If you stuck around until the end of the finale’s credits, you were treated to a quick episode tag featuring Diana Gabaldon as herself, circa the 1991 release of “Outlander.” As a line of people wait for the author to sign her work, someone asks her about leather-bound journal near her on the table. She responds that it’s a “wee bit of inspiration,” and viewers recognize it as the place where Claire started writing her story (which happened to be the opening words of “Outlander” the book) earlier in Season 8.
The brief scene is a tribute to the behind-the-scenes staffers who were with the show for its entire run. The woman who asks Diana the question is script supervisor Margaret Graham. Sam Heughan’s driver, David Stewart; dialect/dialogue coach Carol Ann Crawford; and executive producers Maril Davis, Matthew B. Roberts, and Toni Graphia also are in the shot.
“Everybody in that room, it was our thank-you to them,” Roberts tells TVLine. “Basically saying: Hey, you guys stuck with us from Day 1. You put your hearts and souls into this show, and I wanted to do something to show, like, ‘Hey, we recognize you.’ And we wanted to say thank you to Diana for creating this world that has provided, ultimately, for so many of us.”
The set decoration also pays homage to the show’s long history. The book jackets feature the names of people associated with production, like composer Bear McCreary and set decorator Stuart Bryce, and the bookshelves are dotted with props from various episodes.
“We did that on purpose for the hunters and gatherers who want to go through that scene and see, ‘Oh, there’s this, and there’s that,'” he added. “I’m not gonna say wha tthey are, but there’s a whole bunch of props from throughout the season.”
Fun fact: Gabaldon, who is a consulting producer, has appeared in the series before, notably as a character named Iona McTavish in the Season 1 episode, “The Gathering.”
