News aboutOutlanderseason 8 hints that the series has learned an important lesson fromGame of Thrones, but will it be enough? There’s always risk involved when a book series is adapted to the screen before the author has completed the story. No matter how faithful the TV show is, it’s doomed to break canon once it catches up with what has been published.In the case ofGame of Thrones, this turned out rather disastrous.The show’s final season, especially, invited significant backlash thanks to an ending that many thought didn’t fit with the established characters and story.
Outlanderhas now run into a similar issue. Season 8 will mark the end of the romantacy TV series, butauthor Diana Gabaldon has not yet released her tenth and final book. While portions of the ninthOutlanderbook,Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, have yet to be brought to the screen,Outlanderseason 8will have to create a satisfying ending where one doesn’t yet exist on the page. Given howthings turned out forGame of Thrones, it’s no wonder thatOutlanderfans are weary of the upcoming final season. However, a subtle tease from producer Maril Davis hints that things will go a different way.
Outlander’s Season 8 Ending Will Leave Room For Diana Gabaldon’s Upcoming Book
The Ending Will Be Constructed With A Continued Story In Mind
Maril Davis has revealedthat great care was taken to ensure thatOutlander’s final season would satisfy audiences. However, it was also important to the writers and producers thatOutlanderseason 8 not “step on Diana [Gabaldon’s] toes.” Davis explained that it is difficult to wrap up a story in a satisfying way when audiences know that it is going to continue. The fact that the creative minds behind Starz’sOutlanderunderstand this implies that, rather than giving Claire and Jamie’s story a definitive ending,season 8 will wrap things up while leaving the door open for Gabaldon’s tenth novel:
We haven’t actually finished the edit for season 8, so that ending is still to be written in some ways. But I think it’s very hard to close the chapter on something where we know the story continues, so the writers and [showrunner Matthew B. Roberts] have crafted something that is hopefully satisfying for our fans, even though we know there’s probably still a book to go.
I think what we have will be very satisfying and emotional, and a fitting end to a series that no one wants to end. I think it’s hard to end something where you feel like that journey is still continuing, and you don’t want to step on Diana’s toes. There are so many things in there, so I’m very pleased so far. I don’t know what the ending is yet, as it’s still to be written in some ways, but I think fans will be very pleased.
If this is true, it would mean that the ending ofOutlanderseason 8 wouldn’t be a replacement for Gabaldon’s ending. Instead, it would be more like a detour—an additional chapter for audiences to enjoy. Those who watch only the TV show can feel satisfied that Jamie and Claire’s story came to a close, but those who also read the books can read the continued story in Gabaldon’s tenthOutlanderbook. We could then considerOutlanderseason 8 to be something like a bonus story. It may not be considered canon, but it could still fit cohesively with the ending between the pages.
Outlander’s Final Season Could Avoid Game Of Thrones' Big Ending Controversy
Outlander May Just Avoid Messing With Gabaldon’s Ending Entirely (Unlike Game of Thrones)
If it’s true thatOutlanderseason 8 will provide screen audiences a satisfying ending while leaving the door open to Gabaldon’s next book, then Starz could avoid thecontroversy inspired byGame of Throne’s final season. While there were a variety of unpopular decisions made in these episodes, the most significant backlash came from Daenerys Targaryen’s descent to madness and subsequent death, as well as the hard stop on the implied destiny of Jon Snow. The response to the ending was overwhelmingly negative, which is surely a fate thatOutlanderwould want to avoid.
George R. R. Martin supposedly told Game of Thrones' showrunners how he planned to end his series. Gabaldon, on the other hand, has been clear that Outlander’s ending will not reflect her plan from the books.
It’s perfectly possible thatGame of Thrones' ending was similar to what George R. R. Martin had planned for his books. Perhaps, if the TV show hadn’t caught up with the novels, Martin himself would have been at the center of the same sort of backlash. However, since HBO ended first,Game of Thronestook the heat. This is the risk of a TV show being left to continue an adaptation without further source material.Game of Thronesis undoubtedly the prime example of everything at risk forOutlander. Detouring from the canon story, rather than replacing it, could be the perfect compromise to avoid all the trouble.
Outlander Season 8 Could Be Playing It Too Safe
The Final Season May Not Achieve The “Satisfying Ending” Goal
Of course,Outlanderseason 8 staying out of Gabaldon’s way doesn’t guarantee that the ending will be better received thanGame of Thrones. There are still some significant risks here.Outlanderseason 7 endedwith the reveal that Faith Fraser might have lived—something that never happened in the books and never will. It’s assumed that this will be a significant focus of the upcoming final season and could even serve as the foundation for the unique ending Starz has come up with. Claire may go on an adventure to find answers, leading to a happy TV ending on Fraser’s Ridge (where Gabaldon’s book can continue the story).
The problem withOutlanderseason 8 ending with a brand new adventure is that it may be difficult for the series to wrap up any of the big, overarching mysteries.
The problem withOutlanderseason 8 ending with a brand new adventure is that it may be difficult for the series to wrap up any of the big, overarching mysteries. Gabaldon has promised some big answers in her final book which would bring Claire’s story full circle. We need to understand why destiny pulled Claire toward the stones to begin with or what the Fraser Prophecy means for Brianna.The TV show can’t provide answers to these questions without getting in the way of the tenth book, which would then risk a repeat ofGame of Thrones.
By avoiding this, theOutlanderTV show risks a very superficial ending.Sure, it would mean that Starz can’t take the blame for giving bad answers toOutlander’s biggest overarching mysteries, butavoiding providing answers at all may be playing it too safe.
How Outlander Can Learn From Game Of Thrones (Without Letting Audiences Down)
There Must Be A Careful Balance
Davis acknowledged the challenge of giving audiences a satisfying ending while staying out of Gabaldon’s way, which is excellent news. It demonstrates that showrunners understand the importance of respecting the source, even if it is now too late to depend on it entirely. Season 7’s Faith twist is a plotline Gabaldon considered diving into in a spinoff graphic novel, but she ultimately chose against it. Still,it’s a story thatcouldexist between the lines of the novels. It will never be acknowledged in the books, but the TV show chose a story that doesn’t entirely contradict the primary arc.
This certainly seems to be a good solution to the problem faced byGame of Thrones. However, as previously stated, this doesn’t mean thatOutlandercan just ignore the central story and its various unsolved mysteries. Although Starz and Gabaldon have made it clear that the TV show and books will end differently,it can be hoped that the author shared enough of her overarching planthatOutlandercan subtly bring Claire’s story full circle. These big questions must be addressed in the background, even if they aren’t at center stage as they would be in the books. Of course, only time will tell.
