How the arrival of the Christie family contributed to the decline of life on Fraser’s Ridge in Outlander.
The early days of any new settlement are filled with trials and tribulations, but once past that stage, life tends to settle into a routine. A community comes together. Neighbors help neighbors, and it was no different for Claire and Jamie Fraser (portrayed by the much loved Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan). The men came together to build the homes, including the beautiful home for the Fraser’s, do the hunting, and grow the crops. The women worked together to share in the domestic chores: preserving food, making cloth and clothing, producing candles for light, and helping with child rearing. Jamie became an influential man in the region and an asset to the crown. All valued Claire’s healing skills. It was a happy, peaceful time.
Tom Christie (Mark Lewis Jones), an acquaintance of Jamie’s from Ardsmuir prison in Scotland, arrived at Fraser’s Ridge in North Carolina with his son Allan (Alexander Vlahos), daughter Malva (Jessica Reynolds), and a group of homeless fisher folk seeking a place to settle. Their arrival creates a disruption, changing the process of daily life. They start their day with a public prayer and the symbolic breaking of bread. Their priority is that a place of worship should be built before homes for newcomers, where shelter first has been the practice. Jamie’s authority as the landowner is tested when a member of the Committee of Safety accuses Allan of stealing a powder horn. Jamie, in order to maintain his authority on the Ridge, is forced to deliver a thrashing for the crime to avoid Allan’s being arrested and jailed.
Claire befriends Malva, hoping to teach her about healing while gaining an assistant. One day, the ladies of the Ridge come across what looks to be a love charm containing human bones. Within days, an illness breaks out on the Ridge, killing several within the community. Claire falls ill but has different symptoms from the others, including hallucinations. Coincidently, Tom Christie has become ill with the same symptoms that Claire has. Malva helps tend to Claire during her illness, staying late at night. One evening, Claire is briefly lucid and sees Malva put her hands on Jamie, who is also in the room. Unable to remain conscious, Claire falls asleep again. Later, it is discovered that Malva made a broth from the bones of a rotting corpse to sicken both Claire and her father.
Unknown to everyone, Allan has been molesting Malva for some time. When she becomes pregnant, to disguise what has been happening, she has intimate relations with several of the young men on the Ridge, including Ian (John Hunter Bell). At Allan’s urging, Malva accuses Jamie of fathering the child. Having earlier spied on Jamie and Claire making love, she is able to provide details about scars on Jamie’s body that lend credibility to her story. Jamie is shocked by the false accusation, and Claire knows that he has remained faithful to her. Soon, most of the community will believe Malva’s story. Jamie is ostracized. Claire’s practice dries up. Very few of the settlers are willing to support them.
A few days later, Claire finds Malva’s body in her garden; her throat has been cut. Claire tries to save the unborn child by performing surgery to extract the baby, but is unable to revive the infant. Very quickly, the rumor that Claire murdered Malva spreads. Only a handful of people believe her claim of innocence. The Committee of Safety arrives to arrest Claire for murder. A shootout between the Fraser’s and the Committee members ensues, and their beautiful home is badly damaged.
Claire is taken to Wilmington to stand trial, but with the ongoing war, most of the courts are closed. She could languish in prison for years awaiting trial. Tom Christie decides to confess to the murder, not because he did it—he did not—but to save Claire’s life. He loves her and believes she is incapable of such an action.
