‘Outlander’ cast recalls Season 3 scene where Black Jack lives and why it never aired
The long-running series 'Outlander' ended its run on Friday, after eight seasons. Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe, who brought the epic love story of Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall-turned-Fraser to screen, spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the show's finale and reflected on its decade-long history. Showrunner Matthew B. Roberts and executive producer Maril Davis joined the conversation along with the show's lead stars. One of the topics of discussion was the character of Jonathan Randall, aka Black Jack Randall, played by Tobias Menzies. He was a cruel ancestor of Frank Randall, Claire's husband in the 20th century. He was a captain in the British Army in the late 18th-century, and was in direct conflict with Jamie and the Highlanders during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Black Jack appeared in the first two seasons of the show and was killed by Jamie in the Season 3 premiere during the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Roberts left fans surprised when he revealed that originally, he planned to keep the character alive. So what changed his decision? Apparently, author Diana Gabaldon was not thrilled with the idea, so he decided to drop it. "We really wanted to keep Black Jack alive, the studio and the network really wanted to keep Black Jack alive, so we call her and asked her. She said, 'I really wish you wouldn't do that.' So he died." Roberts added that he checked with Gabaldon before adding any major plot developments that deviated from the books, giving her the final say over these changes. "When we know we're going to do something big, we call [Outlander books] Diana [Gabaldon] and go, 'hey, we're gonna go down this path. How do you feel about it? We want to, of course, get her sign off on it. If she hated something so desperately, we wouldn't go that way," he said.
Fans may remember Black Jack collapsing in Jamie's arms before taking his last breath. However, Heughan recalled shooting another ending for the battle scene. He pointed at Roberts and said, "You filmed it. I remember, filmed Black Jack's eyes opening again on the battlefield." Davis added that the crew was "hoping" for a different outcome from the one shown in the series. However, Roberts confirmed that there was no looking back after Gabaldon said no. "She said no, so he died," he simply stated.
In addition to playing the brutal military leader in the 18th century, Menzies also essayed the kind historian, Frank Randall, in the 20th-century timeline. Frank was nothing like his brutal ancestor; he was a loving husband and father. But he died in a car accident in Season 3 episode 3, with his character appearing in flashback scenes in the show's later seasons.
