Outlander season 5 and the pivotal Murtagh question
For the time being, there are few other people within the world of this show that generate the same question marks that Duncan Lacroix’s character does. We don’t need to remind you at this point that he’s already dead in the books, but that is certainly what makes him such a curious addition to the series. Is his role a remixed version, in part, of some book characters not on the series? Sure, but that doesn’t mean that there is still an air of ambiguity within his future. He could live or die through the end of season 5 and the series has some flexibility that they don’t have elsewhere. Obviously, they’re not killing one of the main Frasers so soon unless they really want to incur the wrath of fans on an unprecedented level.
With Murtagh, things are a little bit different. The main reason why he was kept alive following Culloden was due to a larger purpose the producers felt he had with the Frasers — he was effectively a part of their family unit and through season 4, a good bit of that larger purpose became all the more clear. He’s added a tremendous amount of emotional turmoil to what is transpiring with the Regulators, and that’s a storyline that is proving essential entering season 5. Sure, if Murtagh wasn’t there, Jamie may still have some investment in them. They are Scots, people from his homeland, and characters he would want to protect. Yet, it’s the idea that one of them is one of the most important people in his life that changes the game — it puts him at odds with Governor Tryon, even though this man is responsible in part for the mere existence of Fraser’s Ridge.
Could Murtagh die in season 5?
That has to be a major concern, mostly because the longer he survives, the more the show could end up diverting from the books, depending on how they use him. Also, you could argue that the death of Murtagh could be a catalyst in forcing Jamie to choose a clearly-defined side in the Revolution. More than likely, he’d side against the British regardless, but he may opt to show his allegiance for as long as possible. Losing a character like Murtagh could add fuel to his fire to get vengeance and take down the oppressors — it also helps that Claire knows how the Revolutionary War goes and it certainly benefits her and the whole family to be on the right side of history.
As for whether or not we want to see Murtagh go, that’s a totally different story. At this point, it should be very much clear that he is a central component to the Outlander story and a man we don’t want to see going anywhere in the future. He’s funny, heartfelt, and he understands the bond that Jamie and Claire have. There’s no replacing him, and if he does ever go, a void will remain that cannot be filled. Losing Murtagh in season 5 would be a dagger … but we have to prepare for a few daggers along the way. Outlander may be romantic, but we can’t also lose sight of this being a brutal story that does not avoid real-life traumas.
Are you worried that we could lose Murtagh during Outlander season 5?
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Photo: Starz