Why Outlander the series changed Claire's journey back to the past

In Outlander Season 3, Claire’s decision to go back to the past was adapted slightly from “Voyager.” Now we get to know a little more of why that was.

During “Voyager,” Claire went to the past straight from Scotland. That didn’t happen in Outlander Season 3. The series opted to take Claire and Brianna back to the States, where Roger could fly to with new information. This wasn’t just to extend Claire’s time in the past for the sake of it. It was a decision to focus more on a particular element that many Outlander fans have discussed time and time again.

Why would Claire leave her only daughter behind? Most of us admit that we wouldn’t quite be comfortable with doing something like that. While others have admitted that it would be like moving country in the 1960s (when social media wasn’t around and phones weren’t as good), there are many who still can’t get their head around the idea of Claire leaving Brianna on her own. Sure, Brianna is a grown adult, but for a mother, she would still be a child.

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Toni Graphia explained that the decision to change the storyline was because of that. They needed to create standalone conflict in each episode–sometimes conflict that wasn’t there in the book. For Claire and Brianna, that meant creating the emotional goodbye and Brianna’s speech about giving Claire back to Jamie.

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There were also other scenes to help bring elements of closure or foreshadowing. Sandy shared her anger and hatred towards Claire for the treatment of Frank, while Roger had a chance to learn more about Brianna’s Christmas tradition. While fans who wanted it to be exactly like the books were disappointed, others who were happy for multiple changes had the chance to see a new way of telling the story.

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"Claire leaving Brianna was one where we just went a little deeper into what a mother would have to go through to leave their child. But it was just in the service of making some rich, maternal conflict there that we could fit in that episode about Claire’s going back."

It wasn’t a major change, but was an important one. Now you know why that Outlander Season 3 change happened.

Next: Why Laoghaire is such a fascinating character on Outlander

Did you like the change to Claire and Brianna’s story in Outlander Season 3? Would you like to see more? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 4 is still filming. Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for more updates straight to your feed.

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Why Outlander the series changed Claire’s journey back to the past

By Alexandria Ingham | Apr 10, 2018

In Outlander Season 3, Claire’s decision to go back to the past was adapted slightly from “Voyager.” Now we get to know a little more of why that was.