The eighth and concluding season of Outlander has been a rollercoaster, with its fair share of ups and downs. The Starz romance series has made significant deviations from Diana Gabaldon’s books, steering towards a finale that will inevitably differ from the yet-to-be-published tenth novel. Despite these deviations, the most recent episode has managed to keep some of the show’s charm intact.

Episode 8, titled “In The Forest,” was crafted by Ronald D. Moore, a beloved figure among Outlander enthusiasts. The next episode, the season’s penultimate, boasts scriptwork by Gabaldon herself. Although the episode was well-received, it fell short of addressing a major lingering issue, which I will elaborate on shortly.

A pivotal moment in last week’s episode featured William’s arrival at Fraser’s Ridge, culminating in an emotional confrontation with his father, Jamie. William, who has long been portrayed as a brooding character, finally confronts his father about his anger over his true parentage. This heartfelt exchange marks a resolution to a storyline that has been building for numerous seasons, providing a reunion fans have anticipated.

Jamie’s decision to leave William with Lord John Grey dates back to Season 3, Episode 4, “Of Lost Things.” At the time, Jamie believed this was in William’s best interest. The scene where William tearfully asks, “Why did you leave me? I loved you!” is truly poignant. Jamie explains that he was a traitor, destitute, and incapable of providing anything but a life of struggle for William. He reveals that the only reason he didn’t glance back was the fear of losing his resolve upon seeing the boy.

This is precisely the type of cathartic moment dedicated fans of Outlander have been yearning for throughout the season. Such powerful scenes have been sparse. While Young Ian’s reunion with his ex-wife and their son’s integration into his life with Rachel is another example, his storyline is more peripheral compared to the central narrative.

The overarching issue, which this episode left unresolved, is the sidelining of Claire and Jamie. They are the heart and soul of the series. The expansion of the cast and the introduction of numerous time-travelers and romantic subplots do not alter the fact that their relationship is the essence of the story.

Still, for reasons I cannot fathom, as much time was spent on William and Amaranthus’s fraught courtship as has been spent on Jamie and Claire. Meanwhile, much of Jamie and Claire’s relationship has been spent arguing over Lord John Grey and Claire’s accidental infidelity.

Count the number of times Claire has left the house on Fraser’s Ridge this season. I don’t mean to go outside. Has she left at all beyond the opening scene when she and Jamie get revenge on the pirates? At least Jamie has been out and about, fending off Loyalists and going toe-to-toe with Captain Cunningham. Still, at this point, with just two episodes remaining, it doesn’t feel like much of an ending for this epic romance. Jamie and Claire have fought for their love over continents, over centuries . . . and now here we are, just sort of hanging out on Fraser’s Ridge waiting for Jamie to die because Frank wrote it down in a book. It’s lackluster to say the least.

There is another character that I’d like to highlight here. One that is missing entirely from the final season and one that to me, and to many other fans, is almost as important as our two heroes: Scotland.

The fact that this story is ending in America is deeply infuriating. I didn’t get invested in Outlander to spend several seasons on the American Revolution. I am not nearly as interested in the Carolinas and Fraser’s Ridge as I am the Scottish Highlands and Lallybroch. That is where this story should have gone, and where I had hoped it was going when they teased a return to Scotland before Season 7. That this return was so brief and unsatisfying only heightens my disappointment.

Finally, yet another big plot twist and storyline was introduced at the end of the latest episode. Fanny, having been comforted rather sweetly by Roger (who is really coming into his own this season, at least) goes to talk to her dead sister, Jane, at the cairn she’s built. She prays for a sign and finds a gemstone, but when she picks it up, it breaks and cuts her hand and she begins to hear a buzzing, the same buzzing people hear when they’re near the magical time-traveling stones. The episode ends with her covering her ears, the buzzing is so loud.

It is unclear at this point if we’re simply being told that Fanny is a time-traveler or if she’s going to be whisked away to another time. Either way, this is either another dangling thread to be resolved in the next two episodes and/or a setup for a Fanny-centric spinoff and/or she’s going to end up in the prequel Blood of My Blood’s second season. I don’t really like any of these options.

I admit, I did not finish Blood of My Blood. I was absolutely onboard for a prequel that gave us some expanded story about Claire and Jamie’s parents, but once Claire’s parents were revealed to be time-travelers I checked out completely. I keep meaning to go back to it, but then I think about how annoyed I was and watch something else.

This is the problem a lot of superhero shows have. You begin with maybe just one or two superheros and it’s fine. They have helpers – the tech nerd, the tough guy, the best friend, the ex-girlfriend – but none of these people have powers. But then the show starts giving them all powers and pretty soon it’s this massive team of superheros and the focus is gone. The story of the superhero we came to watch the show about is spread out, like too little butter over too much bread.

Claire has been robbed, both of her uniqueness and her screen-time, and really of anything interesting to do all season. I could accept her daughter time-traveling because it made sense for the story. She was Jamie’s daughter, too. Okay, maybe Roger also. But now there are so many travelers, Claire is just one in a crowd. Her parents were off in Scotland, in the same place she ended up, before her!

It dilutes her story for no reason. Claire’s parents could have had a really fascinating love story that took place in the 20th century, a nice parallel to Jamie’s parents. And I’m not particularly interested in Fanny as a time traveler, either – or as Claire and Jamie’s granddaughter, which is another subplot developed this season that has driven me up a proverbial wall. And not a nice, old stone Scottish wall covered in moss, more’s the pity.

Claire has been sidelined in Season 8 and her romance with Jamie has taken a backseat to all sorts of 11th hour subplots and twists. What a shame.

P.S. What on earth is Marsali thinking leaving Fraser’s Ridge and her entire support network along with her four kids and unborn child? Why did Jamie and Claire agree to let her go? Her reasoning, that she wanted to keep fighting the good fight with the power of the pen, is noble and stupid. It’s also so incredibly unrealistic that I almost thought it was a joke. Let her stay, get the help she will so desperately need, grieve the (ridiculous) death of Fergus and find her feet. I’m pretty sure she’s given enough to the cause. Just an unbelievably silly decision for the writers to make here.