13 Great Murtagh Moments on ‘Outlander’ Over the Seasons (PHOTOS)
Murtagh & Claire Entertain on the Road (Season 1, Episode 14)
When Jamie is captured and taken by the red coats, Claire takes off with Murtagh to try and find him. Along the way, they attempt to draw attention in order to gain possible information and in doing so create a little side show in which Claire sings and dances. The highlight of their roadshow though would have to be Murtagh’s earlier attempts at traditional Scottish dancing.
Murtagh Reveals His Love Story (Season 1, Episode 14)
While Claire and Murtagh are on the road searching for Jamie, she claims he doesn’t seem affected by the urgency of the situation. Accusing him of not knowing what love is, he recalls his past telling her that he had been in love once, and gifted the woman bangles made from boar tusks he collected after a hunt. Recalling an earlier gifting from her husband Jamie, Claire pulls out the bangles Jamie said had belonged to his mother Ellen, and she finally understands that Murtagh had been in love with the woman. That love extends to Jamie even if he never got the love story he’d been after with Ellen. The conversation eventually leads to a tearful hug and we learn that the hardened Murtagh has a soft side as well.
Murtagh Helps Claire with Jamie (Season 1, Episodee 16)
Following Black Jack Randall’s (Tobias Menzies) rape and torture of Jamie, Claire and Murtagh work together to try and get their husband and godson through the trauma. The experience is a turning point in their friendship as well as Murtagh has seemed to adopt Claire in a similar way to Jamie at this point.
Claire Tells Murtagh About the Future (Season 2, Episode 6)
In a pivotal moment, Claire reveals to Murtagh that she’s from the future, making him the only other person besides Jamie to know. Deciding it was imperative for him to know considering Claire and Jamie were trying to stop Prince Charles Stuart’s (Andrew Gower) doomed fight against the Brits, Murtagh took the news extremely well and asked thoughtful questions, trusting Claire and his godson.
Murtagh Kills the Duke of Sandringham (Season 2, Episode 11)
Once the Frasers have learned that the Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow) was responsible for the violation and attack of Claire and Mary (Rosie Day) in Paris, Murtagh lets his frustrations out with an axe. Never a big fan of the fair-weather ally, it was clear in the act that Murtagh had been wanting to kill the shady man for more than a while.
Murtagh Meets Jamie on Culloden's Battlefield (Season 3, Episode 1)
When the third season opened, we finally saw what became of Jamie and his fellow highlanders at the Battle of Culloden. Just when Jamie gets knocked down in the midst of fighting, Murtagh is there to help him back up and if that’s not a perfect symbol of their bond, we don’t know what is.
Murtagh's Ardsmuir Return (Season 3, Episode 3)
Deviating from the books in which Murtagh perished during the Battle of Culloden, viewers were surprised to see him return in a creative reveal during Jamie’s Ardsmuir imprisonment. Sickly due to poor conditions, it was unclear whether he’d survive or not, but he often wondered what happened to Jamie’s wife and unborn child, hoping they were well in another time. His presence in the prison was certainly reassuring to know Jamie wasn’t alone.
Jamie Reunites with Murtagh (Season 4, Episode 5)
After years apart a chance encounter at the local forge reunites Jamie with his long lost godfather for the first time since they were in Ardsmuir together. Needless to say, Murtagh’s excitement over seeing Jamie again and learning that Claire returned to him is priceless.
Murtagh Surprises Claire (Season 4, Episode 5)
After rejecting Jamie’s invitation to Fraser’s Ridge at first, Murtagh finally decides to pay a visit and surprises Claire upon his arrival. Signaling his entrance, Murtagh whistles “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)” as he nears her, a callback to their time on the road in Season 1 when they were searching for Jamie. Recognizing the uncommon tune for the time, Claire turns to see her old friend before sharing a big hug.
Murtagh Meets Brianna (Season 4, Episode 9)
After years of speculating what happened to Claire and her child with Jamie, Murtagh finally meets Brianna (Sophie Skelton) who arrives in the past to warn her parents about their possible death after discovering their names in an obituary from the near future. His excitement over finally meeting her is heightened by his insider knowledge of Claire’s time-traveling.
Murtagh Finds Love With Jocasta (Season 4, Episode 13)
While they didn’t appear to get along at first, their tension soon turned into love and it was nice to see a different side of Murtagh who’d never had a real onscreen relationship. Despite the short-lived nature of their bond, it was comforting to see him find some affection before his demise.
Jamie Releases Murtagh From His Oath (Season 5, Episode 1)
After Brianna’s wedding, Jamie finds his godfather and reveals the news that he’s been called by Governor Tryon (Tim Downie) to gather a militia and fight against he regulators. It’s with this news that he tells Murtagh that he’s released him from the oath he made to Jamie’s mother in which he’d follow his godson always. Despite their drawn lines, it’s clear even in “breaking” the oath, they’re loyal to each other.
Murtagh Bares His Soul to Jocasta (Season 5, Episode 6)
Prior to her wedding with Duncan Innes (Alastair Findlay), Murtagh meets with Jocasta pleading with her to wait for him and break off her engagement. Baring his soul to her, it isn’t enough for Jocasta who has lost so much due to men as passionate as Murtagh in the past. Needless to say the exchange is heartbreaking but it’s one of Murtagh’s most honest moments in the entire series.
[Warning: This gallery contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 5, Episode 7 of Outlander, “The Ballad of Roger Mac.”]
Outlander fans got to spend five seasons with Duncan Lacroix‘s Murtagh Fitzgibbons — more than fans of the book did, which saw him perish in the Battle of Culloden. In the Starz series, Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) godfather lived to see America and fight for freedom from British rule with the regulators.
Sadly, that all came to an end in the Sunday, March 29 episode, as the fan favorite met his end at the hands of one of Jamie’s dutiful militia men. Desperate to save him, Jamie dragged Murtagh all the way to Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) medical tent only to learn what viewers and he himself already knew deep down — there was no saving his father figure, who’d already succumbed to a gunshot wound.
In this time of reflection, we’re taking a look back at some of Murtagh’s greatest moments throughout the years. From Season 1’s quiet moments to silly reunions in Season 4 and beyond. Scroll through as we remember the highlander who maintained his spirit and loyalty until the very end.
Outlander, Sundays, 8/7c, Starz
