While everyone is OOOHING and AHHING over the expanded television roles for so many of the minor characters in the books–Rupert, Angus, Ned–I am in awe with bit character Willie. OK, maybe, just maybe, I even have a little crush on him. Why not? He’s attractive as, Highlanders go-his clothes aren’t all disheveled and his hygiene seems relatively in check. He’s kind and thoughtful-I mean really, he’ll even go fifty yards and downwind if needed. And he is loyal-he’ll stand up for friends in the most harrowing situations. But who IS Willie?
Read more after the jump . . .
Willie, in the credits for the show, is listed as “Willie” no last name, no clan, nada. We can assume that he is someone who belongs with the Clan Mackenzie. After all, we first see him in “Rent” with the other Highlanders collecting the rents for the Laird Mackenzie. And Ned lets us know that he is new to the road, explaining that there is some hazing going on, translating that they are teasing Willie about having “sexual relations with his sister.” Who else would he belong to? But that’s it…as far as the television show goes. Now, you may be asking, “Why in the world did they even bother with this character in the show?” Truly most of what he accomplishes could have been carried out by any of the other Highlanders. But the truth lies in the fact that he WASN’T supposed to be a recurring character! Show writer and executive producer, Ira Steven Behr–who describes Willie as “a young, very religious kid”–said that Willie is another character who really didn’t exist, and one they almost didn’t use. He says in an interview with Outlander Cast, “that it was only when they had hired the actor, Finn den Hertog, that we realized this was a character who we could get to use and be a whole other texture of the show.” I think to figure out who Willie is, we need to look into the books a little more.
There are different “Willie” references throughout the first and second books. In the novel, Outlander, when the rent party returns to Castle Leoch, Mrs. Fitz greets them and it is Willie that she addresses with the line, “Willie, my dear. So good to see ye.” (in the show that is changed to Rupert). Then there is a Willie McMurtry named later in the book. It is believed that this Willie is also the one who is sent by Rupert to get Jamie some decent clothes to wear to the Oath Taking. Toward the end of the first book, McMurtry is one of only five of Dougal’s men who goes with Claire and Murtagh to rescue Jamie from Wentworth. OH!! So that MUST be him, right? Don’t go so fast! Because, in Dragonfly In Amber there is a Willie Coulter, or Willie Coulter MacKenzie. This is who Diana Gabaldon, HERSELF, believes our beloved Willie to be. She had even said in an early interview, “If they take my advice, he is Willie Coulter. But we haven’t gotten that far into discussion on season 2.” This Willie is a comrade of Dougal during the Uprising and is the first to appear at the Kirk during the Battle of Falkirk Muir. He is also known to witness a HUGE event that happens at Culloden House, but we will keep this semi-spoiler free! Even into the third book there is yet another Willie, Willie McLeod. I’m betting that our Willie is going to be a conglomeration of all of these small characters combined.
So, knowing all the facts for Willie, why do I love him so? Let’s me explain… Willie is, as I said earlier, attractive, as Highlanders go. His hair is well kempt. Well, he isn’t exactly a GQ model, but compared to Rupert, he manages OK. He has all of his teeth…(Angus!) And Willie is a little more modern. He is seen mostly wearing trews. It is said that men who wore pants were wealthy. But my guess is that Willie’s trews, being made from a tartan plaid, were more of a repurpose of material. Still, trousers were being worn by men throughout England and the rest of the world, so we’ll just say he’s worldly!
Willie is kind and innocent. Now he doesn’t have a lot of dialogue that would lead us to know this exactly, but his demeanor is that of one who cares. He is not crude and belligerent like the other Highlanders. He is thoughtful of Claire when she is around. The production is sure to show him with sideways glances towards Claire at any given time, which then leads us to believe that he might even have a little crush on her. This is most noted in the finale as he is saying goodbye. He tells Claire he will miss her, and “they will never find another healer the likes of you.” He kindly extends his hand to shake hers and SHE embraces HIM. As the rowboat pulls away, he is the last one standing on the shore longingly watching the boat row away. What a most beautiful, sigh-worthy moment that was.
Willie is LOYAL! Of all other characteristics of this young man, loyalty is probably the most obvious. He is loyal to God–did you see/hear his scripture battle with the Priest in “The Wedding” episode? This young man remembers his catechism (as best as a young man does, ye ken?) and is willing to use his knowledge against a priest to help his fellow clansmen in securing a church for a proper wedding. In “The Reckoning,” Willie is subjected to the harassment of the other clansmen because he has remained loyal to “The Mackenzie” and had told him of Dougal collecting for the Jacobite rebellion. Then his biggest, and in my eyes, most loyal, move he makes is when Claire asks Dougal’s men for help in rescuing Jamie from Wentworth prison. While all the other men call her crazy, basically, Willie stands tall and says,
“Jamie always looked after me, protected me…on the road, Leoch.
And I ken if it was me about to go meet the hangman’s noose,
he’d come for me. Try to set me free. Whatever you call for, Mistress
Claire, my life is yours to command.”
WHOO HOO!!!! I think the first time I saw this, I looked like Mrs. Fitz with my fists pumped high in the air! And even as they sat on horseback looking at Wentworth looming ahead, the others looking uneasy, Willie appears to look nervous, but he also looks ready to go! Without Willie stepping up to the challenge to go and rescue Jamie, the others would have never gone. Oddly though, Willie is not part of the group that actually goes into Wentworth. We could speculate why–he’s young, he’s inexperienced–but he IS at the Abbey waiting for them to arrive. Maybe they thought it best that Willie, being more of a religious intuit, should be the one to go ahead and secure a safe place for them to stay in the monastery.
His love and admiration for both Jamie and Claire becomes even more evident when he speaks to Jamie on his sickbed in the final episode. Willie tells Jamie he must eat for Mistress Claire’s sake if not his own. He reminds Jamie how she loves him fiercely. And then he refuses to give Jamie his blade when Jamie asks for it-something that Murtagh later confesses to Claire he would do if he felt it was necessary. Willie tells Claire of this encounter which then throws her into her attempt, and ultimate success, to get Jamie back from his black misery. GO WILLIE!!
I don’t know how many of you have given much thought to Willie; who he is, where he came from, where he’s going, what’s his purpose? But I sure have! I love to see his boyish face with that sheepish grin on the screen. I so look forward to seeing him again! And I’m betting we will see a lot more of this endearing character not only in season two, but maybe even in a third season!
Do you love Willie as much as I? What do you think is his most endearing quality? Are there other characters that you would like to know more about?
You May Also Like These Posts
32 Comments
Leave your reply.