Outlander season 3 and the curious case of Jamie’s hug
The moment occurs at around the 27-second mark in the new season 3 teaser, and this is admittedly something that we haven’t touched on too much as of yet. There was so much other stuff going on with the teaser (we’ve already written almost a thousand words on it), and there are a few moments as a non-book reader that don’t strike us in the same way that they do people with a vast knowledge of the source material. After all, there is another level in which readers can scour the teaser and identify key moments.
Since writing that article, we’ve started to take the temperature of the room (i.e. much of the internet), and realized even further just how significant this hug truly is. Specifically, it’s the who in it that is stirring up so much discussion. (Warning: There are some minor book spoilers ahead.)
One of the big prevailing theories at first regarding the hug was that he was embracing Marsali, Laoghaire’s daughter. However, this is a thought that was already debunked on Facebook by author Diana Gabaldon. (It makes some sense, given that Marsali may be a little older than the person in the hug appears to be when Jamie meets her.) Then, there was another theory out there that it was William, the son of Jamie and Geneva Dunsany. However, Gabaldon has also debunked that notion.
While it may be easy to assume that the person above is a young girl, the fashion of the time, especially for children of a certain age, was rather androgynous. Therefore, this could very well be a boy, and there is really no proof to suggest otherwise. This may be a small mystery in context of the larger story, but it’s an interesting one nonetheless since this embrace places Jamie within a specific frame of time.
We realize that as a non-reader, our input in bringing forth former theories is not going to be at the level of others. What we wanted to bring to you here is two names that you can rule out, and now, we want to hear from you. Who do you think Jamie is embracing here, and what do you think it means? Share some of your thoughts on the matter below!
Meanwhile, be sure to check out the rest of our Outlander coverage without further delay. (Photo: Starz.)
Elaine Ruys
April 21, 2017 @ 2:27 am
It is when Jamie has to say goodby to his son, William, who is about 5 at the time.
Kathy Nesper
April 21, 2017 @ 1:18 am
Friends, you’re sharing a lot of spoilers. Maybe say just enough for readers to grasp but not to spoil it for non-readers?
On second thought, I suspect it’s young William.
Matt Carter
April 21, 2017 @ 4:01 am
That’s why we put a warning in the piece that there were some book spoilers ahead :). We don’t tend to go down that road (I’m personally not a book reader either), but with this particular piece that sort of info was needed to decipher it.
Maggie Smith
April 20, 2017 @ 3:28 pm
It’s his illegitimate son William, Earl of Ellesmere, when he is saying Good-bye to him. Bottom of page 209.
Jennifer Paez
April 21, 2017 @ 8:11 am
I was going to say I thought it was one of Marsali’s daughters, but I think @maggiesmith is right. William. I’ve seen boys that young from that time period in that sort of getup before. (Not in person obviously, lol, but yeah.)
Cindy Fischer
April 20, 2017 @ 2:09 pm
I think it could be young William.
EauLutinSamourai
April 20, 2017 @ 3:44 am
The prevailing theory that I like is that it’s when he’s saying goodbye to family and tenants before being turned over to go to prison so that the money can go to his sister and such. So it’s got to be one of her kids-like the little girl that Claire helped birth before they left….
Helen
April 20, 2017 @ 1:39 am
Mary? In the cave?
Mary Fortin
April 21, 2017 @ 2:56 am
I wondered that too but the neck is just way too small.
Paula
April 23, 2017 @ 12:49 pm
I agree!! I think it is Mary McNabb giving him ‘comfort’ in the cave. During the time after Culloden, they were almost starving, so she was very thin. That would also explain his face…
Adrienne
April 20, 2017 @ 12:19 am
Williams mother?
Jessesgran
April 22, 2017 @ 7:43 am
Would be my guess too,
Morgan
April 19, 2017 @ 11:39 pm
Perhaps it’s Fergus?
Cee Valley
April 19, 2017 @ 9:27 pm
For all we know it’s yet another dream sequence, and it’s Jamie’s fantasy of being with the child he conceived with Claire.
pumpkinhead74
April 20, 2017 @ 1:37 am
I like this idea too. The show does seem to be big on flashback/dream sequences.
Jill Martin
April 19, 2017 @ 9:15 pm
I agree it’s wee Ian and the significance of this hug [i mean lookit Jamie’s face] is that at a very early age, they forged a life-long bond. No other child in the series [except Fergus, of course] carries on throughout the story. And that’s all I have to say about dat! :-)
Leyla Almas Bellydance
April 19, 2017 @ 8:01 pm
Maybe the woman in the cave, that Jenny send. Trying comfort Jamie?
Roxxy
April 19, 2017 @ 6:26 pm
Gabaldon has already debunked the theory of it being Masali or William. I think it is Laoghaire, remember Jaime marries the evil wench and there is a party where she goes outside and comes back in and sees the person she will marry and she went straight to looking to Jaime (who is a fool) who ends up marrying her. If I had been Claire I would never have forgiven him, I would have turned and left back to her own time to never return.
