I Went to The Outlander Panel at San Diego Comic-Con and Now I Can Die

I’m back from San Diego Comic-Con and once again I spent part of the convention going “NEVER AGAIN” and most of the convention going “CAN’T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!

Because this year I was doing the convention with kids in tow, I didn’t make it to many panels, but of course I made it to the Outlander panel. I can’t let my Bitches down, now can I?

I don’t have a press pass or a decent recorder, so I’m just giving a few highlights here.

There’s a great breakdown of the panel at Digital Spy and you can see the panel in full on YouTube or below (assuming it doesn’t get taken down).

Last year I saw the first ever Outlander panel in a fairly small room. It was pretty gratifying that this year it was in Ballroom 20, and the room was packed with devoted fans. The panel was relaxed and fun, and the people on the panel seemed to have genuine affection for each other.

The panelists were Diana Gabaldon (author of the book series), Sam Heughan (Jamie), Caitriona Balfe (Claire), Maril Davis (Executive Producer) and Ronald D. Moore (Executive Producer). I very much wished that Tobias Menzies could have attended because I’d have loved his perspective, but as it was it was a nice combination of viewpoints from actors and people behind the scenes.

A few highlights:

The moderator asked Ronald D. Moore what we can expect from Season Two.

Well, we’re going to be picking up the story in Paris and trying to stop the Jacobite Rebellion. The first season was more of a courtship but now the characters are a married couple. We’ll return to Scotland in the second half of the season.

Recreating Paris in the second half of the 18th century was a huge production challenge but all the departments stepped up and as you can see for the footage we have new sets, new costumes – it’s a completely new show. So we’re very excited to have you guys watch it!

 

On the challenges of staying true to the books while also doing an adaptation that works in terms of the medium, time, and budget:

Well, as you know, the second book is more complex than the first one in a lot of ways. It moves around a little bit more, it’s more political, it’s historical, it has the Jacobite Rebellion. There’s a lot more parts to this second book and as a result adapting the book was more complex and took more work in the writer’s room.

So yes, we made changes, we veer, we but just like Season One, we’re always trying to get back to where the book was, we’re trying to do our very best to deliver that story that we know you love. If there’s a certain scene that we know you love or a certain line, we’ll try to get back to that place even if it’s not in the same place as the book. I’m proud of the team and I think it works well.

The moderator asked: What are you most excited about for this new season? What are you excited for the fans to see?

Cat: Oh, well, there’s so much!

Sam: She likes working with the good-looking French actors.

Cat: Well, you know…it makes a change.

Then she sort of elbowed Sam in the side and they leaned on each other affectionately and we all died. DIED.

And then there’s the glimpses of the costumes we’ve gotten so far:

At this point the moderator broke out a bottle of scotch and the cast played a drinking game with two variations.

The first was that the panelists had to take turns reading lines submitted by fans without smiling. I know our readers here at the Pink Palace will be pleased to know that Sam read Duncan’s line about “grinding your corn” to Diana.

In the second round, they read lines, some of which were from 50 Shades of Gray. If you’ve never heard Sam utter the phrase “quivering mass of female hormones” you should, it’s quite unforgettable.

The moderator asked Diana if she’ll be doing another cameo, but Diana said she’s to busy writing. She will be writing an episode in Season Two.

Moderator: Cat, you have some new highly attractive gentlemen that you’re working with this season. What’s it like for you to go to work every day?

Cat: I dunno, I keep saying to Ron and Merrill, why must you do this to me? Especially when they speak French. That’s awesome.

Sam (bitterly): They read books, listen to music, smoke cigarettes, drink red wine…

Audience member: What would you sacrifice for love?

Sam: Everything!

Audience dies again.

Sam and Cat talked about how they use humor to get through tough scenes and tough days. When asked if Jaime would consider going through the stones for Claire, Sam turned to Catriona and said, “I would do anything for you” at which the audience died AGAIN and Cat pretended to barf. They have a sort of a brother/sister vibe with a lot of teasing which is so fun to watch.

Towards the end of the panel the moderator revealed that Sam had won “Best Leading Male” in an E! Online contest. Since the runner up was Hook from Once Upon a Time), Sam had to don a leather jacket and a hook. Cat did the eyeliner honors and added a mustache and a beard. And now my life is complete.

And here’s the gag reel we were treated to – there’s lots of laughing and spit!

And now I cannot wait for the next season. How about you?