Claire and Jamie
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Outlander Season 4: Why that end scene didn’t work for me

By Alexandria Ingham

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /
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I had high expectations for Outlander Season 4, Episode 1, but the episode didn’t quite meet them. The end scene was the biggest fault of all.

While I adore that it was Jamie’s ring taken instead of Frank’s (that change worked really well for the show), the end scene in Outlander Season 4, Episode 1 just didn’t work for me. And it was all because of the music.

I know the use of the music has been hit with mixed reviews. Some loved it, and others hated it. I’m firmly in the hated it camp, but I do respect the showrunners for taking the risk of using Ray Charles’ “America the Beautiful.” They knew it would likely be met with criticism.

It didn’t feel like a political statement to me, which I know is a complaint for many. I did get the irony of a song about how beautiful and amazing America is while seeing Jamie beaten, Lesley killed, and Claire robbed. That didn’t mean I liked it.

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The music was too modern for the setting. Up to this point, Outlander has offered the instrumental music that connects to the time period. Bear McCreary is a genius when it comes to the composing of the music and Outlander‘s Season 4 premiere certainly had plenty of his beautiful, time-period and location-setting music.

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Watch Outlander with a FREE 7-day trial of Amazon Channels! /
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

Using “American the Beautiful” immediately took me out of the scene. I got the irony but I couldn’t stay focused in the time period with music from the 20th century playing. It’s a shame, too, because I adored not being able to hear the sound from Bonnet. Everything was in silence, giving the scene a creepier and scarier feel to it. This would have worked better with music from the time period, some of McCreary’s amazing music again.

When I watched the episode at NYCC, I wondered if it was just the mood I was in on the day that made me dislike this scene. Watching it again last night still gave me the same feeling. The scene just didn’t click and it was so disappointing for a scene that I’d looked forward to seeing from an adaptation point of view.

Next. Why changing the ring stolen in Outlander worked so well. dark

What did you think of the use of the music in the Outlander Season 4 premiere? What was that last scene like for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander airs Sundays on STARZ.

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