WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Outlander season 7 and the Outlander novels
The seventh season of Outlander ended with a shocking revelation that Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan) and Claire’s (Caitríona Balfe) first daughter Faith might still be alive, despite initial beliefs that she was stillborn.
Claire experienced visions where she was visited by fellow time traveller Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), who offered a vague apology. Additionally, Claire and Jamie discovered that their young ward Fanny Pocock’s (Florrie Wilkinson) mother was named Faith, as revealed by a golden locket.
There also appeared to be a resemblance between Faith’s daughter Jane Pocock (Silvia Presente) and Brianna Fraser (Sophie Skelton). Season seven of Outlander drew inspiration from both An Echo in the Bone and Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon, with the first half adapting the seventh book and the second half covering events from the eighth novel.
While the Starz series has remained faithful in some aspects, season seven saw the writers exercise some creative licence. In the books, Claire discovered that Jane and Fanny’s mother was named Faith and briefly considered the possibility that it could be her daughter, but she and Jamie quickly dismissed this as a coincidence.
The song I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside, featured in both seasons two and seven of the TV series, did not appear in the novels, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
In a conversation with Parade, author Diana Gabaldon revealed details about the season seven finale of Outlander: “No part of the ending is from the books, save that Frances’s mother’s name was Faith.”
Despite the divergence from her novels, Gabaldon, who consults on the Starz series, discussed the significant alteration with showrunner Matthew B. Roberts.
The American novelist shared her involvement in the storyline shift: “They actually did get the [general] idea from me, though.”
She elaborated on her discussions with Roberts, saying, “When chatting with [showrunner] [Roberts] about All Things plot wise, I mentioned that if I had written a second graphic novel (I didn’t, for assorted reasons), I would have shown what actually happened after Faith’s presumed death at the L’Hôpital des Anges, and how/why Master Raymond resuscitated and nurtured the baby secretly, but wasn’t able to come back with her before Claire and Jamie left France. So, they liked that idea and ran with it.”
With Gabaldon’s endorsement, Outlander is venturing into a new timeline, indicating a potential split between the book series and the television adaptation. As Gabaldon works on her final Outlander novel, fans might anticipate two distinct conclusions: one on screen and another in print.
Maril Davis, the executive producer of Outlander, has previously expressed her willingness to incorporate any material provided by Gabaldon into the show. However, she also stated that she felt uncomfortable presenting something on screen before the author had published it.
This could hint at the possibility of two distinct endings for Outlander.
Outlander is streaming on MGM+ via Prime Video