As the final run of episodes gets underway, the official synopsis says, “Jamie and Claire soon find the war has followed them home to Fraser’s Ridge, now a thriving settlement that has grown and flourished in their absence. With new arrivals and changes made during their years away, the Frasers are confronted with the question of what they are willing to sacrifice for the place they call home and, more importantly, what they would sacrifice to stay together. While the Frasers keep a united front against outside intruders, family secrets finally coming to light threaten to tear them apart from the inside. Although they’ve left the war for America’s freedom behind, their fight for Fraser’s Ridge has only just begun.”
Since its start, Outlander has covered roughly one book in Diana Gabaldon’s novel series per season. So it reasons that Season 8 would follow the events of Book 8, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. However, given that Gabladon has published Book 9 (Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone) and is working on Book 10, there’s a good chance Season 8 will include storylines from all of the above.
Co-showrunner Matthew B. Roberts says the guidelines for Season 8 were “Nothing that doesn’t affect Jamie and Claire gets in. It’s gotta affect Jamie and Claire. All the main characters do — they’re a part of it — but that’s the drive. There’s so many aspects. I mean, they’re all big books. There’s things where you kind of go over here, and you go over here — that’s what makes the books so readable and fun. But when you have 10 episodes, you have to stay literally on track.”
One plot that is not in the novels but will be addressed at the top of the final season: The Season 7 finale cliffhanger of whether Claire and Jamie’s daughter, Faith, somehow survived what we thought was her stillbirth in Season 2. Roberts promises that fans will have that point cleared up “visually” in the upcoming season.
Also: A trailer Starz released in July hints that Jamie might meet his ultimate fate (!) in the show’s last season (if Frank’s history book is to be believed).
On the MacKenzie side of things, might Brianna and Roger have another baby in Season 8, like they do in Go Tell the Bees? “As you know, we sometimes stick to the books, and we sometimes don’t,” Skelton told TVLine coyly in February. “But I think it would be great if they had another child. And wearing the fake pregnancy bumps is super fun, so sign me up.”
The official Season 8 synopsis reads: “As Season 8 begins, Jamie and Claire soon find the war has followed them home to Fraser’s Ridge, now a thriving settlement that has grown and flourished in their absence. With new arrivals and changes made during their years away, the Frasers are confronted with the question of what they are willing to sacrifice for the place they call home and, more importantly, what they would sacrifice to stay together. While the Frasers keep a united front against outside intruders, family secrets finally coming to light threaten to tear them apart from the inside. Although they’ve left the war for America’s freedom behind, their fight for Fraser’s Ridge has only just begun.”
This story originally appeared on TVLine
