Outlander blends plenty of genres, as a historical romance that also contains sci-fi elements. There's even some military history in there, for army buffs! Outlander contains time travel as one of its sci-fi elements via two sets of standing stones in Scotland and North America. Due to several characters being time travelers, this can create some confusion about where and when the characters are in time.
Therefore, with the time travel creating multiple storylines for various characters throughout the show's five seasons, the audience's understanding of the plot can become muddled. Here are 10 aspects of the Outlander timeline that have a tendency to be confusing.
Parallel Storylines
In season three, which adapts Voyager, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Catriona Balfe) are separated by approximately 200 years of history. As a result, the audience follows parallel storylines during their 20 years of separation. What makes this time confusing is that the stories don't in the same manner.
The beginning of season three spends more time with Jamie, getting caught up on what happens to him, and less time on Claire's efforts to become a doctor. Therefore, the timelines aren't equal, and it can be confusing to keep up on what year it is, and how much time has ed.
Never Exactly 200 Years
The legends Claire and Jamie quote say that whenever someone time travels, it's always exactly 200 years. However, it's not quite that clear-cut. When Claire travels for the first time, she moves from 1946 to 1743, which is 203 years.
Even when stories want everything to be clean and clear, it rarely is. The reality is always a bit messier, which is something that Outlander tries to uphold with its realism.
Geillis' Time Travel
Following up on the last point, Geillis Duncan's (Lotte Verbeek) time travel in season 2 doesn't fit the 202 years pattern at all. If she traveled from 1968, as shown at the end of season 2, she should have ended up in 1766, as opposed to the 1730s or 1740s, which seems likely given that when Claire first encounters her in season 1 she is already married.
Geillis is, sadly, the main outlier in figuring out how time travel works in Outlander, which can make her character confusing in of how she got where she ends up.
Jamie's Ghost
Early in season 1 of Outlander, Frank (Tobias Menzies) es by a man staring up at Claire's window. Context clues confirm that this man is Jamie in his 20s as a spirit of some kind.
However, during that time, Jamie would either already have been with Claire or wouldn't have met her yet, leading to confusion as to how exactly he ends up haunting her window. Sadly, the novels haven't provided any answers yet, though presumably, the last one will give a conclusion.
Scottish History
Season 2 delves into the rise of Bonnie Prince Charlie (Andrew Gower) and the rebellion he sparked. It also forces the audience to learn just a bit of Scottish history, as Claire and Jamie undergo the battles of Prestonpans, Culloden, and countless others.
In the grand scheme of things, this history is minor and is therefore unlikely to be known in its entirety unless someone were studying it. The storyline can be confusing if you don't keep up with which army is winning which battle, and where Claire and Jamie are headed next.
Confusion Over Three Years
Claire travels back to the past in 1946, after World War II. She spends three years there, from 1743 to 1746. However, when she returns to her own time, it's only 1968. There's a missing year that isn't ed for. This is a confusing plot hole.
Luckily, it doesn't really affect the plot very much, even though in most other instances, time moves regularly even if the audience is following two characters in different time periods.
American Revolution is Approaching
From seasons 4 and 5, it's clear that the American Revolution is approaching for Outlander. The characters know from season 2 that something this large cannot be changed, even if they wanted to alter it in any way.
Therefore, the audience will now have to contend with ing their American history. What happened first, where, and when? It's just another piece of history to , for when it becomes important to this historical show.
Roger and Brianna
In season four, Roger and Brianna leave for the stones separately, which ensures that the audience has three stories to follow, all of which are taking place at different times. Both Roger and Brianna, once they arrive in the past, are setting sail for North Carolina, but Brianna's ankle injury pauses her journey for a bit.
Roger, on the other hand, time travels after her but isn't stopped by anything. Once everyone is in the past, it can be confusing to follow along with Claire and Jamie's story in 1769, Brianna's story sometime in the same year, and Roger's, just a few days out of sync from Brianna's.
How Much Time is ing?
In seasons 1 and 2, the characters are together, so making note of the date is less important than in later seasons. However, that does mean it can be hard to know just how much time has ed.
Considering, in season 2, that Claire and Jamie are trying to stop a rebellion that they know will end in April of 1745, it makes the audience want to know just when we are every few episodes.
How Accurate Is Claire?
Outlander is doubly a historical show since Claire doesn't come from the modern era either. Therefore, the audience has to trust the writers and historians that all of Claire's medical knowledge is correct for 1946, and later, 1968. This can definitely add to the fun, but can also lead down the rabbit hole of Googling medical facts from the 1960s.
Therefore, it's definitely something to hang onto about any historical show, but especially this one: keep accuracy in mind. You might be surprised, both by what's accurate to the time period, and what isn't.