Ron D Moore Q&A - Episode 302 Surrender

Ron D Moore Q&A
Let's do some Outlander Q&A

Just to get it out of the way: the rabbit was about Jamie seeing a bit of beauty and life amid all the death and horror. Nothing more.

Q. Were you worried that the first half of this season was gonna be a Debbie Downer? How do you balance that?
A. No, never worried about that. There's a balance as characters struggle through the darkness toward the light.

Q. Can you confirm that Murtagh survives Culloden?
A. You'll have to wait and see on the Murtagh front...

Q. Hey Ron! Bravo on S3 thus far. Have you written any other episodes besides the premiere?
A. No, this year I only wrote the first episode.

Q. Why didn't the British pick up Black Jack's corpse from the battlefield?
A. They probably did the next day. The battlefield was picked over for a while after the battle.

Q. Why doesn't Jamie use the dunbonnet to cover his hair?
A. His hair cannot be contained.

Q. Twin beds at the end of the episode? Did it symbolise that their marriage is over in all but name?
A. And an homage to "I Love Lucy"

Q. When will we see the explanation behind Jaime showing up, watching Claire in the window, from Season One?
A. I think you'll have to wait for Diana to explain that one.

Q. Are you happy with Season3?
A. I'm very happy with it. Think it's a very strong season!

Q. Are you doing your podcasts for season 3. I have loved them the past 2 seasons.
A. I did the first two, which should be out.

Q. Was that Laura's very own baby she was breast feeding..??
A. I believe so

Q. "Are you alive?" in 3.01 was an intentional BSG reference, right?
A. Wondered if anyone would catch that...

Q. Why did you not have furgus carrying the "cask of ale"? Seemed unnecessary to omit
A. In our version, Fergus is going to warn Jamie so the cask didn't work.

Q. Did you consider including Jamie's recovery from his injury at Culloden under Jenny's doctoring? Curious why it didn't make the cut.
A. We talked about it, but felt like the meat of the story was years later and the events leading up to his surrender, so we jumped ahead.

Q. Is there anything you would have done differently in S1&2, that influences how you approached S3 & will approach S4?
A. There are always things you learn, but mostly it's just realizing that each book is unique and has to be approached on its own terms.

Q. Thank you for continuing to show such respect for the story and characters. Do you just sit in the writers' room and cry for hours??
A. There's a barrel of kleenex next to my recliner.

Q. If you were able to take your time, how many episodes would it take to make Voyager? So much in this book!
A. It actually broke into 13 hours really well. If we'd wanted to split the book into two seasons we could've but didn't feel it was necessary

Q. Do you have a favorite outfit on the show?
A. I still love the saffron dress from S2, the one Claire wore to the King's stables.

Q. Do you read any historical material to prepare for transitioning the novels to TV?
A. Each writer does it differently, some enjoy doing more research than others. I tend to do research for specific scenes or moments.

Q. When are you going to start filming season 4?
A. Mid October

Q. Biggest challenge adapting such lengthy novels? (Bravo so far.) I'm down to be a Cameron extra. 😉
A. Figuring out what to keep and what to change. Everyone would approach an adaptation differently and this version is a subjective take

Q. was that a real deer Jamie was cutting up?
A. It was indeed

Q. Have you ever shed a tear during any of the scenes (this season or previous)?
A. I have been known to cry during the show. Some scenes make you tear up no matter how often you see them, especially with Bear's music.

Q. Are you living in Scotland currently Ron?
A. I'm currently back in LA, probably won't be in Scotland until we start shooting again.

Q. What are you most excited for fans to see this season?
A. The print shop, of course. And the whole journey to the Caribbean is really great.

Q. What part of S3 proved to be the most challenging to film?
A. The ships were very challenging, but we had great help from the amazing "Black Sails" crew.

Q. Why change anything?! I get for time and book to script but why mess with something so perfect. It shouldn't be open to artistic interp
A. It's a different medium and has to be adapted to work. If it were a stage play or a musical or a feature film it would change as well.

Q. Did you really kill that raven??
A. No ravens were harmed during the filming of this episode.

Q. The Scots I've encountered are very happy you've brought jobs & more tourism from Outlander. Do you feel extraordinary pride?
A. I'm proud if our show has opened up that amazing country and its people to more appreciation by the world at large.

Q. Not sure anyone brought this up, but Claire reading the article in the paper was a wink wink to @caitrionambalfe 's heritage, no?
A. That's exactly right. I think Toni Graphia added that little touch.

Q. What about the little bird Claire sees in Boston
A. I thought of that to echo the rabbit and also as a nod back to the birds Claire watched from the thieves hole in S1

Q. Have you started breaking Season 4 yet?
A. The season is broken and we're working on scripts at this point.

Q. When you first started the Outlander project did it scare you, or did you know it would go this well and be received this well?
A. I always believe that anything I'm working on is going to be great and beloved by millions. It just doesn't always happen.

Q. Why the name "Tall Ship Productions" and how did you meet the lovely Maril Davis?
A. I've had a love for naval history since childhood. I first met Maril back at Star Trek: DS9 many years ago...

Q. Can you tell us if it's gonna be 13 episodes again?
A. Yes, 13 eps for S4

Q. Where is the final shot located?
A. It's in Glasgow, crossing the river and heading up into Glasgow University.

Q. But is it supposed to be The Boston Common?
A. We weren't trying to be that specific. Just wanted someplace that felt like Boston or Harvard.

Q. Curious: from ep1 the flashes of Jamie after Claire goes through the stones. Do you film that sort of thing w/ the previous season stuff?
A. We did happen to shoot those particular pieces last year. Didn't have a plan, but Matt Roberts thought might be needed later.

Q. Why the change to Jamie being our and about during the day, as opposed to only at night in the books? For lighting only?
A. Mostly for filming. It's hard on the crew to do night after night during shooting.

Q. Why did we skip 6 years after Jamie came home from Culloden?
A. Felt like the story we wanted to tell was leading up to his surrender so we chose to concentrate on that period of time.

Q. Why didn't you film Jamie hiding in the cabinet with baby Ian, and instead went with an adjacent room?
A. Was hard to work out the choreography in the set. Felt like he could have handed the baby back to Jenny too easily in that room.

Q. Who names the episodes? Surrender was perfect for this episode.
A. The writer always gets to name their own episode.

Q. Thanks for the Battle of Culloden boot camp training and experience of being on set of an incredible production shot in Scotland.
A. Thank YOU for your hard work and dedication. Being an extra is very tiring and under appreciated, but it's a critical part of any show.

Okay, folks I think that will wrap up our Q&A for tonight. Thanks for participating and hope you enjoy the next episode!