Outlander is heading into its final season and there’s call for at least one more massive change from the books. The ending of Outlander season 7 revealed that Claire’s first daughter, Faith, may have lived—a significant surprise since this never happened in Diana Gabaldon’s books. Naturally, this means that any upcoming plotline that wraps up this mystery wouldn’t be considered canon either, but it can be assumed that the foundation of Outlander season 8 will still find its roots in the book Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. However, one detail in particular should be changed.
There are currently nine books in Gabaldon’s central Outlander series, with a tenth in the works to be published sometime after the Starz TV show comes to a close. However, as far as source material, the books still have quite a lot to offer. Outlander season 7, part 3, followed the events of Gabaldon’s eighth book, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, which is when Jamie takes part in the Battle of Monmouth and Claire suffers a near fatal gunshot wound. The ninth book, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, is when the Frasers return to Fraser’s Ridge, so it seems this will be the source material for Outlander season 8.
Outlander Season 8 Shouldn’t Be Set Entirely At Fraser’s Ridge
Book 9’s Setting Wouldn’t Work For The TV Show’s Ending
The majority of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone is set at Fraser’s Ridge and the surrounding regions of North Carolina. Since this is where Jamie and Claire are headed at the end of Outlander season 7, it can be assumed that the same will be true for at least the first handful of episodes of season 8. The duo haven’t been back there since their house burned down, so they are sure to begin new construction on the place and attempt to get back to the peaceful life they had established on Fraser’s Ridge. Of course, the Revolutionary War will continue to be a problem.
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone proves that there is plenty of excitement to be had at Fraser’s Ridge, but it would be a bit of a disappointment if Outlander‘s final season were set entirely in this location. Gabaldon’s ninth book wasn’t intended as a final installment to the series, so adhering too much to the source would result in a rather anticlimactic ending. So, in addition to the added Faith plotline, Outlander season 8 must make a significant book change and take Jamie and Claire off the Ridge for at least a handful of episodes.
It Would Make More Sense For Claire To Travel Back To France In Outlander Season 8
All Claire’s Answers Are Back In Europe
Outlander season 7 may have already set up an exciting reason for Claire to do some additional traveling in season 8. As of the most recent finale, Claire has no definitive evidence that Faith Fraser lived after she had been deemed stillborn. Her dream about Master Raymond is far from enough proof, and Fanny singing “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside” is also quite a stretch. However, Faith was born and buried decades previous in France, so it won’t be easy for Claire to find any answers at Fraser’s Ridge.
It’s even possible that Claire will decide that she can only find the truth if she takes another trip through the stones to the year that Faith was born.
Claire won’t be able to rest until she knows whether or not Faith survived infancy, which may inspire her to travel to France in Outlander season 8. Visiting L’Hôpital des Anges and Faith’s grave would be a key first step, and there’s no telling what she would find and where it would lead her from there. It’s even possible that Claire will decide that she can only find the truth if she takes another trip through the stones to the year that Faith was born. This would make for a far more exciting final season—Outlander is a time-travel series, after all.
Outlander Desperately Needs 1 More Big Trip To Scotland
Where It All Began
Another trip to France in Outlander season 8 would be thrilling, especially since Jamie and Claire’s time there in season 2 was among the series’ highlights. However, wrapping up Outlander would be extremely difficult without one final trip to Scotland. This is where the romantacy series started, and the Highlander culture serves as the foundation of Jamie and Claire’s overarching story. Sure, they have chosen to set up their forever home in North Carolina, and ending Outlander here would be fair. However, Outlander must go back to its roots.
Outlander season 8 is expected to begin streaming near the end of 2025.
As of the end of Outlander season 7, Roger and Brianna are still in Scotland. Still, this isn’t quite enough. Whether Jamie or Claire actually return physically to Scotland in season 8, the culture and mythologies of this country must come into play as the overarching story comes to a close. Craigh na Dun, especially, must be a feature. We still need answers about the non-native forget-me-not flowers, and Jamie’s ghost watching Claire in the 20th century. There’s no Outlander without Scotland, and book canon or not, it needs to be a feature of season 8.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
