Outlander fans lock horns over key Claire and Brianna scene that's 'different' in the books

*Warning - This article contains spoilers for the Outlander television series and book series.*

Outlander fans have been left divided over one key season 3 moment between Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) and her daughter, Brianna Randall Fraser (Sophie Skelton).

During the Starz series, heroine Claire leaves her grown-up daughter Brianna in order to find the love of her life, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), who is also Brianna’s father.

Ahead of Outlander’s return, fans have been discussing this mother-daughter relationship, with some criticising Claire for “leaving Brianna behind”.

With season 7, part 2 fast approaching, viewers have been hotly debating whether Claire had made the right decision.

Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s book series of the same name have also pointed out that the scene plays out quite differently on the page.

Taking to Reddit, a user with the handle @Excellent_Young9312 posted: “Claire leaving Brianna behind.

“Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Claire... but am I alone in wondering how a woman could leave her daughter behind for a man?

“I know Brianna was an adult at this point but leaving your daughter knowing you'll never see her again? It's kind of whack.

“Especially because Claire lost her parents young and never had her mother for anything special, we know how much that bothered her.” (sic)

However, other fans were not convinced by this argument, with many flocking to the comments section to defend Claire’s actions.

One replied: “This ‘for a man’ doesn't fit, is like the love of her life, and Briana is an adult, and she agrees like...is Claire supposed to be miserable for the rest of her life? I don't get it.” (sic)

Another wrote: “Brianna is over 20 years old, she can understand logic and she is able to talk and think.

“If you are a parent with grown children, are you not allowed to move or do whatever you want? Claire left the house to Brianna and the bank accounts. I really don’t see the problem actually.”

While others explained that the scene plays out differently in the books, with one revealing: “Brianna forces her mother to go in the books. She threatens that if Claire doesn’t go, she will. Claire has no choice but to take her seriously.

“She shows up at the stones in similar clothing to what Claire puts together to go back and gives Claire the choice, insisting she is okay with the decision. So Claire goes back to Jamie, with Brianna’s full blessing.”

Following the closure of Lionsgate+ in the UK, new episodes of Outlander will be available on Starz and to stream on Prime Video channel MGM+ from Sunday, November 22. You must be an Amazon Prime member before you can sign up for MGM+.

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