Outlander Writers Had to Rework Script Because of THAT Season 1 Scene

Summary

• Outlander is not only famous for its love stories, but also for its historically accurate violence.
• But as brutal as Outlander is, nothing compares to the Season 1 finale, which caused many viewers to stop watching the show.
• The moment was so influential to Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe that they intervened directly in the script.

Neither Diana Gabaldon's Outlander book series nor the Starz show is afraid to depict plenty of period-appropriate gore and brutality as the main love story unfolds against the backdrop of 18th century events. And for many fans, the final episode of the first season proved to be the most gruesome, making viewers want to close their eyes in disgust.

Yes, you've probably all figured out by now which Season 1 scene we're talking about, because it turned out to be so controversial that many people couldn't stand it and even dropped the show once and for all. But its impact on the storyline is undeniable, so much so that the writers even had to rewrite the script for Season 2 as Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan reflected on the aftermath of that sinister sequence.

One of the Most Infamous Scenes in Outlander

The final episode of Season 1 shocked viewers to the core. Let's just say that the episode is built around flashbacks of a mentally broken Jamie after Claire and his relatives rescue him from Wentworth Prison, where he was held captive by Jonathan 'Black Jack' Randall. Later in the episode, it is revealed that Frank Randall's ancestor pinned Jamie's hand to a table and proceeded to rape him, enjoying the way Jamie's mind and frivolous and prideful spirit weakened right before his eyes.

While the episode was certainly powerful, the majority of fans would prefer not to see it ever again. Some fans even brought up Game of Thrones, which had enough graphic scenes and sexual harassment, but never made viewers feel as shocked and disgusted.

Many still can't recover from Outlander's most triggering moment, even considering that subsequent seasons have had enough violent episodes, including rape scenes. Sadly, some have even been forced to drop the show.

It Forced the Writers to Change the Script for Season 2

These events affected not only the viewers, but also Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan. Both had long considered how to convey the psychological impact on both of them, especially Jamie, as they were not happy with the option the writers had proposed.

Heughan said they raised their concerns with the show's writers and the script was immediately reworked.

'It felt like they [Jamie and Claire] got over what happened in Season 1 and there wasn't enough of a hangover,' Heughan told Backstage. 'We went back to them and, actually, they completely reworked it. It was great to see [the showrunner] Ron [Moore] going "OK, we can delay that and move this forward here." It's great fun to be able to have that influence on the script.'

In Season 2, Sam Heughan did an incredibly talented job of portraying the experience of going through trauma, as shared by Caitríona Balfe.

'The two of us were quite apprehensive; it felt like we were being thrust into this new world. And Sam had this beautiful storyline suffering from PTSD and he was so fantastic; he has this physical strength but then this softness that’s so beautiful to watch. Given these circumstantial shifts, as Sam and I were experiencing discomfort, so were Claire and Jamie. It helps to feed our journey as characters,' the actress said.

Well, as gruesome as the events depicted in the show are, they reflect historical realities, so it's nice to know that Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan are so invested in what's going on that they're trying to put a lot more soul into their characters by reflecting the horrific experiences they've had to endure. Meanwhile, Outlander Season 7, Part 2 is scheduled to be released sometime in 2024.

Source: Backstage.