Outlander season 5: How will Jamie Fraser’s story as a father continue?

Given that today is Father’s Day here in the United States, it only makes sense to do an Outlander discussion viewing the show through that lens. It’s also fascinating to look at it through the lens Jamie Fraser, given that this is a character who hasn’t had much of an opportunity to be a hands-on father for most of his life.

While Jamie may be a leader, a husband, an adventurer, and so much more, there’s a lot of tragedy when you think about his life as a dad. He and Claire lost Faith during the show’s second season, and even after William was born in season 3, Jamie could never quite proclaim him to be his own. That’s why he had Lord John Grey look after him, and those two grew close while Jamie had to watch from afar. You did get to see he and Willie form some sort of connection during “Blood of My Blood” in season 4, but at the end of the episode, William still went off to be with were John. He didn’t have a chance still to experience fatherhood for an extended stretch of time.

The closest thing that you really had was with Jamie and Fergus, who he did form a close bond to from the second season onward. He may not have been a blood parent, but he certainly was a father figure to him helping to ensure his safety and security. That’s where we’ve seen Jamie hone his skills perhaps more so than anywhere else. Fergus seems to look up to him and we know that he’s going to be spending plenty of time at Fraser’s Ridge moving into season 5.

This season, overall, we’re going to experience Jamie as a father perhaps more than we ever have before. After Brianna’s arrival in season 4, he certainly experienced the highs and lows of being a dad to a 20th-century woman. His stubbornness got in the way at times and the same goes for his judgment. He wants the best for her, but he certainly doesn’t always know how to express that properly. It’s still going to be a learning experience for Jamie, and a part of what makes him such an interesting character is its fallibility. He’s going to make mistakes and he’s certainly not going to be perfect.

Yet, so long as he shows the right intentions and Brianna shows patience to go along with it, the two main may make tremendous strides. We know that Brianna has some difficulties herself when it comes the viewing Jamie as a father, mostly because she feels in some way like she is betraying Frank. Over time, she may be working towards a place where she realizes that Frank loved her and so does Jamie now — it’s okay for that to be the case and one doesn’t take away from the other.

Season 5 is also going to bring an opportunity for Jamie to experience something totally different —  being a grandfather for the first time. Will he embrace that responsibility? More than likely, but it may also allow him to confront his own sense of mortality. It’s a sign that he is getting a little bit older and he has more of a legacy to think about than ever before. That’s why in season 5, you may be seeing Jamie and Claire build more of a homestead and more of a genuine community around them. They want to make sure that Fraser’s Ridge is great for their children, their grandchildren, and anyone else who eventually calls at home.

Hats off to Jamie Fraser on this fine Father’s Day —  after everything that he has been through, he deserves someone to grill a good steak for him and grab him a whisky or two.

What do you want to see from Jamie as a father moving into Outlander season 5? Be sure to share right now in the comments.

Photo: Starz