Outlander season 6 has arrived, with fans tuning in to the season 6 premiere after a very long wait. There were lots to unpack during the 90-minute episode, which opened with a flashback to James "Jamie" Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) prison days before we arrive in Fraser’s Ridge around 1773.
But a lot of the focus following the episode was on Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe), particularly her mental wellbeing as she's still haunted by what happened during season 5, where she was kidnapped and violently assaulted by Lionel Brown (Ned Dennehy) and his group of thugs.
Fans were horrified by this, and it seems the ordeal will have lasting effects on Claire throughout season 6 as she's keeping some dark secrets from Jamie. This was further complicated when Richard Brown (Chris Larkin), Lionel's brother, arrived on the scene.
This upset Claire, who ended up having a vivid nightmare about what had happened to her, triggered by the presence of a Brown family member so close to home. Though Jamie attempted to comfort her, Claire turned to something else in order to cope, pretending she was going downstairs to make tea.
As fans know, Claire is a nurse and has been working with ether, a chemical substance that was used as an anesthetic during this time period. However, it does have some nasty side effects such as distorted thinking and visual/auditory hallucinations if taken in higher doses.
In order to sleep properly following her upsetting nightmare, Claire secretly takes ether behind Jamie's back and says: "By blood and by choice, we make our ghosts. We haunt ourselves" before she falls asleep and the credits roll.
Claire's decision has concerned fans, with many worried she will now develop an addiction to ether if she's unable to process what had happened to her in a healthy way.
Nooo! Claire!!! She’s gonna get hooked on ether!!! 🥺😭 #OutlanderMarch 7, 2022
That ending. What are you doing Claire??? 😭💔 #OutlanderMarch 6, 2022
Omgosh im worried bout #claire i kno jamie got her but geeesh .. it was devastating watching her #OutlanderMarch 7, 2022
Watching Claire inhale that anesthesia at the end of the episode broke my heart in ways I can’t even begin to describe it #OutlanderMarch 7, 2022
What the hell are you doing claire like the stuff she created to put people to sleep during surgery shes using on herself to help her sleep because the premonition dreams are haunting her sleeping hours at night #Outlander #ClaireFraser pic.twitter.com/bUxMPDWNgWMarch 7, 2022
So glad the show is back, but it looks pretty bleak for Fergus. And Claire might have to battle an ether addiction as well? I hope we get some happy stuff next episode!!#OutlanderMarch 7, 2022
Outlander is currently being released in weekly instalments, so fans will have to wait and see what happens following Claire's shocking decision to inhale the ether in order to rest properly. Is this a one-off, or the start of something darker?
Outlander is available to watch on-demand via Prime Video and StarzPlay, with new episodes released every Sunday.
