‘Outlander’ Season 6: Will That Shocking Death Be the Thing That Pushes Claire Over the Edge? Jessica Reynolds Weighs In
Outlander season 6 took a dark turn at the end of the episode titled “The World Turned Upside Down.” Claire (Caitriona Balfe) found Malva Christie (Jessica Reynolds) dead in the vegetable patch just outside her home at Fraser’s Ridge after being under the influence of ether. Where she dreamed of confronting Malva with a promise to murder her.
Did Claire kill Malva during her drugged state? And will her shocking death be the thing that pushes Claire over the edge? Here’s what Jessica Reynolds has to say.
Malva Christie claimed Jamie Fraser was her baby’s father on ‘Outlander’ Season 6
Outlander Season 6, Episode 6 packed in numerous chapters of Diana Gabaldon’s sixth book A Breath of Snow and Ashes into one extremely emotional hour.
At the beginning of the episode, Claire and several other residents of the Ridge fell seriously ill, and she was one of the few who survived. But as soon as the outbreak ended, Malva revealed she was pregnant — and named Jamie (Sam Heughan) as the father.
Despite his insistence that he never slept with Malva, the Ridge residents didn’t believe him. Which caused them to quickly turn against Jamie and Claire.
To make things worse, Claire attempted to save Malva’s baby via emergency C-section when she found her in the vegetable patch with her throat slit. Leaving Claire covered in blood when she’s found with Malva and the baby’s body.
Malva’s murder is now the biggest mystery at the Ridge, and all the signs are pointing to Claire as the culprit.
Will Malva’s shocking death be the thing that pushes Claire over the edge in season 6?
When it comes to how Malva’s death will affect everyone at Fraser’s Ridge — especially Claire — Reynolds thinks it’s interesting that the Protestant community is putting blame, superstition, and witch ideology on Claire again. Despite the fact she overcame that in season 1.
“It’s going to impact her greatly. But then you’ve got that personal aspect for Claire. She loved Malva. Maybe it’s her thinking why can’t she have done more?” Reynolds told Variety.
“I think it’s going to be tough. It’s interesting seeing a lot of the fans say ‘Why can’t Claire see that she’s evil and she’s manipulative?’ Malva has a lot of sides to her, and ultimately I think she is a victim. I think Claire sees Malva as a victim as well when things were revealed.”
The Outlander star also pointed out that this is yet another trauma for Claire. And it’s happening while she’s processing the rape from last season. Reynolds admits to wondering just how much trauma Claire can take on.
Jessica Reynolds says Malva’s time on ‘Outlander’ was ‘short but impactful’
Malva didn’t make her Outlander debut until the season 6 premiere, and she only lasted six episodes before her death. Reynolds admits her character’s time on the Starz time-traveling drama was short, but it won’t be forgotten.
“[Malva’s time] was so short but so impactful. It gave me that perfect amount of time to have that arc. Within each episode, we’re peeling back a layer,” Reynolds said.
“When it starts, she’s inquisitive and she’s a big people pleaser. I think she’s trying to be as genuine as possible. You know, there’s a lot of debate whether everything that she does is calculative and manipulative. Personally, I don’t think so at all. I think she’s so young and she’s just doing what she thinks is best at the time.”
Reynolds added that Malva started to act out and do horrible things because of her circumstances. And she believes the way that the Outlander writers wrote her character’s story was “brilliant.”
New episodes of Outlander air Sunday nights on Starz.
