The Outlander leads aren’t the only focal point of the new season – something some fans aren’t liking.
It’s well and truly Outlander season as the seventh instalment of the series continues to pull out twists and turns each week.
While many fans are grateful that their period of ‘Droughtlander’ is over, some fans have been keen to point out the fact that leads Jamie and Claire Fraser (Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe) haven’t been as much of a prominent force this season.
In the most recent episode, entitled Singapore, we saw the pair prepare for an imminent British assault at Ticonderoga.
But after the surprise timeline split at the beginning of the new season, much of Outlander season 7 is also preoccupied with Brianna (Sophie Skelton), Roger (Richard Rankin) and their children – who have time-travelled into 1980s Scotland.
While Jamie and Claire remain in the 1770s, navigating their changing landscape, some fans have been mourning the subtle lack of appearances from the Outlander leads.
One Twitter user stated: “Obviously the saga was being rushed along, thinking this was the final season and so much to say. It was a fine ep, but any ep with so little Claire and Jamie suffers [from] their absence.”
Another fan stated that the new season may not be the best for those avid book lovers, stating: “Unpopular opinion maybe, but feels like a very different Outlander this season. Maybe not for book readers. Maybe because there’s a lot less of Jamie and Claire’s love being the focal point. Still is the best show, but I miss the show I fell in love with.”
While there’s been a flurry of different storylines and characters to explore this season, another fan remained hopeful about the scenes with less of Jamie and Claire, wishing for “hopefully more of them in the next episode”.
Although fans have pointed out the difference in Claire and Jamie appearances this season, some have underlined the fact that it remains the same in the books.
Of course, season 7 is based on Diana Gabaldon’s novel An Echo in the Bone, and one fan pointed out that Jamie and Claire not being as prominent is reflective of the books.
They said: “It’s somewhat like that in the books too. The Revolution meant a shift to battles & politics – Wars are like that. The conventionally romantic part of the story is the beginning, the romance continues, but changes – it mirrors real life.”
Another fan simply stated: “I’m just gonna assume that everyone complaining about how there’s less Jamie and Claire this season didn’t read the books….”
Character appearances aside, it’s safe to say that the new season continues to drive up the tension and drama, with there only being a few more weeks of new episodes to come before Outlander takes a mid-season hiatus.
Balfe previously revealed exclusively to RadioTimes.com that there will be a lot of peril in store for season 7, stating: “It was such an epic season. And there’s just so much that happens this year. But yeah, hopefully, I think the fans will be happy.
“There’s a lot of peril this season and a lot of things happen. There’s a lot of loss and things are unsettled. It’s just very epic, this season.”
