Sam Heughan’s favorite Outlander Season 5 storyline is not in the books

Sam Heughan shares that one of his favorite storylines in Outlander Season 5 isn’t in the books. We can thank saving Murtagh at Culloden for that.

Outlander Season 5 will see some major deviation from the books. That’s not surprising considering the show saved Murtagh at Culloden and brought him into the Regulator storyline in Season 4. And it turns out that this is one of Sam Heughan’s favorite moments of the season.

I know there will be some book purists out there who aren’t looking forward to the invention in the season. However, it’s something that Diana Gabaldon has also been happy to see, saying that it’s “reasonable invention.” It’s also necessary now that the show has deviated from the books by saving Murtagh and bringing him back.

In a way, it makes this storyline something deeper for the viewers. The stakes are high, as we have a personal connection with the Regulators through Murtagh.

Then there’s the connection for Jamie, which is something Heughan is looking forward to according to an interview with Parade. He’s excited to show the lengths that Jamie will go to protect Fraser’s Ridge and his family, and that means keeping Murtagh at a distance.

Jamie will also need to sell his soul, in a way, to the British. We know that Jamie will wear a Redcoat uniform, which is something that we’d never imagined Jamie doing in the past. This is a huge deviation that Heughan had pushed for, and it certainly offers something exciting to look forward to in the story. Just why would Jamie wear the British Army uniform? How will everyone around him react?

As much as certain moments need to be the same as the book, there are others where deviation works. It keeps the series as a whole unique, offering even book readers something exciting—something they don’t know about. It keeps the suspense in a way a direct retelling wouldn’t.

What are you excited to see in Outlander Season 5? What do you hope to see for Jamie? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 5 premieres on Feb. 16 on STARZ.