Outlander fans are caught up in the lives of Claire and Jamie, because they are, after all, the protagonists. On the other hand, part of the success of Outlander series 2 is due to minor characters.
This year Outlander is spending the first half of season 2 in a new location, Paris of the 18th century. With that new location have come a host of new characters, and they have enriched the series.
Master Raymond – Dominique Pinon
The enigmatic Master Raymond is perhaps the friend that Claire knows the least, but is the most valuable to her. He is a confidante, surrogate godfather, and perhaps someone who knows that Claire is not of the current time.
Pinon gives Raymond just the right amount of mystery imbued with empathy. Whenever he is on the screen we want Claire to stay with him and learn more. Clearly Raymond knows more than he is saying, and we just want him to spill.
A non-spoilery teaser for future episodes, Pinion positively shines in episodes 206 and 207. He has one of those quietly, subtle performances that the Emmy Awards overlook, and shouldn’t.
Fergus – Romann Berrux
As we have mentioned before, Outlander lucked out when they cast Romann Berrux as Fergus. Child actors are always a crap shoot. Adorable only goes so far. Fergus has to be at once: charming, sly, and adept at acting in two languages. Berrux is up to this task.
Berrux will bring a smile to your face and break your heart in upcoming episodes.
Mary Hawkins – Rosie Day
Mary Hawkins is initially shown as the sheltered and naive bride-to-be of a French nobleman. We later learned that she is much more than that. She is the several times great-grandmother of Claire’s husband from the 20th century, Frank Randall. Frank’s existence depends on Mary marrying Black Jack Randall, though we have no idea how that will come to pass, if in fat it does come to pass.
Rosie Day does a marvelous job of playing the naive Mary without making Mary overly annoying, or worse making her seem stupid. It’s a tall order to play the innocence of a well-bred Englishwoman of the era with any sort of credibility and sensitivity. Day pulls it off. In particular, Day’s portrayal of post-rape Mary makes you realize that the stigmas of the 18th century unfortunately, sometimes carry over into our present day.
Louise de Rohan – Claire Sermonne
Everyone needs that fun-loving friend who isn’t as serious as they are. Louise de Rohan is the Parisian party girl who everyone should have in their lives. Louise is fun, flirty, and she says what’s on her mind. Granted she’s also a bit self-possessed and not particularly sensible, but nobody’s perfect.
Claire Sermonne portrays Louise de Rohan with an sassy exuberance that energetic appeal that leaves viewers smiling. Whether she’s commenting on the French court while half-naked having her legs waxed, or waxing eloquent on her pet monkey, Louise is a delight.
Lest you think Sermonne can only play comedy, her more serious side will be evident in upcoming episodes.
Bonnie Prince Charlie – Andrew Gower
Prince Charles is the misguided and entitled, deposed heir to the Scottish throne who, though romanticized by history, is single-handedly responsible for the demise of the influence of the Scottish clans. A people and culture were literally decimated at the Battle of Culloden because of Charles’ grandiose and ill-conceived plans.
Andrew Gower plays Charles with a narcissistic certainty, peppered with a zealot’s glaze in his eyes when he speaks about his Divine Right to rule. Gower is equally petulant, petty, and simpering. There is no doubt that if his rebellion had succeeded that Scotland would not have benefited for having him on the throne.
Outlander airs on Starz Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Do you need to talk about Outlander with other fans? Don’t miss our weekly, post-show, Outlander Google Hangout called Hangoutlander. Hypable’s Laura and Kyle join the crew from That’s Normal, where we talk about the recent episode in a lively, fun, funny, and slightly irreverent way. If you missed last week’s episode, you can catch the recording here. You can sign up for this week’s episode here.