Anne-Marie R. Foster
April 19, 2017 @ 7:34 pm
Too small to be Laoghaire. And what was Jamie supposed to do? He thought Claire was lost to him forever and he couldn’t live as a monk. Claire lived her life without him, he lived without her, although I think Claire should have punched Jenny in the nose for her part in the pairing.
Cee Valley
April 19, 2017 @ 9:29 pm
Or punched Jamie for not telling her sooner.
pumpkinhead74
April 20, 2017 @ 1:40 am
Or beat the tar out of Laoghaire for being a devious little trollop!
Anne-Marie R. Foster
April 20, 2017 @ 3:46 pm
She sure has is coming! With everything she does to Claire, Jaime should have let her take her public punishment and added a few swats of his own – too bad it was before they knew what a . . . she is.
Anne-Marie R. Foster
April 20, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
I think she did, after she patched him up from Laoghaire shooting him. I thought Claire was decidedly unfair (she went back to Frank, after all), although since Frank was unfaithful, I think DG could have developed Claire’s motivation for the coldness on her residual anger over those circumstances compounding the betrayal over Laoghaire.
Cee Valley
April 19, 2017 @ 9:28 pm
Wow, your story would have been super-boring and short.
Roxxy
April 19, 2017 @ 6:02 pm
I think he was hugging Laoghaire. Hate the idea of him with that … UGH!
K D
April 19, 2017 @ 5:50 pm
Laoghaire?
Anne-Marie R. Foster
April 19, 2017 @ 7:34 pm
The bratty blonde who sends Claire to the village when Gellis is being arrested for witchcraft. She’s a constant thorn throughout the novels.
Nanci Parker
April 19, 2017 @ 5:18 pm
I agree I think it is Maggie in a flashback.
Ann Wootton
April 19, 2017 @ 4:17 pm
could be young Ian he does have a strong bond with him
Lisa Jones Chester
April 19, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
Must be one of Jenny’s girls.
ebmom123
April 19, 2017 @ 2:46 pm
I think it’s one of Jenny’s daughters as he leaves to go to prison…
Joyce Metheny
April 19, 2017 @ 2:42 pm
Maybe young fergus ?
Anne-Marie R. Foster
April 20, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
Except Fergus has curly black hair and the girl in the photo obviously has blonde or reddish hair.
Reb
April 19, 2017 @ 12:12 pm
I think it’s a dream sequence and he’s hugging his child with Claire.
Elizabeth Hicks
April 19, 2017 @ 12:47 pm
Don’t you think he’d be more in awe or happy rather than distant/sad?
Nanci Parker
April 19, 2017 @ 5:22 pm
I thought about that also.
Lillian Liles Sams
April 19, 2017 @ 11:24 am
My best guess is Kitty, wee Janet or Joan.
Stacey Knight
April 19, 2017 @ 7:00 am
Magie or kitty murray maybe as it a parent child type hug
Fab Camilla
April 19, 2017 @ 6:54 am
Wee Maggie,the wee lass Claire helped deliver right before t Jenny and Claire went searching for Jamie in ep 114?
Maria White
April 20, 2017 @ 5:32 am
I agree that it’s Maggie. Jamie has memories of Claire helping Jenny with Maggie’s delivery.
BATulip
April 19, 2017 @ 6:49 am
This is most likely the time just before Jamie goes to prison – all of Jenny’s children were still quite young – it’s obviously a child and a young one at that, it could very well be baby Ian (Jamie was in the cave for 7 years and baby Ian was born during that time). Guess we will just have to wait for that episode to air to find out for sure ;)
Cherry
April 19, 2017 @ 7:05 am
Wee Ian was born in November, 1752 and Jamie goes to prison sometime in 1753. Wee Ian would be less than a year old. The child in the photo is most likely Joan or one of Jenny’s girls.
Cee Valley
April 19, 2017 @ 9:32 pm
They could have pushed up his age a bit. It might be difficult for John Bell to pass as 14. He’ll be 20 soon.
pumpkinhead74
April 20, 2017 @ 1:44 am
Agree, his face looks 14 but he look about 6ft tall which would be unusual for a 14 y.o in the 18th century.
Kathy Nesper
April 19, 2017 @ 5:39 am
Hmmm…could be Mary McNab. I’ll say no more about why; non-readers will just have to wait to see!
Daniella Acciarito
April 19, 2017 @ 5:51 am
exactly who l thought it was too
Mc
April 19, 2017 @ 5:14 am
It’s one of his sisters bairns when Jamie came back from Hellwater. He was depressed and withdrawn emotionally so wasn’t used to any kind of affection. Just my opinion.
RubyBlue7
April 19, 2017 @ 3:45 am
It’s Young Ian and it probably happens before Jamie lets his tenants hand him over to the English in exchange for the reward. Young Ian is about 2-3 years old (and has blonde hair) then so it makes sense.
Cherry
April 19, 2017 @ 7:02 am
No, it is not Wee Ian. Ian was born in November, 1752 and Jamie goes to Ardsmuir sometime in 1753. Wee Ian would be less than one year old. The person Jamie is hugging is a girl, perhaps Joan or one of Jenny’s girls.
