Outlander season 3: The Mr. Willoughby presentation discussion
Before we get any deeper into this article, we should begin with an important note for those new to CarterMatt: We’re not in the book-reader crowd. Therefore, we don’t have the experience of seeing this character as presented within the Voyager source material and what people like/don’t like about him. Obviously, we can do research, and through that we’ve certainly heard concerns about the character’s portrayal. Add to this some recent quotes from executive producer Maril Davis to PopSugar about this character and some of what he brought to the table:
“There was a ton of discussion about Mr. Willoughby, because I love Mr. Willoughby, but I totally recognize that there is some very offensive stuff in the books. We talked so often about how are we going to deal with this and still be able to include him? Because it felt like a loss not to.”
Davis added that the writers opted to “strip away some of the things [they] found uniquely offensive” to make him more palatable to the show.
After reading all of this, we could find ourselves in conflict somewhat with what we want from Mr. Willoughby as opposed to what the character may actually be within the show. To us, what fascinates us about the man is that he comes from a very different walk of life than virtually anyone else on the show. When you stop in to consider it, there are very few characters with diverse backgrounds on Outlander — a function mostly of the show’s setting and time period more so than anything else. (The show tries to be realistic in its demographics.) This uniqueness is one of the things that makes the character of Joe Abernathy special, and he shares something with Claire in that regard. Both have an experience that few can relate to and stand out in a room of doctors for reasons they have no control over.
The way we want to perceive Mr. Willoughby is fairly similar. Claire may take an immediate fondness to him because he is this rarity: A man from the other side of the world who looks and sounds different from everyone else in Scotland. On some level, she can relate to that and form a bond with him due to this outsider status. He brings with him a new perspective and way in which he views the world. Yet, he could also be a thorn in Jamie’s side and if he becomes a detractor to the character’s well-being we could find ourselves having to reconcile expectations and reality.
We’re sure that the show will still cover the spirit of the book character and his arc, even if they choose to break here and there from the source material.
Following his debut, is there anything that you want to see in regards to Mr. Willoughby on Outlander moving forward? Share now in the comments below!
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Outlander Kat
October 23, 2017 @ 7:52 pm
Mr. Willoughby is a great character. In the books he is a “stereotypical looking” Chinese man, which could have offended some viewers. However, if you were to look at pictures from the time period, they did dress in “pajama looking” outfits and many had a shaved head with a ponytail, this was reality, not offensive. But I understand the producers not wanting to distract from the Outlander story by making the character a stereotype. What he looks like or wears for clothing will not distract from the real issue of “who” he is, and the secrets of his past. Gary Young portrayed him perfectly in Episode 306 and I am looking forward to his part in the story as we move on in “Voyager”–Episode 306 was Fantastic
Matt Carter
October 24, 2017 @ 3:34 am
I agree with your assessment of 306! Appreciate your insight as a book reader