There are also some attempts early on for Claire to make peace with the people of a local tribe, but it didn’t really go anywhere. Though Claire is immediately upset and uncomfortable staying at a house that is run on slave labor, Brianna (the even most modern person there!) doesn’t seem particularly bothered by it. This season was also pretty uneven in its desire to tell the stories of people of color. It says a lot that by the end of “Man of Worth,” I was more excited by and interested in Murtagh and Jocasta’s sudden romance than the young upstarts. There is a supposition here that we are as invested in Brianna and Roger’s story and woes as we are with our lead couple, but that isn’t necessarily the case.
OUTLANDER EPISODES (4) SERIES
As the series moved through the back half of its episodes, attention was turned increasingly upon Brianna and Roger, with at least one episode passing by without Claire or Jamie even being a part of it.
Time spent on Fraser’s Ridge, as Claire and Jamie forged their new life, became as quietly compelling as anything the show has ever done. But as I wrote in my initial review, what always saves Outlander even from the most unfortunate narrative choices is the connection between the leads, and how cozy and homey it feels. Outlander Season 4 was already starting in a difficult place, with the story moving from Scotland to the United States and focusing on early American history. But the show has to work for viewers who don’t read the books it can’t work as shorthand for material that itself hasn’t presented. With the season running a mere 13 episodes, the show had to introduce a lot of new people and places without having much time to do it. The EPs for Outlander have an unenviable task of breaking down the biggest story beats from Diana Gabaldon’s expansive book series and turning them into workable episodic narratives. Now that makes more sense, and would have been an interesting juxtaposition to the story of the priest … if the story of the priest - which felt mostly like emotional manipulation - needed to happen at all. As Andrea Reiher points out in her piece about Ian's decision, the book Drums of Autumn includes a budding romance Ian has with a Mohawk woman. Basically, we know that he can speak some of their language and has some interest in their culture, but devoting his life to being a Mohawk seemed like an exceptional leap for those who - like me - have not read the books.
One of the biggest moments of confusion in “Man of Worth” was Ian’s decision to join the Mohawk, which the show hardly set up. But for my friend, it was a hollow combination of scenes that didn’t add up to much.
OUTLANDER EPISODES (4) MOVIE
It made sense to me only because I had read the book, and could fill in what the movie didn’t cover. Phoenix played out like the most basic Cliff Notes of the book itself to keep the runtime manageable, it skimmed through plotlines and emotional beats needed to really make it work. I went with a friend who had only seen the movies and not read the books, and she was thoroughly confused by the end of it. Watching the Outlander Season 4 finale, “Man of Worth,” made me think of when I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
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