‘Outlander’ Star Sophie Skelton on Why a Family Funeral Scene Was Cut
Outlander fans mourned the loss of Murtagh (Duncan LaCroix) along with Jacosta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Jamie (Sam Hueghan) in “Famous Last Words.” But as revealed by actress Sophie Skelton, the cast filmed a major funeral scene that was later cut from the episode.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Outlander season 5, episode 8.]
What happened to Murtagh on ‘Outlander’?
In Outlander season 5, episode 7, “The Ballad of Roger Mac,” Murtagh leads his regulator army into battle against Governor Tryon’s (Tim Downie) forces. Jamie tries his best to save him, and even sends Roger across battle lines to warn him about the bloodshed to come.
But Murtagh sticks to his guns and goes to battle against the Red Coats. Jamie, who is the colonel of his militia, finds Murtagh in the woods toward the end of the battle. As the two begin talking, one of Jamie’s young militiamen shoots Murtagh.
Jamie carries Murtagh to Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) medical tent and asks her to save him. But by the time she checks his pulse, Murtagh is already dead. Jamie is shaken and heartbroken at the loss of his godfather, and he tells Tryon he’s done working with him.
Murtagh’s funeral in episode 8 of ‘Outlander’
In episode 8 of Outlander season 5, Jamie and Jacosta finally put Murtagh to rest on Fraser’s Ridge. His grave is marked by a high circle of stones near Jamie’s house. Jacosta sings him a moving tribute, while Ulysses (Colin McFarlane) quietly stands behind her.
Later, while Jamie and his aunt talk about Murtagh, she says she wished she could have made him a proper headstone, but it isn’t her place to do so. “Murtagh and I were not husband and wife,” Jacosta says. “Neither were we father and son,” Jamie replies, “but it doesn’t make the pain any less or easier to bear.”
Sophie Skelton reveals details about the funeral scene that was cut
Many fans are probably wondering why they didn’t get to see Claire and the rest of the Fraser clan pay their respects to Murtagh, who was undoubtedly a huge part of everyone’s life. Well, in an interview with TV Line, Outlander star Sophie Skelton revealed that the Fraser family — including Brianna, Claire, and Roger (Richard Rankin) — were filmed attending the funeral. But she said the scene was cut from the episode because of Roger’s PTSD story arc.
“We had the Murtagh funeral scene — all of those were actually in that originally, and we did a whole scene there with us all around his grave and laying stones for him and everything,” Skelton told the outlet. “Roger was in the scene, and when [the behind-the-scenes crew] looked back at it, they said actually him being there looks too engaged. We really want to show how disengaged he is and how little time he’s spending with the family.”
It’s unclear if the funeral scene Skelton is talking about will ever see the light of day. But if showrunners release it as an extra bonus clip, fans would likely be thrilled to see the Fraser family gathered around Murtagh’s grave, paying tribute to their departed friend.
