'Outlander' Preview: EP Promises 'A Whole Lot of Turmoil' in Season 1's Second Half [Video]
In yet another attempt to whet your appetite during Droughtlander, Starz has compiled a new preview video with fresh actor and producer interviews and a few new glimpses of Scottish steaminess and Red Coat revenge ahead of Outlander's highly anticipated April 4 return. And from the looks of it, shite is about to get real.
"The plot turns and twists and there is a whole lot of turmoil," executive producer Ronald D. Moore told Yahoo TV in an interview at the annual Television Critics Association (TCA) winter press tour in January. "The first half of the book is more about the world, coming into this land, establishing who Claire is, meeting the other characters, and really exploring what it means to be back in time. The second half of the book, and in turn now the show, is more complex, darker, and more about how she and Jamie will make their relationship work and how all of the main characters will survive the changing times. There’s more politics, more Black Jack, more tension between the MacKenzie brothers, big events one after another. You've gone on this journey with our characters and all the set up is there and then, whoa, it takes off on this completely different roller coaster."
Related: 'Outlander' Exclusive Video: How to Survive the Droughtlander
Ever since he learned that Starz planned to split the first season of Outlander into two parts, Moore has felt extremely thankful for "the very nice and natural escalation" in the Diana Gabaldon book this season is based on. "It came up very early on. Starz warned us that there probably would be a midseason break. When we settled on 16 episodes, we started to think what is the midseason cliffhanger and the best one in the whole book is Jamie in the window. It also happened about midway through the book so it was a perfect place to end the first half because we could split it eight and eight."
Don't get him wrong, though, Moore feels fans' Droughtlander pain. "It's hard. I get it. You can argue the pros and cons on both sides. It can build the want-to-see factor or people could forget about it. You never know," he said before reminding viewers that pain is temporary, good television is forever. "In the life of a show, the first broadcast is just one moment in time and most of the show will live together forever. You will eventually be able to binge it whenever you want. I don't sweat it too much. I know the six months has been hard, but the payoff will be worth it. I promise."
Related: See 'Outlander' Season 1 Photos
He also promises that the remaining chapters stay faithful to the source material, even more so than the first eight. "This is definitely the book. I look at the whole first season and think it preserves the spirit, the characters, and the fundamental story. I don't know that there is anything we really left out or changed so fundamentally that I am worried about how people are going to respond in the second half. But who knows? People might surprise me."
Outlander Season 1 will return Saturday, April 4.