Outlander Season 4 didn’t include everything from Drums of Autumn’s ending. Here are four moments overlooked that could make it into Season 5.
Despite being based on “Drums of Autumn” by Diana Gabaldon, there were certainly plenty of novel moments missed in Outlander Season 4. Many have noted that there are a few chapters at the very end completely missed out in favor of the ending with Jamie’s orders to form a militia to become the show’s cliffhanger.
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Book adaptations tend to miss out elements due to time and budget constraints. Sometimes, the storylines from future books are brought forward, especially when the shows have been renewed for multiple seasons.
This post isn’t about the storylines up to (and including) the birth of Brianna’s baby, but about the events that came afterward. The five or so chapters missed out in favor of bringing in storylines from “The Fiery Cross” forward.
There are some important moments that could end up in Outlander Season 5. I’m not saying that they will or even that I think they should. I go into a show adapted from a book without any expectations of scenes from the books added in to avoid all disappointment. These are just scenes that stood out to me while reading “Drums of Autumn.”
Here are the four moments that could still make it to Outlander in the fifth season. There are spoilers moving forward for those who haven’t read “Drums of Autumn” yet.
4. Claire and Jamie being Granny and Granddad
We got to see a little of Claire and Jamie around Brianna’s baby, but not a lot. And due to the baby actor not liking Sam Heughan for some reason, we didn’t even get to see Jamie hold his grandson. That meant a lot of the end of the novel focusing on Claire and Jamie becoming grandparents couldn’t be included.
There’s a moment where Claire and Jamie lovingly and teasingly call each other “Granny” and “Granddad.” They’re both happy to hear those words — Jamie more than Claire. This is something Jamie never thought would happen.
It’s clear that despite Fergus being his adopted son and having children of his own, there’s something special about Brianna’s baby. Or maybe it’s just the fact that he’s around the baby as a bairn, unlike with Fergus’ child, where he sees them periodically while they living in Wilmington.
Getting to see Jamie and Claire be grandparents is going to be important. I’d be surprised if this was left out. It would only take a few minutes in the premiere episode or just a few minutes here and there spaced out throughout the season to make many happy.
3. Claire cleaning out Roger’s foot
After the ordeal he faced, Roger didn’t come back fully healthy. He had abscesses under the skin, which Claire needed to clean out before his foot became infected.
It’s common to see Claire using her medical skills. This has been a constant from the very beginning, with some storylines added in purposely to give Claire something medical to do. So it wouldn’t be surprising if this scene was included.
However, there’s going to be a humorous element to this moment. Claire doesn’t just clean out and bandage. She uses maggots to help eat the dead tissue. There’s a conversation about how maggots are great for avoiding infection and how it was Nayawenne (Adawehi in the series) who taught Claire the use of maggots.
One of the great things about including this scene is the memory of Nayawenne. We see just how open Claire is to the Native American practices and how much she cherished that relationship with Nayawenne. It will be important to see Adawhei mentioned again in Outlander Season 5.
The scene is also good to see Brianna and Roger together with Claire again. The three haven’t had a scene together since the third season, and this moment is just about the three of them. They can be fully open about the future of medicine but how older practices have their place — and how Claire was ready for Roger to return!
2. Jamie giving Brianna and Roger a time frame
At the end of “Drums of Autumn,” Jamie makes it clear that Brianna and Roger need to make a decision. He gives them a time limit to think about what they both want. After all, this isn’t just about whether Roger can live with a child that may not be his.
While Brianna and Roger have dated for a while, it’s been long distance between two countries. Plus, their experiences in the past and becoming parents would have completely changed who they are as individuals. Now they’re thrown into being parents. Even without the rape and questioned paternity, this would be difficult for two people.
We get a chance to see Jamie as an 18th-century father but also as a fair man. He knows that marrying for love and not duty is important, and he doesn’t want either Brianna or Roger making a decision they may regret in the future.
This storyline also leads into “The Fiery Cross,” which involves Brianna and Roger’s wedding. We don’t get to see much of their relationship during the three-month period that Jamie gives them, so maybe that is also something that can be included in Outlander Season 5.
1. Roger telling Jamie about Frank’s letter
At the very end of “Drums of Autumn,” there’s a letter that Roger knows Claire should know. However, before he tells Claire, he wants to get Jamie’s opinion on the matter. Memorizing it, Roger tells Jamie all about the grave that Frank had faked and the steps Frank took to avoid Claire wanting to go back to the past.
While this letter is certainly important for some elements of future storylines, there would be ways around not including it. One of the reasons to avoid it is that Claire never went to find Jamie’s grave. There’s been no mention of it in the TV series (that I can recall, anyway). Claire spoke to the Fraser headstone at Culloden instead.
A major reason to include this moment in Outlander Season 5 would be to bring Tobias Menzies back. It could be used as a way to include more flashbacks of Frank — and there are certainly many fans of Menzies whether they love or hate his characters.
However, there are other elements to this scene that also stand out. It’s not just about the letter but about the mentions of Frank. Jamie is a jealous man and finds himself jealous of Frank, but he also knows that he owes a debt of gratitude to Frank for so many reasons. Frank didn’t need to raise Brianna as his own, but he chose to do that.
Which scenes from the last few chapters of “Drums of Autumn” do you think could make it to Outlander Season 5? What would you like to see from “The Fiery Cross” included? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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