More reactions to Claire's situation in Season 6

Jamie and Claire Episode 607

*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***

There are SPOILERS for OUTLANDER Season 6 below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.

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I have been struggling to deal with my reaction to what the writers have done to Claire's character over the course of Season 6. I thought I'd share my thoughts here, in case others feel the same way.

I found the OUTLANDER books in 2006, and I have re-read (or re-listened to) the books more than 20 times. I think of Claire -- books or show, it doesn't matter -- as a real person, almost like a close friend or family member. This is part of Diana Gabaldon's gift as a novelist, to make us care so deeply about these characters that they seem like real people.

So the thought of Claire on the verge of some sort of mental breakdown ("her sanity hanging by a thread", as I put it in my recap of Episode 607) makes me very upset. And angry, too, that the writers would do this to a beloved character. There is a sense of helplessness, watching a character I love being put through such a harrowing ordeal, knowing I can't do anything to make it better.

And fear, too, because I am desperately afraid that the writers might destroy Claire's sanity or traumatize her to such an extent that she will not recover. What's going to stop them, at this point? Will she be permanently damaged by this experience, so that it continues to affect her even as we move into Season 7?

I do not like this, AT ALL. <massive understatement!!!> I want it to STOP. PLEASE!!! And I am not convinced that the very emotional scene in Episode 607 where Claire confesses everything to Jamie has put an end to it.

But that's not all I'm feeling. Thinking back over the past weeks, my reactions to this whole plotline have covered a range of emotions. Anger. Frustration. Helplessness. Fear. Despair. Sadness. Depression. (The last three of those, I felt mainly in EP607, which was much too dark and depressing for my taste.) That's a lot for viewers to have to deal with, and I am not surprised to hear that some people have stopped watching on account of it.

I really am starting to wonder if they deliberately set this up as a direct parallel to Wentworth, to push Claire to a psychological breaking point, just as Wentworth did to Jamie.

Those feelings I listed above? They could describe my reactions on the first reading of OUTLANDER, when I did not know Jamie would live through it. It's been more than 15 years, but I remember that feeling very well. "How could you DO this to him?!?? You've RUINED him!" I was devastated. And I can see very strong echoes of that reaction in the way I'm feeling now.

I think it's probably a good thing that next week is the last episode of the season. I need a break from TV Claire for a while! It's just becoming too emotionally intense, too upsetting. I have been saving the audiobook of BEES for after Season 6 is over, and I am looking forward to immersing myself in Diana Gabaldon's words and her version of the characters. <g> Because, as I have said so many times, no matter what they do in the show, the books will always be there. After what we've been through in this episode, it will be a relief.

I have enjoyed many parts of this season, and I will certainly be watching the season finale this Sunday. But what they've done to Claire casts a pall over all of Season 6, IMHO, and that's a real shame.

UPDATE 3/23/2023: Please see my follow-up to this post, with some additional thoughts, HERE.

40 comments

Shelljo said...

I’m angry about this theme. It has no purpose. I hate it. Makes me wonder if I want to continue watching.
.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you completely! Thank you for your words.

Sue said...

I absolutely hate what has been done to the character Claire and truly feel the promise made before the series started has been broken. One of the key facets of Claire has been her resilience. The whole thing with the ether is so wrong. I really am disgusted about how much time was used that could have been spent on other parts of the story. I feel the promise of “we will be true to the story has been broken”.

Anonymous said...

Claire struggling with her ptsd is expected. Claire using ETHER to deal with it is ridiculous. Not only would she wake up as soon as she dropped the mask, not fall into dreamless oblivion the show writers make us believe, but using the precious ether that was EXTREMELY dangerous to make AND use, is not something Claire would do. Not the original Claire.

Anonymous said...

I agree that the writers are paralleling Claire to Jamie. Perhaps their intent is to have Jamie help Claire out of her despair. Although I don’t like the ether component, as a healthcare professional, I’ve seen colleagues go through addiction as a way to escape some of the horrors we see in our world. I struggle with some terrible things I’ve experienced. I never turned to drugs or alcohol as a source of help. I see Claire as stinger than that. She has travelled through time so maybe that is supposed to be her tipping point. I hope we see her regain her strength. Just some thoughts

robrrt said...

