Warning: This article contains spoilers for Outlander season 7, episode 16, “A Hundred Thousand Angels.”
There might be more Frasers in the world than even Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) knew about.
In the season 7 finale, the Frasers end up taking in Fanny (Florrie Wilkinson) after William (Charles Vandervaart) vainly attempts to save Jane (Silvia Presente) from the gallows, only to find that she’s killed herself in her jail cell. Jamie and Claire agree to bring Fanny back to the Ridge with them and care for her as their own.
Florrie May Wilkinson on ‘Outlander’. Robert Wilson/Starz
But it turns out, she might actually be one of their own. Claire overhears Fanny singing a song from the 20th century. In shock, she asks Fanny where she learned it and Fanny tells her that her mother used to sing it. That — combined with Fanny’s locket that is inscribed with the name “Faith” and a subconscious visit from Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), makes Claire realize that her and Jamie’s daughter Faith — who they believed died shortly after birth in Paris, might have lived.
In turn, that would make Fanny their granddaughter. “The reveal that Faith didn’t die is a huge moment for the characters,” Heughan tells Entertainment Weekly. “The audience are going to be quite shocked as well. The repercussions of that are definitely going to play out in season 8. That song at the end is going to stick with the fans — for the rest of the droughtlander, anyway.”
In addition to this massive reveal, the episode was jammed with other developments. Brianna (Sophie Skelton), Mandy (Rosa Morris), and Jem (Blake Johnston-Miller) finally reunited with Roger (Richard Rankin), making it safely to him in the 18th century. And Bree seems more keen on returning to her parents’ time than the 1980s.
Dairmaid Murtagh and Richard Rankin on ‘Outlander’. Robert Wilson/Starz
Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) and Ian (John Bell) face both great joy and sorrow. Rachel is expecting their first child, which she hopes will be born back on the Ridge. But after that wonderful news, Ian awakes to find his dear Rollo passed away from old age in the night.
As for William and Lord John Grey (David Berry), they have been changed forever by the events of this season — William’s discovery that Jamie is his true father, Lord John’s “carnal knowledge” of Claire and subsequent beating at Jamie’s hands, and William’s relationship with and tragic loss of Jane. What lies ahead in the final season of Outlander can only be guessed.
Luckily, we have producer Matthew B. Roberts on hand to help us make those guesses more educated.
Where did the idea to make Jane and Fanny the daughters of a surviving Faith come from? That is not a twist we’ve seen in the books yet.
MATTHEW B. ROBERTS: There’s a blurb in book nine about [Faith surviving], and we pulled from and expanded on it quite a bit, but the genesis of it came from the books. Book 10 might explain, but honestly, I have no clue what’s in book 10.
How is having this new granddaughter going to change the course of Claire and Jamie’s lives?
You’ll have to watch season 8 to see what happens, but in creating this, we tried to pull as many stories from the book and stay faithful to that storyline. Over the course of the years, when you pull a thread, the butterfly effect happens. Only the audience is going to be the judge of this, but I think we’ve tied these stories together in a bow for season 8.
Sam Heughan on ‘Outlander’. Robert Wilson/Starz
Bree and the kids finally reunite with Roger. But it sounds like she’s pretty keen on returning to her parents instead of modern times. Is that a choice they’re likely to go through with?
Well, again, being as faithful to the books as possible. I’m not going to say whether they do or not, or what time period they live in, but Roger asked the question, “It’s not where we belong, but when?” Where do you think that goes?
What could that potentially mean for Buck, since he’s got a longer lease on life than he does on the page?
It’s true. I mean, we find that there are some characters in the book that once you write them in the script and then they walk on set in costume and the actor’s there, they become a living, breathing thing. Just like with Murtagh. Murtagh dies at Culloden in the books. So things happen. I’m not going to say what happens, but things happen.
Silvia Presente on ‘Outlander’. Robert Wilson/Starz
Do you think that William and Jamie would’ve been successful in their rescue mission if Jane hadn’t taken her own life?
I do. It was a timing issue. Even cutting that episode, we wanted to create that tension of “Please get there in time.” And I do think they would’ve been successful.
In terms of how Jamie jumps in with that right away, what does that mean for his and William’s relationship? It feels like a big step forward.
William has a lot to deal with and he turned to the only person that he knew that could help him in that moment. And at the end, we know that he’s still conflicted about his feelings for both of his fathers. And that’ll definitely play out in season 8.
Izzy Meikle-Small, John Bell, and Sam Heughan on ‘Outlander’. Robert Wilson/Starz
One of the saddest moments of the show yet was poor Rollo’s death. As you had with Murtagh and Buck, did you consider making him an immortal dog?
As much as we love the character Rollo, who was just an amazing character on the show, sometimes animals are difficult to film. That’s all I’m saying.
How cut up was John Bell and the whole team that day? It’s pretty heart-wrenching to watch.
That scene is a testimony to Izzy and John — how powerfully that relationship has blossomed and how it really jumps off the screen. But it was hard. Obviously knowing that the actual dog, spoiler alert, is okay. But those moments are always so heightened when we know we’re going to lose a character. When you’re saying goodbye to any character, whether it’s Rollo, Calum, or Dougal, along the way, you know you’re saying goodbye to someone that you’ve cared about for a really long time. Someone you’ve spent day in and day out with. Even the whole end of the series, it’s been like, “Hey, I’m not going to see all these people every day like I have for 12 years.”
Charles Vandervaart and David Berry on ‘Outlander’. Robert Wilson/Starz
Lord John isn’t in a great spot, in that all of the people who love him are mad at him. So what lies in store for him? Because he’s out in the cold a bit with William and Jamie. Claire, at least, is more understanding.
She is, which is funny because in the books their relationship is much more contentious than we’ve played it. But over the course of all that has been done on both sides for each other, that mutual respect, dare I say, love, for each other, really shown through. Certainly in the last episode, which I thought was really poignant. But Lord John’s definitely going to be around and there’s baggage that’s going to be played out in season 8 from everything that happened in season 7. It’s not just swept under the rug. That goodbye between Jamie and John is probably not the last time you’re going to see those two together.
We’re headed back to the Ridge. That’s clearly where Jamie and Claire have their heart set right now. Does that mean we may get to see Marsali and Fergus and some of these folks that weren’t in season 7?
There are going to be quite a few surprises in season 8 of who pops up.
Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’. Sanne Gault/Starz
We just learned that Outlander: Blood of My Blood is coming in the summer. Does that mean that it will air before season 8?
I can’t say.
Can you give us a sweeping tease of what we can expect from season 8?
It’ll be a very Outlander season. When I read the responses, and people send me DMs and things about how Outlander makes them feel, [it’s always messages] like, “This show wrecked me. I’ve watched it 10 times.” There’s that feeling of that emotional letting where you come to the show to feel. Outlander season 8 will give you all those feels.
Originally, you all thought you might be ending the show with season 7. Did the ending of this season change from what you had in mind when you thought that it might be the conclusion of the series?
The simple answer is yes. Because it had to. We had to keep the series going, so it had to end in a different way. Now we have more of a cliffhanger as opposed to some sort of conclusion. And when we got season 8, we were well into the writing and breaking of season 7. So, we adjusted accordingly. We shifted some story and pulled story up and moved story around. Now in season 8, there’s going to be some closure to the story.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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