Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 62 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

The one thing that is clear in this chapter is that Bonnet is going to come back. This isn’t a villain who will stay out of Brianna’s life for too long.

I think we also get the foreshadowing that she will eventually kill him. As she aims the rifle at Bonnet, I can’t help but think of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, when she does eventually shoot Bonnet in the head. At that point, it could be considered an act of mercy as well as an act of revenge. Whatever the reason, it’s for her own conscience.

Adapting the Drums of Autumn chapter

While the chapter was used in Outlander Season 4, Episode 12, it was under some different circumstances. We didn’t have Bonnet working with Murchinson during the episode, mostly because Murchinson never became a known character earlier in the season. We didn’t get that backstory between him and Jamie.

The blowing up of the jail was Fergus and his group to get Murtagh out of prison. It still allowed the sense of urgency, but it was an important moment for the series to develop more of Fergus’s character. He had struggled to find work, and in this moment, he felt like he belonged somewhere and could do some good.

It’s why I don’t mind the change to the story in the series. For me, it’s more important to continue developing established characters rather than introducing a small character for the sake of following the book’s storyline.

We still have the moment of the jail blowing up. There is still the urgency. And instead of knowing that Bonnet is still out there, the season ends with a question about Bonnet’s fate. Did he manage to get out? That helps to set up the storyline for Brianna in Outlander Season 5 as she realizes he is still somewhere out there.

What did you spot while reading Drums of Autumn Chapter 62? Let us know in the comments below.

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