In the age of limited series and even more limited attention spans, finding a show that manages to keep fans content for eight seasons is truly impressive. And yet, “Outlander” will end its run in 2026 having achieved exactly that.
Inspired by the popular book series by Diana Gabaldon, the Starz series has excelled at balancing steamy romance, multiple wars across continents and centuries, and even the occasional bit of humor, without completely losing audiences. 12 years after its start, though, it’s finally time to put the story of Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) and the other members of the Fraser clan to rest.
Without Gabaldon’s final book to rely on, the show’s writers have been left to figure out how they want to wrap things up themselves. Much like fans awaiting George R.R. Martin’s final books in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series (the basis of “Game of Thrones”), though, the question is: Will the fans find some satisfaction in this finale? Or will we be left to bear an endless amount of fan-fiction that attempts to “fix” it later?
Based on the three episodes provided to critics for review, it appears “Outlander” is sticking to its usual formula and giving viewers exactly what they came here for: New villains that get under your skin, inevitable battles where our heroes come just close enough to death, a couple of tragic moments, some time jumps, and best of all, a still-passionate love story for the ages.
Beware spoilers from the show below.
At the end of Season 7, viewers were left to reckon with a massive twist regarding the fate of Claire and Jamie’s presumed stillborn daughter. Fortunately, the season premiere doesn’t make you wait long for more details on this bizarre turn of events. But this chapter, at least as far as the first three episodes go, seems to close just as quickly as it was opened. It’s probably the only aspect of the episodes that feels off. We’ll have to wait until the rest of the season drops to find out if this wound up being a wholly unnecessary plot device, or the slow reveal of a much larger storyline.
The story moves on regardless. First to Savannah in 1779, where the British had just taken back control of this area. Claire, Jamie and young Frances are en route to Fraser’s Ridge and stop to meet with a couple of sorely-missed faces. Plenty of shows begin to bring back old characters as they get ready to say goodbye, and in this case, it works wonderfully. Expect more than one heartwarming reunion between characters past and present.
Once the trio finally make it to Fraser’s Ridge, (which is very much not under British control), they’re also reunited with Ian (John Bell), who has just rebuilt their home. We also encounter Amy and Lizzie, friends of the Fraser’s from seasons past. And not long after that, we discover what was heavily hinted at in the Season 7 finale — Brianna (Sophie Skelton) has brought Roger (Richard Rankin) and her kids back to her parents’ time. She even brings some modern books back with her, including one titled “Soul of a Rebel,” written by none other than Frank Randall. It’s in this book that the seeds of fear are planted into Jamie. The book mentions him by name numerous times, and even includes a mention of an impending battle (Battle of Kings Mountain) in which he reportedly dies.
But that’s not the only thing keeping Jamie up at night this season. Much has changed since everyone was last at the ridge. There are numerous new faces in town. Among them are Captain Charles Cunningham (Kieran Bew), who appears mostly amicable despite being a retired British soldier. There’s also Benjamin Cleveland (Turlough Convery), a less-than-agreeable man who comes to inform Jamie he’s raising a militia to protect the land from Tories. And then of course, Jamie’s still struggling with jealousy over Claire and Lord John Grey’s (David Berry) carnal moment last season.
Speaking of Grey, he’s still very much involved this season, though obviously keeping his distance from the Frasers. His involvement now is mostly in trying to get William (Charles Vandervaart) to get a handle on himself, as he’s just about fallen apart after the death of Jane in the previous season. But when John delivers some devastating news to William about one of his cousins, William ends up going on a whole new mission to uncover exactly what happened.
The final season doesn’t feel like it will be diving into uncharted waters, and perhaps that’s for the best. Why fix what isn’t broken? Like other seasons, there are celebrated births and heartbreaking deaths , as well as plenty of romance and sex — which may be the thing that drew many to the series in the first place. Though it’s a far cry from the sultry days of Season 1 Jamie and Claire, there’s still enough chemistry there to scratch the itch.
Perhaps more importantly, there’s more devotion and depth to their marriage after everything they’ve been through. This late in the game, Balfe and Heughan have perfected this on-screen relationship, whether they’re flirting, bickering or basking in post-coital bliss in one another’s arms. We’ll all be sad when those final credits roll.
“Outlander” Season 8 premieres Friday on Starz.
