Outlander season 8 will have to provide answers about the massive Faith twist, and the oldest trick in the book could be used to do so. The romantacy series is big on dramatic revelations, and it certainly delivered on this in the finale of season 7. Fanny Pockock singing “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside” led Claire to believe that the girl’s mother was Faith Fraser, who died in Outlander season 2. So far, it’s unclear how this could be, but season 8 will surely dive into the details.
The idea that Fanny and Jane’s mother, Faith, had been Jamie and Claire’s daughter is certainly a dramatic turn for Outlander. There was no indication in season 2 that the deceased infant that Claire held in her arms for hours could possibly still be alive or resurrected. Jamie and Claire said goodbye to little Faith at the French cemetery, and though they thought of her often, there was never any hope of being reunited with the child. It will be interesting to see how Outlander season 8 backpedals on these details. However, given the series’ drama, the answer may be a tried and true fiction staple.
Claire Might Have Been Pregnant With Twins In Outlander Season 2
She May Have Only Held One Of Her Babies
When Claire began to have a miscarriage in Outlander season 2, she fell in and out of consciousness. She fully came to a while after little Faith was born and had no memory of the birth or what had happened to the baby. It was Mother Hildegarde who explained that the infant had been stillborn. Claire demanded to see her daughter, and the baby’s body was brought to her to hold until she was ready to say goodbye. There is no question through any of this that Faith is beyond saving. Still, it somehow seems that Fanny and Jane’s mother are connected to Claire.
Given the chaos of Claire’s birthing experience, it’s possible that she could have given birth to twins without knowing it. There were no sonograph machines in the 18th century, so Claire wouldn’t have known she was carrying two babies until the birth. Twins could potentially explain why Claire went into preterm labor to begin with since this is common in such situations. It may be that only one of Claire and Jamie’s babies was lost and that the other lived on to give birth to Fanny and Jane Pocock. It’s the kind of twist fit for a telenovela—a classic shocking revelation.
Faith Having A Twin Would Make Master Raymond’s Actions Even Crueler
Why Would Master Raymond Take Claire’s Only Living Baby
Of course, if Claire really did have twins, then Outlander season 8 would still have a great deal to answer for. Regardless of how Faith Pocock connects to Claire, Master Raymond most certainly has something to do with it. He appeared to Claire in a dream, which is why she came to the conclusion that Fanny’s mother was her own daughter. Master Raymond had also been at the hospital the night that Claire had her miscarriage, so there was ample opportunity for him to cause some mischief. Still, the big question here would be why.
The idea that he might have let Claire mourn her dead daughter while withholding the truth that a twin had lived is simply unthinkable.
It’s already horrible to think that Master Raymond would have saved Claire’s baby only to keep the mother and daughter separated. The idea that he might have let Claire mourn her dead daughter while withholding the truth that a twin had lived is simply unthinkable. It’s also quite upsetting to think that Mother Hildegarde would have gone along with this. However, if Master Raymond’s plan here was for some mysterious greater good, he and Hildegarde might have determined it was a necessary evil. Perhaps they named the twin Faith and taught her “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside,” hoping Claire would be able to find her daughter one day at the right time.
A Twin Twist Might Be Too Cliche (But It Works For Outlander)
Outlander Turns Cliche Tropes Into Guilty Pleasures
Big twin reveals are a dime a dozen in the world of fiction. It tends to be an easy answer for how a character can be in two places at once or how a seemingly dead individual somehow miraculously returns (like Faith). It’s easy for such a trope to become overused, and it can sometimes cheapen a story. However, Outlander is a series that makes excellent use of such cliches. Ancient European folklore is at its very center, so the events of Claire’s adventures often parallel some of the oldest stories in human history. What’s more, as a romance series, these tropes are what make Outlander such a guilty pleasure.
If any TV show can get away with reviving the old twin reveal cliche, it’s Outlander. However, this isn’t to say that season 8 can simply whip out this explanation and leave it at that. What is even more important than the details of how Faith Pocock and Claire are connected is the way it makes the characters and audiences feel. Outlander’s characters have come close to death countless times, but it works within the story because of the emotional performances of the stars. Similarly, any reveal about Claire and Jamie’s baby will have to stab straight through the heart.