RubyBlue7
April 19, 2017 @ 7:19 am
In the books, yes, but there’s nothing to say that the show didn’t make him older. They’ve already changed Marsali’s from 14-15 to 18 because they were worried about potential criticism of a young girl marrying a 30 year old, so given Young Ian’s storyline, it’s not inconceivable that they moved his birth back a few years to remove the Geillis Duncan/paedophile issue.
That’s just my opinion, can’t wait to find out how it all plays out on the show vs the books!
Elizabeth Hicks
April 19, 2017 @ 12:46 pm
I had heard the thing about Marsali, but hadn’t thought about Ian/Geillis. THat makes a lot of sense.
RubyBlue7
April 19, 2017 @ 1:23 pm
And that’s why I assumed that he would be 2-3 when Jamie goes to prison. Plus if they left Ian’s age as it was in the books, the show wouldn’t be allowed to air until after 10 or 11pm in some countries and that would ruin their ratings.
Sara
April 19, 2017 @ 3:22 pm
The child above wears girlish cap which negates Young Ian, Willy or any other boy. I think it’s one of Jenny’s daughters. There is a scene in the book when Jamie comforts them while their mother is giving a birth to Young Ian.
BTW Ian lost his virginty back in Edinburgh, with one of prostitutes and Jamie’s acceptance.
pumpkinhead74
April 20, 2017 @ 1:29 am
Pretty certain the prostitute was also a teen and not a woman in her 40s like Geillis, but noone was talking about when he lost his virginity, I think they were just talking about the whole kidnapping young boys as (essentially) sex slaves thing. In Australia, that kind of thing will see a show moved to after 9:30. They moved a couple of season 1 eps for content reasons too. It’s called watershedding. And while it might not ruin rating when aired on Starz, it might ruin ratings for free to air networks in other countries who buy the broadcast rights to Outlander and can’t air it in a prime time slot because of content.
Sara
April 19, 2017 @ 3:24 pm
Forgot to add, did you forget that this show already had a scene of Randall raping 11 years old or so Fergus? And it aired normally I think.
Morgan
April 19, 2017 @ 11:40 pm
I don’t recall Fergus being 30 when he and Marsali married. I thought they were closer in age.
pumpkinhead74
April 20, 2017 @ 1:17 am
But wasn’t Fergus 11 or 12 during the Rising when Claire last saw Laoghaire and she wasn’t even married then? So Fergus must have been at least 14 when Marsali was born. Also, Fergus himself was worried that Jamie wouldn’t let Marsali marry him because he was so much older.
Jennifer Paez
April 21, 2017 @ 8:08 am
I don’t remember him being worried because he was too old, but could just be a lapse. Either way that age difference wouldn’t have been uncommon in much of the world even 100 years ago. My grandmother was 14 and grandfather in his 20s or even 30 when they got married…just saying…
pumpkinhead74
April 21, 2017 @ 12:40 pm
You’re preaching to the choir here, I was almost 18 when I met my husband who was 31 (he looked much younger, so I didn’t know), and that was only 15 years ago.
Problem is that regardless of the historical setting, people nowadays are always going to frown on a young teen marrying a much older man, and I guess it’s easier to let the critics have their way than to stay true to the source material.
If there’s a memory lapse, it’s probably mine, but I do know that Jamie gives the age difference as a reason why Fergus and Marsali can’t get married when they’re on the ship leaving France.
disqus_tWqh1lbpG2
April 20, 2017 @ 10:53 am
Nope, Fergus was sick ificantly older. Remember Claire was gone 20 years, and Fergus and Marsali got together after she got back.
ingeborg oppenheimer
April 19, 2017 @ 1:10 am
could it be the maid whose jacobite kinsman had killed himself – after jamie revealed this fact to her?
Joyce Metheny
April 19, 2017 @ 2:41 pm
That would be mary mcnabb.
ingeborg oppenheimer
April 20, 2017 @ 12:21 am
no, joyce – it was a maid in the helwater residence to which jamie had been paroled by lord john as a groom.
Mary Anne Gilles
April 19, 2017 @ 12:56 am
Could it be Joan the youngest girl of the brief marriage?
pumpkinhead74
April 20, 2017 @ 1:06 am
I think so too. And I bet she’s just called him “father” or something like that before hugging him. Look at his face. He looks equally anguished and freaked out, and who could blame him; he just had to walk away from a son he knows is his but can’t acknowledge, he (hopes he) has a child in the future somewhere with Claire that he thinks he’s never going to see, and yet the first person to call him dad is a child he’s not even related to? Of course he looks upset!
That’s my thinking, though the Young Ian idea has some merit too. Kids clothes were pretty androgynous until a child reached a certain age so it’s hard to tell.
MarieC
April 19, 2017 @ 12:47 am
I think it is a niece, though the look of anguish on his face, it could easily be William (minus the fact that William had dark auburn hair, and this hugger is definitely a blonde).
Cherry
April 19, 2017 @ 7:05 am
DG has already said it is motvWilliam or Marsali.
Joanie
April 18, 2017 @ 11:43 pm
It could be one of his sister’s children.