“Outlander” readers were thrown when they saw a scene in Sunday’s episode go very differently from the book. In Diana Gabaldon’s “Drums of Autumn,” Jamie fights a bear, but that certainly wasn’t a bear in Season 4, episode 4.

Jamie (Sam Heughan) ends up confronting a Native American man who runs around in a bear hide terrorizing Fraser’s Ridge in order to steal food. He has apparently lost his mind, and Jamie still has to fight and kill him. The Highlander brought his body back to the Cherokee to learn that the man was shunned from the tribe after sexually assaulting someone. That’s how Jamie earns the name “Bear Killer” in the Starz TV show.

“‘The Revenant’! I think that's probably what fans thought it would be," Heughan explained to the Hollywood Reporter, referencing the 2015 Leonardo DiCaprio movie. “But it’s great! We have a few moments like this this season where we are going to surprise the fans, and I think that’s good. Otherwise they know what’s coming, and it’s great to have a few little easter eggs in there, some things to surprise even the most loyal book readers with.”

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Jamie (Sam Heughan, center) did not fight an actual bear in "Outlander" Season 4, episode 4. Starz

The departure definitely surprised all the “Outlander” readers, but it wasn’t a welcome twist for everybody. Several fans took to Twitter to voice their distaste for the bear scene.

While a real bear would’ve obviously been unsafe, many assumed it would be a CGI animal. Gabaldon addressed one such comment on her Facebook page.

“I kind of think you don't realize the difference between the budget for one hour of television vs. a first-rate movie. Think $2-3 million vs. $95-135 million,” Gabaldon told a fan on Facebook who cited “The Revenant” as an example.

Still, it wasn’t a unanimously hated change. Several fans understand the restraints of the “Outlander” TV show and enjoyed the unexpected change.

They’ll have to keep tuning in to see if they approve of the rest of the “Drums of Autumn” adaptation. “Outlander” Season 4 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Starz.

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