'Outlander': 9 Burning Questions for Season 4
THR rounds up all the loose ends after the season three finale of the globe-trotting series.
[This story contains spoilers from the season three finale of Starz's Outlander.]
Another chapter of Outlander has come to a close.
Following half a season of separation, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) finally found a way to be together and by the end of Sunday's season three finale, the star-crossed couple washed ashore in America … by accident. Having saved Young Ian (John Bell) and had Jamie's arrest warrant rescinded — thanks to John Grey (David Berry) — the duo wrapped the season on a happy note.
As a result of their arrival in America, Outlander will look and feel different when it returns for season four — whenever that may be — as the Starz drama will feature new locations and characters. While the upcoming season will follow Diana Gabaldon's fourth book in her Outlander series, expect the Starz adaptation to continue to remix the events of its source material.
Below, The Hollywood Reporter rounds up the biggest burning questions for season four.
Did everyone survive the shipwreck?
While Jamie and Claire made it safely to the shore of Georgia, the fate of the rest of the Artemis crew is still up in the air. When Claire and Jamie returned to the ship after saving Young Ian from Geillis (Lotte Verbeek), they intended to sail home to Scotland. However, a nasty storm knocked them off course. A giant wave broke off the mast and Claire was thrown overboard. Jamie jumped into the water to save her from drowning, and they both drifted in the ocean until they reached land.
A couple that found Jamie and Claire on the beach informed them a ship had run aground near their location, and there were survivors. But that doesn't mean that everyone survived the storm. There could be casualties among Fergus (Cesar Domboy), Marsali (Lauren Lyle) and the rest of the crew that had become family.
What will Jamie and Claire's life look like now that they've arrived in America?
Whenever Outlander begins a new season, the new locations drastically change the overall look of the series. Season one took place mostly in Scotland, season two moved to Paris and season three was split between Boston, Scotland and at sea in and around the Caribbean. Season four will take place in colonial America and all that trappings that come with it. How Jamie and Claire adapt to their new surroundings will greatly influence their status in their new home.
Will Young Ian stay with them in America or will he be sent back to Jenny at Lallybroch?
As Jamie and Claire intended to sail back home to Lallybroch with Young Ian, their new location is quite a far journey from Scotland. If Young Ian survived the Artemis shipwreck, his aunt and uncle will now have the responsibility of deciding what to do with him. He'll either stay with them in their new home or be sent back on another ship to his mother, father and siblings.
Is Jamie officially a free man, or will someone from his past continue to hunt him?
While John Grey may have been able to use his power and influence to wipe Jamie's record clean, the latter has made a lot of enemies in his life. Will the distance he's put between himself and his old life be enough to dissuade any troublemakers from attempting to take his life? Can he lay low enough in America to not make any new enemies? Doubtful.
What will Jamie and Claire's relationship look like without anyone hunting them?
If Jamie and Claire manage to actually keep their heads down in their new hometown, that could pave the way to really explore the dynamics of their relationship. After two decades of separation, they haven't had a moment to truly catch their breath since Claire went back through the stones to reunite with Jamie. Without any external threats to their lives (for the moment, anyway), they can finally work on their internal issues … which could result in more scenes like "Turtle Soup."
When will Bree return?
Back in Boston in the future, Jamie and Claire's daughter Bree (Sophie Skelton) was left behind with Roger Wakefield (Richard Rankin). But since Claire left to go through the stones, Bree and Roger haven't been seen again. Bree's voice was heard briefly through Margaret Campbell's (Alison Pargeter) prophecy at the drum circle on the season three finale, but could she return to the show in full force?
Will Willoughby and Margaret Campbell ever return, or did they get their happy ending?
Speaking of Margaret, a big chunk of her story from Voyager was cut from the TV adaptation. In the book, her brother Archibald (Mark Hadfield) is a deeply disturbed man, having killed the prostitutes he slept with. He tried to pin the slayings on Willoughby (Gary Young) before he was ultimately brought to justice. On the show, Willoughby and Margaret opted to run away together, while Archibald died trying to stop them. The entire murder subplot was never explored. Will that come back into play? And did Willoughby and Margaret ever find their happy ending?
What parts of Gabaldon's next book will have to be cut in season four?
If an entire subplot about a murder mystery didn't make it onto the show this season, there's no telling what other storylines will have to be cut in season four. Every book is so dense, filled with more than 300 pages of plot. If every season is going to be 13 episodes, there will have to be cuts, plain and simple.
But the most important question of all is: How long will this "droughtlander" last?!
Filming on season four is already well underway. There was no hiatus after season three wrapped, but that doesn't mean viewers will get to jump immediately into the next run. The good news: Unlike HBO's Game of Thrones, Outlander will be back sometime in 2018. In the meantime, check out a teaser for season four, below.
