The season seven finale of Outlander dropped a stunning revelation when it hinted that Faith Fraser may have miraculously survived. The show’s creative minds have since verified that the series is venturing into uncharted territory, thanks to an alternate timeline conceived by creator Diana Gabaldon herself.
Gabaldon had mooted a storyline she’d yet to delve into wherein Master Raymond, played by Dominique Pinon, rescues Claire Fraser’s (portrayed by Caitríona Balfe) stillborn child by whisking her away to a different era. This intriguing development surrounding Faith Fraser is set to be a central theme in the show’s upcoming and conclusive eighth season, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
But here’s a twist: Little do fans know, actress and producer Balfe lobbied for Faith to be acknowledged way back during the memorable third season reunion between Claire and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). In that pivotal scene set in a print shop—with Jamie operating under the name Alexander Malcolm—Claire unveils pictures of their daughter Brianna Fraser (Sophie Skelton) from the future.
Jamie notes Brianna’s red hair, recalling their late daughter with the poignant remark “like her sister, Faith”.
Balfe, in a past discussion with Elle, shared how she persuaded the writers to interweave a subtle homage to Jamie and Claire’s first child. “I just thought that no parents would ever forget a child, even if the child didn’t make it to term,” she reflected with Elle.
The esteemed Irish star expounded further during the 2017 interview, emphasizing that “she’s still very much part of the family unit.”
The scene was not part of the original novels, but the show’s writers deemed it a crucial element to include.
The character of Faith has always been integral to Outlander, with showrunner Matthew B. Roberts emphasising her importance in the second season, indicating that the baby’s death was a turning point in the narrative.
Similarly, getting the reunion right in the third season was another critical task, with Roberts confessing the difficulty in deciding what to retain and discard for the screen adaptation.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I wanted to stay as close to that median point of the source material as possible and not stray too far to either side of that.”
Roberts further explained his commitment to staying true to the original work, saying: “I wanted to keep [things] as faithful to the source material as I could, from beginning to end, because of what has already come before this.”
He also revealed that there were discussions among the writers about what elements to preserve, introduce, and how these additions might impact the scene.