Episode 5 of Outlander revealed that Malva Christie (Jessica Reynolds) is not the sweet young lady who has a fascination with healing as she has been portrayed in Season 6.
Instead, the episode ended with the revelation that Malva was cutting off a dead person’s fingers.
This also meant that she was the one who cast the love spell found by Brianna (Sophie Skelton) earlier in the episode. Marsali (Lauren Lyle) confirmed the intention of the spell, and there was some speculation regarding who it was made by and who they intended it to be for.
Of course, by the episode’s end, it was known that Malva had cast the spell. But, who is it intended for?
According to the book series, what else is Malva up to?
Malva’s love spell was intended for Jamie
SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses the series of Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid potential spoilers.
According to A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the love charm created by Malva was directed at Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
Already, viewers have seen Malva’s fascination with Jamie, even watching him have sex with his wife in Episode 4 of Outlander.
Considering just how caring and passionate Jamie and Claire are in their marriage, it should come as no surprise that Malva should want to wed someone like Jamie.
But Jamie’s already married. What’s the point of a love spell if the man is already in wedlock?
Don’t worry. The preview for Episode 6 of Outlander has already hinted at how Malva will deal with Claire.
Claire becomes ill in Episode 6
The trailer for Episode 6 of Outlander has already revealed an illness striking at Fraser’s Ridge. Claire and Jamie are shown standing in front of a row of newly dug graves.
Claire is shown fainting during the clip, and she comes down with a terrible fever.
According to the books, Claire’s illness is caused by Malva. While dysentery is what everyone has on the Ridge, Claire, along with Malva’s father, Tom (Mark Lewis Jones), appear to have slightly different symptoms.
This is because Malva had collected blood and mucus from the dead man and deposited it into Claire and Tom’s food, making them sick. She had hoped that both people would die and that dysentery would be blamed as the cause of death.
Then, she would move on to Jamie.
But why would Malva need to get married in a hurry?
Here’s why Malva needs a husband
There really is only one reason why a young lady needs to get married in the 1770s, and considering Malva was caught in a compromising situation with Obadiah Henderson (Euan Bennet) on Sunday night, it is pretty easy to guess that Malva is pregnant.
Therefore, the need for a husband before the baby is born is pretty important in that day and age.
However, it is not quite as simple as it first appears.
While Malva was caught with Obadiah, he is not the father in the Outlander book series. And, once her pregnancy is revealed, she doesn’t even accuse him of being the father.
Instead, she aims high and continues in her plan to snare Jamie Fraser as her husband.
So, who is the father?
As previously reported by Monsters and Critics, the father of Malva’s baby is her brother, Allan (Alexander Vlahos).
In a recent interview with Hello Magazine, actor Alexander Vlahos explained the motivation behind the characters.
“He cared for her too much probably, and when his dad comes back from prison, he’s knocked down again,” Vlahos said. “He’s just a boy who is getting in his dad’s way…”
Because of everything that unfolds, Malva actually winds up being killed by Allan but not before Claire is blamed for Malva’s death.
As for how all this plays out in the TV adaptation of Outlander? Well, you’ll just have to continue to tune in on Sunday nights to find out more.
Season 6 of Outlander currently airs every Sunday night on Starz.