For the first season of Outlander, Frank had attained the sympathies of viewers after Claire had fallen through the stones. You couldn’t help but sympathize with the historian as many people suggested Claire had upped and left him. However, these feelings could easily transform into rage once you note his behavior in season 2 and season 3.
On the surface, Frank looked like an honorable and respectful gentleman. Yet, if fans decide to explore it in-depth, they would find that he is far from it as he can be cold, conniving and very manipulative. Don’t believe it? Keep reading to discover the 10 most shameless things Frank ever did.
His Public Rendezvous With Claire
Before Claire and Jamie began their transcendental romance, there was a time where Frank and Claire were going to enjoy a second honeymoon. In “Sassenach,” the viewers saw Claire and Frank decide to visit the ruins of Castle Leoch, where the historian had decided to get some research about his genealogy.
While they are exploring the inner rooms of the castle, Claire becomes amorous and decides to seduce Frank, which leads to the couple reconnecting intimately. While they could have been arrested for public indecency, Frank doesn’t care as it brought him closer to his wife.
He Goes To Punch Claire
In “Through a Glass, Darkly,” one of the most shameless and darkest moments of Frank’s can be seen when the historian goes to punch Claire. This all came about after Claire decides to tell Frank what had happened to her in the two years she had been missing, including her marriage to Jamie.
Frank seems to take the news very well and is willing to accept that she had fallen in love with the Scotsman. However, his mood becomes severely darker when Claire admits she is pregnant with Jamie’s child and he goes to hit her. Despite people understanding his anger, he didn’t have any right to try and hit her. He never apologizes for this incident.
Shooting Down The Idea Of A Citizenship
Another shameless thing Frank did was when he tried to control Claire’s independence. In “The Battle Joined,” Claire and Frank are discussing the idea of her applying for citizenship as Claire says she wants to give Brianna “a real home.” Frank seems on board with the idea until Claire refuses to let him touch her baby.
As soon as she rejects him, the viewer sees his face changed. Frank then tells her that there is no need for her to do so as his “employment provides them with residency indefinitely.” As you can see, he wants her to be dependent on him so he would be part of the baby’s life. If that’s the power continued to lord over her, then it is quite shameless and malicious.
Banning All Talk Of Jamie
One of the cruelest things Frank did was to ban Claire from talking about Jamie. At the beginning of season 2, Frank and Claire’s relationship was strained as the historian came to terms with her pregnancy. With Claire at the center of a media frenzy, Frank proposes that she move to America with him where they could have a fresh start.
However, he has one condition: she has to leave the past where it belongs, which means she cannot look for or speak about Jamie. He then gets annoyed when Claire gets distant with him and wants to know why she was closed off to him. When she tries to mention Jamie again, he then shuts her down. It’s not fair as Claire then spends 20 years in a personal torment - all because of him.
Keeping The Truth From Brianna
While Frank made Claire promise that they would raise the baby together, he never considered the ramifications of keeping such a secret from Brianna. The condition that Claire could not talk about Jamie was selfish as it also prevented Brianna from discovering the truth about her parentage.
Another condition Frank made Claire promise was that Brianna could never find out the truth about her real father until he was dead. This is quite unfair of him to do so as it would paint him as the honorable hero, which he was far from. While Claire faced Brianna’s wrath about how she had lied all this time, Brianna never finds out that Frank had been just as unfaithful until years later.
Burns Claire’s Clothes
In the aftermath of Claire agreeing to Frank’s condition, the historian sets about making sure all traces of the Scotsman and her time in the past are gone. In “The Battle Joined,” Frank’s compromise involves her getting rid of all mementos that tie her to Jamie.
As soon as Claire hands the eighteenth-century clothes off to him, Frank already has a plan in motion. Instead of putting them away in storage or selling them, Frank decides to burn them. He would have done the same to her ring if he didn’t see how much she was struggling with letting it go. Still, the incineration of the clothes shows that he really intends to not share a relationship with a ghost or hear about her trials.
Stealing Claire’s Thunder
Another shameless moment that proved Frank was the worst was when he invited his mistress to Claire’s graduation party. In “All Debts Paid,” Claire and Frank came to blows when the historian decided to steal her thunder by inviting his mistress to the house when Claire, Brianna, and all their friends were still present.
Not only does it cause a kerfuffle among the guests but it also nearly exposes Brianna to the charade they are performing. Frank even admits that he did this on purpose because he was feeling threatened and insecure (implying it was because of her success). It was the first time fans had seen Claire genuinely happy and he couldn’t even let her have that.
Calling Claire An Unfit Mother
Before Frank’s death, Claire and the historian came to blows when he finally decided he wanted a divorce. Frank also drops another bombshell on her when he tells the surgeon that he wants to take Brianna with him - going off on a bit of a sexist and misogynistic rant.
At first, Claire tries to compromise with Frank and tells him that she would never keep Brianna away from him. However, Frank immediately rejects it and goes straight for the jugular by criticizing her career and her absence at the home. He also seems to imply that Brianna’s feelings are on the same wavelength as his. Frank doesn’t even care that he would be uprooting everyone’s lives, as long as he got his happy ending.
Ambushing Brianna
Frank came across as even more callous when he stated to Claire that he was going to take Brianna away from her. In the culminating fight between Frank and Claire, the historian told the surgeon that he was planning on moving back to England without her.
After their fight, he then goes and ambushes Brianna while she is with her friends. Not only does he drop the news that he is divorcing Claire but he also tells her about the move, asking her to come with him. However, he seems to have underestimated the bond between mother and daughter as Brianna is hesitant to leave her behind. Still, it doesn’t stop Frank from pressurizing her into the move, which isn’t right.
Never Told Claire That Jamie Was Alive
The most shameless thing Frank did was when he refused to let Claire know that Jamie was alive. As fans know, Frank had banned Claire from researching or trying to track down the Scotsman. However, Frank soon began to conduct his own research into the Highlander.
Frank discovered that Jamie had survived the Battle of Culloden. Instead of telling Claire, Frank kept it to himself out of fear that he would lose them both. The only thing he did do was get the “Clan Fraser” stone placed. Yet, this gesture is even demeaning now considering Frank never told her the truth - even after their split.
