Here’s to You, Mrs. Fitz — A Tribute to Outlander’s Beloved Character

Can’t you just smell the aroma of roasted pig and fresh bread coming through this photo when she smiles?  As one first time viewer put it, “She looks like she knows how to make really good soup!” Let’s face it, the character of “everybody calls me Mrs. Fitz, you may also” is the latest and greatest in a long line of this important character archetype that we have grown to love throughout television history. Sometimes it’s the maid or the butler, other times the cook or the nanny.  Whatever the role, it’s always about more than just the meals they cook, clothing they wash, sheets they iron, rooms they clean and bairns they help rear… it’s about the den mom support they offer at any hour, to any problem, racking up innumerable life lessons taught in between their actual job.

Before we detail our love for Annette as Mrs. Fitz, let’s revisit some of the most notable examples of these beloved women (and men!) who came before her:

 

Truthfully, wouldn’t just about any of the gracefully aged characters that keep the Crawley house afloat qualify (here’s looking at you, Mr. Carson)?  But for me, there are none more thanked for keeping the upstairs and downstairs families in sane order than Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Hughes. Oh Mrs. Patmore. What can I say? I mean the woman makes time to do “sex 101 in your golden years” sessions with her aging buds whilst simultaneously perfectly cooking a pork roast for 10 for flips sake.  And don’t get me started on Mrs. Hughes – the greatest advocate that the adorable (but riddled with trauma, always the trauma) Bates and Anna never knew they always needed. Alas, it’s Mrs. Patmore that I feel is the most interchangeable and comparable to our lovely Fitzy. That might also explain why I’ve had to employ the “find and replace” function on this post to remove a few a lot of idiotic mix ups.

Pork chops and apple sauce anyone? This butcher-loving, cheery maid seemingly never had a moment to herself (or Sam) because she poured everything she had into Mike and Carol Brady’s blended family. Now that’s devotion. We can only hope she was paid handsomely, but doubt she cared either way.

Mr. Belvedere (Lynn Aloysius Belvedere) from Mr. Belvedere

The British butler who previously served Lords and Ladies and somehow ended up as the manny/butler of a middle class Midwestern family helmed by the sports announcer from Major League. Don’t fight the script, people. Don’t fight the script.  We all know British accents make for sitcom gold.

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have… Charlotte Rae, a woman who managed to parlay this popular character into an eight-year, two-show career.

Simply put, Robert Guillame is at his finest in this spin-off of the popular soap opera parody, Soap. He’s hired as the head of household affairs for Governor Gatling and his daughter Katie. And if that’s not the best all-encompassing description for what Mrs. Fitz does for Leoch, then I don’t know what is.

 

Geoffrey Butler from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Now this here’s a story all about how… ah you get it. See above comment about British accents as a trump card addition to the butler archetype.

Dorota Kishlovsky on Gossip Girl

Okay, okay — this one is likely just for me, clearly. I know not many fan girled the upper echelon crap out of this show like I did, but try not to judge. Dorota’s Eastern European translation issues combined with her incessant need to scheme alongside Blair Waldorf made her not only a wonderfully welcome addition to the adult cast of this teen-dominated show, but a scene stealer no matter who was in the room.

 

No intro needed. I’ll just leave the show opener to do the work. Seriously? Gotta love ’80s sitcoms.

Sookie from Gilmore Girls

Okay, okay this might be a stretch. But it’s vintage Melissa McCarthy at her most subdued, but equally charming, best. And technically, she’s the head chef at the Dragonfly Inn and is “the constant” or best bud to Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory.  That and my unfaltering love for this show make it count. Don’t fight the logic.

Photo courtesy: Pinterest

Comparison schmarison, it’s time to get back to our beloved Mrs. Fitz and how she fits into our much-loved Outlander clan. A mainstay at Castle Leoch, Mrs. FitzGibbons is in charge of – well, it seems just about everything. She’s related by marriage to Murtagh Fraser, which is an easy detail to miss as a show watcher since it isn’t spelled out as clearly (or at all) as it was in the book. But that sweet woman can’t escape that she’s the grandmother of the immature, hopelessly-in-love Laoghaire MacKenzie. I digress, for now.

While Outlander has thrust Annette Badland onto fans’ radars, she’s worked steadily in television, radio and film for decades – racking up credits for her work BBC’s wildly popular Doctor Who and long-running soap opera EastEnders, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the television adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels and many, many more.

Annette, oh Annette. How do I love thee, let me count the ways.  Or at least offer one, courtesy of a Starz publicity video that shows just how deeply the actress connected with the world of Outlander and all the production elements that put her in Full Fitz mode.

The downside to the gloriously talented Annette Badland portraying Mrs. Fitz is actually the best part too – she appears in only a handful of scenes, which just underscores how wonderful a performer Annette is for making this character memorable – and her own – with only minutes of airtime.

With that in mind, I revisited season one yet again (come on, you’ve done it too as Janet pointed out) to bring you the top moments that made me want to hug Mrs. Fitz, share a drink with Annette and celebrate the invaluable people in my life (not hired help, mind you) who provide Scottish stew for my soul. Because when it comes down to it, we ALL need some Fitzing in our world.

Remember with me. . .

. . .that time we first met Mrs Fitz as she’s giddily running out to greet our worse-for-the-wear clansmen with big smiles and hugs after they return from days on horseback.  You just know that there’s a hot meal, warm bath (one can only hope) and whiskey in their immediate future.  Plus, she tells Murtagh that he “looks and smells like a rat that’s been dragged through sheep dung.” And if that’s not a Hallmark welcome home moment, I don’t know what is.

. . .that time she cautiously notices Claire and offers the best 18^th century version of resting bitch face I’ve ever seen (while seemingly inventing the side-eye), but their shared dialogue solidifies that you’re meant to adore Mrs. Fitz right from the get go and that she’ll be a good ally for our fish-out-of-water time traveler.  She goes on to serve up one of my favorite lines of season one – “let’s find you something to wear that’s a bit more… well, a bit more” – before being pleasantly caught off guard by Claire’s desire to treat Jamie’s wound before tending to herself.

. . .that time her caring eyes and tender touch toward a wounded Jamie give us hope she’s a motherly stand-in for our orphaned warrior.  Plus, she gets to touch his bare shoulder. And we don’t, so there’s that.

. . .that time she reality smacked Claire into the 18th Century with some hot broth (just a spoonful, mind you) and one of my most favorite television makeover montages, complete with hilarious dumbfounded shock about a bra. There’s nothing quite like a good, sped-up makeover sequence. . . especially one that comes complete with this dialogue:

Mrs. Fitz – “What type of corset is that?”
Claire – “It’s called a brassiere…”
Mrs. Fitz – *stares blankly* *crickets*
Claire – “It’s French.”
Mrs. Fitz – “Ohhh, I see.”

. . . that time she channeled her inner Real Housewives of the Scottish Highlands to deliver the cattiest jab ever to none other than Diana Gabaldon herself (in character, obviously).