Outlander fans are in awe over a huge Easter egg
Outlander enthusiasts were left stunned by an Easter egg they unearthed in the series. The hidden gem appeared in season three, episode four titled Of Lost Things, as Jamie Fraser (portrayed by Sam Heughan) was saying goodbye to his secret son William Ransom (Clark Butler), marking his permanent departure from Helwater, reports the Express.
The emotional scenes featured the Highlander shedding tears as he rode off on his horse, accompanied by a cover of Bob Dylan’s song A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall by Walk Off the Earth.
An Outlander fan took to Reddit to point out how the Dylan track borrowed a similar question-and-answer format from the English ballad Lord Randall.
The user noted: “Now, the Dylan version doesn’t mention the name Randall at all – which means you’d only spot the connection if you already knew the ballad, or looked up the origins of the song, like I did. That’s what makes this such a hidden gem of an Easter Egg!”
They added: “The use of that specific song, at that specific moment, in a show where the name Randall (Frank, Black Jack AND Claire) is so thematically central? There’s just no way that’s accidental [sic].”
The Reddit user Pungiaan also highlighted that the Dylan song included lyrics about a “blue-eyed son”, likely a nod to Jamie’s son William who shares his eye colour.
Other lines reference a man “wounded in love” and another “wounded with hatred”, seemingly alluding to Jamie and Captain ‘Black Jack’ Randall (Tobias Menzies).
They concluded: “I’m honestly in awe of how layered this is. It’s the kind of detail you’d only catch if you dig a little – but once you do, it hits you like a brick.”
A second user chimed in with enthusiasm: “These types of Easter Eggs are scattered throughout every season. Also, I’m now going to have to listen to both versions.”
Another enthusiast shared their excitement: “Thanks for calling attention to this detail and now it makes me want to find Easter eggs too. I appreciate your thoughtful analysis.”
Someone else expressed their astonishment: “Thank you! Mind officially blown” while another added to the buzz: “Omg, this is wonderful! I would’ve never noticed it unless someone pointed it out, and you did it amazingly! Thank you, I love this! [sic].”
Citing Toni Graphia from the Making of Outlander book, a user quoted: “Before I even started writing ‘Of Lost Things,’ I had the Bob Dylan song in my head because, to me, the song is about fatherhood, whether it’s about individual fatherhood or fatherhood of a country. So I played it on a loop when I was writing.”
Speaking of song choices, Graphia explained the pick of Walk Off the Earth, noting they were not just budget-friendly compared to Bob Dylan’s original, but also struck a personal chord with the writer.
Graphia elucidated further: “When I heard that one, I knew that was the one, because it’s a duo of a male and female singing the two parts, and I thought, Ah, that’s Claire and Jamie. That’s the male and female perspectives that we kept cutting to in the show.
“I wrote it for the montage at the end because I thought, Everybody’s losing something. Claire is losing hope to find Jamie. Jamie’s losing his son. Roger’s losing Brianna.”