Top 10 Differences Between Outlander Books & TV Show
If you haven’t read the books, some of these may come as a surprise. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Differences Between the Outlander Books & TV Show.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the biggest changes that were made when the historical romance science fiction story was adapted for the screen.
#10: Murtaugh & Jocasta’s Romance
In Diana Gabaldon’s book series, Jamie’s godfather, Murtagh Fraser, has his story cut short when he is killed during the Battle of Culloden. But the producers of the show made a choice that resonated positively with fans when they extended his narrative and let his character continue on. This means though that when he ended up sleeping with Jamie’s aunt Jocasta, none of that ever happened in the books. In the fifth season of the show, their romance is developed even further and even big fans of the novels don’t know how this relationship will play out.
#9: Jamie & Geneva’s Lovemaking Scene
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In one very controversial moment from the books, Geneva Dunsany blackmails Jamie into taking her virginity because she is betrothed to an older man who she has no affection for. In the book though, once they’re actually in bed together Geneva changes her mind and asks Jamie to stop...but he doesn’t. It’s not surprising that the creators of the show decided to change this detail for the screen and they instead opted to have Jamie act tenderly throughout the ordeal, despite the fact that this was not a situation that he was consenting to be in.
#8: The Point of View
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This is a change that colors the entire series. “Outlander” the novel is told from Claire’s point of view, meaning that we see the world through her eyes and have an intimate view of her experiences. But this also means that we don’t get to see a lot of development in the characters that she interacts with less. In the show however, the point of view is much more broad and we even get Jamie’s narration at some points. This is particularly important in the second half of the first season when Jamie’s character is tortured and we actually see the events from his perspective. This happens again in Season 3 during the couple’s reunion.
#7: Claire’s Stolen Ring
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In both the book and the TV show, Stephen Bonnet steals an important ring that belongs to Claire, but which ring it is changes from one medium to another. In the books, he takes the gold ring from her first marriage to Frank Randall. On the show however, Bonnet instead steals the ring that Jamie gives her when they are married. The show’s producer Ronald D. Moore explained this by saying that the ring from Jamie was much more distinctive, which becomes important when Brianna notices it later in the fourth season.
#6: Jamie & Claire’s Initials
In the second book in the “Outlander” series, "Dragonfly in Amber", Jamie and Claire make a bold gesture to show their commitment to one another before Claire goes back through the stones. They carve their initials into each other’s hands to leave a physical mark of their relationship. This moment doesn’t appear in the show...officially. But many fans noticed that in some of the bonus deleted footage of the series, the initials were actually visible in certain scenes. The producers confirmed that they had considered adding this detail in but changed their minds, though there’s still potential for them to use the storyline later on.
#5: Brianna Gives Birth
While most changes made when adapting this story for the screen seem logical and were well received by even the most hardcore fans, there are some exceptions, such as how the way Brianna gave birth played out at the end of the fourth season. In the books, the delivery of her son is an important moment between her and her parents, as the family comes together in a way that they have been prevented from doing for so many years. Brianna forgives Jamie and Claire even acts as the person who delivers the baby herself. It seems unfortunate that this key family bonding moment was switched out for one with much less emotional resonance.
#4: Jamie’s Knowledge of What Laoghaire Did
In the third season of the show, Claire finds out that Jamie has married Laoghaire in her absence. While this also occurs in the book series, the implications of Jamie’s decision to enter into this union is much more understandable. That’s because in the books, Jamie doesn’t know that Laoghaire made it so that Claire was accused of witchcraft because she was jealous of her. In the show however, Jamie is aware of this, which makes his choice all the more shocking and upsetting. Needless to say, in both media their marriage did not last.
#3: Jamie’s Reaction to the Photos of Brianna
Jamie and Claire are separated for many years, meaning that Jamie never gets the chance to know his own daughter. When the couple are reunited, Claire brings photos from the 1960s to show Jamie a glimpse of their child and the young woman she has grown into. In the books, the description of his reaction is emotionally stirring, with Gabaldon writing (from Claire’s perspective), “He buried his face in my shoulder and went quietly and thoroughly to pieces.” On the show however, Jamie’s reaction is much more understated, and he gets preoccupied with the fact that Brianna is wearing a bikini.
#2: Frank’s Personality
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Despite the fact that so much of the story told in “Outlander” is about Jamie and Claire’s relationship, we can’t forget about her first husband, Frank Randall. His personality differs greatly between the novels and the show, with his TV character being far more sympathetic. In the books, he’s clearly written to be unlikable and readers aren’t supposed to spend a second questioning Claire’s actions. In the series however, everything gets much more ambiguous because he’s actually a very kind man who carries out a desperate search for Claire when she inexplicably disappears.
#1: Murtagh’s Death
One of the most surprising changes that the creators of the show made was making Murtagh a more important character than he was in the books. As previously mentioned, he dies in the Battle of Culloden in the novels and his death isn’t even a particularly significant one. But clearly his character resonated with audiences, because the producers opted to keep him alive instead. Producer Maril Davies said “I think we always knew in the back of our minds that we would probably keep Murtagh alive. It just seemed like such a waste of the character [to kill him off].”
