Does Elspeth's inclusion in Outlander Season 8 mean a character death is coming?

The world of Outlander is no stranger to death and heartbreak. It looks like something could happen in Season 8 based on the inclusion of a particular character.

Yes, we are going into spoilers for Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone in this post

We know that Elspeth Cunningham is going to be in the final season. At first, this is a woman who appears to be an antagonist to the Frasers. She doesn’t like Claire, and she makes that very clear.

However, an event allows Claire and Elspeth to understand each other a little better. It’s going to be hard to see how that could happen in the series without a particular death to happen. Does that mean we’ll say a heartbreaking goodbye to a character?

Could a bear attack in Outlander Season 8?

The death comes toward the start of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. Brianna and Amy Higgins (we know her as Amy McCallum right now) are out foraging for berries. They have their children with them, and it seems like a great day out with a look at life for people on the Ridge.

It all takes a turn for the worst when a bear attacks. Bree and all the children are able to get to safety, but the same can’t be said for Amy. She is mauled by the bear. Everyone gets her to Claire before she dies, allowing Bobby, her husband, to be there for her final breaths, but there is nothing Claire can do to save her life.

This is when Elspeth shows a softer side. She helps Claire take care of Amy’s body, preparing it for burial. The two have some beautiful discussions about life, and it’s clear that if they weren’t on opposite sides of a war, they could be friends.

Could Amy’s death be skipped over in Outlander Season 8?

I did assume that the series would skip over Amy’s death. There isn’t a lot of time for everything, and we haven’t met Bobby Higgins yet. He shows up in A Breath of Snow and Ashes and marries Amy. This leads to Amy becoming a little more prominent in the stories as we hear about her through Bobby’s relationship with Jamie.

Of course, the series could still include this without the need for Bobby being around. We could just see Amy and Bree foraging for berries as the bear attacks. It just opens a storyline of what will happen to Amy’s children, as at least Bobby was there to look after them in the books—although they needed to look after him at times!

Skipping over Amy’s death was something I presumed would happen, but it would miss out a huge moment for Elspeth’s character development. I want to see that development for her, as it is so important to focus on the realities of war. Being on the opposite sides doesn’t mean that people have to hate each other, but they can’t be friends.