Let's see... Roger got over his PTSD in ONE episode. They made THE episode about it. With the exception of a couple of flashbacks, Jamie got over his PTSD in ONE episode. They made THE episode about it. Claire's PTSD? Due to pandemic protocols and baby bumps (I guess), they made a SEASON about it. Color me disappointed. Heaven forbid that we are about to get the Game of Thrones treatment.

Carol Warnes said...

I have just read your"cri de coeur" regarding Claire's situation in Season 6, and I totally agree with every word.

Thank goodness we have the Outlander book version to appreciate and enjoy. Book 6 "A Breath of Snow And Ashes" is a particularly good book, why change it so that it is practically unrecognisable?

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you on the way they have treated Claire! They better have a good comeback for her.

Pat C said...

Thank you Karen for putting my feelings into heartfelt words. Always a fan of the books (since 1993). Love the actors but struggling with the direction of the show.

Katpic said...

You expressed perfectly what I have felt about this season. I can watch so many episodes over and over again and read the books, but I cannot watch one Episode of S6 more than once. While we wait for S7, I finish ABOSAA and continue on to Bees and watch S1, without watching Wentworth, I cannot relive that one again, either. .

JFine said...

Completely agree. Have not been able to bring myself to watch the past two episodes. There have been a number of departures from the books over the years that I have found to be annoying and unnecessary, such as Jamie’s bungled attempts to be the laird in S1Ep12, and Claire attempting to save the life of the man who assaulted her in S3Ep7, but this ether storyline is not only illogical but wildly out of step with Claire’s character. It’s disheartening and disappointing.

Laurette Wyshnicki said...

Totally agree with what has been said here and the fact that for Jamie and Roger it was one episode to recover with flash backs. Brianna a few flash backs moments. And yes, Claire would wake up the minute the mask drops off. She would have saved the ether for surgery. A friend mentioned in the past she would drink a few shots. "No one knows how they would deal with such a situation" Well, I can handle that, that seems more logical, a few shot. But I wouldn't expect a whole season devoted to it. The writers are changing Claire's character. Most of the whole season has been about Claire and how she deals with everything. Glad they dealt with Young Ian's situation and Fergus and Marsali. More closer and deeper for Brianna and Roger. Some comic relief with Lizze and the Beardslys. Good job re the Christies though!

Unknown said...

Pardon a dissenting point of view.... as a writer I want to point out a couple of things. First of all, there is a fundamental difference between the writing for the books and the writing for the show - point of view. Primarily, the books and the world they create for us are written from Claire's point of view. She is telling the story. So you are seeing things as she perceives them. So sometimes Claire glosses over things. For example, (SPOILER ALERT) there is a point in book seven, when Claire DOES go off the deep end and obviously drinks excessively for some period of time. But there's really not a lot of detail given except for a couple of, ahem, glaring incidents. It's just kind of alluded to.... And as a reader you pickup on it, but you don't see it all over time in detail. I think she did this earlier in ABOSA too, with alcohol-not ether- for all the practical perfect valid reasons given by one of the commenters above, and here again, we catch glimpses of it and the flashbacks, but only that- glimpses- because we are limited to what Claire is willing to share. Where as, the show is like being a camera for a reality show, we see it all... not Claire's version, or Jamie's version but EVERYONE's version, thru the various portrayals of the characters by the very talented cast. I think the showrunners DID make a judgment error with the ether. If they had done the same thing using alcohol... we wouldn't be having this debate, because it would be consistent with book Claire, who DID use alcohol when the ptsd and flashbascks and later grief became too much. I hope the show will allow Jamie to put his foot down about the ether, so they will have an excuse to return to the more realistic choice of alcohol for later seasons.

Anonymous said...


Thank you all for expressing so well my feelings about the writing of this season. The whole ether addiction story line is false and a stupid waste of the precious time available to cover the material. It appears that Season 7 is already in production. I sincerely hope that wiser minds will express the essentials of this story we love.

