Warning! Spoilers ahead for Outlander season 6!
Fans that are familiar with Diana Gabaldon’s books may be in for a surprise at Outlander season 6’s ending. The Starz series is based on Gabaldon’s best-selling book series by the same name with season 6 adapting Gabaldon’s 6th book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes. Due to the pandemic, Outlander season 6 will only have eight episodes, unlike earlier seasons that all had 12 or more. However, with Bree’s big announcement in episode 5, it seems likely the season will conclude with a massive cliffhanger—which could be even more frustrating for readers who already know what’s coming.
Recent seasons of Outlander have followed Claire and Jamie in America, preparing for the American Revolution. With a large acreage gifted to them from the Crown, Claire and Jamie have built a homestead at Fraser’s Ridge, and have begun a settlement with Outlander season 6 seeing the arrival of the problematic Christie Family. Meanwhile, this season has also revealed Claire’s new addiction to her homemade ether, has dealt with Ian’s recovery from his losses among the Mohawk, and shown the fallout from Fergus’ drinking problem.
As Outlander season 6 is adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes, readers watching the show might expect the season to end as the book does, with Roger and Bree traveling back to their time. However, this is likely not the case. In an interview with Deadline at the close of this season’s filming, Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts explained that filming for Outlander season 6 had to be cut short due to challenges relating to pandemic restrictions. Because of this, much of the content from the end of Gabaldon’s A Breath of Snow and Ashes was pushed to the extended Outlander season 7, and that will likely include Bree and Roger’s time travel meaning that the Outlander season 6 finale will leave their story on a cliffhanger, with their time travel serving to kick of Outlander season 7.
This possibility for Outlander season 6 seems to have been confirmed by Sophie Skelton (who plays Brianna) through her interview with Harper's Bazaar. Skelton noted that the "season got cut short and we didn’t get much notice of that. A lot of Roger and Brianna’s storyline was about to happen, so we were really about to sink our teeth into the season—and then it was cut." She went on to reassure viewers that the cut storyline will be pushed into Outlander season 7. However, Skelton also revealed that there was some reworking of the final episode for Outlander season 6, so there might still be some surprises in store.
In A Breath of Snow and Ashes, it is the birth of Bree and Roger’s daughter, Amanda, that spurs their return to the 20thcentury as Amanda is born with a heart condition that Claire (Belfast’s Caitriona Balfe) does not have the means to treat in the past. As Outlander season 6, episode 5 sees Brianna tell Roger the news, that only leaves three episodes by which to cover her entire pregnancy—a feat that seems unlikely. It could be that a time-jump (or several) is involved in the season’s final episodes, or, alternatively, the season could feature a flash-forward, however, considering Skelton’s comment, it is most likely that Bree and Roger’s return to their time will not be seen in Outlander season 6. This may result in a massive cliffhanger for the current season and will definitely result in a very exciting, and eventful, Outlander season 7.
New episodes of Outlander are available each Sunday on Starz.
