With any television series that is as widely popular and adored as a show like Outlander, there are bound to be couples on the show that everyone absolutely loves…and others that the fans could not fathom why they would put the two of them together.
There may be more obvious pairings that are more favorable, such as Jamie and Claire, but others were accepted and loved by fans over time. Quite honestly, the same goes for the relationships fans found painful to watch each week. When it came to loving hating certain pairings, it was a learning process. With that in mind, we’ve ranked the 5 relationships on Outlander that fans were behind and 5 more that they hated so we can talk about our favorite couples, and vent about the ones we hated the most.
Fans Loved: Jamie And Claire
This may be the most universally loved couple on the show and it’s pretty easy to see why with the chemistry Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe).
Their relationship was not easy and they had to fight for it, but fight they did. From the very beginning, you could see the love brewing between the time-traveling English WWII nurse and the 18th-century Highlander. Fans of the show, and books before that, have always been hooked to the tale of Jamie and Claire’s love so it’s no wonder they are the fan-favorite couple.
Fans Rejected: Jamie And Laoghaire
If Jamie and Claire are the most loved couple, it’s a guarantee that Jamie and Laoghaire were the most hated pairing. From the start, Laoghaire is a thorn in Claire and Jamie’s side. Sure, Laoghaire had a brief fling with Jamie before he married Claire, but that did not give her the right to do the heinous things she did in retaliation.
Even when she and Jamie had married, they had no real love for each other and separated later on. And yet she still was angry when Claire reappeared. She was never right for Jamie, that much was clear.
Fans Loved: Jenny And Ian
Jenny and Ian Murray are hands down one of the most loving and loyal couples on Outlander. Jenny is, of course, the sister of Jamie Fraser, the story’s Scotsman hero, while Ian is a friend of Jamie’s and had been for many years getting involved with his sister, Jenny.
The two have opposite demeanors, with Jenny being strong-willed and stubborn while Ian always tried to keep the peace. Regardless, they always have each other’s back regardless of the situation. After all these years, their love is stronger than ever which is why it’s easy for fans to root for them.
Fans Rejected: Claire And Frank
We all probably could have guessed that the man going up against the gorgeous, brooding, and romantic Jamie Fraser was going to be hard-pressed to win that contest. So when we first meet Claire’s first husband, Frank, it’s all sweet and loving.
But everything changes once she meets Jamie and the real love story begins. It’s not that fans despised Frank, despite his few misgivings. It was more that they didn’t see the same love and chemistry between Claire and Frank as they did with her and Jamie, which is completely understandable.
Fans Loved: Fergus And Marsali
Fergus was already a fan favorite but halfway through season 3, fans had to adjust to his grown-up version. Luckily, it didn’t take them long to get on board with him, but what took them completely off guard? His new-found love with Marsali, Laoghaire’s daughter.
While fans may have been unsure of the pairing initially, they were eventually won over by their young love and wholesome relationship. Now the two have started a family of their own together, and are as in love as ever. We can only hope to see more of their story in the coming seasons.
Fans Rejected: Geillis And Dougal
Geillis Duncan and Dougal MacKenzie were an interesting pairing. The two had been married at the time of their coupling and had been carrying on an affair. Of course, it was heavily implied that Geillis was behind the sudden deaths of both her husband and Dougal’s wife, which made their already dicey affair downright disastrous.
Not to mention, the scheming of their spouses’ murders is not a great basis for a budding romance. Even though their relationship added drama to the show, it was not one that fans were on board with, in the end.
Fans Loved: Brianna And Roger
Brianna Randall and Roger MacKenzie began their romance in modern times and their love endured even when they in the past. Brianna went back for her parents to warn them of an upcoming disaster while Roger followed in hopes of not losing her forever.
Things didn’t go too smoothly, but they eventually found their way back to each other and are now raising a family of their own in season 5 of Outlander. They may have lots of ups and downs, but the love and passion they have for each other is hard to just ignore.
Fans Rejected: Mary Hawkins And Blackjack Randall
Pairing anyone with a monstrous human being like Blackjack Randall would automatically make them a hated couple. But when fans saw they would be marrying off sweet and innocent Mary Hawkins to Blackjack Randall in place of his dying brother? Needless to say, things didn’t go well.
Mary had already been through so much trauma that marrying a man like Blackjack would only lead to more heartbreak and pain. As we know, their marriage didn’t last long since he lost his life at Culloden, but it was still difficult to come to terms with their relationship ever existing.
Fans Loved: Murtagh And Aunt Jocasta
Murtagh Fitzgibbons always played a large role in the love story between Jamie and Claire Fraser. But sadly, he never got to have a love story of his own. At least, not until Outlander season 4, much to the delight of fans.
He had always had an unrequited love for Jamie’s mother, Ellen. But in the season 4 finale, he and Jamie’s Aunt Jocasta, Ellen’s sister, finally got intimate. Even better, this news came after we found out Jocasta also had feelings for Murtagh. We can only hope this is the start of a beautiful love story for Murtagh.
Fans Rejected: Jamie And Geneva
It isn’t that fans were against Jamie being with another woman (and fathered her child) during his 20 years apart from Claire; it was how they hooked up that left much to be desired.
Geneva was betrothed to an unappealing man and didn’t want her first time with a man to be with one such as him. Since Jamie worked on her father’s estate, she thought he would be the perfect guy to spend her first time with. Problem is, she blackmailed him into doing this. That made the entire situation less than romantic, to say the least.
