Entertainment

Jamie & Claire's Colonial Adventure Begins In This 'Outlander' Season 4 Trailer

by Emily Mae Czachor

To all those Outlander fans who've been waiting patiently for an update about Claire and Jamie's daughter, Brianna, ever since she and her mother parted ways back in Season 2: some answers might be on their way. The new Outlander Season 4 trailer, released Monday, Sept. 10, sees Claire and Jamie's daughter unraveling the truth about her parents. And she just might be taking a few steps toward eventually reconnecting with them.

Most of the new Outlander trailer follows Claire and Jamie's colonial-era pursuits, which takes place during the mid-1700s, in the years leading up to the American Revolution. And, in what feels like a pretty notable departure from the chaotic time-traveling efforts that characterized most of their relationship in seasons past, it looks like the pair will finally take a shot at settling down in what would become America when Outlander returns for Season 4.

Of course, building a life amid the conflict-ridden settlements of 18th century America proves exceedingly difficult, as shown in the trailer. In this case, "building a life" requires the couple to build themselves a literal home, from the ground up. It also means a horrified Claire (originally born during the 20th century) coming face-to-face with some of the ugliest elements of U.S. colonialism, like institutionalized slavery and violence against indigenous tribes.

"There's slavery, there's American Indians, there's a rebellion brewing up in New England that will become the American Revolution," said showrunner Ronald D. Moore of the upcoming fourth season, according to a report from Variety, published back in March. "And [Claire and Jamie] land right smack dab in the middle of all this."

But, in typical fashion for the series — which is famous for toggling back and forth between centuries — the new trailer suggests Claire and Jamie's current colonial challenges are certainly not the only ones these two will grapple with come Season 4. In fact, it looks like there might be a comparatively more personal conflict brewing some 200 years into the future.

Fast-forward to the 20th century, Brianna Randall, Claire and Jamie's now-grown daughter, is looking for answers. The details of her pursuits remain a little fuzzy in the trailer, but those who've read the book series might have a clearer sense of what exactly is going on here. The trailer shows Brianna soliciting the help of Roger Wakefield (the historian who originally helped her mother find Jamie) in what seems like an attempt to learn more about her parents.

Inquiring audiences will have to wait until Outlander returns on November 4 to see how the cross-millenial family drama unfolds. But it seems like this might be the first step toward the eventual father-daughter reunion between Brianna and Jamie that fans have been waiting on for years now. Back in March, the show's executive producers confirmed that the Brianna-Jamie reunion would indeed take place during Outlander's upcoming season. Sam Heughan, the actor who plays Jamie, told Variety that his character's reunion with his daughter is "a huge moment," and it's one that "will be the catalyst to a lot of the drama that unfolds."

So, does this mean fans can expect to see Brianna following her mother back through the stones and into the past? Maril Davis, one of the series' EPs, told Variety in that same report that there might be some challenges on that front, too. "The only reason [Claire] wouldn't want Brianna to come through is because it's obviously a dangerous time," said Davis, adding, "I think you'd want your daughter probably to stay in a time where it's not quite as dangerous."

But, if Brianna turns out to be anything like her mother, it seems pretty safe to say that the threat of almost any danger — no matter how great —probably won't be enough to keep her away.