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If it wasn't obvious by the time you reached the end of Outlander Season 5, let's just state a fact about the time-traveling hit right now: Claire and Jamie Fraser have been through a lot. And, not just them, either, but their friends and assorted extended family members as well. For all the love, laughs and hot and steamy sexytimes to be had up on Fraser's Ridge, there's also tons of drama, and while we don't know just yet what we can fully expect from Season 6, showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has detailed how he plans to keep one exciting connective thread going when the series returns.
While astute fans will know that Outlander Season 6 will be based on the sixth book in Diana Gabaldon's long-running novel series (A Breath of Snow and Ashes), a few of the major events from that book were already used in Season 5. So, when some of the cast and producers of the romantic drama spoke about the upcoming (but still unfortunately pretty far off) season for PaleyFest LA 2020, Matthew B. Roberts spoke about what connects every season, besides all that mushy lovey dovey stuff, and his words will surely make sense to fans. Here's what he said:
One of the things that we always dig into is the Frasers and the MacKenzies putting themselves out there. The reasons why I feel they are so affected by traumas and all the turmoil that goes on in the era, is because they try to help people. Whether that is people coming to Fraser’s Ridge, or them going out and trying to stop something, whether it was Culloden or Alamance, they put themselves out there. They put themselves at risk. Inherently, when you do that, you suffer.
Doesn't this make you rethink everything that's happened over the course of five seasons filled with turmoil for Jamie and Claire? If you, like I, have ever wondered why their lives are constantly being upended by tragedy, it's clearly got a lot to do with the fact that these are not people whom life just happens to. These two, whether together or apart, are constantly looking out for their fellow man, trying to do the right thing, learning, growing and doing everything but sitting back and staying out of the way.
Sure, Claire was thrust into a very different and dangerous world when she came upon the stones and decided to reach out when they called to her, but once she was in the 1700s, she didn't just roll with the punches until she could get back to the '40s. She's constantly put herself at risk by dabbling with herbs and other primitive medical practices, not to mention her efforts in Season 5 to try and advance things way beyond the time period by figuring out how to grow that sweet, sweet penicillin over a century before it should be discovered. White Witch my ass; more like Blue-Green Mold Witch, amirite?
Of course, as we all know, the Fraser's efforts to stop big historical events (like Culloden) or make sure Claire, Brianna and Roger's weirdo presence in the past doesn't stop important historical events (like America becoming independent from Great Britain) have led to pretty much never ending stress and strife for the clan, as well. As noted by Matthew B. Roberts, they do like to "put themselves out there," which leads to even more truly risky times and a whole of of suffering. Thank heavens for (most of) those horizontal times, or there would be no relief!
Even though I'm sure many fans of the show haven't read book six yet, Roberts tells us that we can rest assured that the Frasers will continue court drama by stepping out into the big world and trying to help, and Season 6 of Outlander will absolutely reflect that (once they get the chance to start filming, anyway).
Outlander will return to Starz at some point in the future, so be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest. Until then, check out our guide to fall TV to see what you can catch on the small screen in the coming weeks!
