This season started with elements from book six, A Breath Of Snow And Ashes. Where does it end up?
Going into this season, we didn’t know if it would be our last. So we were like, let’s put it all in there. So they [the writers] took the last part of book six, then seven and the eighth. And they smushed it all together and I think they did such an amazing job grabbing all the high moments but still making it a cohesive season.
And it’s so exciting. But the second half is even more exciting – it’s like the second half does not give you time to breathe. There are so many ups and down for everyone and so many life moments. I can’t even put it into words – the second half is going to be even crazier than the first.
After the second half of season seven, due next year, there is one more season to go. What will that cover?
We’ve condensed quite a lot of material this time and it’s really worked. So the last season will be mostly book nine or whatever – maybe things we’ve left out that we feel can make a cohesive story for the last season.
Is it hard to plan the end of the series because Diana Gabaldon is still writing Outlander novels (she’s working on book ten)?
Matt [showrunner Matt Roberts] and I have had conversations with Diana, just kind of feeling her out about the last season and some ideas of what we’re thinking. Obviously we don’t want to step on her toes, we want to be respectful.
She’s been so kind and open and giving with her book series and her love of what we’ve been doing and we want to share that respect. Certainly, we don’t want to do something in the show that maybe she hasn’t done in the books yet, or is planning to do but obviously it’s always a little difficult to wrap up a series before the books have ended.
Can you say anything about how Outlander will end at the end of season eight?
We want a satisfying ending for the show and for the fans and to leave them feeling like, ‘Okay, it’s really sad but we’re satisfied with how this ended.’ So there’s a lot of pressure and we have been talking to Diana and will continue to do so and will tell her our ending – we want to make sure she’s happy as well.
