Before all that though, his scene with Brianna was just as emotional without being the least bit maudlin. He pulled that off so well that it still makes me cry a bit. His accent even got broader as often happens with strong emotion.

Then of course there is the scene where he is asking Claire to do the three things for him should he be killed and when he says, “Remember me”, I still lose it because, once again, I’m watching his face almost more than listening to his words. Then of course when he tells Claire that he loves her, his face again almost gives way, then sets as he puts on his tricorn, bows and sets off up the mountain to begin the battle.

What no one has mentioned at the end, during the flashes of what had happened during their lives, we see the BLUE WINGS which was strictly Claire’s signifier not theirs. I think, more that seeing the blue flash, those blue wings indicated when Claire’s full power healed Jamie. After we saw those, their life events moved faster and faster upward toward their present and his return to life. The blue wings are the answer to the question of whether or not Jamie lived or died. He lived.

Diana is working on A BLESSING FOR A WARRIOR GOING OUT. Once she finishes writing it, it has to go through the publication process, which she discussed in her Writer’s Corner webpages:

http://dianagabaldon.com/2021/03/what-finished-means-to-an-author-2/

After she finishes writing the book, it is her publishers in each country or publishing region who decides the date(s) when the book will be on the shelves in the end, not Diana. Her books are always published first in the U.S.A., of course, since she is an American author. Often Germany, the U.K. and Canada release their editions on the same day or soon after. Other countries and publishing regions may take up to a year if the book has to be translated to another language.

Recently she has said that work on Book Ten is going well. The last book in the OUTLANDER series of major novels is tying up many of the main themes besides Jamie and Claire’s relationship. Once she has finished it and the publisher announces the release date in the U.S.A., that information will be posted here and on her official Facebook page.

Diana always does her very best in creating each book, and gives her all. She is 74 years old, by the way.

I was talking about this series with a member of the co-op I live in and she said she hated the ending. Turns out, she blinked at exactly the wrong Second and didn’t actually see the last SECOND of the ending. She went back and watched it again – not blinking this time – and reports that this was really amazing.

Wanted to say, I feel Sam Heughan taught me that sometimes a really good actor understands – and portrays – a character better than I do, right from the start. It was wonderful watching Jamie, already a fine person, grow into his full adulthood. Thanks, Mr. Heughan!

Can’t wait (literally? Don’t want to wait) for Book 10.

After so many years of loving and following Outlander, I have to admit that I had hoped for a very different ending.

I know I am not the only fan who feels this way. We have followed Jamie and Claire through years of love, loss, separation, sacrifice, and uncertainty. Their family has been torn apart so many times, and we have watched them lose people they loved deeply. The loss of Fergus was especially heartbreaking because he had become like a son to Jamie.

That is why I hoped the final episode would give us something we had been waiting for throughout this journey: a moment of genuine peace and happiness.

Jamie’s conversation with Claire about William made that feeling even stronger for me. Hearing him speak about the sadness of being separated from his son and the possibility of never meeting his grandchildren was incredibly moving. It made me feel that this part of Jamie’s story deserved the chance to come full circle.

I would have loved to see Jamie reunite with William, meet his grandchildren, and spend his later years surrounded by the family he had spent so much of his life longing for. Seeing him at Fraser’s Ridge with Claire and the people he loved would have felt like a beautiful reward for everything he had endured.

I am not saying this because I expected a perfect or unrealistic ending. I simply wanted to see Jamie and Claire finally have the chance to enjoy the family and peace they had fought so hard to find.

I say all of this with genuine love and gratitude for Outlander. This is not meant to diminish the incredible work that went into the series. It is simply the honest perspective of a fan who has spent many years caring deeply about these characters and hoping their journey would end with a sense of peace and fulfillment.

Regardless of how each of us feels about the ending, I will always be grateful for the journey Outlander has given us. Thank you to the actors who brought these characters to life, to the writers who created so many unforgettable moments, and to everyone behind the scenes who dedicated their talent, passion, and hard work to this extraordinary series.

Most of all, thank you for giving us Jamie and Claire and for giving us so many years of a story that became deeply meaningful to so many of us. ❤️