‘Outlander’ season 2 finale: Anticipating Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin’s debut

How big is the arrival of Roger and Bree on Saturday’s “Outlander” season finale? Book readers know that it’s big, but we cater this site more to the average TV fan. Therefore, how do some of these people put the arrival of Richard Rankin and Sophie Skelton into context? Well, it’s a matter of comparison.

It has been a recent TV convention for some to introduce big characters at the end of a season, before giving them a more substantial role in the one that follows. The classic example is Negan on this past “Walking Dead” finale, given that his presence looms across the comics. He is probably of equal importance in terms of being a game-changer. The main difference is that Roger and Brianna, without giving anything away, have a different perception among fans of the source material. The impact remains seismic either way.

For another example from a villain standpoint, “The Vampire Diaries” also delivered something similar with Klaus many years ago. “True Blood” has at least flirted with the concept from time to time. “NCIS” made their own attempt courtesy of the arrivals of Tess Monroe and Clayton Reeves at the end of this past season, given that their characters were originally conceived to be major components in future stories. (Unfortunately, we lack the gift of clairvoyance in this case since there is no established source material to go on, and season 13 has yet to premiere.)

The reason for this convention, at least for some of the aforementioned shows, is to create a different sort of cliffhanger. Shock value in many cases is getting old. Through the introduction of new characters, especially in an adaptation, you provide fans a small teaser of something wonderful to come.

So will the arrivals of Roger and Bree eventually trump all of these examples and become one of the greatest late-season additions to any show in recent memory? We will find out in just over 24 hours. The most exciting thing to us is that there is a certain level of faithfulness to the source material; yet, simultaneously Rankin and Skelton bring something new to their roles.

For now, tell us: Is this the most excited you’ve been for a character debut? Say in the comments, and click here to read more of our “Outlander” coverage. Also, sign up over here to secure some more TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Starz.)