Outlander Star Sophie Skelton Weighs in on a Major Change from the Books
The television series Outlander has never been shy about veering away from its source material. In season four, for example, they even brought back a character who had died in the book series, creating a ripple effect of deviations from the original plot.
It's something author Diana Gabaldon has come to terms with. "I actually understand what an adaptation is," she told Town & Country last year.
"The show is beautiful, it’s wonderfully made, but it is less spacious than a book. When I write a book, I’m god. I can do anything and I can do it at whatever length I like, with whatever impact. The show actually cannot do that."
Fans, on the other hand, are sometimes less forgiving. One change to the story that proved to be controversial last season was having the Frasers miss the arrival of their grandson, Jeremiah, or Jemmy. In Gabaldon's book Drums of Autumn, which season four was based on, Claire and Jaime were there when their daughter gave birth. On TV, they don't return home until a bit later.
When presented with the news that some fans were disappointed that the show altered that key moment in the plot, actress Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna, understood.
"I know. I can completely see why," she told Entertainment Weekly.
"Obviously from the book, that is a beautiful scene, and I think it would have been a lovely Fraser family moment," she continued.
"But I think, luckily we make up for that when Brianna comes out with Jemmy and she realizes that Roger isn’t with them. They have that lovely little family moment there. Unspoken things are said, especially at the dinner table scene when Bree comes back in. The Frasers are really there to support each other."
Despite the controversy, Skelton thinks the television scene does a nice job of illustrating Briana's love for Jemmy, a child born in difficult circumstances.
"It also then gives her that moment, just her and Jemmy, when she feels she might not be able to accept him," Skelton says. "Then that sort of motherly love comes out of her and she realizes that she can accept this baby no matter who the father is."
Production on season five of the series kicked off in April, but at this point Starz has yet to announce a premiere date. What is certain is that more changes await viewers in the episodes ahead.
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