These days there is no shortage of strong women at the forefront of television – thankfully. From Killing Eve to Game of Thrones, to many of TV’s other biggest hits of the past decade, we’ve seen some formidable female characters who have resonated with audiences all over the world. But there is one lesser-discussed leading woman whose astounding bravery and unflinching moral compass shouldn’t go unnoticed: Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) from Starz’s period drama series Outlander. Though the show is based on the novels written by Diana Gabaldon, who should be credited for creating the force of nature that is Claire, Balfe’s portrayal of the pragmatic time traveler very successfully captures her essence. Throughout the series Claire faces continuous, unimaginably difficult obstacles, and handles them with a resolve of steel, often deploying her medical knowledge for both her own and others’ survival. But beneath that tough exterior, there lies an empathetic, loyal, and courageous caretaker who will do anything for the people she loves most.
First and foremost, Claire is a healer. Before embarking on her honeymoon in Inverness with Frank (Tobias Menzies), Claire served as a combat nurse during WWII, which made her impervious to the sight of ghastly wounds. But, for obvious reasons, being a combat nurse during WWII was no walk in the park. Beyond having to see men suffer and die every day, Claire had her own near-death experience during the war. In Season 2, Episode 9, the Jacobite rebellion has begun, which triggers flashbacks from WWII in Claire’s mind. We see that she had befriended two American soldiers who were killed when their vehicle was shot at by German gunmen. Claire narrowly escaped with her life, which makes it unsurprising that reentering a war effort as a nurse would stir up symptoms of PTSD. And yet, in one of many displays of her mental fortitude, Claire continues to take care of the injured Scots despite the toll it takes on her psyche.
Soldiers aren’t the only people that Claire takes care of throughout the series. Within a few days of her arrival at Castle Leoch in Season 1, Claire becomes the resident healer, and winds up saving the life of a young boy who was poisoned by Lily of the valley, even though the village priest insists that it’s the devil. In Season 2, she volunteers her services at L’Hôpital des Anges in Paris, much to Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) dismay. After she goes back through the stones in order to save her and Jamie’s second baby, Claire spends her years becoming a respected surgeon in a field dominated by men. In Season 3, she tends to the reluctant, disease-stricken crew of the Porpoise and successfully identifies the illness as Typhoid, saving many of the men’s lives. Despite the pushback from men in both of the eras she finds herself in, Claire manages to garner respect and obedience due to her undeniable medical talents and her stern demeanor.
Though Claire spends much of her time taking care of others who are suffering, she has endured her own fair share of tragedies and trauma. Firstly, she accidentally travels two hundred years into the past while on her honeymoon, and is thrust into a shootout between British and Scottish soldiers. From there, she has to learn to navigate life as a woman in 1700s Scotland, while also trying to find a way back to the stones, and back to her husband. Though Jamie plays no small role in helping Claire adjust to her new reality, her wits and composure keep her alive, and even earn her the respect of Colum, the MacKenzie clan leader (Gary Lewis). And that’s just the start of things for Claire in Season 1. She is almost raped by Captain “Black Jack” Randall (Menzies), and again by a British deserter who she kills out of self-protection, which sends her into shock because she’s never killed anybody. Then, she is almost burned for being a witch, and thinks she sees her pregnant friend Geillis (Lotte Verbeek) take the fall for her. However, these traumatic events only serve to strengthen Claire’s resolve and better prepare her for future survival.
Claire’s traumatic experiences do not stop after Season 1. In fact, she and Jamie find themselves in plenty of unthinkable situations throughout the rest of the series. But there are two incidents more heartbreaking than the rest: in Season 2, Claire loses her baby, and in Season 5 she is captured, brutalized, and raped. When Claire and Jamie are in Paris trying to prevent the Jacobite Rebellion, she experiences minor (at first) complications with her pregnancy. Mother Hildegarde (Frances de la Tour) instructs her to stay in bed or risk her and her baby’s life, but when she finds out that Jamie has challenged Captain Randall to an illegal duel, she goes to him to save his life, losing her baby in the process. In the following episode, Claire wakes up and realizes that she lost her baby, and a gut-wrenching scene follows as she clutches the baby’s body in emotional agony. Only those who have experienced a miscarriage could truly understand the toll it takes, but others can imagine how unspeakably awful it would be, and Balfe’s portrayal of Claire’s does that justice.
