himself in a very unfortunate situation at the moment. He is likely to cross the political lines between the growing American rebels as well as the British.

“When you look back at the start of the series at Culloden, Claire knew how Culloden would end and they tried to change it,” Davis says. “Obviously, they weren’t successful. In this situation, they also know how it’s going to turn out. They’re not trying to change it. They obviously want that to come to pass. Jamie does know he’s going to have to be on the winning side. It’s just the right thing to do. It’s just, what’s the moment to do that and declare himself. It’s a very dangerous business to declare yourself a rebel.”

Another concerning issue with the Browns’ lingering presence is Claire’s ability to process her recent trauma. Brianna (Sophie Skelton), shares a tender moment of her mother’s grief during the premiere. “I am so glad you didn’t lose your heart and your spirit”Claire was also reminded by Claire that Claire used to tell people she was gay. “fine” after her sexual assault. Claire somewhat acknowledges the moment, but quickly changes the subject — a potential sign that she is coping, but not processing. Claire uses her new invention of anether to help her sleep during nightmares and traumatic flashbacks.

Davis acknowledges this “for anyone who has experienced a trauma like that, it never goes away” and with Claire’s character, the series wanted to explore that journey. While the use of ether was not in Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander”Davis points out that Davis has written novels. “we wanted to show more of her struggle”Claire can use ether to soothe her feelings.

“She’s coping, but coping isn’t enough. I think everyone is walking around on eggshells,”Davis continues. “They’re just wondering what’s going on and how they can help. And Claire is not one that can easily ask for help. She prides herself on being that way and juggling all these different things in life. We’re going to see over the season Claire starting to struggle with that. She thinks she can handle it. We’re going to start to see it unravel.”

Anyone who has ever watched “Outlander” over the seasons knows that if there is one person who can spot Claire’s vulnerability, it’s Jamie. However, this trauma and Claire’s handling of it may be one incident they struggle to discuss. “For a couple like Jamie and Claire, they’re so close, they communicate so well. And this is one area that they aren’t talking about. As we go on, it’s going to start to rear its head,” Davis says.

Davis also foreshadows that Claire’s good intentions to continue to work with modern medicine may put a mark on her by Tom Christie and his uber pious and superstitious group.

“Claire can’t help herself. I think that’s what makes Claire such a great character. She believes so much in what she’s doing in terms of helping people, certainly helping the women in this time. I think that’s what makes us love Claire, that she’s willing, even after all the trauma that went on in season five and what her ideas led to,” Davis says. “Now, they have all these new occupants on the Ridge. They’re very superstitious and wary of Claire. So it’s a great risk to Claire that she does this, but I think it says so much about her as a character that she’s willing to do it despite that.”

Davis says that there was discussion about the sixth season for the Frasers. “interconnecting themes of Seasons 4 through 6.”The major question for the fourth season was “what is home?”And the fifth season was “what will you do to defend that?”Davis, who is heading into the sixth season of television, says that there will be an overarching question. “what do you do when that home turns against you?”

Jamie and Claire have been there for their beliefs and for the causes they love. This may be their most difficult battle yet, Davis suggests.

“So much of this season, in some ways, parallels what’s happening in the world right now,”She said. “This idea of if you get a rumor going out there and it’s juicy enough or strong enough, it spreads like wildfire, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or not: It’s what is going to be believed. Jamie and Claire are finding very quickly that this home that they established, that they built and tried to open arms to welcome all these new people is going to start to turn against them as the season progresses.”