After wooing our hearts for seven seasons and 11 years, Outlander has finally outpaced its source material. Author and creator Diana Gabaldon has written nine books in her main Outlander saga over the past 34 years, with the publishing date for her highly anticipated tenth and final installment, A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out, still pending. Instead of pausing production until Gabaldon releases the official culmination of her magnum opus, Outlander‘s upcoming eighth season will complete the television version of her sprawling, sensual, and deeply romantic period drama.
Gabaldon shared “little pieces of book 10” with showrunner Matthew B. Roberts ahead of Season 8, which Roberts and his team dutifully incorporated. However, the author elaborated about the differences between their last season and her last book: “There’s only so much I can say about the show, but what I can say is that it really won’t resemble the end of the book series.” For the first time since its 2014 premiere, Outlander is venturing into new territory without a map or guard rails. Only one other adaptation in recent memory has faced a similar predicament. Destined soulmates Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) have survived countless perilous scenarios, but nothing in Season 8 might be more nerve-wracking than avoiding the fate that befell Game of Thrones‘ notoriously divisive finale.
‘Outlander’ Approaches Its Source Material Differently Than ‘Game of Thrones’
Game of Thrones‘ fall from grace is quite well-documented by this point. A cultural phenomenon for its gripping political intrigue, ruthless stakes, powerhouse ensemble cast, and, of course, the dragons, many viewers agree that HBO’s flagship fantasy drama went off the rails during its wrap-up season. Although critical reassessments have emerged in the six years since the series finale aired, those who take issue with showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss’ conclusion cite the duo’s original material, which misuses the characters and compromises author George R. R. Martin‘s goals, and the season’s accelerated pacing, which doesn’t grant those controversial decisions enough breathing room to develop and potentially become palatable.
Like Gabaldon, Martin disclosed a few details about his unreleased A Song of Ice and Fire novels but, fairly, kept the biggest secrets under wraps. Some page-to-screen adaptations undoubtedly benefit from an outsider’s perspective; a critical eye can detect and improve weaknesses. Problems arise when adapters stray too far afield instead of trusting the creator whose work they’re translating — case in point, Game of Thrones‘ increasingly drastic deviations.
From the beginning, Outlander has stayed largely faithful to its inspiration and sought Gabaldon’s insights as both a consultant and a screenwriter. Even Starz’s prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, draws from her outline for her upcoming trilogy surrounding Jamie’s star-crossed parents, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater). The production’s key players appear well-versed enough in Gabaldon’s lore to extrapolate a proper, thoughtful ending from the material they’ve spent over a decade studying.
‘Outlander’ Season 8 Has a Lot of Ground To Cover
Outlander‘s consistently high standard is another point in its favor. No show is immune to bumps in the road, but even at its shakiest, Outlander capably rolls with Gabaldon’s narrative punches. All that said, whether Season 8 can maintain both its expected caliber and its thematic continuity is a valid concern. Gabaldon, this intricate franchise’s long-time architect, knows precisely how to unite the many threads she’s juggling into a cohesive whole. Her status within the romance industry also affords her enough freedom, time, and word-count space to tell her story. As apples-to-oranges as it might be to compare the television business and the publishing realm, Outlander‘s showrunners, producers, and writers’ room manage a less flexible house of cards — one layered with budget restrictions, crew availability, and scheduled deadlines.
For instance, Season 8 must adapt the penultimate novel and provide an authentic, satisfying conclusion to a plethora of unresolved character and story arcs within 10 episodes. That’s not the shortest season ever, but it’s still less than Outlander’s 12-13 episode average. For most of the series’ run, each season correlated to one novel. Season 1 adapted the titular first book, Season 2 tackled the second, Season 3 condensed the third, and so on. The pattern broke with Season 6’s eight episodes — leaving Season 7 to pick up book six’s leftover pieces plus major events from the next two novels.
One truncated season isn’t to blame for Outlander catching up to Gabaldon’s published installments. Neither is Gabaldon at fault; she should finish her life’s work at her own pace. This unique dilemma boils down to timing, as well as how long Starz’s high-level executives would let Outlander continue its reign. Heughan, sensing the end was nigh, was one of the key voices advocating for the extra season Outlander‘s cast, crew, and fans deserved. Squeezing a suitable resolution into 10 episodes is better than the alternative — if still an unfortunate limitation.Gabaldon addressed the tough, tricky sacrifices Season 8 needed to make:
“Obviously, they’re going to have to cherry-pick some prime scenes/threads to film, and try to fit them into a framework that makes sense for one season, and that they can bring to a reasonably satisfactory conclusion.”
‘Outlander’ Can Succeed Where ‘Game of Thrones’ Failed
Whatever unfolds before Outlander‘s last fade to black, it’s a unique and intimidating position to be in on both sides of the screen. Smartly, Season 8 filmed several different endings. Keeping their options open gives the team time to experiment, brainstorm, and see how the various pieces assemble in the editing room before committing. If executive producer Maril Davis had the choice, she would accurately adapt all 10 books. After working within their constraints, however, she and Roberts both consider Season 8 a “satisfying,” “emotional,” and “fitting” conclusion and hope fans will share that sentiment.
Yet it’s Gabaldon’s assessment that carries the most weight, especially since she doesn’t mince words about her creations. She approves of the final season, declaring, “I was not upset by it. […] It was well done, I think it will work very nicely.” Straying off-book can sink a show as swiftly as rushed pacing. Combining the two often heralds disaster. Yet if anyone stands a chance of sticking this extremely specific landing, it’s the Fraser entourage.
Outlander is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