Anonymous said...

I agree with everyone about the ether. I don’t think it’s in character at all and I agree that she wouldn’t waste it. Given this story, though, I was glad that she finally confessed it to Jaime and that he was able to comfort her.

Anonymous said...

Just came back to watch this show after three years away from it (because of the absence of Frank/Black Jack Randall, but that's a different story) and find that I am still annoyed by Brianna's character as portrayed by Sophie Skelton. Her acting skills are negligible, and her storyline really pretty unconvincing. Can't she be sent off to Massachusetts or somewhere where we don't have to be required to see her for the rest of the story? This is an interesting show, but IMHO, they killed off the most phenomenal character/actor in Season Two. Without Tobias Menzies, the show is just another costume soap opera, alas.

Unknown said...

Your thoughts, expressed so eloquently, are what I have been feeling this season.  Anger, frustration.... and grief. I feel the writers have taken away the essence of Claire, her strength and resilience, and the power of love, both with Jamie and the community. I realize book v. show will be different but not complete story lines that change the characters. Remember when Jamie spoke at the fire after Brianna's wedding, gathering together the men of the Ridge? They dropped everything to save Claire. Where are they now?  All they show is the glum faces of the fisher folk. The writers have Jamie stomping around in his boots, alone and silent with Ian playing detective. The Christies have brought their poison to the Ridge and I think Jamie would reconnect with 'his men' and reassure them. He is their laird. Note to the writers - together Jamie and Claire can conquer anything. Stop weakening them.

Anonymous said...

Claire's ether use is a bit of shark jumping which leads me to be sooo disappointed in the show runner/writers. Better, more mentor/inspirational to have had Claire deal with her post traumatic stress in sync with her established personality and character. Much better if she had turned to Bree who experienced a similar attack. Is the show runner just trying to heat up the drama? Nothing that happens concerning the ether in 608 will put this right. Also, I do not like the 'plush' big house of J and C--hauling all that stuff up a mountain road in wagons?

Betsy Robbins said...

Karen, you have voiced my reactions to a tee. I try very hard to separate the Books from the TV series. If I didn’t, I’d have taken a sledgehammer to the TV screen seasons ago. I understand the necessity to alter the story for TV consumption. I love to read all the Many, many great thoughts from others on several issues. My reaction to the use of ether, besides all the points noted already, is ether is infamous for the patient to wake agitated and vomiting. Perhaps, because it is used for short periods of time, the reaction is much less, but I’m not sure. It’s not an easy “awakening.”

Marcie said...

Thank God for Fast Forward! UGH!

laine said...

Here we go again with the show writers betraying their source material by tampering with a main character to make her"relatable" in 21st century medicalized terms that they favor, going heavy on PTSD and addiction. We're given broken fragile Claire in place of feisty Claire. Instead of writing what Claire would do (and did in the books), the writers project their own emotional reactions onto a character they do not comprehend at all - a gutsy, tough nurse who went through WWII, then a 2-century dislocation in time and space with aplomb, someone who mourned the love of her life for 20 years while becoming a skilful surgeon instead of eating anti-depressives.

Claire second-guessing her decision to rejoin Jamie in the past AGAIN? It was a false note in Scotland with her dithering on the cliff as she and Jamie witnessed Ian get kidnapped. It was a second miracle for these two lovers to be reunited, not occasion to bicker with Claire being ambivalent and querulous. With another war approaching, this is this also not the time for Claire to fall apart, blaming herself for every hurt anyone around her has suffered. She is supposed to be gaining strength, power and stature as her hair whitens, not turning into a neurotic addict! Is there anything less sexy?

This is another needless weakening of what is supposed to be a titanic coupling between two powerhouses on their own who are unstoppable together. They are NOT ordinary people as the show writers keep forgetting.

Adrienne said...

Totally agree.

I was so excited for this season to get started after such a long break and the minute I saw that ether come out I was like, wait...what just happened? That. is. not. in. the. book.

