Here is a NEW Interview with Ron. D Moore from Mashable
OUTLANDER- SEASON 3 – EPISODE 303
From Mashable:
Episode 3 of Outlander Season 3 is a pretty big deal for fans of Diana Gabaldon’s novels: Not only does it reintroduce a pivotal character in Lord John William Grey (all grown up and decidedly more dashing than the last time we saw him in Season 2), but also closes the chapter on Claire and Frank’s tumultuous relationship in surprisingly poignant fashion.
While the show has to omit or streamline countless plot points from the novels in the adaptation process — including cutting Jamie’s trip to seals’ isle (although perhaps we’ll see it later in flashback) and the many prickly layers of his complicated relationship with Lord John, for the most part, Outlander’s writers do an admirable job of staying faithful to the emotional arcs that drive Gabaldon’s novels. That’s especially true of episode 3, written by Matthew B. Roberts, which takes our heroes on a believable and equally effective journey, even if the signposts are a little different along the way.
But “All Debts Paid” also featured one major change to the narrative of Gabaldon’s Voyager— one that will have ripple effects across the series — and we couldn’t be happier about it.
In the books, Murtagh FitzGibbons Fraser, Jamie’s godfather and right-hand-man, is killed at the Battle of Culloden, but episode 3 reveals him to be alive (if not well) at Ardsmuir. When the prison is closed, the fan-favorite character, played by the indispensible Duncan Lacroix, is shipped off to the American Colonies with the rest of the prisoners, while Jamie is taken to an estate called Helwater to serve Lord Dunsany.
Showrunner Ron Moore tells Mashable that there was one very good reason why he chose to keep the beloved character alive: “Murtagh’s development in the series is different than the books basically from the beginning. We made him much more of a key player in the story, much closer to Jamie, and then he got in on [Claire’s] secret in Paris. He became part of the family in a different way than in the books. And I just wasn’t ready to let him go in Culloden. He is going to survive and we will catch up with him later, we will just keep him going.”
Fans who’ve read book four might have some idea how Murtagh might come back into Jamie’s life, but that’s a discussion for another day.
The total collapse of Claire’s and Frank’s relationship was so sad – they were so bitter and yet so hurt. Jamie’s situation wasn’t great – suffering imprisonment again (this time by his own choosing) and not knowing what his future might hold (and he didn’t really care) which was so sad. It was though he was carrying on just to get through one day to the next. Love all the actors!