‘Outlander’ season 2 premiere reaction: Creator, author on Claire, Frank change-up
We want to begin this particular “Outlander” article with a quick note to TV show purists: There are some major book spoilers ahead in this article. Do not continue unless you are comfortable finding out a little more information regarding events that could transpire later this season.
Still with us? Then let us discuss one of the major twists of “Through a Glass, Darkly,” something that we did not know about when watching the premiere as a non-book reader: The decision to start the episode in the 1940s as opposed to the 1960s, which was the original setting of the second Diana Gabaldon book in Dragonfly in Amber. This choice led to seeing more interaction between Claire and Frank Randall, which may be a joy to some out there who are fans of Tobias Menzies’ performance (which there are many of; he does everything that he can to differentiate Frank from the terrible and frightening Black Jack). However, at the same time there may have been some fans hoping for some more Claire and Jamie action sooner rather than later.
So why make this move in the early going, and take one of the largest departures yet from the source material? As showrunner Ronald D. Moore explains to Yahoo! TV, much of it had to do with establishing a clearer bit of connective tissue for TV fans, who are exploring this world in a much less-dense medium than the books:
“I liked the beginning of the book, but I thought it was too much to give to the TV audience all at once … The book starts in 1968, and that means Claire returned to the 20th Century, the battle of Culloden’s been lost, she left Jamie behind, and she brought the child forward [in time]. Also it’s 20 years later. She’s a doctor. Brianna’s an adult. Frank’s dead. That’s a lot of information, and I’ve only got 30 minutes because I’m not going to spend multiple episodes in 1968. So I thought, ‘Let’s start at the beginning of that story. It’s also shocking enough to return to the 20th Century apropos of nothing when fans are expecting France? And [it’s still a lot to process that she] goes to the 20th Century and, oh my god, they lost? It was all for naught? And holy s–t, she left Jamie behind? And a baby? Let’s just start with what did she say to Frank and how did that happen?’ You knew that had to be one hell of a conversation, so we started there so that when we do catch up to the 1968 story — and we will — and Brianna is around, you have some kind of foundation.”
Gabaldon also issued her own response to the decision, and she expressed a sentiment that she is understanding of the changes that were made:
“Ron wanted to expend Frank’s role beyond a few pages in the book and show more of their marriage so that we understand why Claire keeps trying to get back to him in the beginning and why she tries to take measures to save his future existence. Plus, Tobias is such a good actor that they naturally want to give him more to do. You don’t feel the same sympathy for Frank in the book because it is all from Claire’s point of view and she’s got her own concerns. When she comes back, she feels very distanced from Frank. Her heart is still with Jamie, and she is having all the turmoil of pregnancy. It takes some time for her to come back a little bit into his orbit, so to speak. Frank is a great tragic figure. The way Claire’s re-entry in the 1940s is handled and how she comes clean about being in love with another man and carrying his child is heartbreaking. Frank rises to the occasion, so he is heroic in his own way. He’s just not Jamie.”
Can we just take a moment now to give a little bit of applause to Gabaldon to being one of those authors who are very supportive of changes to their source material that serve such a purpose for TV? In between her, George R.R. Martin and Robert Kirkman, we’re very lucky to be living in a world full of source writers who value their material, but also are not completely steadfast on having every word of dialogue appear on TV. We do feel like the “Outlander” story will be relatively similar in the end; the path is the only thing that diverges.
If you missed it, head over here to read our review of the “Outlander” premiere right away; meanwhile, sign up over here to secure some other TV news on almost everything we cover, sent right over to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Starz.)