Now, don't get me wrong I understand they can't make the show exactly like the book but that whole ether thing? I mean you can't even sell me on it because it's just not who Claire is. It's not how she copes with things.

This has been the most painful season to watch. I've actually have to force myself to get through every episode, it's painful. Losing a fan over here writers, I hope you all fix this mess...

Carmela said...

I have to say that I loved the books and read all except the last one which is sitting on the coffe table waiting for me to start it. I can't start it yet because the TV series has ruined the books for me, especially this last season. Enough already with the gloom and sadness. Every character now from Jamie to the children look so sad. Put some joy into the show Some fun, jokes, anything to lighten the mood up. I know they want to be faithful to the books, but on screen we need some entertainment. Enough with the rapes, whippings, hangings, death and dread. Put some sunshine into the story line. It's been sooooo depressing to watch for several seasons. In her books, Diana puts some humor in, but the series is becoming so drab and depressing. It's hard to watch. There has to be some joy/laughter/ fun in these characters lives. The initial seasons had colorful characters, witty dialogue. Now we have constant crisis and heartbreak over and over. I'll give in a watch the show but no joy in it for me. It leaves me so anxious!!




Anonymous said...

Karen, thank you for your observations and post regarding the way the show is presenting Claire’s character in Season 6. Having watched the entire TV series MANY times, and after reading all the books twice, I am SO VERY disappointed in Claire’s ether use in the show. It is illogical knowing how principled Claire has always been in her role as a physician. She has viewed and experienced trauma in her patients and loved ones over many years and I just don’t believe she would behave so irresponsibly. It seems like the screenwriters for this season are completely different from the previous 5 seasons. I pray they will change course in season 7 and stay true to Claire’s character as written by Diana Gabaldon.

Unknown said...

Karen, I think you tapped into some strong reactions and I have gained insight reading the other posts. Not only would Claire not use the ether because of her vow as a doctor but as someone said, the ingredients were very hard to come by. I agree that the house is very opulent, given the backwoods locale. The humor is lacking. I've watched the first five seasons and every time, I find joy in Sam's expressions or a bit of light dialogue between characters. Diana's books are filled with humor. I know Matthew Roberts wrote "Echoes" 601 but it's been a slew of writers since, inserting their own 21st century notions into the story. In this day and age, let's rejoice in Strong Loyal Men, Resilient Courageous Women and threesomes! (just kidding on that last one.)

Rebecca said...

Thank you, Karen for your comments about making Claire an addict. I was an American and English Lit major in college (many years ago) and I think of myself as a fairly well-educated reader. But the characters of Claire and Jamie came to life for me as no others ever have. To deviate so much from Gabaldon's concept of Claire's character is really to do Claire an injustice and I think it totally unnecessary. I would like to hear from the writers why they thought this necessary. But it is painful to watch and not believable. I will continue to watch, but I consider this change to be a really unfortunate error in judgment by the TV writers.

Anonymous said...

I've read the books and I love both Jamie and Claire. I don't expect the show to be exactly the same. The ether story was just dumb. It never made any sense. If they wanted to show trauma, they could have made a more believable choice for Claire's character. Obviously, they wanted to address it in a 21st century lense, even though the most modern Clare ever got was 1968. No one in the 60's was using the word "compartmentalize" the way Claire did in the last episode. That was just so untrue to the time.

What I've been even more disappointed in is the emasculation of Jamie and the way the relationship between Jamie and Claire was portrayed. Jamie was made to look clueless and detached from what Claire was going through. Even after Malva's death, Jamie didn't comfort her in any way for 42 minutes into the show. He certainly didn't act like the man who loves her madly. It was almost as if the writers don't want him to be heroic anymore. For me, Jamie and Claire are the story. If I had just started watching this season, I would have no idea how strong and powerful their love is. That's made me sad.

Anonymous said...

