5 questions we still have about Outlander Season 4

It’s been a little over a month since the Outlander Season 4 trailer was released. Now we have a premiere date and synopsis for the premiere. There are still plenty of questions.

Outlander Season 4 has a trailer, a couple of sneak peeks, a release date, and a synopsis for the premiere. Those are all great, but they don’t give us a lot of answers to the questions we previous questions we had.

It’s still not clear just how close the season will be to the books. Ron D. Moore had previously hinted that book fans would recognize the events, but they would play out on a slightly varied timeline. Did that mean something that happens at the end of the book would actually come up at the start?

Whatever it does mean, many will be happy to know that a lot of this season is going to follow “Drums of Autumn.” That’s especially the case for Brianna’s horrific storyline to come.

With that in mind, it’s time to look at the other questions we still have about Outlander Season 4. We may have a premiere date, but what about the character storylines, that winter break, and how certain characters will make a comeback?

5. How does Murtagh fit into the season?

The big question for Outlander Season 4 is about a character who shouldn’t be there. Murtagh was killed off in the books at Culloden, but he survived in the TV series. It shouldn’t be too surprising because of the way Duncan Lacroix embodied the character and made us all adore him.

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By saving him in the third season, there’s a chance to bring him up in the fourth. The question is how? Just how can they bring him back?

The good news is that he’s in the Colonies. He was sent there as part of his imprisonment. Chances are he’s still in the Colonies and may even still be an indentured servant (since the show set a time period of 14 years).

Many fans wonder whether Murtagh will take the place of Duncan Innes. However, Diana Gabaldon has previously said that isn’t going to happen. Of course, things could change and that could be the storyline of choice the showrunners opted to run with. It would be a fairly simple change and one that keeps Murtagh in the series for a little longer.

There are many ways that he could come into the series without taking someone else’s spot. When Maril Davis offered a Heard on Set spoiler, fans started to question whether this was Murtagh’s arrival because the line wasn’t from the books. Is he getting a part written in for him?

4. How will Jamie and Brianna’s meeting go?

It looks like Brianna and Jamie won’t actually meet until later into the season. Another Maril Davis Heard on Set moment involved the line that Jamie says to his daughter, before realizing that she is his daughter. This was in the second half of filming, towards the end.

Just how is this meeting going to play out? It’s one of the most highly anticipated moments in Outlander Season 4, as it’s a favorite for many in “Drums of Autumn.” Think of it as a little like the print shop scene for those who haven’t read the books yet.

Once they meet, there’s so much more to come. How much of their storyline is going to be included in the season? How much will we get to see of the two bond and realize that their time periods make them extremely different but in the same stubborn way?

One thing the trailer for the season showed was Jamie out shooting with someone else. It certainly wasn’t Brianna. I’ve shared the theory on that one already, but it brings up an important question. Will we get to see the Jamie/Brianna shooting scene? That’s an iconic, essential moment for the two. It has to be there, right?

3. How will Frank return?

There have been tweets of Tobias Menzies on the set of Outlander Season 4 filming. We know that Frank Randall is dead. Likewise, we know Black Jack Randall is dead. So, just how could Tobias Menzies come back? Well, it’s likely as Frank in some sort of flashback.

This wouldn’t be that surprising. Brianna remembers her dad a lot over the course of the season. That’s natural when she gets to meet her biological father. There are going to be comparisons between the two and she’ll feel some guilt for wanting to be part of this other man’s life; a man that Frank never met but didn’t really like.

Flashbacks will be the most effective way to bring Tobias Menzies back into an episode or two. There are mentions of things that Frank has done in the books, so seeing those events through a series of flashbacks would be a powerful option and give us some of one of the greatest actors on the series again.

Another option is that Frank never died, but that would be crazy. This isn’t Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

2. How will Fergus and Marsali’s storyline change?

Something I’ve wondered since the end of Outlander Season 3 is how Fergus and Marsali’s storyline will change. In “Voyager,” Fersali stay behind in Jamaica. Marsali is pregnant, so can’t travel. Fergus stays with her but eventually joins the Frasers in North Carolina and gets his wife back to him.

In Outlander Season 3, Marsali didn’t end up pregnant (at least, not that we know of yet) and they the two newlyweds never stayed behind. They’re certainly going to be in North Carolina and one of the promo photos doesn’t show a sign of a baby bump just yet.

Is their storyline going to see some major changes? Is this where the shift of the timeline comes into play? It certainly makes sense as the timeline has already seen a complete shift with them joining the Frasers already. They’ll become a more focal point in the setting up of Fraser’s Ridge.

Could there be other changes at other points? This could have a knock-on effect for the couple. We may see them with one less child than is written into the books or with a smaller age gap between children to make it all work.

There hasn’t been much of the two in promos for Outlander Season 4 (similar to Brianna and Roger), so we’ll have to wait to see how it all plays out.

1. Can Stephen Bonnet really be worse than Black Jack Randall?

One thing we keep getting teased about Outlander Season 4 is that Stephen Bonnet will be worse than Black Jack Randall. It’s hard to see how that’s possible considering everything that Black Jack did in the first two seasons, especially in “Wentworth Prison.” How can anyone possibly be worse than him.

Book readers know what happens, but still often view Black Jack Randall as the worst of the two. There’s a sadist streak in Black Jack, whereas Bonnet is a pirate and you expect him to do bad. Personally, I can’t see anyone being worse than Black Jack Randall — I can’t see Outlander pulling off a Game of Thrones.

However, this is taking the statement literally. Does the statement really mean that we’ll feel more hatred towards Stephen Bonnet or that his actions seem worse than Black Jack’s ever did?

When we first met Black Jack Randall, we instantly got an idea of his character. That sadistic side to him was always clear. He found pleasure in breaking other people and raping men and women.

Meanwhile, Stephen Bonnet is a chameleon. He’s able to be what he needs to be at the time. That can mean being friendly to Jamie and Claire at first to get him out of dodge, but then turn the tables on them when needed. He seems to give them a warning in the Outlander Season 4 trailer, but we know he’s talking about himself.

There is something inherently worse in someone who can seem good but turn out to be evil than someone who is just downright evil. Maybe he’ll be worse because we’ll hate to love him or love to hate him more than Black Jack.

What are your questions for Outlander Season 4? What do you still need to know? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 4 premieres at 8/7c on Starz.