Did The Book Ending Match The Final Episode Of Outlander?

My perception of the show’s finale was that it remained true to the spirit of the novels rather than adhering rigidly to each book. While long, the novels of Diana Gabaldon are very dense. To make way for viewing, things were compressed and reworked in order to read well on screen. So, while some favorite chapters from the novels were no doubt included, others were likely to be cut and the scenes rearranged. However, the central relationships in the story and the mains springs of conflict were mostly successfully conveyed. It’s not quite the same reading the books and then watching the show, versus just watching the show – there are lots of nuances and side plots that get left out in the adaptation, but they were included in the books for a reason, and the way they were left out in the show made sense for the story as it was told. I thought the show did a great job of capturing the essence of the characters and the emotional arc of the story, even when it left out a lot of book-length detail. Overall, I felt warmed by the ending of Outlander, and left feeling a little wistful, too.

Pouring tea and waiting for someone to note the glaring omission of the Percy Beauchamp/Amaranthus plot from the later books. That whole can of worms would have added another season or so to the show’s run. The show’s ending was cleaner and neater, which is great I suppose. The books on the other hand, are a glorious, messy, overgrown garden of plotlines. Which is better to read? A neatly trimmed hedge or a wild and unchecked adventure through said garden of plot?

I notice that when Outlander uses the phrase ‘Blood of My Blood’ it’s signaling more than just a scene of the same name. The real heart of the phrase is family, heritage and all the obligations that you have to fulfill because of the blood that runs through your veins. It can signify shock of unexpected paternity, or the quiet ways that people can inherit traits, obligations and even wounds from their ancestors. The term “blood of my blood” refers to Scottish clan identity and later the families that transplanted to the New World and were tied together by their ancestral ties of protect, trust and sacrifice. Typically episodes classified under this banner consist of close-up, personal and emotional scenes of births, deaths and confessions which illustrate how personal decisions can have far-reaching consequences for generations of a family. The episodes under this banner are some of my favorite as they develop the intimate drama of a character or group of characters within the broad and sweeping historical drama of the story.

The subsequent books written by Diana Gabaldon, such as ‘Written in My Own Heart’s Blood’ and ‘Bees’, don’t feel like they revolve around the protagonist or main characters facing mortal danger and then barely escaping in the nick of time. As opposed to the earlier books that focused on their struggle to face death and withstand huge amounts of physical and mental pain, the focus for these subsequent books seems to be on understanding legacy, dealing with family and how to build a life for oneself. This makes sense given Gabaldon is likely moving towards an ending of a life fully realized rather than having it cruelly cut short. Thus, for readers of the author’s many early novels of dangerous threat to life and death, know that the nature of the threat to main characters changes greatly with time. Rather than wondering will he die? the main question for Jamie and other main characters is what will they leave behind?

The setting at the stones is far more real in the book than on TV. The detail that Gabaldon brings to the cold of the Scottish mountains, the weight of Jamie’s lifeless form, the slippage of his body, the wind’s keening all serves to firmly impress upon the reader the utter physical improbability of what Claire is doing here. The show’s take on this scene is, of course, beautifully emotional andhas been expertly crafted to focus upon the characters’ words to each other in this their goodbye. As we read Claire’s desperate, freezing and exhausted journey to get Jamie up to the hill, the words weave a frantic and extremely physical experience. We are there, urging her on, muttering ‘come on, for God’s sake!’ as she carries Jamie up the cold and inhospitable hill in the depth of the Scottish winter. The ending of Outlander is an experience in itself and if you want to feel cold, literally and metaphorically, then read the end of the book, not watch the TV adaptation. While the TV ending is extremely emotional, the experience of the ending is more of a visual and auditory experience. The beautiful music swells, the camera pans out to get a wide shot of the breathtaking scenery, and we are left feeling poignantly emotional. Not the same experience as being there in the cold with Claire as she says goodbye to her beloved husband.

