Outlander Season 8 Review: The Frank Randall Book Plot Hole & Narrative Pacing Issues
Okay, I’ve got to be honest – it’s been two days so far since I watched Outlander Season 8 episode one and two and for the most part…it’s giving nothing special so far.
Outlander Season 8 Premiere: A Rushed Start to the Final Journey
Maybe I’ve been spoiled since I started reading the books, but wow, does the final season thus far feel like a rushed mess of events. Like they are using a checklist of events necessary to include in the adaptation in order to move the narrative to where the “real” story the showrunners wish to tell can begin.
While the premiere feels like a rushed checklist, it’s a sharp tonal pivot from the previous block of episodes, where some fans argued Outlander Season 7 Part 2 Is A Comedy due to its lighter pacing.
(But, it really is crazy how different the books are from the show. Everybody, for the most part, is chill in the books and Claire doesn’t act like a steely terminator with a higher kill count than all of the deceased Culloden Highlander Clan warriors combined…)
This shift in Claire’s demeanor is especially jarring when compared to the foundational character beats we saw in the Providence – Outlander: Blood of My Blood Ep 1 Review, where the stakes of the Fraser lineage were first established.
The Frank Randall Book Plot Hole: What the Showrunners Missed
I honestly can’t get past the glaring plot hole of Frank’s book. Brianna adored her (adoptive) father and would have immediately read his last book, and as his widow, Claire should have known. Even if the book was written posthumously. After all, would the widow and his daughter not be the beneficiaries of any royalties the book received from the “famous” historian and professor’s sales?
20 Years Late? The Jamie and Claire Conversation About BJR’s Face
After we get past that…we deal with Jamie’s PTSD from seeing Randall’s face again a la Frank’s author photo inside the book cover…triggering a ridiculous conversation 20+ years in the making about how Claire never mentioned Frank and Black Jack Randall have the same exact face!
Again, I’m at the final section of Outlander Book One (the Lallybroch section), and Claire has already discussed at length through her internal monologues that Black Jack’s unpleasant demeanor and dastardly deeds have been so severe on her psyche that she literally can’t even picture Frank in her mind’s eye without his image being tainted by Black Jack Randall’s behavior.
I guess the closest we got to this core issue in show Claire’s psyche is her jumping at Frank’s reflection in the Inverness hospital window after returning pregnant through the stones just before Culloden.
Jamie brings up that despite forbidding Claire to talk about him (which again…I thought Claire told Jamie that years ago when she returned to the past to meet him at his print shop), Frank seemed obsessed with the idea of Claire taking Bri and returning to the past, leaving him all alone.
Judging by the fandom speculation and book readers’ comments, that speculation seems just about accurate regarding Frank’s insecurity over his family situation. Brianna was even trained for “outdoorsy” things, seemingly in anticipation of Frank’s unshared knowledge that she might travel to the past alongside her mother.
“What Frank Knew”: Exploring the Diana Gabaldon Book 10 Connection
I really hope Diana does write about “What Frank Knew” as she has potentially teased. It would add another contextual layer to Frank’s actions even while rewatching the show – despite the paths deviating. I mean, even the Book 10 excerpts of Jamie having recurring nightmares of the dead and BJR come into play this episode, despite that (to my knowledge) only being a private book convo between himself and William.
The mystery of Frank’s foreknowledge often ties back to Claire’s own origins. If you’re diving deep into the family tree, check out my breakdown on Outlander Season 8 Theories: Is Claire’s Father Henry Beauchamp the Mystery Voice in the Trailer?
Breaking Down the Fraser Family Dynamics in Episodes 1 & 2
Anywho, aside from those obviously out of place convos, I was kind of annoyed that Bri and Roger didn’t mention meeting Brian. Or that Jamie (presumably) telling Roger and Bri that Fanny is potentially their granddaughter offscreen. Or that Brianna was telling Jamie why she, Roger, and the kids returned to the past, just for the literal plot to come in swinging, and get in the way.
Roger and Brianna’s Return to the Past: Missed Opportunities and Logic Gaps
Which, brings us back to Bri and Roger having the capacity to read the book, research the key names, and bring that info back to the future. But again, I know the pair had no intention of going back had Cameron not kidnapped Jemmy and learned their time travel secret – but still, it’s stunning how little they decided to willfully know about Jamie’s future or Frank’s research, when that simple fact is what drew them together as a couple.
Lord John Grey’s Dilemma and the Cunningham Conflict
Ignoring that bit, it’s quite clear Cunningham is a shady man who hasn’t left his Redcoat past or loyalty to The Crown behind. And this will, undoubtedly, drag Jamie (and Claire via her healing abilities) into another war in the back country…as it does literally every season since they landed on American soil.
The Next Generation: William Ransom and the Grey Legacy
As for William’s storyline, it was obvious that his cousin Ben wasn’t really dead, and that William seems to have a thing for his widowed wife, Amaranthus. To be honest, this is the first season I’ve noticed the tiniest tint of copper in William’s hair, which finally means he bears a slight resemblance to Jamie in my eyes.
But either way, I think I’ll leave this conversation here. Tell me your thoughts: Do you think William’s poor choice in women will lead him into the arms of Ben’s widow, Amaranthus? It would solve his imposter syndrome by raising the legitimate Grey heir as his own, if Amaranthus is indeed Ben’s widow and not a fraud, or pretender whore.
Read More ‘Stories From the New World’
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❂ Stories From the New World – “This world is a shadow of the real one”. ❂