OUTLANDER season 3 was one of the emotional runs of the Starz drama series to date after Claire and Jamie Fraser were forced into a 20-year separation. Some fans are curious to know whether during this time: Did Claire Fraser have a romance with Joe Abernathy?
Claire Fraser (played by Caitriona Balfe) was forced to go back through the stones and to the 20th century by her husband Jamie (Sam Heughan). She reluctantly made the decision when they failed to change history and Claire had fallen pregnant. During their 20 years apart, much happened with the two characters leading very different lives.
Did Claire Fraser have a romance with Joe Abernathy?
Claire returned to a deeply unhappy marriage with her first husband Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies), who took her back despite the fact she was pregnant with another man’s child.
They stayed together for the sake of their daughter Brianna (Sophie Skelton) but it was all for the sake of appearances.
Claire gave her tacit approval for Frank to have relationships with other women if he was discreet.
However, she appeared to dedicate herself completely to a career at medical school, attending classes while raising Brianna.
Outlander: Claire Fraser and Joe Abernathy were good friends
Outlander: Joe Abernathy and Claire Fraser met at medical school
She eventually became a surgeon, one of the few women to do so during the 1960s.
Claire shared her office with her African American colleague Joe Abernathy (Wil Johnson), who was one of the only black people in her graduating class.
The pair formed a deep friendship as outsiders and Claire even confided in Joe about Jamie. In the books, they bonded over badly written romance novels.
Later, Joe even asked Claire about her thoughts on the skeleton of a European woman who had been discovered in Jamaica 200 years ago – later revealed to be Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek).
Outlander: Claire Fraser spoke to Joe Abernathy about Jamie
Joe was there for Claire when Frank died in a car crash, offering her moral support as she grieved.
From the looks of it, Joe and Claire’s relationship was a platonic one without any hint of romance and simply professional respect and admiration for one another.
But romance could have been on the cards for the pair after the writers revealed there had been some talk of bringing the two characters together.
Producer Maril Davis said: “They shared a great friendship and also I think there were a couple of times when the network asked us if we were going to do any sort of hints of a romance between Joe and Claire. And we were very, very strongly opposed to that.
Outlander: JRemember Joe Abernathy? Why Fans Are Still Asking If He and Claire Were Ever Romantic
“I think we loved the idea of a man and a woman being true friends and she could go to him as a true friend as opposed to any sort of romantic undertones.”
She said the duo had a “special relationship” because they were “outsiders” and “didn’t fit”, leading them to bond.
While writer Tony Graphia added on the Outlander season three DVD: “I love this relationship with Claire and Joe.
“One thing I do regret, I do love that moment in the book where Claire finds Joe reading the trashy romance novel.
“We did try and get that in here somewhere. It just organically didn’t fit it.”
She added: “I just love this friendship. I just think it’s special.”
So, it seems Joe and Claire were always just friends with Jamie always being her true love.
While Claire was in the future, Jamie had his own trials and tribulations which saw him father a love child and later married Laoghaire MacKenzie (Nell Hudson).
Nonetheless, Jamie and Claire eventually came back to each other and their love remained as strong as ever.
