Outlander: 10 Saddest Things About Brianna Fraser

Brianna Fraser is a polarizing character in the hit Starz romantic fantasy Outlander. When she was first introduced in season 2, she appeared somewhat superficial and stubborn and didn’t hit it off with a lot of fans.

Over time though, Brianna has evolved and become one of the stronger characters on the show. Brianna has survived sexual violence and had to adjust to life in a different historical time. Her life, like those of so many others on the show, has been full of ups and downs. Here are ten such heartbreaking things about this fiery young woman.

10 Frank Died Tragically

Brianna was very close to her adoptive father, although she didn’t know that he wasn’t her biological father until after he had died.

Frank adored little Bree and was a devoted father to her. Brianna had even taken up history at Harvard University, planning to follow in her father’s footsteps. However, Frank died tragically in a car accident shortly after raising the subject of divorce with Claire.

9 Brianna Argued With Frank Before He Died

Unfortunately, Claire wasn’t the only person Frank had a showdown with before he died. He came to tell Brianna about the impending divorce and to ask her if she would mind moving to England with him.

Brianna didn’t take the news of her parents splitting up very well and was further upset at being asked to leave the country. She fought with Frank, but unfortunately, that meeting turned out to be their last. Frank died that very night, presumably because he was distraught, and Brianna bitterly regretted getting into an argument with him the very last time they met.

8 She Never Knew Jamie Growing Up

Bree never even knew the truth about her parentage growing up. Unaware that her real father was a Scottish Highlander from two centuries ago, she had grown up adoring Frank.

Although Frank was wonderful to Bree, it was heartbreaking that she never knew Jamie as a child, who would have been as adoring a father to her as Frank had been, if not more.

7 Bree’s Parents Were In An Unhappy Marriage

Claire and Frank stayed together for Bree’s sake in spite of their marriage clearly falling apart. While this was a commendable effort on their part, it was still not a happy home.

Bree grew up in a house where her parents’ relationship was strained. Even though Bree herself remained largely oblivious, there was constant tension between Claire and Frank, so much so that none of the Randalls’ friends were ever fooled that they had a happy marriage.

6 She Had A Strained Relationship With Her Mother

Bree’s closeness to her father drove her away from her mother. Of course, Claire must have found it difficult to develop a profound rapport with her daughter, as she would have been reminded of Jamie every time she looked at her.

But Bree didn’t know what was going on in her mother’s mind and simply thought of her as cold and distant. It was only after Frank’s death when the two traveled to England and then over to Scotland to attend Reverend Wakefield’s memorial that Bree’s relationship with Claire broke new ground.

5 Brianna Was Sexually Assaulted

Brianna was sexually abused by the notorious Stephen Bonnet, who raped her when she was traveling alone with her maid Lizzie. She had just spied what she thought was Claire’s wedding ring in Bonnet’s hand and was trying to buy it back from him.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t have accounted for the man’s depravity and the fact that no one would lift a finger to help her. The assault left her devastated and led to many further complications, as she became pregnant soon after.

4 Roger Behaved Atrociously With Her

Roger Wakefield McKenzie might be the love of Bree’s life, but there were times when his behavior towards her was almost unbearable.

Roger threw a fit when Brianna wouldn’t accept his marriage proposal, which he had dropped on her out of the blue. He was also hesitant to come back to Bree when Jamie and Claire informed him about the sexual violence she had suffered. Although Roger attempted to make amends, it was heartbreaking that he should have had reservations about Bree in the first place.

3 Little Jemmy Might Not Be Roger’s Son

Brianna’s son Jeremiah (or Jemmy) was conceived after she had been sexually intimate with Roger on the night they were handfasted in a Scottish ritual. However, the fact that she had been raped that very night after Roger had left meant that Jemmy could have been Bonnet’s son as much as Roger’s.

There was literally no way of telling who was Jemmy’s father, a fact that left Brianna anxious and heartbroken. Of course, the revelation in season 5 that Jemmy can travel through time meant that he was, most likely, Roger’s son since time travel in the Outlander universe seems to be genetic.

2 She Lived In Fear For A While

Brianna had overheard Lord Grey and Jamie discussing how Stephen Bonnet had not perished in the fire in Wilmington prison and was still very much at large.

From that moment on, Bree lived in constant fear that Bonnet could appear at any moment, threatening the life that she was striving to build with Roger and Jemmy. Her anxiety got the better of her as she almost became paranoid at one point, looking over her shoulder and expecting Bonnet to kidnap Jemmy at any moment.

1 Brianna Is At A Deadend Of Sorts

In the 20th century, Brianna had finally realized that history wasn’t her thing and had been studying engineering at MIT when she traveled back in time to warn her mother about her impending death.

However, back in the 18th century, Bree is at a loose end of sorts, for unlike her mother she doesn’t have a vocation like healing. In the latest season, there were hints that she might eventually be able to put her engineering skills to use. But it would be sad if such a bright young woman weren’t able to hone her skills as a result of the era she finds herself thrust into.

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