What I found to be one of the most powerful ending notes of a novel was the ending of ‘Emptiness’. This ending was so gentle and quietly powerful that it didn’t close any doors but instead opened them up and let life happen. The novel went into a gentler storyline and the protagonist no longer searched for definitive answers to any questions and instead just notices all of the small details that make up life such as the steam rising from a cup, a slow wagging dog tail, or the scent of rain on a morning. All of the tight scenes of arguments, of manic searching, and of internal monologues all began to relax into mere acceptance. In the end it wasn’t a huge revelation, but instead a simple and profound self-realization of who the protagonist was and how he had been clinging to a ‘self’ that was nothing more than a story the protagonist had been telling himself all along. So, my reading of the end of ‘Emptiness’ is that it’s been advocating a kind of interconnectivity rather than nihilism. Rather than meaning that what is empty is meaningless, what it means is that everything is precarious, fragile, and dependent on change. Therefore, the way we treat each other is of the greatest importance, and it’s in the relinquishing of grudges and of our petty certainties that we find compassion for each other in our imperfect states. This is a very freeing read on the end of the book, rather than a depressing one. It’s about loosening our attachments to our ideas of who we are, to the stories we tell about ourselves and our possessions, and finding gentleness instead. For me, the end of this book was a very freeing read, and it’s made me think about how I respond in difficult situations, and in everyday ones too. I’ve tried to remember to take a few deep breaths in order to find my center before speaking in times of anger or stress, to listen more fully to the other person in order to better understand them before launching into a revolving mass of words in order to be heard. And to allow for more flexibility and “détour” in my daily plans and life. My small little lesson from this ending of Emptiness is: breathe at the edge of conflict, listen more deeply than you respond, and let many of your plans be as changeable as they are. There’s something true in that simple description of ending a book. It’s a feeling like being told gently by a good friend that you don’t have to have it all figured out. That feeling sticks with me. Carrying one of the impressions of the ending of this book around for a week with you and seeing how it changes your reaction to a series of routine circumstances is my way of suggesting where to go from here. I don’t mean to suggest this book is the cure for all that ails you, but it does leave you with something in your pocket that feels honest and revolutionary.

It’s so beautifully ambiguous, and I interpret it to mean that, yes, Violet did break the Lunaris Core, but the way that the shards of it sank into the earth like seeds is very telling. And in the epilogue, her flowers are described as having silver veins that shimmer in the moonlight. So I don’t think magic has been extinguished from the world at all. Instead, I think it’s been distributed in a much more natural and diffused way, and that Violet has sacrificed her status as god-queen in order to become a cultivator of this wild and new magic instead. It’s not an end to the world of magic, but rather a transformation of it, and I find that hopeful and really interesting. The next age is not going to be dull and grey and magic-less; instead, it’s going to be different, and magic is going to be a part of the way that things grow.

Kleines Update aus Fan-Sicht: Ja, nach dem Ende von 'Outlander' Staffel 7 gibt es noch eine Fortsetzung — Staffel 8 wurde bestätigt und soll die letzte Runde werden. Für mich fühlt sich das wie der Abschied einer langjährigen Begleitung an; ich habe viele Stunden mit Claire und Jamie verbracht und bin neugierig, wie alle offenen Fragen verknüpft werden. Ich finde es gut, dass die Serie verschiedene Zeiten zeigt und die Beziehungen zwischen den Menschen behandelt. Ich frage mich manchmal, ob die letzte Staffel wie die Bücher ist oder ob die Serie etwas anderes macht. Egal wie genau sie es adaptieren, ich freue mich auf das Finale und werde wohl wieder mit Popcorn und Kopfkissen dabei sein.

I watch Show with my partner, but I don’t actually get it. It’s so pretty, but I get lost in all the different time jumps and characters that are not even part of the main story. I’ll probably watch the finale with her and act like I know what’s going on. Then she can explain it to me all while I pretend to understand. Yeah, that’s pretty much how it’s always been.

To make sense of all of this, I like to simplify and explain the Outlander books over coffee to my friends. Essentially the two tracks of the timeline are Collins 20th century life and 18th century Jamie’s world. Exile between the two tracks can occur in several ways: Claire’s abrupt return to her own time following the Jacobites; Jamie’s life as an exiled fugitive attempting to survive in an unforgiving world or attempting to build a new world; Jamie and Claire’s deliberate exile to the colonies in order to escape the Highlands. Book stops include Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, Written in My Own Heart's Blood and the following books in the series. Each title moves along with the time of the story and shifts the stakes for the characters' exile in terms of time, land and family. The shifting of these stakes makes for a very engaging and long saga.