'Outlander' Season 4 Air Date, Plot, Characters: Will Brianna Recover from the Sexual Assault?

“Outlander” Season 4 is less than a month away and the cast members are busy promoting the time-traveling drama in various regions. One of the most recent interviews that they had involved answering questions from E! News regarding their American experiences.

This line of questioning is due to the fact that “Outlander” Season 4 is set in the relatively untamed land of North Carolina, particularly during the 1760s. As this was a time of change and turmoil, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) will have difficulty in finding their place in this unfamiliar land.

Going back to the questions, Heughan and Balfe – along with Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin – answered some pretty funny questions concerning American food and culture. But one of the shared experiences that really stood out came from Balfe, who said her first visit to America was when the 9/11 attack was still fresh in the minds of New Yorkers. The actress said that she saw an overwhelming resolve in Americans following the attack, a resilience that will be heavily featured in “Outlander” Season 4 as well.

As mentioned earlier, the next installment will be set in the 1760s, a time when slavery and oppression were considered the norm. Jamie and Claire will have to maneuver themselves through the confusing and dangerous times while trying to build the foundation of their home which will be eventually called Fraser’s Ridge. “Outlander” Season 4 is fraught with challenges for the main characters, but even more so for Brianna (Sophie Skelton).

In the books, Brianna suffers a rather traumatizing sexual assault from Irish pirate Stephen Bonnet (to be played in the TV series by Ed Speelers). It’s still unclear if this scene will be portrayed in “Outlander” Season 4, although showrunner Ronald D. Moore hinted that it will be.

"We have a history of it with the show itself, [so the question becomes] how much of this material is in the show when do we do it, when do we decide not to do it and why are we making that choice,” Moore said. But whatever tragedy befalls Brianna, it’s expected that her resilience will prevail, similar to the heart shown by New Yorkers when 9/11 occurred. Of course, it will take time before Brianna fully recovers but given that she is a Fraser, the tragedy will only make her stronger. “Outlander” Season 4 is slated to premiere on Nov. 4.