Outlander's Claire Fraser: An appreciation

Entertainment Weekly

Caitriona Balfe's character on the Starz series "gave us a compassionate look at a complex woman’s difficult choices within a constricted social milieu" before Big Little Lies, The Crown, The Handmaid's Tale and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, says Maureen Ryan. She adds: "The biggest miracle is that Outlander has been unswerving in its fealty to a noble cause: the idea that a woman’s many lives — professional, sexual, personal, political, and psychological — are all worth exploring with respect, care, and some well-modulated irreverence. Claire experiences consequences for her actions — there wouldn’t be much drama if she didn’t. But Outlander plumbs her heart, soul, and mind without punishing her for being calculating, impetuous, forthright, horny, intelligent, and witty."