Outlander Book Club: Book 1, Chapter 7 breakdown

Connection to the Outlander TV series

Finally, we have to look at how this chapter was (or more like was not) used for the show. Old Alec was never introduced on the show. Why?

Well, I think it was due to time. On a TV show, characters can’t just pop up for a little while and then disappear. There are actor contracts and expectations and then there’s the budget. The Outlander budget would have been much smaller than it is now.

So, rather than write in a character for a few episodes, Alec’s part in the story could be passed onto someone else. This allowed the show to develop Murtagh’s and Geillis’s characters sooner and deeper.

There’s also the fact that everything that happened while Claire “slept” wasn’t included in the show. It helped to keep the surprise of the Gathering for those who hadn’t read the books. There was no need to suspect that Jamie would avoid the Gathering or why—and that his life could have been in danger if he had been there.

From a TV show point of view with the need to reduce storylines, it made sense to skip the whole part of the field. The only part necessary was in the previous chapter when Claire learned a little more of Jamie’s story.

However, this chapter wasn’t completely skipped. Claire did become the castle’s surgeon. She was introduced to the surgery and all of Beaton’s items. There was also a mention of massaging Colum’s back, which was used at a later point in the show—she physically massaged his back instead of telling him about it.

Overall, the chapter helped to delve us deeper into the story from the book point of view. From a show point of view, not all of it was necessary.

What did you think of Outlander Book 1, Chapter 7? Were you surprised that Auld Alec’s character and scene were completely cut from the show? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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