7 times Outlander deserved an Emmy but didn’t get one

Caitriona Balfe for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Unlike Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe has been recognized for her work over the years. The Golden Globes have pretty consistently nominated her in the lead actress category, but the Emmys have ignored her year after year.

I have already gone off about this in Sam Heughan’s section, but the same sentiments apply here. Balfe has done some incredible work on Outlander. To play the role of Claire Fraser means putting on many, many hats, including mother, wife, time traveler, healer, history buff, and inventor.

Over the course of five seasons, we’ve seen Balfe do it all, and it hurts my heart as an Outlander fan to see her name missing from the Emmys roster every year. Watching her onscreen is such a treat. Simply put, she’s a badass.

Looking through the episodes, many stand out as solid Emmy contenders. Unfortunately, some of the show’s best episodes involve tragic and devastating moments. It’s usually those scenes that bring out the best in the cast, especially Heughan and Balfe.

In the season 5 finale, “Never My Love”,  Balfe’s character Claire endures traumatic sexual assault from a group of men. The camera focuses solely on Balfe’s face as she expresses the whirlwind of emotion Claire was feeling. Taking that a bit further, Claire chooses to deal with the horrible predicament she’s in by disassociating from the present moment.

Balfe had to juggle Claire’s moments of agony and bliss, and she does it effortlessly. I can’t believe that during last year’s Emmys she got no love…at all. What are these guys doing? Did they even watch this episode? If they did, I don’t think anyone could deny Balfe’s talent. Doing sensitive scenes like that isn’t easy; Balfe needed to go to a very dark place to bring those emotions to life.

Or what about the season 5 episode “Perpetual Adoration,” where Claire begins to “invent” penicillin. Of course, she has an advantage because she is from the future, but I loved watching Balfe play this storyline. There’s just something she brings to the role of Claire as a healer and doctor that works so well — I could watch her in this role until the end of time!

I also loved watching Balfe’s arc as Claire in season 3, especially “A. Malcolm,” when she reunites with Jamie after 20 years. The nervous anxiety, the longing hope, and the look she and Jamie finally share made it feel like this reunion was genuine.

Balfe has been killing it for years, and it’s high time Emmy voters noticed.