Outlander season 4 finale top actor: John Bell’s best work to date
New Outlander video – Be sure to check out our full discussion of the finale episode in our latest video below! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube so you don’t miss out on our weekly Outlander videos (they will continue through the Droughtlander like last year) and check out our full Outlander playlist.
Every single performer we’ve mentioned above CarterMatt has recognized in a past edition of this article series, which makes us want to shift the focus towards John Bell. This is the first time we’ve recognized him as a Top Actor, and it is certainly for a worthy performance — it’s the best we’ve seen from him since his arrival on the show, as it represents the culmination of Young Ian Murray’s journey over the past season and a half.
When we first met Young Ian, he was in many ways still a boy — enthusiastic but inexperienced, naive, and in constant need of guidance. During the finale, he was the character solely responsible for keeping Jamie and Claire together. Were it not for his decision to stay behind with the Mohawk, the Frasers would have been separated once more. This was recognition of his growth into a man, someone willing to take personal responsibility and to sacrifice something for the sake of others.
The scene with Bell and Heughan within the episode was tear-jerking to watch, as we witnessed Young Ian offer himself to the Mohawk without Jamie’s knowledge, only to then inform him of the truth. It was heartbreaking but also determined — Bell brought so much earnestness to the moment, but also a firmness at the same time. This wasn’t a version of Young Ian who was looking for guidance or to be told what was right or wrong. Instead, this was someone telling Jamie the way things were. It was a stance that showed how much Young Ian has listened and learned from his past, and how Bell has used every single experience from his character to bring him to that moment.
While Bell did not have a great deal of screen time in the finale, at least in comparison to other actors, he made the most of it when he had it. The goal at that moment is to make you feel as though you are in Jamie’s eyes, and this is the last time you’re potentially going to see the Young Ian character. Book readers may know a different story (we have not read the books and we only talk about Outlander from a television perspective), but the performances need to throw you into that world without recognition of source material or the future. Thanks to Bell and Heughan, we were firmly there and that farewell meant something. It showed who Young Ian was, and the gauntlet scene after that showed another version of who he could be — an hero in his own right, someone who uses his instinct and his agility to be a natural part of the tribe.
We will see where the remainder of Outlander takes Young Ian, provided of course that the show does follow the books and continue to feature him. Based on the events of the finale alone, Bell has set the bar high.
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What performance from the Outlander season 4 finale stood out to you the most? Be sure to share in the comments. (Photo: Starz.)