Spoilers ahead for the Season 6 finale of Outlander, called “I Am Not Alone.”
The sixth season of Outlander has come to an end after only eight episodes, but the time travel drama series packed a lot into those eight episodes. After starting off the season fairly well, Claire ended it imprisoned for Malva’s murder in a rat-infested jail in Wilmington, injured from being stoned, her hair chopped off, and no idea whether Jamie is dead or alive. Her only ally in Wilmington is Tom Christie, and he’s a dubious ally at best. Still, as we head into another Droughtlander, there are some ways that she could be saved in Season 7.
Viewers at least know that Jamie is alive and still in North Carolina, thanks to Young Ian and the Frasers’ Cherokee allies, but Claire has little hope for her immediate future. Let’s take a look at those who could potentially save her and break down whether or not it’s likely.
Note: this is completely spoiler-free from anything that happens in the books.
Claire Could Save Herself
Claire Fraser hasn’t survived six seasons of Outlander by just accepting her circumstances, and was even quick to pick up a gun to “I Am Not Alone” rather than surrender herself to Richard Brown at Fraser’s Ridge despite all odds against her and Jamie surviving the siege. Sure, she has had plenty of help in keeping herself alive, but her fighting spirit doesn’t seem lost even in her fairly depressing circumstances by the end of the finale. Even though she doesn’t have much to go on but her own wits and a pouch of coins for her upkeep in prison, she’s a resourceful person.
Of course, being resourceful doesn’t automatically mean escaping the most improbable situations when surrounded by enemies who want her dead and have gone out of their way to spread the word that she’s a murderer. My guess is that she’ll have a part to play in her escape when Season 7 picks up, but she won’t survive without some help. And there are some candidates – some more likely than others – for who could provide that aid.
Tom Christie
It wasn’t that long ago that Tom Christie would have been toward the bottom of the list of people who Claire could rely on for help, even before Malva’s death with her blood quite literally on Claire’s hands. But in “I Am Not Alone,” it seemed like Tom wasn’t 100% convinced of her guilt, and the one thing he was sure of was that she deserved a fair trial. Experiencing what Richard Brown and his men were really like seemed to be quite eye-opening for him, and he refused to give up his post as escort to her because she would have been killed otherwise.
Throw in the pouch of money that he gave her and his statement that he would not have her death on his conscience, and it’s possible that he could decide that she couldn’t get a fair trial at all, and help her escape. He’s not planning on leaving town, and at least floated the idea that he thinks she could be righteous. Mark Tom Christie down as a “maybe”!
Jamie And Young Ian
It would be true to Outlander spirit if Jamie, Young Ian, and their posse of fellow fighters rode into town and liberated Claire from prison. Jamie will surely be on a single-minded goal to get back to his wife, and there can be little doubt that Ian will be alongside his uncle. Whether or not the former Ardsmuir inmates and the Cherokee allies will stick around after riding to Jamie’s rescue is a bigger question, but Jamie certainly isn’t going to just sit still and hope for the best from afar, and he still has a few of those nine lives to spare.
That said, they probably can’t just gallantly ride to the rescue and save Claire now that she’s imprisoned in Wilmington. It would have been a different matter if she and her captors were still on the road, but there are officials in Wilmington, and a lot of people who could complicate things. This isn’t even like the last time that Claire was put to trial as an accused witch. If Jamie wants to save his wife, he might have to find more diplomatic means.
Malva's Real Killer
In the whole mess of the siege of the big house at Fraser’s Ridge, Claire and Jamie being arrested, Jamie being attacked and hauled off to isolate Claire, and then her being imprisoned in Wilmington, it may have been easy to forget that Malva’s real killer is still out there. If the real killer came forward and gave a detailed enough confession that they couldn’t be accused of lying to save Claire, then perhaps she could be freed. The Browns surely wouldn’t listen, but just as Jamie probably can’t just ride into town and sweep Claire away, they might have a harder time hanging her without cause among the people in Wilmington.
This is actually a pretty long shot, since whoever killed Malva is probably back on the Ridge, and had plenty of chances to come forward and save Claire from the accusations long before she was hauled off by the Committee of Safety. I could see Jamie figuring out who the killer is and dragging them to Wilmington if there was more time, and it’s possible that the murderer could play a part in exonerating Claire, but I’m not holding my breath.
The Mysterious Wilmington Whistler
Outlander revealed another time traveler a few episodes ago, when Claire and Jamie traveled to Wilmington to hear Flora MacDonald – whose exploits inspired the “Skye Boat Song” that has been the show’s opening credits song for six seasons now – speak, and got more than they bargained for. They didn’t actually encounter this time traveler, but he was whistling “Colonel Bogey March,” which was composed in 1914 and made famous in 1957 thanks to The Bridge on the River Kwai. He was also locked up in the Wilmington jail at the time, which just so happens to be Claire’s location after the events of the finale.
At this point, I’m pretty confident that the as-yet-unidentified whistler is Wendigo Donner, who was introduced in Season 5 as somebody from the 1960s, and he already met Claire. I would be even more confident that he could help Claire in Season 7 if not for the time jump that accounted for Claire’s sickness, her hair to grow back somewhat, and Malva’s pregnancy to progress as far as it did by the time of her death. Donner may not still be in the Wilmington prison, and the gem he stole for Flora indicated that his goal was to travel back to his own time. Still, he’s a candidate!
Now, there are some wild card possibilities for who could help save Claire when Outlander returns. Lord John Grey was last seen in Wilmington and can always be counted upon to help the Frasers, although I may be counting him here just because I’ve loved David Berry in all his appearances as Lord John and want to see him back. It would certainly be an unexpected twist if Claire gets her trial and is found innocent, and would be fun to see the look on Richard Brown’s face.
Still, if I had to pick, my favorite scenario is Tom Christie working with Claire to get her free. I’m not entirely sure how it would work, since there’s not proof that he doesn’t believe Claire killed Malva, and he’s just one man. It would pay off on their earlier interactions, however, and could in a way make amends for how he treated Jamie at Ardsmuir back in the day.
Unfortunately, fans have a wait until finding out exactly what happens next. Another Droughtlander has begun, and there’s no set premiere date for when Season 7 will be ready to debut. It will be a super-sized season, so fans do have plenty to look forward to whenever Outlander returns to Starz. For some viewing options now and in the coming weeks without Claire and Jamie Fraser on Sunday nights, check out our 2022 TV schedule.