Unlike most, I much prefer the television show to the books. I loved the early books, but once the story moved to North Carolina, the number of characters became way too much and the story meanders all over. I'm hanging into the books because I'm curious how the Jamie/Claire saga concludes, but frankly, I've found the last several books to be slogs and not enjoyable.
I was drawn to the story of Claire and Jamie in the books and am bored by the others. I like the show because it does have fewer characters although I still think there's not enough emphasis on Jamie and Claire.
I don't care that these characters are not like the book characters. For me, the books and the show are two completely separate universes - similar to the television adaptations of Anne Cleeves' books. The absolutely phenomenal acting by Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan is what makes this show so superb - doesn't matter what the material is.

Anonymous said...

One of the huge draws for me toward the books and the show is that it does not take place in modern times. I don’t want the books to come to life with a 21’st century lens. The addition of Ether and addiction has cast a horrid dark cloud over this season. Caitriona is a superb actress, her immense skill could certainly have been used in so many more interesting ways. It’s a shame.

Stella said...

Thank you, Karen, for your passionate post, and I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you this season has been dark.

But that's one of the things I love about the series

They deal with real stuff - I am a bereaved parent
Faith/207 I have dealt with PTSD Jesuis Prest/ 209
Dissasociative Disorder/516.

There are plenty of other episodes to watch in 1-5
that are exciting and lovely.

Anonymous said...

I quit watching the show for this very reason. I am a purist regarding the books and strongly disagree with what the show writers are doing. It ticked me off watching it and I quit after season 4 and am SO glad I did.

Anonymous said...

This season had been so disappointing! I am a healthcare provider, and Claire’s “condition” and hallucinations are ruining this season! How the writers plan to help her recover will be a bit ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

So disappointed in the new season. I have read all the books up to Tell the Bees I am gone several times. The story line is such a departure from the story. I also think that the sets are so un authentic - I actually spotted things in some shots that could be furniture that is sold on Wayfair. The costumes are well done - but the architecture is ridiculous. It looks more like a western than a 1700 set. I am sad that they are showing Claire huffing ether - as an escape? This is not the Claire so carefully wrought by Diana Gabaldon. I find that the acting of the actress playing Brianna to be flat, and something akin to watching a school play.

Jana said...

I must admit that I am a little surprised at all the negative comments being written about series six. In the main, I have really enjoyed it. The ether story with Claire self-medicating and the Lionel character popping up all the time menacing Claire, has gone on far too long, and was a mistake for Claire's character.
I think a great opportunity for a bit of humour was wasted in the Lizzie/Beardsley story, I have never seen actress Lizzie as she was portrayed in the books. She was a very young, sickly, innocent girl, this actress appears the same age as Brianna and the story loses it's impact.
I'm really looking forward to the last episode, I think it has been on the whole an excellent series, considering this has never been a favourite part of the books for me.
I'm sorry some people were disappointed, but one satisfied viewer here.

Karen Henry said...

Jana - On the whole I agree with you that they have done an excellent job with Season 6, staying much closer to the books than in previous seasons. And Diana Gabaldon says Episode 608 is her favorite of the whole season, so that's something to look forward to. But I think they pushed the storyline about Claire's psychological trauma much too far in EP607, and I did not like that at all.

Karen

Sarah said...

I feel like Jamie and Claire on the show are Sam and Cait’s versions of the characters, I try really hard not to compare them to their book counterparts. They don’t always play things the same way Diana wrote it or I read it in my head and I long ago realised that comparison was the theft of joy and if I wanted to enjoy the show I was going to have to accept these characters as they were showing them to me. There have been multiple small tweaks to the characters and storylines and lots of things are omitted due to time. Over 5 seasons that add up to quite a lot of character divergence. I find that show characters do things I know damn well the book characters wouldn’t but I can accept it because it feels like something the show version would do. Please understand I’m not saying anything you’ve said is wrong, we are all entitled to our opinions and feelings I’m just explaining the lens I view the show through.

To clarify I wouldn’t believe this from book Claire and I wouldn’t believe that book Jamie wouldn’t notice it. Claire’s infamous glass face is just one of the things that has been omitted from the show.

