‘Outlander’ Season 5: Why Murtagh Reveals His True Feelings
Episode 6 of season 5 of Outlander involved the lead-up to Jocasta’s (Maria Doyle Kennedy) wedding. Although fans may have deduced how Jocasta feels for Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix), things got heated between them on this week’s episode. Read on to learn why Murtagh chose to reveal his true feelings to Jocasta on the eve of her wedding to another man. There are spoilers ahead.
Murtagh comes to see Jocasta
Murtagh is still being hunted as the leader of the regulators, and a number of men searching for him are at River Run, including the Governor. Jocasta asks Murtagh why he has come after they finish embracing and he gives her a gift. Murtagh asks Jocasta if she will wait for him, meaning wait for things to blow over so they can be married.
Murtagh insists he loves her, yet Jocasta isn’t convinced considering the time she basically asked him to propose and he didn’t say anything except that he wouldn’t stand in the way of her happiness.
“Well I’m standing in the way of it now aren’t I?” Murtagh says to her in frustration. He tells her he never thought she’d say yes to another man.
They passionately kiss and it’s clear that they care for one another deeply. Jocasta tells him she’s sorry. She reveals why she needs to marry by telling him of the loss of her youngest daughter, Morna, who was shot by a Dragoon. She feels the reason she is blind is for her punishment for leaving Morna’s dead body there in the road.
What type of man is Murtagh?
It all happened because Jocasta followed the urging of her husband, and she refuses to marry another man like that again. She tells him she cares what type of man he is. Murtagh asks her what type that would be.
“A sort of man who will lose everything for what he believes in,” Jocasta tells him. “The sort of man I swore I would never give my heart to again.”
She asks him to leave, and he does but not before saying: “I love you Jocasta MacKenzie. This world may change, but that will never change. I only wish I’d been brave enough to say it sooner.”
Why Murtagh finally reveals his true feelings to Jocasta
Murtagh knew that the time was now and he needed to tell Jocasta how he felt or he’d regret it forever. He clearly loves her and wants to be with her, but circumstances are keeping them apart. Murtagh is the leader of the regulators and he can’t expect Jocasta to drop her life to be with him.
He asks her to wait for him until after things blow over, but when will that be? Is she just supposed to put her life on hold for him forever? Jocasta makes a choice to marry another man instead of waiting forever for Murtagh. She’s been with a man like that before and all it did was get her daughter killed.
Murtagh needed to tell Jocasta his true feelings before it was too late. He hoped she wouldn’t go through with the wedding, but she surprised him by sending him away.
