‘Outlander’: 12 Times Jamie Fraser Almost Died in the Series
Spoiler Alert
As the fate of Outlander‘s Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) was revealed in the series finale, we can’t help but recall all of the close calls the Highlander has faced over the years. Warning: Spoilers for the Outlander Series Finale ahead!
Since the series premiere in 2014, Jamie has had his fair share of near-death experiences, whether it was in combat or from an animal encounter, among countless others. Despite the ups and downs he’s faced with wife Claire (Caitriona Balfe) often at his side, the idea of Jamie coming out of his near-death encounters unscathed has certainly lulled viewers into a potentially false sense of security.
Was his number finally up by the time Outlander‘s closing credits rolled after Frank (Tobias Menzies) suggested that Jamie died in the battle at Kings Mountain in his posthumous book, Soul of a Rebel? Below, we’re rounding up twelve times that Jamie Fraser almost died in Outlander. Following the series finale, let us know which close call scared you the most over the years in the comments section below.
(*Note: Jamie’s whipping from Season 1 has been excluded because it was a flashback sequence.)
Outlander, Series finale, Friday, May 15, 8/7c, Starz
Black Jack Randall's Assault at Wentworth
In Season 1, Jamie endured a brutal assault at the hands of the vile Black Jack Randall (also Menzies) while at Wentworth prison. Ultimately, Jamie was saved just in time by Claire and his clan, but the resulting trauma had understandable after effects, even leaving Jamie’s life in question as he experienced dark thoughts following the rape and torture.
Dirk Fight With Dougal
On the brink of the Battle of Culloden, in Season 2’s finale, Jamie got into a life-or-death fight with his uncle Dougal (Graham McTavish), who had dedicated himself to the Jacobite cause. After understanding that Jamie and Claire planned to stop the fight by killing the Bonnie Prince, Dougal attacked his nephew, but his dirk was eventually turned back on himself as Claire leaned on Jamie’s body to help push the weapon into Dougal’s chest.
The Battle of Culloden
Despite Jamie and Claire’s efforts to keep the Jacobites from dying in the Battle of Culloden, Season 3 opened with the long-teased fight. Jamie fought with his clansmen and even killed his foe, Black Jack Randall, but he lay on the battlefield dying, and nearly succumbed until he saw a vision of Claire. Even after he was retrieved from the battlefield, he was worse for wear, but he ultimately recovered after returning to Lallybroch.
Shot by Laoghaire
After Claire reunited with Jamie, she learned that he’d been married to her nemesis, Laoghaire (Nell Hudson), after her return to the 20th century. When Laoghaire confronted them at Lallybroch with a gun, the weapon went off and hit Jamie in the arm and shoulder, forcing Claire to perform surgery and administer antibiotics. If Claire hadn’t been on site, Jamie could have died from his injuries.
Overboard in a Storm
In the Season 3 finale, fans will recall that Jamie and Claire go overboard during a storm at sea after departing from Jamaica, leaving them stranded in the middle of the ocean. Eventually, they wash ashore in America, but their brush with death was one of the show’s most epic sequences up to that point.
'Bear' Attack
While Jamie and Claire worked on settling themselves into life in North Carolina in Season 4, they had a startling encounter in the woods when Jamie was attacked by a “bear,” which happened to be a member of the Cherokee tribe nearby, who had ventured out on his own, donning a bear hide and going rogue. Jamie wins in the fight against the threat, but it was a brutal fight that left him fairly injured.
A Snake Bite
Another adventure in the woods in Season 5 led to one of Jamie’s closest encounters with death after a snake bite left poison running through his blood, and his leg was seriously infected. After Roger (Richard Rankin) managed to get Jamie back to Fraser’s Ridge, Claire attempted to draw the infection out with maggots, but as Jamie’s state didn’t improve that much, he eventually requested that he be moved from Claire’s surgery to his bedroom, and it seemed that the proximity to her body may have been all the medicine he needed.
Fraser's Ridge Attacks
At the end of Season 6, Claire and Jamie’s community turned on them amid the accusation that Jamie had impregnated Malva Christie (Jessica Reynolds), and after Claire stumbled upon her dead body, she tried saving the baby by performing a C-section. Ridge inhabitants believed Claire murdered the girl, not aware that it was a big setup, and things got so volatile that there was a shootout from within Claire and Jamie’s house.
Battle of Saratoga
In Season 7, Jamie partook in the Battle of Saratoga and was left lying injured on the battlefield, forcing Claire to come and find him. Thankfully, his injuries were minimal, but the visual appearance of his seemingly lifeless body on the field definitely raised red flags for viewers and Claire alike.
Faux Ship Sinking
While the supposed ship sinking that left Jamie dead at sea didn’t really happen in the second half of Season 7, the devastation that resulted from the faulty revelation was palpable for Claire and Lord John Grey (David Berry). As fans will recall, that grief manifested in a very interesting way as Jamie’s wife and his best friend fell into bed together.
Captain Cunningham's Attack
Season 8 opened with the introduction of Captain Cunningham (Kieran Bew), who ended up posing a major threat as he recruited members from Fraser’s Ridge to support his loyalist cause in the ensuing American Revolution. Eventually, Jamie got into a physical fight that nearly had him stabbed in the heart.
Kings Mountain
In the series finale, Frank’s prophecy came true, but after Jamie and Claire falsely believed he had made it out of the Battle of Kings Mountain alive. It turned out that the Red Coat leading the opposition refused to surrender and pulled out a gun, shooting Jamie in the chest. Ultimately, he did die from his injuries, but Claire used her healing powers to revive him. At least, that’s how it appeared in the show’s final seconds, leading to the Fraser patriarch’s latest brush with death.
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