Outlander Emmy Watch: Is Lotte Verbeek now an underdog contender?

If we could make a list of Outlander actors CarterMatt wishes could appear on the show more, Lotte Verbeek would be ranked fairly high. After all, she plays one of the most interesting and terrifying characters on the entire series in Geillis Duncan. She’s reckless yet powerful, mysterious yet purposeful, and she is in some ways a mirror image to Claire Fraser. Both characters have been given the ability to travel through time, and yet they each handle it in entirely different ways.

We don’t think that anyone would proclaim Geillis to be a likable character following the events of Outlander season 3 episode 12 on Starz Sunday night — this is a woman who is seemingly murdering a number of young men and now has Young Ian firmly in her clutches. She also is circling a prophecy that could spell trouble for Brianna.

Yet, despite her many misgivings, there is something compelling about watching Verbeek as this character on-screen. A big part of it is that, like Claire, she is a survivor. She’s not a wallflower who just idles by in the past. She makes moves and controls her own fate and there’s something about watching that journey that is compelling. You want to understand her mind, her motives, and the serendipitous and fate-driven relationship she seems to have with Claire. Even though the two do not see eye to eye on just about anything, they do have this curious habit of continuing to collide with one another.

Verbeek plays Geillis in a way where you are compelled by her story and want to know more — she’s detached enough so that there are always so many lingering questions. You’ve also seen so many variations of her that there are constant curiosities when it comes to the through-lines. There’s so much more about her that we could learn if given the opportunity to do so.

Should Verbeek get a guest actress nomination for her work tonight? We do think that she presents a strong case for herself for how she weaves her way through scenes and takes on formidable characters such as Claire and even Lord John Grey. In general, Verbeek is one of the most underrated guest actresses out there — her work as Katarina Rostova on The Blacklist episode “Cape May” was also outstanding and very much different from the Geillis character. She’s shown that she can tackle mysterious characters and mysterious motives with ease.

Even more Outlander news from tonight

Whether it be a full review of tonight’s episode or a preview of the upcoming finale, you can check out all of it just by heading over to the link here.

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