Most disappointing changes from Voyager in Outlander season 3

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

Outlander season 3 made significant changes from Voyager and not all were great.

As a starter, let me say that there will be spoilers from the book in this article. If you haven’t ready “Voyager” and don’t want to be spoiled, you’ll not want to read on just yet.

Whenever a TV show adapts a book, changes have to be made. Outlander season 3 was no different. The “Voyager” storyline couldn’t be shown in full. There wasn’t the time and budget to tell the full story and the pacing wouldn’t have quite been right for a TV show. Plus there’s the problem of a book from the first person POV being told on screen, where side characters need to be developed.

While there were many excellent changes, not all worked out. Here’s a look at the most disappointing changes from “Voyager” throughout Outlander season 3.

Forgetting about Ishmael

While Outlander kept Temeraire in the series, there was another slave missed out. Ishmael was Geillis’ slave, who created her zombie poison and instilled fear. He was taken prisoner on the Artemis, leading to Jamie and Claire finding out more about Young Ian, Geillis, and other young boys.

What’s more important about this storyline was the connection to Claire’s friend in 1968, Joe Abernathy. It is highly likely that Ishmael is Joe’s ancestor. While this hasn’t been confirmed yet, there are plenty of fans who believe this to be the case.

It would have been a good connection to put in. Claire’s relationship with Joe would have been something bigger other than colleagues and outcasts together when they started Med School.

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Keeping Lord John off the Porpoise

This is a difficult one. Lord John was supposed to be on the Porpoise. He was kept away from other prisoners to avoid the sickness and he and Claire were able to become friends before realizing each other’s connection to Jamie.

In the end, the chance made sense. Lord John already recognized Jamie, so he would have recognized Claire at first glance. Plus changing the story meant John could give Captain Leonard a dressing down regarding Jamie’s imprisonment. However, it was a shame to lose that first meeting between Claire and Lord John.

The travel back through the stones

Outlander season 3 opted not to show Claire go back through the stones. Instead, the camera focused on a puddle, allowing a slightly easier transformation between centuries. Unfortunately, this meant that the goodbye to Claire just wasn’t the same.

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

While there was the beautiful Christmas, the goodbye between Brianna and Claire just wasn’t the same. It would have been beautiful to see Brianna and Roger turn up at the stones to say goodbye.

The lack of shock about the second wife

While book fans knew what was coming, show fans wouldn’t necessarily know that Jamie had remarried. Nor would they have necessarily known to whom. However, the shock of a second marriage was spoilt with other characters alluding to it and even mentioning it in “Crème de Menthe.”

While the fact that it was Laoghaire was a shock, it wasn’t a massive shock. It just didn’t have the same build up or setting. Maybe it also didn’t help that Jamie had already told Claire about Willie, so it didn’t make sense for him to keep Laoghaire a secret too.

The chase of the Porpoise

In the Outlander season 3 finale, book fans were getting ready for a chase across the seas. The Artemis was supposed to be chased by the Porpoise, as Captain Leonard had Jamie in his sights. Instead, the showrunners chose to keep the focus on Claire and Jamie. They opted to keep the storm as the big, dramatic event of the finale.

While the storm was a dramatic effect in the book, it didn’t quite have the same focus without the chase at sea. Now there are lots of questions about what it means for Captain Leonard in the future. Will he turn up again looking to arrest Jamie? We hope not!

Next: Ranking the Outlander season 3 episodes

What were your most disappointing changes from “Voyager” in Outlander season 3? Share in the comments below.

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5 most disappointing changes from Voyager in Outlander season 3

By Alexandria Ingham | Dec 22, 2017