Outlander Season 8 is likely to end just tying up Book 9's cliffhangers (Theory)

As much as I would love to see the Outlander TV series cover Jamie’s ghost and Claire’s hair turning white, it doesn’t look like that will happen. Outlander Season 8 is the last, and there doesn’t seem to be enough time.

In the recently leaked images of Outlander filming, it looks like the storyline is going to bring closure to the cliffhanger from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. That would make sense, especially with the casting that’s been included for the final season.

With just 10 episodes, there is no way that the series would be able to cover the ninth and 10th books. Plus, Book 10 isn’t fully written, so there are only a few teases that Diana Gabaldon has offered that the series would be able to run with. The TV series is not going to spoil the ending of the books, so that means the show has to find its own ending.

Saving Lord John Grey in Outlander Season 8

One of the storylines from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone that has been teased with the leaked images is Lord John Grey being taken and held prisoner. In the book, he’s lured onto a ship by Captain Richardson, where Richardson holds him hostage. William heads out to Jamie to ask for help getting John back.

That’s where the ninth book ends. It’s clear that if the ninth book is used—and it will be since there are characters from the book now cast in Outlander Season 8—then there needs to be some sort of resolution to the story. This wouldn’t be too difficult to craft to put together in the final episodes of the season, which looks like when it will happen.

Captain Richardson and Amaranthus Grey storylines from Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

This should mean some sort of resolution to the Captain Richardson storyline. While he’s not become a major threat yet, he has turned up in Outlander Season 7A and promises to be an intriguing villain. In the book, he wants to prevent the Americans from winning the Revolutionary War, and he has a stoney secret.

Then there’s the Amaranthus storyline, since we know that she will be part of Outlander Season 8. There are a lot of questions about what she wants in the books, and the show will need to bring closure to them. She’s around in the final episodes based on leaked images, so will we find out if she was friend or foe all along?

Outlander Season 7B will premiere on Friday, Nov. 22 on Starz.