On Starz, 50 Cent’s rotating Power shows keep that universe rolling on a consistent basis, but the Outlander realm has felt shockingly empty for over a year. The flagship series has, of course, been delivering a historical-fantasy-romance mashup since 2014, and Season 8 will be its final tour. That last detail hasn’t been a surprise to fans, who seem far more frustrated at waiting over a year for the seventh season to deliver its back half.
Until now, readers of Diana Gabaldon’s novels tuned in for the “bodice-ripping” vibes and have stuck around for the show’s genre-blending delivery of a feminist romance, but will the wait for more episodes turn this loyal audience away? We will find out when more Outlander returns along with a Blood of My Blood prequel series that will look back at the love affairs that spawned Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser and made this whole saga possible. First, let’s resist thinking about that trip back in time and look at what to expect in the next Outlander episodes.
Plot
Season 7, Part 2 will pick up with Claire and Jamie getting the hell out of dodge (i.e. the U.S. Revolutionary War era) and return to Jamie’s ancestral stomping grounds of Lallybroch in Scotland. Young Ian ^^^ will be along for that voyage, too.
Sadly, the homecoming will not be as positive as hoped. A ton of Fraser family drama will be in store for the leading couple, and star Sam Heughan recently told Entertainment Weekly that an “emotional rollercoaster” will be afoot: “It’s not an easy time for the Fraser family, that’s for sure. But there’s so much for the book fans to look forward to, and if you don’t know the books, prepare yourself for a really emotional rollercoaster.” This will include Claire clashing with her sister-in-law, Jenny, and as Caitriona Balfe revealed, “Both her and Claire have a tendency, especially when they’re in pain, to lash out… Jenny is in a very painful situation and she wants Claire to really do something miraculous, and it’s not within Claire’s capability. There’s a lot of anger there that is maybe misplaced.”
To further complicate matters, Balfe admitted that Claire will also “quickly [have] to leave again” because “[s]he is needed back in the colonies… the wonderful surgeon she is.” This could will spell trouble in romantic paradise: “When the Frasers are not together, things don’t always go very well. This is not good. Claire believes an event happens, which is devastating.”
[Cue dramatic pause.]
Executive producer Maril Davis previously warned that this homecoming is a “sad” one because “[h]ome is never the home you knew. It’s never going to be the same.” This synopsis sums up the forces that are threatening to tear the Randall-Frasers apart:
Coming off of the first half of ‘Outlander’ season seven, viewers find Claire, Jamie and Young Ian leaving the colonies and arriving in their beloved homeland: Scotland. The perils of the Revolutionary War force them to choose between standing by those they love and fighting for the land they have made their new home. Meanwhile, Roger and Brianna face new enemies across time, and must battle the forces that threaten to pull their family apart. As loyalties change and painful secrets come to light, Jamie and Claire’s marriage is tested like never before. With their love binding them over oceans and centuries, can the MacKenzies and Frasers find their way back to each other?
Also, Starz has provided a peek at the Season 8 sets if you want more teasing.
Cast
Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe began their onscreen romance 10 years ago, so they are going nowhere yet. John Bell returns as Young Ian with Richard Rankin as Roger and Sophie Skelton as Brianna. The cast also includes Charles Vandervaart (William Ransom), David Berry (Lord John Grey), Joey Phillips (Denzell Hunter), and Izzy Meikle-Small (Rachel Hunter).
Release Date
The seventh season will finally return for eight more weekly episodes beginning on November 22. Then the wait for the final season shall begin. Since Blood of My Blood and the eighth Outlander season have been simultaneously filming, there’s no way to predict which will air next.
Trailer
A full trailer is still in the wild, but this teaser trailer will work for now.