It’s time for ‘Obsessenachs’ to say goodbye (Slán in Gaelic) to Outlander’s leading man Jamie Fraser. Compared to him, how could any real-life man compete?
Nearly 12 years after time-travelling historical drama Outlander began, it’s about to end. On Saturday (May 16), the last episode of the eighth and final season will wrap up the against-the-odds love story between Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). It will be the 101st episode – yes, really. (Does that mean I can say I’ve done 101 hours of research for this story?)
When Outlander began, Englishwoman Claire was on holiday with her husband Frank in Scotland after her time as a surgical army nurse during WWII. Observing a ritual performed by a group of druids at a circle of standing stones, she (accidentally of course) travels back in time, landing stranded in 1743. She marries Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser for practical reasons, then falls in love.
I watched Outlander in a somewhat weird way. While I was staying with my mother and stepfather, they were watching season three, so that’s when I started watching. Does anyone else remember how embarrassing it is to watch sex scenes with your parents? These sex scenes do not cut away early enough. At times I excused myself to ‘get a cup of tea’.
After season 3, I went back to watch the first and second series, then moved onto the fourth, and so on. In a way, I was time travelling. I also read most of the books.
The TV series is based on the Outlander series of nine novels written by Diana Gabaldon (there’s still one to come). While the show originally sticks to the events of the books, in later seasons there were many changes to make it work for the screen.
But no changes were needed to a certain character. Gabaldon wrote a woman’s perfect man in Jamie Fraser – played, well, perfectly, by Sam Heughan in the TV series.
By season 8, Jamie seems to have lived a dozen lifetimes, from Scotland to Paris, Jamaica to America. He’s found himself at some of the most harrowing moments in history, narrowly escaping with his life on multiple occasions (I think being Catholic makes him braver in the face of death).
A Rough Time
Here’s a rough timeline of his life experiences. If you haven’t yet watched Outlander but plan to – all seasons are available on Neon – please skip the bullet points.
- Arrested by the English for obstruction while defending his estate Lallybroch in the Scottish Highlands. Taken to Wentworth Prison, flogged almost to death. Escapes.
- Mercenary in French army for two years.
- With dispossessed clansmen, travelled the Scottish countryside, raiding cattle etc from the English.
- Marries Claire to save her from Black Jack Randall.
- Captured and tortured by Randall. Escapes.
- Move to Paris with Claire, as they try to prevent Charles Stuart from raising support for the (doomed) Jacobite cause to take the British throne.
- Pulled into the Jacobite rebellion, Jamie fights in the Battle of Prestopans. (Claire returns to the 1940s through the stones to save hers and their unborn baby’s life.) He expects to die, but wakes up on Culloden Moor.
- Hides for seven years in a cave from the Redcoats.
- Gives himself up to protect his family, returns to jail, speaks on behalf of the prisoners, and prison governor Lord John falls in love with him.
- Becomes a servant on parole, blackmailed into sex which results in a son who thinks someone else is his father.
- Returns to Lallybroch and marries neighbour Laoghaire, which turns out badly.
- Runs a ‘seditious’ printing press in Edinburgh, smuggling spirits on the side; we love a man who wants a free press and loves a wee dram. Claire returns after their 20 years apart.
- Moves to America and settles on Fraser’s Ridge.
- Drawn into the American Revolutionary War, fighting against the British in the pivotal 1799 Battles of Saratoga.
There’s much more, especially in America. But it’s time for the show to end – in my opinion there are too many side characters and side storylines, which interrupt the focus on Jamie’s and Claire’s lives.
I won’t spoil what’s happened in season eight so far, and I haven’t seen the final two episodes, but can Jamie – who’s been through so much so stoically – please catch a break and live happily ever after?
Is Jamie the Perfect Man?
Pretty much.
He’s muscular, six feet four, with blue eyes. And he sure can wear a kilt.
As for his hair, calling them flowing red locks canna sum them up (excuse my Scottish brogue). Here’s a description on a fan site:
“His hair is not the gingery sort of red, but rather a multitude of individual colors mixed together: auburn, amber, roan, cinnabar, rufous, copper, cinnamon, red and gold are all used to describe the strands of its unique hue, and it is often compared to a red deer’s pelt.”
He’s also charming. Funny. Determined. Brave. Protective. Dependable. Gallant. Selfless. Fair. Sincere. Confident. Moral. Decisive. Strong. Strategic. Patient. Not too proud to admit a mistake and correct course if needed.
A natural leader, he has a profound sense of honour and duty, won’t go back on his word, and steps up no matter the danger. But he also says ‘dinna fash’ (don’t worry) and creates innovative swear words.
He’s a father, adoptive father, uncle, mentor, and grandad air leth (of the highest calibre).
Jamie is emotionally mature, and vulnerable with his love for Claire. He acknowledges that she is, and treats her as, his equal. He saves her life multiple times. Once he scaled an exterior wall and appeared in an upstairs window wielding a gun and saying to Black Jack Randall: “I’ll thank ye to take your hands off my wife“.
No wonder official Outlander merch has the words ‘Mrs Jamie Fraser’ on a sweatshirt, t-shirt, mug and hat. A nightgown, t-shirts, beanies and slippers have ‘Sassenach’ on them. (Jamie calls Claire ‘Sassenach’).
Some non-official t-shirts created for sale say things like “put on a kilt and call me Sassenach”, and “my ideal weight is Jamie Fraser on top of me”.
Fair.
Obsessenachs
Outlander has its own Reddit page, r/Outlander. I’ve never visited it before, honest. I confine my swooning to watching the episodes.
One thread called “I can’t get Jamie Fraser out of my head” has 249 comments.
Here are some.
“I’ve read the books and watched the series. I feel a little silly but I’m completely obsessed. I’ve come to the conclusion that the character of Jamie is the perfect man because he was written by a woman who understands what a woman wants… someone strong and protective, tender and loving, not to mention handsome and passionate and a bunch of other things I can’t even capture in words.”
“I believe every woman needs a Jamie Fraser… sadly, especially in today’s dating world, that doesn’t even exist!”
“Really there should be a class action lawsuit with the way his character has ruined people for any other men.”
“I blame Jamie Fraser for my high expectation of men.”
“Jamie Fraser is literally my ‘hall pass’ and my husband is very well aware.”
It gets racier.
“I named my body pillow Jamie.”
“I call the people like us Obsessenachs. So many women are obsessed with him. I’m on my third reread of the books, and I have the show memorized. Every night when I go to bed, I put the first or second season on and let it play.”
“First time I watched, I was day dreaming and dreaming about him for weeks. I also had my husband learn to speak in a Scottish accent and one time we wore blindfolds while getting into it and acted out one of their scenes.” I imagine her husband dinna mind being Jamie Fraser.
“My daughter was conceived thanks the pep added to my step during my first watch of the series.”
Will the daughter ever find out?
Another Redditor reckons out that Jamie isn’t perfect, and she makes a good point.
“One of my favourite things about him is something you almost never see in dashing leading men in fiction: he is human, he is flawed, and he is simply a guy that does guy things. He farts, he scratches his balls, he gets lice, he stinks, he has weaknesses (his sea sickness, his insufferable grumpiness when sick or injured), and he isn’t always right. He isn’t iconic male perfection and that makes him more real and more attractive, not in spite of his flaws but because of them.”
Slán, Jamie Fraser.
*The final episode of Outlander drops on Neon, on Saturday May 16, at 4pm