Outlander perspectives: What storyline did you want more of?
Let’s face it: Season 3 is a season that could have easily run for another two or three episodes without a problem. Why didn’t it? For starters, it would’ve made production significantly longer, which meant in turn that we may have had to wait until 2018 for it to premiere. 13 episodes is a good length for the show in that it can take much of the Diana Gabaldon source material while also keeping the series from becoming too unwieldy or exhausting for the cast. Doing 13 episodes of this show is basically equivalent to doing 22-24 episodes of a crime procedural or one of those other series you see on network TV.
Below, CarterMatt has identified five specific storylines that, you could argue, still have some gas left in the tank. At the bottom of the article is a poll where you can share which storyline you wish was extended! While there’s no way to go back in time and add more to a story already told on TV, we do think there’s value in knowing what readers / show viewers think. It’s a way to gauge which plotlines were enjoyed the most throughout this past season.
(Voting will be open here until February 15 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time; if you are on mobile and cannot view the poll, be sure to click to read the non-AMP version of the page at the bottom of the article.)
Brianna’s childhood – This was a difficult trade-off. There was so much else the series had to get through, and with that the writing condensed mostly on some of the key milestones that helped form Bree into the person she became. That informs what we see from the character in season 4.
Helwater – “Of Lost Things” was absolutely a fan favorite episode, and there was certainly enough material here that it could have been expanded to two different episodes to showcase even more of Jamie’s life there and the early days that he spent with William. We definitely want to see this storyline explored more in the episodes to come.
Edinburgh – There was the Print Shop reunion, and not too long after that Jamie and Claire departed as the hunt for Alexander Malcolm began. Would there have been some merit in seeing more of what Jamie’s life was really like there before departing?
Jamie and Claire at sea – What was the day-to-day life like for the Porpoise and the Artemis? We actually think that the show gave us the right about of this, but we do wonder if some book readers — or just people who watched the show blind — feel the same way. (We suppose the one change many people out there would have wanted was seeing Lord John Grey at this point in the story.)
Jamaica – We got basically a little over an episode of this. You could have expanded this in order to show more of Geillis Duncan and the operation she had created. That may have built up the final battle more against Jamie and Claire, and also raised the stakes for everyone at the Governor’s Ball.
Now, we turn this over to you
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