Writers Q&A EP 401 America the Beautiful

What did you all think? This season, 'Ask the Outlander Writers' any questions you have with #ATOW, and we'll answer them on Tuesday! #OutlanderPremiere⁠ ⁠

Hello, everyone! We're here on voting day in America the Beautiful to answer some of your #ATOW questions from these last few days.

Q. Was the voice-over of Ray Charles during such violence meant as a political statement, a foreshadowing, both or neither?
A. Neither. Use of the song was planned from the beginning, long before we even knew our premiere date. Originally, it was supposed to be instrumental, but we didn't think it would be as recognizable.

Q. Why did you remove the fact that land grants were only for protestants and that granting one to Jamie, a Catholic, was a huge thing the governor can hold over him when he wants something?
A. In all of our research, we couldn't find anything that stated it was an issue for Catholics to own land. There were other things, such as holding office, that they weren't allowed to do, but they could own land.

Q. How do they know about Lillington? How did they end up at dinner with the governor?
A. They received an invite to the dinner in a scene that unfortunately had to be cut due to time.

Q. I love the medicine chest gift part of the book, and the way you brought it to life was wonderful. Truly a gift Claire would treasure. It is a beautiful piece - was it made for the show?
A. Yes, there were three versions of this chest created for the show. The first was the master with everything in working order. The second and third were practical, lighter versions to use as a moveable prop.

Q. There are what eight different writers this season. How do you all coordinate and keep continuity in tact? I admire the process and would love to hear more about it.
A. Lots of communication. We spend 8 hours a day in a room agreeing (and disagreeing) with each other.

Q. Jamie still says Claire "left" him to go back through the stones even after their huge fight where she reminded him that he made her go back. Does he really feel like Claire left him willingly? Or is he just speaking generically about when she left his life?
A. He's just speaking generically. She did technically leave the 18th century 🙂

Q. Wonderful. Why did you choose to have Bonnet tell Claire of his fear of dying in water.
A. We needed a way to ingratiate him to Claire and Jamie very quickly.

Q. How do you come to agreement on what is necessary to bring the story forward. So many characters, so many plots, so many pages in the books.
A. Lots of hard work and conversations. It takes us a very very long time to condense 1000 pages into the most cinematic storylines, because they have to be able to play on screen.

Q. What was the song that they all sang for Hayes in the pub? And translation?
A. The lament for Hayes was composed by Robert Robertson, and you can find both the lyrics and the translation in our 401 script annotations on OutlanderCommunity.com.

Q.⁠ Jamie said he'd purchase a printing press in Scotland. So were all the printing presses destroyed in the fire? #WonderingAboutBonnie
A. Yep, they all were 😢

Q. In the book, Hayes was charged with theft. What sparked the change in the show to murder?
A. In our research, we found that Hayes wouldn't have been hanged for theft.

Q. Will we see the return of title cards in future episodes?
A. The titles cards haven't gone anywhere. You might have missed this one, because you were distracted by the majestic eagle swooping across your screen 😉

Q. Is one of the writers a "Captain Jack Sparrow" fan, hence the swagger Bonnet was doing?
A. #EdSpeleers brings plenty of his own swagger.

Q. Where was Duncan? I’m thinking Murtagh will takeover what Duncan’s role was in the book since we haven’t seen either of them. 🤞🏼Also, why did the episode begin in NC instead of Charleston? 🤔
A. Don't want to spoil anything by answering the first, but the episode began in NC as a way to condense time as well as the amount of sets needed.

Q. At the dinner (as in all other occasions except at the Governor’s Ball in Jamaica) Jamie doesn’t wear a wig while the others do. Is this acceptable during that time?
A. Contrary to what many people think, not everyone wore wigs at the time. Jamie is wearing the hairstyle of the time for his station.

Q. Does young Ian know Claire is a time traveler? And if he does, do they ever talk about it? I think he has to know based on the season 3 finale.
A. Nope, he doesn't know.

Q. What was the most challenging scene to shoot in the premiere?
A. The riverboat. Anytime you add water, it's challenging.

That's all the time we have today, because we're shutting down to vote. See you all next week week for episode 402! #Outlander⁠ ⁠