Outlander: Blood of My Bloodis officially breaking canon 34 years after Diana Gabaldon’s firstOutlanderbook was published. It was way back then that readers were first presented with the story of Claire Beauchamp’s parents, Henry and Julia, who were both killed in a car crash when their daughter was too little even to remember them. Now, theOutlanderspinoff is changing the story.
Thetrailer forOutlander: Blood of My Bloodseason 1 has officially revealed thatthe car crash that was thought to have killed Henry and Julia Beauchamp instead resulted in a bit of magic. The couple were separated across time, with Julia landing in 17th-century Scotland, just as her daughter would decades later in the centralOutlanderstory.
It seems that a significant aspect of theOutlanderspinoff’s plot will be Henry and Julia’s attempts to be reunited. TheBlood of My Bloodtrailer sees the pair come across some familiar characters as they fight to find one another, including Jamie’s parents,Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie. It’s certainly exciting, butthis story seems far from how Gabaldon originally intended.
Outlander Fans Have Long Speculated That Claire’s Parents Time Traveled
This Theory Was First Established With The Outlander Book In 1991
The firstOutlanderbookrevealed that Claire didn’t know much about her parents. This was reflected in the first season of Starz’s TV adaptation, where it was again noted that Claire had only been five when her parents died. Though little has been revealed about the Beauchamps' car crash,the fact that time travel is genetic opened the doors to theories regarding Claire’s parents.
Much inOutlanderisn’t as it seems, and with every big time travel twist and surprising paradox, it seemed all the more likely that there was something more to the Beauchamps' car crash. A common theory is that the couple didn’t die at all, but instead disappeared in time (similar to Roger’s father, a story that was brought to the screen inOutlanderseason 7).
Now,Outlander: Blood of My Bloodhas seemingly confirmed this 34-year-old theoryabout Henry and Julia Beauchamp. According to the Starz spinoff series, Claire’s parents didn’t die in a car crash. It’s even possible that they arestillalive during the earliest events of Claire’s adventure inOutlander. However,this directly contradicts what Gabaldon has said about the Beauchamps.
Outlander’s Author Has Said There Was Nothing More To The Beauchamps' Car Crash
The Theory That The Beauchamps Time Traveled Was Disproved
For as long asOutlanderfans have theorized about Claire’s parents, Gabaldon has been there to say that there was nothing mysterious about their deaths.The author has maintained that these characters truly did die in a car crash, leaving Claire to be raised by her Uncle Lamb. Time and time again, fans questioned the author about whether she would expand this story, and the answer was no.
It’s for precisely this reason that the initialannouncement aboutOutlander: Blood of My Bloodwas so puzzling. It seemed as if this spinoff would leave behind the time-travel aspects that madeOutlandera fantasy, since Gabaldon had been clear that neither Henry nor Julia had ever time-traveled. Moreover, the story was limited by the Beuchamps' impending deaths.
Of course, the trailer forOutlander: Blood of My Bloodseason 1 demonstrated that all bets are off with this new spinoff series. The fantasy time travel aspect has been restored, and we are now faced with the massive questions of whatreallyhappened to Henry and Julia if they didn’t die when Claire thought.Their story is now limitless, but at the cost of completely tossing out Gabaldon’s original story.
Gabaldon maintained for years that the Beauchamps' car crash was unextraordinary, but Starz doesn’t seem to care.
Gabaldon maintained for years that the Beauchamps' car crash was unextraordinary, but Starz doesn’t seem to care. This is a brand new story that none of us has ever seen before. This is certainly intriguing, as book and TV show fans alike will have to watch to discover the fates of Henry and Julia. However,it’s somewhat concerning thatStarz’sOutlandercontinues to disregard canon.
Outlander Season 8 Is Due To Break Canon Even Further
No movie or TV show based on a book series ever completely aligns with canon. The centralOutlanderseries made a variety of changes throughout its seven seasons, but these were nothing compared to what has been teased for the upcoming final installment. The ending ofOutlanderseason 7 hinted thatFaith Fraser had somehow lived, another detail that Gabaldon didn’t write.
Though Gabaldon has stated that she considered a plotline in whichMaster Raymond brought Faith back to life, she ultimately chose against it. Starz, on the other hand, has embraced this idea forOutlanderseason 8. The upcoming episodes will diverge from canon entirely, introducing a fresh new story to conclude the series, rather than following the outline Gabaldon has provided for her final book.
It seems that the TV future for this franchise rests entirely outside the story of the novels.
This was, more or less, necessary forOutlanderseason 8. Since Gabaldon hasn’t yet published the final book, the TV show must forge its own path to achieve an exciting and satisfying ending. However, the changes to canon inOutlander: Blood of My Bloodare purely a creative choice. It seems that the TV future for this franchise rests entirely outside the story of the novels.
