Why Major Jamie Detail Was Changed From the Outlander Books
This time, Fraser was able to get away with it.
The gallant Scot, Jamie Fraser, has been a courageous warrior since his youth. One significant reason he's still alive during the American Revolution is the unwavering support of his beloved Claire. Recall the harrowing moment in Season 5 when she saved Jamie from a lethal snakebite!
In Season 7, fortune seemed to favor the Highlander. However, Sam Heughan's character got wounded during the Second Battle of Saratoga. Once again, Claire came to his rescue. Fans familiar with the source material, An Echo in the Bone, might have noticed a deviation. In the book, events take a slightly darker turn for Jamie. The executive producer discussed the details of this scene, explaining the writers' decision to alter it.
Reason For Change
In the midseason finale set during the Second Battle of Saratoga, Jamie's hand is grievously wounded, causing significant damage to his finger. In An Echo in the Bone, the wound is so severe that Claire has to amputate the finger. In the series adaptation, she manages to save it.
It's improbable that the deviation stemmed from concerns about graphic content, given that the show has depicted even more brutal scenes. Executive producer Matthew B. Roberts said the real reason was that realistically depicting the healing process after an amputation would have taken too much screen time.
'The wound in the book is very severe, we knew we didn't have enough runway to provide the time for the perfect healing. We had to jump time in the episode, so that was always a concern,' Roberts said.
Maintaining Emotional Consistency
At the same time, the show's producers and writers recognize that fans love Outlander largely because of Sam Heughan; thus, they never hesitate to change the plot to keep viewers invested in the character over the long term.
'We have a rule in the [writing] room, which is, "Don’t break the dream,"' Roberts explained. 'And the dream is when you start the episode and you get to the end hopefully there's no breaks in the dream or you're like, "Hold on, what's going on?"'
The latter half of Season 7 is slated for release in 2024. Meanwhile, Season 8 will conclude the televised adaptation of Jamie and Claire's epic romance.
Source: Winter is Coming.