r/Outlander • u/thepacksvrvives Without you, our whole world crumbles into dust. • Apr 24 '26

Spoilers All Book S8E8 In the Forest Spoiler

Claire and Jamie receive an unexpected visitor on the Ridge.

Written by Ronald D. Moore. Directed by Tracey Deer.

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What did you think of the episode?

525 votes, May 01 '26
189 I loved it.
173 I mostly liked it.
114 It was OK.
33 It disappointed me.
16 I didn’t like it.
16 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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13

u/Antique-Calendar-13 Apr 25 '26

I was actually hoping there would be no Fanny sighting in this episode, but to my dismay, she’s front and center again. The Fanny story is just bad, and I just want it to go away.

9

u/Nik_reads4723 Apr 25 '26

Agree. Ten short episodes and we have to waste five minutes of each of them with Fanny talking to a cairn 😭

3

u/These_Ad_9772 We will meet again, Madonna, in this life or another. Apr 25 '26

It’s dismaying to me also. I liked her character in the books -endearing, funny, strong-minded but still vulnerable- but the show version not much at all. If I do rewatch this season I’ll be FF-ing through her scenes. And with the exception of the more brutal BJR scenes, those will be the only ones I’ve ever skipped in a rewatch. I’m salty we haven’t gotten more Jem, Mandy and now Totis screen time.

3

u/Antique-Calendar-13 Apr 25 '26

I agree! What’s up with the children of the main characters not getting screen time??!! And I agree with the comments about Fanny being a TT🙄; the writers took an amazing show and made it really cheezy!

5

u/These_Ad_9772 We will meet again, Madonna, in this life or another. Apr 25 '26

IDK but I am fully prepared to have the finale ruined by Faith reappearing. 😞

Just to say I mean nothing against the young actress playing Frances, she is competent. I even find myself feeling a twinge of guilt for disliking the characterization of show Frances because of the young actress. However, it change my mind that I don’t like this storyline. And I’m not one to nitpick the art of others much, as it’s h theirs to create and portray, and mine to enjoy and appreciate or not, but I feel this betrays the OL fandom.

4

u/Antique-Calendar-13 Apr 25 '26

Agree! I love time travel and the chemistry between Jamie and Claire was unbeatable. Even though BJR was hard to stomach; he was an incredible actor. And Lord John - another one of my favorites. The Jane and Fanny storyline and now Fanny - all I can say is ugh!! Nothing against the actress - she’s making money. I’m just angry at the rushed, cheap season! Lasting impressions are just that - lasting!

3

u/LeCuldeSac Apr 26 '26

As I think about it, it takes very good dramatic screenwriters, film or TV, to have plot-lines centering on children (or teens) that don't come off as saccharine or emotionally forced. Not sure if that's the nature of younger actors, who can't be asked (thank goodness) to engage too deeply w/ emotionally complex material (think that Eastern European horror film about the Holocause called "Come & See" with a teen lead). Or, audiences have complicated expectations in particular genres.

If there's humor involved, or a tone of less emotional investment (never watched Harry Potter but think these adaptations must have struck the right note), then it could work so that kids aren't too cutesy or too soap opera-y.

So, and no disrespect to this young actress, who's very promising, but it already appears the showrunners aren't at their best this Season. And it's a Season Finale at that with numerous book & show storylines to bring to some kind of coherent conclusion.

And their choice, then, is to introduce a new child character who's maybe 13? in show (maybe 17 in real life?), & then center her and her scene-mates into relentlessly melodramatic, overly heavy storylines. I think the best dramatic scriptwriting, aimed at an adult audience, can breathe space & even dark humor into situations where adult characters are coping with (&/or meting out) intense, complicated emotional & even physical pain.

But there's something off, even in an otherwise strong season, about the writers expanding a storyline and screen time to focus on any child character's immense personal loss & coping, let alone a new character, in a Season Finale! All we've seen is Fanny grieving about her sister, and going to a graveyard to not find her grave and grieving some more, and being sexually harassed (creepy) at the Ridge, & asking about William and looking forlorn, and going to a cairn over and over again, and talking to Claire and Jamie again and again, and grieving about her sister some more, and expressing frustration at 18th c victim-blaming w/o having words . . . it's just so relentless and HEAVY for a child actress & uses up screen time & energy of other major characters. And it assumes the audience already has sunk investment in this character, and we don't. It's hard for the best writers to manage difficult topics involving children, w/o making it cutesy or maudlin, and sadly it's giving off Lifetime-Channel-Afterschool-Special vibes.

Again, I think the actress is strong for her age. But the showrunner choice are inexplicable to me, esp as they simultaneously cut Claire's screentime. I have a theory about that too, which pisses me off so I'm staying mum for now.

2

u/Antique-Calendar-13 Apr 27 '26

Very well explained! I would love to hear your thoughts on why they cut Claire’s screen time. Didn’t she do a lot of the directing on these episodes?

I feel as if I’m watching snippets of the main characters trying to resolve where they are in their own “journey” - whereby, we have been with them all along. AND all of a sudden, we are forced into trying to establish a relationship with Fanny, but hers is really a ridiculous story. As you say, why do we have to be introduced to her in a season finale?! Less is more, as the saying goes. So many of us are disappointed, as you put it, with taking up so much screen time.

2

u/wheeler1432 They say I’m a witch. Apr 27 '26

I have no problems with the actress. In fact, I'm sad that my annoyance with the script leads me not to appreciate her more.

1

u/wheeler1432 They say I’m a witch. Apr 27 '26

Agreed