When Claire is sexually abused by her captors at the end of Season 5, she imagines her dream life, where her family is happy and safe back in her own time. The cutting between these daydreams and Claire’s actual situation only enhances the horror, as we see her bound and gagged, lying bloody on the forest floor. Like her miscarriage, this is one of the few times when Claire seems at her most vulnerable, powerless to do what she does best, which is to fix things by taking matters into her own hands. Eventually, Jamie, Ian (John Bell), and Fergus (César Domboy) arrive with reinforcements to rescue her, and are clearly aghast at seeing Claire in such a state, because she is usually a beacon of stability and strength. After having seen Claire almost raped multiple times in the show, that feeling of relief that she never actually was completely disappears, and provokes some worry for how she will cope with it during Season 6, though we’ve seen her overcome trauma in the past.
Claire’s bravery in traumatic situations – AKA when she’s on the defense – also kicks in when she needs to be on offense, especially when it comes to protecting or saving the people she loves. Claire puts her life on the line multiple times to save those closest to her, like rescuing Ian from Geillis in Season 3 or joining Jamie and Ian on their mission to rescue Roger from the Mohawks in Season 4. But she seems to have the fiercest protective instinct for Jamie, who she loves more than anyone, except Brianna (Sophie Skelton). Claire has had to save Jamie’s life on many occasions, but her efforts to save him from Wentworth Prison in Season 1 – alongside Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) – may be the most valiant. Claire puts her life at risk by entering Wentworth herself, and confronting “Black Jack” Randall when he returns to Jamie’s cell. After Jamie’s rescue, when he no longer wishes to live because of Randall’s brutalizing, Claire does all she can to pull him back from the brink. Though she puts others’ wellbeing first most of the time, Claire’s instincts to guard the lives of those closest to her – especially Jamie – are her most visceral, because she will put her own life on the line.
Claire’s protection of Jamie is not the only aspect of their relationship that demonstrates her courage. From the get-go, choosing to stay in the 18th century – a far more dangerous time than the 20th – to be with Jamie demonstrates Claire’s commitment to him, and her willingness to follow her heart. And even after she returns to her own time, she leaves her only daughter to reunite with her lost love. To be in love is a scary thing, and it takes determination and effort to make it work, especially when it means leaving behind things you hold dear for the sake of being with that person. Beyond Claire’s devotion to Jamie, though, she shows him what an equal partnership looks like, as they were pretty rare in the 1700s. Throughout all of Claire and Jamie’s political endeavors – from Versailles to pre-Revolutionary America – Claire plays an integral role in seeing their many plans realized, and is always in Jamie’s ear offering her useful two cents. In other words, though she sacrifices much else to be with Jamie, she never foregoes her sense of self or independence.
In understanding how much Claire loves Jamie after seeing them together during the first two seasons, it’s reasonable to consider that the hardest decision she makes in the entire series is to return to her own time to protect their baby. Claire leaves the love of her life in order to provide a safe life for Brianna, believing that she will never see him again. And, what’s more, she chooses to stay with Frank (despite her stronger feelings for Jamie) so that Brianna will have a father. Claire gives up her happiness to save her child in an act of maternal heroism. As Brianna grows up, she becomes a complete daddy’s girl, often preferring Frank to Claire. And though that somewhat strains their relationship, Claire remains a capable mom who teaches Brianna to think for herself and follow her instincts. After Brianna follows Claire through the stones in Season 4, their relationship strengthens as their more dangerous existence in 18th century America heightens their protective instincts over one another. Though Claire is often distracted by her need to take care of everyone, she makes sure to be there for Brianna as much as possible, and is overall an exemplary mother.
Outlander deals with a lot of heavy topics, most of which center around Claire’s experiences. In order for the show to be as compelling as the novels, the creators needed to find someone who could genuinely evoke the main character’s – for lack of a better word – badassness, and Balfe’s incredible performance does the trick. Balfe’s ability to portray such complicated emotions allows audiences to really understand Claire as a character, and see her for the incredibly strong woman that she was written to be. Throughout the series, Claire endures countless traumatic events without losing sight of herself. Not only does she repeatedly risk her life to protect those she loves, but she also puts herself in oftentimes equally compromising situations to save people she barely knows. And on top of all that she has going on in her mind at any given moment, she remains a haven of support to those around her, always willing to drop what she’s doing to lend a hand. Her capacity to give so much love to others, and especially to Jamie, is really impressive when you consider all that she’s been through. Because of her selfless nature, continuous courage, and abilities as a healer, among many other qualities, Outlander's Claire Fraser is one of TV’s strongest characters to date.