Jamie Fraser is among several of the characters in Outlander who is deemed a fan favorite. The Scotsman won the hearts of millions when they witnessed his courageous deeds and kind-hearted attitude. His relationship with Claire also holds a special place in the fandom as they defied all odds to be together.
However, to say that Jamie is always the perfect and honorable gentleman is a bit of an overstatement. While he has always had tried to have the best of intentions, there have been many instances that have shown the older Fraser to be reckless and obstinate. We share some examples.
Abandoning William
This may be a bit of a controversial one, but one of the most shameless acts had to be when Jamie abandoned William. After Jamie was sentenced to go to Helwater, he began to serve the Dunsany family where he was accosted by Geneva. After she blackmailed him into a one-night-stand, Geneva ended up pregnant with William.
Jamie remained under the Dunsany service for years so he could bond with his child. However, Jamie soon decided to leave after people began to remark about the resemblance between him and William. Before he left, Jamie performed an impromptu baptism on William and told him he will have to keep his new religious identity a secret. Not only did he allow his child to get attached to him but he also put William’s life at risk, too.
His opinions on “promiscuous” women
Compared to the age that Claire and Brianna lived through, Jamie’s views on women’s rights were completely outdated. In Season 1, Jamie let Claire know that if a woman is found guilty of “loose behavior” then their reputation could be tarnished among the community (which is why he takes Laoghaire’s punishment).
In Season 4, he made his beliefs known when he suggested to Brianna that he will marry her off to someone because she wouldn’t be able to support her child. He also accused her of lying about her assault when he believed she was covering up the fact that she slept with Roger “out of lust.” Sometimes Jamie takes his duties as a man of honor too far.
His smuggling business
Another venture Jamie never regretted was the smuggling business. Twenty years after Claire’s absence and his release from Helwater, Jamie went to Edinburgh and began to work as a printer, purchasing the business as a cover to hide his criminal activities.
He used a large wagon and horses to help transport smuggled goods across the city, and also used the printing press to print seditious pamphlets that promote Jacobite sympathies. Despite being arrested six times for his pamphlets, Jamie continued to operate his business with Fergus until it burned down.
Tricking John Grey
As the series progressed, a special bond formed between Jamie and John Grey. However, this all began in Season 2 when a sixteen-year-old John spotted Jamie sitting by a campfire in Carryarick Pass.
When John spotted Claire among the men, Jamie used this to his advantage and manipulated John into divulging military intelligence about the English. However, he ended up humiliating Claire in front of the other men to get the answers he required. Even though it was Claire’s idea, the viewer can see from her face that he is walking a fine line
Killing Dougal
One of the hardest things Jamie had to do was kill Dougal. However, it was an act Jamie didn’t regret as he had to do it to protect himself and Claire. While this version of his death didn’t make the cut in the show, the book sees Jamie forced to carry out the deed himself after Dougal overheard him and Claire conspiring to assassinate Prince Charles.
When Dougal accused Claire of bewitching him and threatened to kill her, Jamie was forced to intervene when he became violent. Dougal then claimed Jamie had committed treason, which resulted in younger Scotsman killing his uncle. While Jamie was ready to accept all responsibility, he didn’t regret his actions as he was protecting Claire.
Accusing Jenny of being a “doxy”
Jenny and Jamie have one of the best familial relationships in the series. However, no one would ever wish to get into an argument with the Fraser siblings, as evident by the events in the first season when Jamie and Claire decide to visit Lallybroch.
As soon as Jamie stepped into his home, he immediately gets into an argument with Jenny by accusing her of being the Captain’s “doxy” (mistress). Jamie then got angry at the fact that Jenny named her child after him, and remarked that he didn’t need a reminder of what Randall did to her. Although it was a misunderstanding, Jamie didn’t even apologize for his accusations. In fact, he got angry at Claire for embarrassing him in front of the servants when she suggests he should.
Beating Claire
In the early days of Jamie and Claire’s marriage, it wasn’t always bliss. Back when Claire was still (somewhat) in love with Frank, the surgeon would do all she could to return to the stones. However, whilst she was trying to escape, Jamie was forced to rescue Claire after she got captured by the Redcoats.
In the aftermath of their rescue mission, Jamie then told Claire that he would have to beat her for disobeying his orders and putting the other men in danger. Although Jamie tried to defend himself by saying this is part of their customs, it was awful to watch and led to tension between the couple.
Beating Roger to near-death
Although Jamie would later regret his actions after finding out the true identity of Roger, he didn’t regret trying to protect his family. As fans know, Jamie was full of rage when he found out that Brianna was sexually assaulted. When he heard that a man resembling Brianna’s perpetrator has been spotted, the Scotsman wasted no time in telling him how he felt.
After Jamie nearly beat Roger to death, he and Ian decided to sell him to the Mohawk tribe. Whilst Jamie thought he had done well in protecting his family, he soon had to face the wrath of his wife and daughter.
Marrying Laoghaire
One mistake that Claire struggled to forgive Jamie for was his marriage to Laoghaire. After the battle of Culloden, Jamie was seen to become a recluse as he struggled in the aftermath of losing Claire and Brianna. He spent years rejecting Jenny’s matchmaking schemes because he continued to yearn for his lost family.
However, after his return from prison, Jamie and Laoghaire got married after the Scotsman proposed that they could fill the hole in each other’s lives. Considering all the torment Laoghaire put Claire through (e.g. the witchcraft trials), you can understand why she was baffled by Jamie’s choice of companionship.
Claire’s miscarriage
The most shameless thing that Jamie ever did was by him breaking his promise to Claire. In both the series and the book, Jamie promised her that he would not kill Captain Jack Randall until she could be assured of Frank’s existence.
However, Claire soon overheard that Jamie had engaged in a duel with the Englishman and rushed to the scene. The show implies that the stress of losing both Jamie and Frank was the main cause of her miscarriage. While Jamie hated that Claire suffered in the aftermath, he didn’t regret challenging Randall.
