16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Outlander fans spot 'hidden gem' Easter egg in show that's 'mind blowing'
Outlander fans have been left in awe by the link
Outlander enthusiasts were utterly astonished upon stumbling upon an Easter egg within the show, sparking quite the buzz, reports the Express.
This particular Easter egg made its sneaky appearance in the fourth episode of season three, dubbed Of Lost Things, just as the episode was reaching its emotional climax. Here we saw Jamie Fraser (portrayed by Sam Heughan) bidding a heartfelt adieu to his clandestine progeny, William Ransom (played by Clark Butler), as he departed Helwater for good.
As Jamie was seen shedding tears while departing on horseback, an evocative rendition of Bob Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall by Walk Off the Earth resonated in the background.
A Reddit user couldn't help but share their discovery that the Dylan song mirrored a question-and-answer style derived from the English ballad 'Lord Randall. '.
The Redditor explained: "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 went on to theorise about the intentionality behind the choice of song during a moment when the surname Randall (belonging to Frank, Black Jack AND Claire) is significantly prominent throughout the series: "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]."
Furthermore, the Redditor under the handle Pungiaan pointed out that the song speaks of a "blue-eyed son", which could be an implicit reference to Jamie's son William and his piercing blue eyes.
Lyrics mentioning a man "wounded in love" and another "wounded with hatred" were highlighted by the user as potential subtle hints towards the characters of Jamie and the notorious Captain 'Black Jack' Randall, portrayed by 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 commented underneath: "These types of Easter Eggs are scattered throughout every season. Also, I'm now going to have to listen to both versions."
A third person said: "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 amazement with "Thank you! Mind officially blown" while another enthused: "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 writer Toni Graphia from the Making of Outlander book, an additional user shared a quote: "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."
Despite choosing Walk Off the Earth's version over Bob Dylan's original due to cost, Graphia found that it deeply resonated, saying: "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."
