Outlander season 4: How Jamie, Claire cope with their American life

When one door closes, another opens. With Outlander season 4, that new open door just so happens to be America. The story in Scotland, at least for Jamie and Claire, is done for the time being. It’s possible they will return someday (even book readers don’t know how all of this is going to end!), but for now the focus of the show is on these characters discovering who they are in this new world, one in the midst of tremendous change. The American Revolution is not all that far in the future, and we know that Jamie and Claire have a knack for finding trouble. Therefore, we imagine that this new environment is going to every bit as messy as their old one.

Those who have read the Diana Gabaldon book Drums of Autumn are aware of some of what is coming for these characters — and we’re also planning something fun to going along with that! Over the course of the weeks ahead, we will be posting speculation pieces about what should be coming up for everyone from Jamie to Claire to Young Ian to even Murtagh — we like to think of him as the grand equalizer, since nobody knows where that story is going. Given that we’re not a book reader, these should just be for the sake of seeing how our own thoughts about the characters line up with what is out there in the source material.

Let’s start the season 4 discussion with a brief tease of what this American story is going to be like. Newly-minted Golden Globe nominee Caitriona Balfe had the following to say to The Hollywood Reporter:

“Obviously America, we’re not shooting there, but it is such a huge part of the character of this season. The Native American tribes that Claire and Jamie end up living so closely beside, they form a great bond with their neighbors. That’s such an interesting element to this season and it will be really cool to see how they live side-by-side and they have an awful lot of respect for each other.”

The Native American experience as told through Outlander is fascinating to us, given that there are so many shows out there who have not done it justice. There’s an opportunity here to experience their culture through an interesting lens. Claire understands more than anyone else in that time the full extent of the harm done to some of these tribes; she could be a sympathetic figure or a friend. She’s not imperialistic in the way that so many are around her. Having the understanding of history may be valuable.

What else lies ahead for Outlander at CarterMatt?

As you know, the end of the season doesn’t mean that we’re done with Outlander in the slightest! We still have a finale ratings piece to do, an overall review of the entire season, and a few other pieces reflecting on everything from the show’s performance to its timeslot. Also, we’ll have some assorted season 4 updates as filming continues.

If you haven’t seen our 6th annual CarterMatt Awards, Outlander is nominated across a number of categories there! Be sure to check it out and vote for your favorites.

Did you miss the Outlander season 4 teaser?

If so, be sure to check that out over here! Also, you can like CarterMatt on Facebook for more insight on this show and others we cover. (Photo: Starz.)