Outlander’s scandalous season six storyline has caught flak from fans, with one particularly incensed viewer claiming one character “deserves a slap”.
Back in season four, time-traveller Claire (played by Caitriona Balfe) and her Highlander husband Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and their family make their way to America.
They eventually settled in North Carolina and established a community on a tract of land they called Fraser’s Ridge, which has been the setting for plenty of family drama and turmoil for the past few seasons.
Ahead of the second half of season seven finally arriving later this month, fans have been discussing the highs and lows of the Frasers’ journey so far.
Back in season six, the arrival of a new family, the Christies, caused some trouble, especially when young woman Malva (Jessica Reynolds) accused Jamie of getting her pregnant.
“This infuriates me the most,” one fan began their rant on Reddit. “This is in my top 3 most hated storylines lol probably my most hated one because it feels so wrong.
“Sometimes I play the last one back a couple times just to watch Claire slap the hell outta Malva.”
During the scene where Malva makes her false confession, Claire’s emotions get the better of her and she delivers a furious blow in defence of her husband.
Her antagonistic role in the show has proven divisive, especially as fans come to learn her tragic history of abuse at the hands of her brother, Allan Christie (Alexander Vlahos).
One fan agreed with the complaints: “This whole season was so implausible I almost stopped watching the series.”
And another echoed the sentiment: “I hated the whole storyline because how many episodes was wasted on that? Like half the season? I forgot. But, sooooooooo much more we could have gotten from other more important storylines.”
“I read the books and I knew what was coming so when this was airing I had to quit watching,” another replied. “I just couldn’t get through this and I had a difficult time this go around too.”
However, several other fans couldn’t help feeling sorry for Malva and championed the nuanced writing of this season.
“I have so much sympathy for Malva. Her storyline is heartbreaking,” one more favourable reply said.
Another argued: “Once you learn how f****d up her life has been, you get a little bit of sympathy back.”
And a final fan responded: “Honestly, phenomenal writing and acting… This scene has you hating her and it feels justified that Claire slaps her. You know she’s lying but why does she want to hurt Claire?
“Then you learn the real reason later and it’s like, maybe Malva used the narrative people would believe, not the one that was true.” Do you agree this storyline is a highlight or is it one to skip during rewatches?
Outlander season seven part two premieres on Friday, November 22, on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK and on Starz in the US.
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English (US) ·