In the show, however, the animal has been changed into a mentally ill Native man who, dressed in the pelts and claws of a bear, injures both animal and human before Jamie takes him down. The men of the tribe, who do not speak English, come to respect Jamie thanks to his physical prowess and the honor he pays the animal he has killed. In Gabaldon’s book, which was written more than 20 years ago, the chapter titled “Noble Savages” sees the Frasers first meeting the local Tuscarora tribe after Jamie has fought and killed a real bear. The episode makes a radical departure from one of the more popular, show-stopping moments from Diana Gabaldon’s novel Drums of Autumn, seemingly as part of the show’s ongoing attempt to correct some problematic racial depictions in its source material.

The episode sees our time-traveling lovers, Jamie ( Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser ( Caitriona Balfe), finding common ground-both literal and figurative-with the indigenous people who will be their neighbors in a new North Carolina settlement the couple have named Fraser’s Ridge, after themselves. It’s almost too fitting that Starz should air this latest episode of Outlander during the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This post contains frank discussion of Season 4, Episode 4 of Outlander, titled “Common Ground.” Proceed with care.

Outlander season 1 episode 4