There is a rumor that Diana Gabaldon has confirmed that Marsali isn’t replacing the Malva Christie storyline in Outlander Season 5. That’s not the case.
With Marsali becoming Claire’s apprentice in Outlander Season 5, Episode 2, there was the suspicion that it would remove Malva Christie’s storyline. Then it looked like Diana Gabaldon confirmed the opposite. Well, she hasn’t confirmed anything. Yet!
When someone asked whether we could conclude that Marsali was replacing Malva, Diana tweeted that the “answer is no.” Fans took that to mean that Malva would appear during the series, but it turns out that the “no” was in reference to the “should we conclude” part of the sentence.
We’ve learned the hard way not to conclude or assume anything when it comes to Outlander, both the TV show and the books. When it comes to the show, never ever assume that one character doing something means another character won’t show up. After all, just because Murtagh and Jocasta got together doesn’t mean that Duncan Innes isn’t showing up in the series.
Gabaldon later took to Twitter to share that while she knows whether or not Malva shows up in Season 5, she isn’t going to confirm or deny it. The showrunners don’t want fans to know if Malva is going to show up or not. Matt B. Roberts has often shared his dislike for spoilers, and the show tries to keep as much as possible spoiler-free.
Can't do that. Not because I don't know 😜, but because the show folk don't-want- you to know. https://t.co/M4JoYtnhsJ
— Diana Gabaldon (@Writer_DG) February 26, 2020
It’s important to avoid assuming anything, even in Diana Gabaldon’s own tweets. She’s not yet confirmed that Malva will show up.
Now Malva might and under different circumstances to the book, similar to the way Duncan Innes has been introduced in a different way. While we may see Marsali remain as Claire’s assistant, we can still see Malva and the Christie drama play out. A lot of that happens in “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” instead of “The Fiery Cross,” so the Christies may just be held for later in the tale to keep the focus on the Regulators in Season 5.
But this is just me speculating. I keep saying that I’d be happy for the Christie drama not to be included, but I know there are plenty who would prefer it to remain. Just don’t assume or conclude anything just yet.
Would you like to see the Christie drama included? Would you mind if this entire storyline was avoided in the series? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Outlander continues on Sundays on STARZ.