Category Archives: An Echo in the Bone

A Bittersweet 8th Season of Outlander is Announced

An Eighth and final season

After months of wondering about the fate of one of the best television series to come out, we have our answers. Season 7 will premiere in the summer of 2023, and feature 16 episodes. Wondering if this will be like the long two-part series 1? It may be. Filming is still ongoing.

Starz® delivered a few announcements this week. And sadly our story will end in its eighth season. Book fans are wondering how much will be smashed up in Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone and In My Own Heart’s Blood in Series 7, and then will the remainder of IMHOB and Go Tell The Bees That I am Gone will be in the final season? Only the writers’ room knows. Gabaldon is writing the 10th book in some interviews she has said is the final book, and others discussed the prequel book that involves Jamie’s mother Helen, and father Brian’s love story will be released soon.

It is through this book that the new prequel series Outlander: Blood of my Blood has been given the green light at Sony pictures for the team of Maril Davis and Ron D Moore and their Tall Ships production company, along with current series showrunner Matt Roberts to develop the new series. Given the history of Outland series 1 production, and the fact they will have to go back to some old haunts, which fans will love, hopefully, the new series won’t take as long to produce. It could even be in co-production during season 8.

So what does this mean? All good stories must come to an end. They go on to prequels that show you the young versions of old favorite characters. This means they will need to recast some characters if they can not have the actors who portrayed our favorites, Colum MacKenzie (Gary Lewis), Dugal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish), and Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) their sister, convince us they are younger. We met Brian Fraser in season 1, also much older. And we have been assured a young Murtagh, who is one of many of Helen’s Suitors, will be recast? Helen is the only character we have not met yet. Although it is said she is like Brianna, hmmm.

Who do you think will reappear in the Outlander: Blood of my Blood series?

‘Outlander’ renewed for eighth and final season on Starz

‘Outlander’ Renewed For Eighth & Final Season; Starz Greenlights Prequel Series ‘Blood Of My Blood’

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Outlander FInishes First Half of Season 7 Filming

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But first, let’s catch up on a whole lotta Outlander goings on! It’s been just about two weeks since NYCC 2022, when Diana Gabaldon appeared with some of the characters from her book series: Jamie, Murtagh, and Lord John. David Berry, Duncan Lacroix, and Sam Heughan all participated in panels and were quite cheeky. It was bad enough when Duncan and David hit the streets of NYC last year, secretly writing their names in Gabaldon’s books at NYC bookshops. Now ad Sam Heughan into the mix. I am sure that NYC is just recovering.

Please thank and like themusicsweetly for taking this great panel taping. Season 8, Murtagh’s Ghost may make an appearance? I did mention spoilers, right?

Season 7 First Half Completed

As we have mentioned here before, filming started in Scotland in the spring of this year. As was promised after a short Season 6 due to Covid filming restrictions, Season 7 will be an extended season. And some extreme but familiar themes, meaning that yes, Claire found herself in jail for the murder of Malva Christie. Our here always manages to get into it somehow. Let’s catch up with the changes and familiar faces returning to this show.

As was rumored, Laura Donnelly will not be returning as Jamie’s sister Jenny (Janet), and has been recast with Kristin Atherton, we’ll see how that works. Rumour had been going around that Donnelley would not return. With her great performances on stage and in other series, as an actor, she felt it was time to move on. Luckily Steven Cree is back as old Ian Murray.

Outlander Season 7 has Jenny Recast

Other ghosts from the past, or characters that we had hoped were definitely done and gone: Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) returns in a flashback, and so does Dugal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish), and horrors, Laoghaire Fraser (Nell Hudson)! More trauma this season, and plenty of ghosts from the past.

New Cast Members

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Well, we can say one thing, Lord Elsmere (Jaimie Vandervaart), or Jamie’s Illegitimate son who doesn’t know his parentage at this point, will now show up as a commissioned officer. Jamie will now have the real possibility of being on opposite sides with his own child in the brewing war. Not to mention the real possibility of Brianna (Sophie Skelton), who knows she has a half-brother, meeting him for the first time.

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Outlander adds new and old cast members

Denzell (Joey Phillips) and Rachael Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small), a pair of siblings who are Friends (Quakers) were put out of a meeting. More religious dealings to keep Outlander interesting. Denzell is a doctor and works with the rebels for the cause. Just to color things up a bit, Benedict Arnold turns up played by Rod Hallett. Let’s see how much history will get changed on that one since Claire, Brianna, and Roger all know that fate.

Speaking of which, and book spoilers here, Brianna and Roger return to the twentieth century for real this time, family in tow. The MacKenzies befriend a questionable person in the guise of Rob Cameron after setting up a new home. Luckily they receive a box of two century-old letters from Claire and Jamie that catch up to them. Here they learn that they leave North Carolina in flight, and have epic dealings with privateers and ocean battles.

Outlander season 7 premiere date: The state of things at Starz

So while this season may be a long time coming, and possibly be split into two parts like the extended first season, you can rest assured there will be plenty of American revolution to go around. Let’s hope the Browns get their comeuppance. And how will they deal with Laoghaire, that bad penny that just won’t go away?

And take a grand tour of the big house, as many of us know the fate of the said house and that mysterious newspaper article about Fraser’s parishing in a fire.