Sumith Prasad
The sixth season of Starz’s historical series ‘Outlander’ depicts a soul-stirring phase of Fergus’ life. The adoptive son of Jamie and Claire starts to lose himself in the guilt of not protecting his family from the vicious Lionel Brown. Even though Claire tells him that there wasn’t anything he could do to avoid the misfortunes that befell their family, Fergus fails to understand his adoptive mother’s reasoning.
Fergus stoops to despair further when Marsali gives birth to a dwarf, leading him to put an end to his life in distress. Although Fergus narrowly escapes death, viewers must be wondering whether his suicide attempt is a warning signal of his potential death. Well, let’s find out! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does Fergus Die?
When Fergus realizes that his son is a dwarf, he becomes entirely hopeless. He starts to believe that Henri-Christian became a dwarf because he didn’t protect his family and his son’s dwarfism is nothing but a punishment for him. These misapprehensions lead Fergus to unbearable torment. When he comes to know that his wife Marsali killed Lionel Brown, he feels immersed in weakness and starts to loathe the realization that he was protected by his wife rather than the other way round. These disturbing thoughts and beliefs lead him to attempt suicide.
Although Fergus cuts his nerves, Jamie witnesses Fergus’ suicide attempt and saves him. Jamie tells Fergus that he is a very essential part of his family and motivates him to reconcile with Marsali. Jamie’s intervention helps Fergus escape death and gives himself a second chance at life without any guilt or regrets. However, Fergus hasn’t yet completely recovered from his traumas and insecurities, making him emotionally vulnerable. Naturally, admirers of the character must be curious to know whether he will go down the same path in the upcoming episodes of the sixth season of the show.
In Diana Gabaldon’s novel ‘A Breath of Snow and Ashes,’ the source text of the sixth season, Fergus doesn’t die. In Gabaldon’s ‘Outlander’ novel series, Fergus changes his attitude towards life upon Jamie’s intervention. He moves from Fraser’s Ridge to New Bern, a city in eastern North Carolina, to start a print shop and eventually commence publishing a newspaper titled L’Oignon-Intelligencer. The new responsibilities influence Fergus and he regains happiness once he changes his abode. Thus, we believe that Fergus may stay alive in the sixth season of the show.
In the upcoming episodes, we can expect to see Fergus and Marsali rebuilding their relationship after an emotionally turbulent period. Fergus may become more responsible and completely stop drinking alcohol, as he had promised to Marsali. He may also accept Henri-Christian as his son without feeling any guilt. In the fourth episode of season 6, Fergus joins Mr. Bug for the trades of goods, to recover from the pain he suffers while living at Fraser’s Ridge.
Such a short journey may also help him realize the value of his family, potentially making him rush to his wife and son after completing the trades. Since Starz has already announced the seventh season of the show, adapting ‘An Echo in the Bone,’ we can expect Fergus’ saga to continue even after the sixth season. His move to New Bern and its consequences may turn out to be a pivotal part of the show’s narrative going forward.
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