As Outlander creator and author Diana Gabaldon describes episode 4 in an exclusive chat with Parade, “This episode makes it visual, adds a lot of detail (a lot of it is from the book), and lets us understand the depth of Ian’s feelings for the Mohawk—and, by extension, his urge to help the Cherokee. Ian is a favorite character (and John Bell plays him brilliantly!), so there’s a desire to see more of his ‘other’ life in more detail, and to show the Mohawk in a different light than we saw them during Roger’s abduction and rescue.” In episode 4, we begin Ian’s journey from the ceremony where he gets his white blood washed away and becomes Wolf’s Brother. We watch as the lad morphs into a man and is taken to husband by Emily. (Note: The women do the choosing!) It is a great love for Ian, but according to Gabaldon, it isn’t fair to compare it or equate it to Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire’s (Caitríona Balfe) relationship, or any relationship for that matter. “Some relationships begin suddenly on a deep level and continue that way: ‘Love at first sight’ that deepens into long marriage,” Gabaldon says, adding, “I, rather luckily, have one of those. Some begin slowly, where an initial attraction takes time to deepen into something permanent. Both Jamie and Claire and Bree and Roger could fit this second description, though their relationships look very different from the outside.” Ian’s relationship with Emily is more fast-moving, but Gabaldon does point out one similarity to Jamie and Claire’s: External circumstances caused them to commit to each other very quickly, and not necessarily willingly. (She means Ian’s joining the Mohawk wasn’t necessarily willing, not his attraction to Emily.) Ian is excommunicated from the tribe brokenhearted when he and Emily are unable to produce a live baby. There was at least one miscarriage and one stillbirth (a daughter Ian names Isobel) in the series version. But before he leaves, he tries to appeal to Emily, and sees that the female elders of the village have already picked another for her, so she has moved on with Kaheroton (who doesn’t exist in the books). Time has passed, but when Ian and Jamie visit the Cherokee in Jamie’s position as Indian Agent, Kaheroton is visiting, and it brings it all back. Even so, when Kaheroton and an Indian agent named Scotchee Cameron (who was a real-life person) face off in a duel and Scotchee cheats and turns before the count is over, Ian acts to save Kaheroton’s life. “The fight is engineered specifically to allow Ian to overcome his jealousy and pain by an act of selfless generosity, and not take too long about it,” Gabaldon points out. “It’s film short-hand, as is the brief but moving conversation between Ian and Jamie regarding their lost daughters.” In the books, Ian’s story was revealed in a conversation he has with Brianna while on a hunting trip during which they discover the skeleton of a mammoth exposed in a hillside by erosion. To Ian, it’s an amazing thing. “Brianna knows what it is and tells him, but both are under the spell of something that mingles the ancient past with the emotions of life and death—and in this frame of mind, Ian tells Brianna the story of his marriage, his daughter Isobel and the other dead babies, ending with his leaving the Mohawk,” Gabaldon continues. “Moved by emotion, Bree prays with Ian, and asks her father—Frank—to look for Isobel and take care of her. This is not something the show has time to cover. Besides, they want to use Bree to tell Jamie (very briefly) what’s going to happen to the Cherokee, so he can tell Chief Bird (also briefly).” Ian comes to realize that he can resolve his two lives. He can be both Wolf’s Brother and Ian Murray, and he shares this thought with Jamie. But Jamie realizes he can’t resolve his dual existence as a Loyalist and a Patriot. “Jamie’s been walking between two fires for just about as long as he can,” Gabaldon says. “It’s evident that he’ll have to make a choice, and he knows that (because Claire and Brianna and Roger have all told him what’s coming. Plainly he can’t remain a Loyalist). Per show, not book, it’s Ian’s and Brianna’s concern for the Cherokee (coming from different directions, but with similar intent) that finally makes him declare himself as the rebel he’s always been.” What that means for Jamie’s future is still up in the air, but it’s bound to affect his relationship with Major MacDonald and the Governor of North Carolina. It also exposes Jamie to immediate danger from Loyalists in his own neighborhood. “We don’t know that the Browns are Loyalists, but they certainly are posing as same, and if Jamie is a declared rebel, that alone gives them as much excuse as they need to go after him, using their ‘Committee of Safety’ as a righteous excuse,” Gabaldon says. “And, of course, he might be arrested, imprisoned or killed… That seems like a lot of incipient action.” Outlander Season 6 airs new episodes Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. Next, Will There Be an Outlander Season 8? Here’s What Executive Producer Maril Davis Told Us
