Outlander producer teases book departures in season 5

Image: STARZ/Outlander
Image: STARZ/Outlander

Outlander fans, the Droughtlander will soon be over. We’re not entirely sure when, but an end is in sight. Know how we know? Because the cast and crew are finally out there talking up the show’s upcoming fifth season. Executive producer Matthew B. Roberts spoke to Parade.com about what to expect.

Outlander is based on author Diana Gabaldon’s popular novel series. It’s got to be hard figuring out which material from the books to keep and which to lose. What stories are the most important to tell? “We always start off with, ‘Okay, let’s try to do this as close to the book as possible,'” Robers said. “Then random events keep us from doing it, and that’s why it falls apart sometimes.”

A great example of this is when actress Laura Donnelly, who plays Jamie’s sister Jenny, was unavailable to come back for season 4. Adjustments must be made.

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As for what lies ahead in season 5, there are adaptation challenges to deal with, including the character of Murtagh, who dies in the books but is still alive on the show. If you saw the season 4 finale, then you know that Jamie may soon come into conflict with Murtagh, and it’ll be fun to see how the show handles this.

"There’s some fantastic stuff coming up with how Jamie and Claire [Caitriona Balfe] have to navigate this. Let’s just say Jamie is clearly between a rock and a hard place, the rock being his signed oath to the Crown, to Governor Tryon [Tim Downie], for the land that they live on, and his loyalty and his love for Murtagh. So, that is going to cause the Frasers some trouble as we go forward in season five and we’ll see how they get out of it or if they get out of it."

Personally, I’m pretty torn. Jamie is in an awkward position, but this is Murtagh we’re talking about!

"What we realized after keeping [Murtagh] alive is it does affect a lot of the story going forward. At the end of four, when he’s still alive and he’s a regulator and he’s being hunted, it shades how we tell the story in season five, and I will say that it definitely is a part of season five."

If this isn’t enough and you still need something to get you through the rest of the Droughtlander, you can now purchase the season 4 Blu-ray and/or Limited Edition sets to keep busy.

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