I haven’t struggled with Claire using ether. I think Claire is still strong. Ep 1 started in early 1773 by episode 6 it was early 1775 which means Claire has been doing this for 2 years. The way I interpret that is that she doesn’t do it very often – it is a last resort and sneaks up on her bought on by a comment, nightmare or some visual reminder. It built in a major way in ep 6 and 7 due to the added trauma of Malva’s accusation, murder and the way the ridge folk are treating the Frasers and came to a head quite quickly. 90% of the time she presents as her normal character and she is fully functional. You would have to be a very strong person to be able to present a normal attitude to the people around you and not have them notice. She continues with medical inventions, she still speaks her mind and stands up to people - she hasn’t been cowed into changing her ways. A lot of things have happened to Claire but she has never been raped by multiple men. She has finally experienced something that she cant cope with. This is true in the book too – her rape is something that continues to haunt her albeit it in different ways. I find it all completely believable. I also think there is weight to the argument that the show has to visually show us her struggling rather whereas the book can tell us because we are inside her head. I haven’t struggled with Jamie’s supposed ‘obliviousness’ either. I don’t think he was oblivious. I think he was distracted at times by all the other shit going on but he looks deeply concerned about Claire multiple times and is watching her but he also knows her well enough to know he can’t force her to open up. She has to be ready. He can only ask her if she is ok and have her reply fine so many times before she shuts down further. Again this isn’t perhaps how book Jamie would handle this. Book Jamie would probably go in like a bull in a china shop and force her to talk to him. But I find it entirely believable that show Jamie would do this.

Anonymous said...

I happen to have a different point of view from the majority here . Maybe it's because I've only read 4 of the the books not this one so I have come to the season with fresh eyes. I gather in the book Claire uses alcohol to repress memories but we already had Fergus having isues with alcohol. Ether was just a different form of suppressing memories so I have no problem with that. As for wanting Claire to be strong how unrealustic would that be after what she went through.I imagine though by next season it will move on & Claire will regain het strength with Jamie's help.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree! I just finished episode 7 and, Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, it was painfully bad…the ether storyline has been overplayed and a waste of our time!! I have to say, being a huge admirer of Diana’s novels, that the biggest aspect of Claire’s character that I admire (and a trait she shares with Jaimie) is conviction in her choices…choices based on integrity!! These characters don’t regret, they don’t second-guess, they adventure around the world often causing chaos wherever they go, lol, because they act on their beliefs and they’re extremely brave, without useless regrets!! That’s why a breakdown suffered by Claire, because of overwhelming guilt…it’s just unbelievable to her nature, bottom line. Ugh. I almost gave up on this show last year when it opened with the corny Walton-like wedding episode and just got worse as it went. The one episode last season that was truly good was the one Diana wrote herself!! This season started out with more promise than 5, and there have been some well-done episodes including Ian’s Mohawk backstory, Fergus’ alcohol dependency, and of course, The Beardsley threesome storyline we’ve all been looking forward to. But the wheels fell off with the mishandling of Malva’s storyline and the ridiculous ether addiction. As seems to happen on series based on books, the writers get this sense of ownership over the material that made them a success in the first place and then fiddle around with it when they shouldn’t. To me, Outlander is some of the best fiction out there—these characters are so fully developed, you wonder if they’re real people somewhere out in the meta verse, haha. Please stop screwing with Diana’s genius and stick to the books as best you can! Natasha

Anonymous said...

So agree with this review and I gave up early on. Yes Claire having PTSD makes sense but the ether choice was nonsense - as was keeping Jamie in the dark. After Wentworth Claire was there for him and to help him- none of this rubbish about “giving space” for a year or two? The love of your life has hallucinations and flashbacks and is substance abusing and you just turn over and go back to sleep? Not so close a marriage after all obviously! Certainly not DG’s or previous season’s outlander. As it is we are expected to believe Claire is abruptly cured with no further problems even when everything goes wrong again - with her rapist’s brother imprisoning her! It cast a pall over the whole series and all the Claire and Jamie supposedly intimate and tender interactions were marred by the knowledge of what was really going on - do the writers think we are daft? Sorry could not “compartmentalise” this deviation and it ruined the season for me - so disappointed as I loved all the other seasons.

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