[This story contains spoilers from the first two episodes of the eighth and final season of Outlander.]
In the first seven seasons of Outlander, Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) ignited a red-hot romance that has transcended time and geography. But try as they might, the iconic lovers have learned that they cannot change the future.
In the final season of Starz’s fantasy historical romantic drama, the beloved couple are dealt one last blow that could threaten their happily ever after in the 18th century. As they settle back into life at Fraser’s Ridge, the Scottish settlement they established in North Carolina, Claire and Jamie have an emotional reunion with their time-traveling daughter Brianna (Sophie Skelton), her husband Roger (Robert Rankin) and their two young children. Brianna and her family had returned to the 20th century last season to save her daughter, Mandy, who was diagnosed with a heart defect that could not be treated in the past timeline.
Among the many gifts that Brianna brings back from the 20th century is a book written by Claire’s first husband, Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies), about the history of Scots who settled in North Carolina. The book specifically reveals that Jamie will die at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780, leaving the Highlander to ponder whether to rejoin the patriots in their battle with loyalists that will soon reach his doorstep.
“Frank Randall wrote this book, and Jamie doesn’t really know what his intentions were — whether it was to send a warning to Claire and Jamie, or to perhaps torment him,” Heughan explains to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s something that Jamie thought he put to bed, but there’s definitely still an element of Frank Randall and, in fact, Black Jack that still sits with him. So it plays on his conscience, and we see later on in the season, Jamie really struggling with that and then perhaps coming to terms with it.”
That prophecy looms large over the final 10 episodes of Outlander. As they prepare to officially bid farewell to the characters they last played over 16 months ago, the actors have each tried to broaden their horizons beyond just playing out a centuries-spanning love story. Heughan just booked his next major role in the six-episode thriller Embassy, and Balfe has a busy year to come on the silver screen — a new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility; an Apple TV biopic about mountaineer Tenzing Norgay; and A Long Winter, Andrew Haigh’s highly anticipated follow-up to All of Us Strangers.
For Balfe, who became part of Outlander’s producing team alongside Heughan in season five, the show’s swan song actually allowed her to add another job to her résumé: TV director.
“It’s one thing [directing] some scenes in second unit, but going from a blank page or from your script and being like, ‘There you go. What are you going to do with it?’ was a little daunting,” Balfe admits of helming the second episode, titled “Prophecies,” which released on Friday. “But Jan Matthys, who directed episode one, was an incredible mentor to me throughout. We did our prep side by side, and he helped me a lot with learning how to approach things. I don’t think I ever had so much fun as I did in those five weeks. It was just brilliant.”
Speaking to THR ahead of the final season premiere in separate conversations that have been edited into the chat below, Balfe and Heughan open up about collaborating on her directorial debut, the life-or-death circumstances that threaten to tear Claire and Jamie apart for good — and why even they don’t know how Outlander will end.
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Caitríona, even though the style of the show is already so well-established and you couldn’t necessarily deviate from that aesthetic too much, how did you want to put your own stamp on this episode as a director?
CAITRÍONA BALFE The things that I love when I’m being directed — and what I love about watching things — is fluidity and naturalism, and that’s what I was looking to do. I was given a great script by Barbara Stepansky, and I was really lucky that she was also my supervising producer, so we were able to go through stuff in prep and really hone in [on specifics]. I was given some really fun and challenging things to do, like a little bear attack. (Laughs.) But I loved that momentum, and I could really make it feel alive and tense and just have a fun tempo throughout.
How many days were you given to direct your episode?
BALFE The schedule is the same for everybody. I had a lot of prep. I had more prep than normally because usually one director would do two episodes. So they always get five weeks of prep, whereas I got five weeks to do one episode — and I got that with Jan. Jan would be my eyes when I was in the scenes. But the actual directing days are 12-and-a-half days. It was crazy because sometimes you would be directing in the morning, and then acting in the other episode in the evening, in the afternoon, or vice versa. The best days were where I would be directing all day by myself or acting all day by myself. But that’s why the long prep was so crucial.
And it was amazing to be at the very beginning of the season, because as sets were getting built, I was able to have input. When they were building the big house, one of the examples [had] no verandas. I was like, “But as actors, where do we go? You’ve got to give us places to land.” (Laughs.) They were like, “Oh,” and then they adjusted the design of the house because of that. That part was really cool.
What did you make of the experience of trying to act and direct at the same time?
BALFE I did not love that part. (Laughs.) I don’t like being in it, because I feel like your attention is so split. Yes, you can set up a shot. But when you’re not in it, you’re constantly adjusting as you go and you’re seeing things. In the middle of a take, you might realize, “Actually, I’d rather the camera go here, or go there.” When you’re in the scene, you don’t have that same luxury. You set it up, you see the shot right before, you have a stand-in [actor], and then once you go into the scene, that’s it. You have to rely on someone else’s eyes.
As an actor, I always pride myself on being so present for my fellow actor. When you’re in the back of your head thinking about your next shot or what you need to do, there’s a little bit of you that’s not fully there, so it wasn’t my favorite day when I had to do both. I prepped in and out, and I had everything set up so that I was able to do that, but I definitely preferred the days when I was just directing or acting.
Caitríona, what did you make of the experience of directing Sam after having worked with him exclusively in one capacity for so long? And Sam, on the flip side, what was it like to be directed by your long-time co-star for a change?
BALFE I was so nervous about it. My very first day directing was a seven-page scene between himself and Richard, and I was like [deadpans], “Really, guys? This is my first day. Thank you!” But, actually, it was brilliant. I’ve always known Sam is brilliant, and when you’re in a scene with him, he’s the most incredible scene partner. But when you’re watching it as a director, it’s a whole other experience, and you get to see how absolutely incredible he is. There was challenging material, and he was just so open, and I walked away from it with a greater appreciation for him. We’re super close, and I’ve always felt like we’ve had a great relationship, but I feel like it solidified it more.
SAM HEUGHAN She’s very generous, but, of course, she’s a brilliant director because she’s a brilliant actress. She brought such enthusiasm and energy to it. I know she’s been wanting to direct for a long time — and who better to direct something than someone who’s been on the show for more than a decade? She let us do our thing, but then as she knows us so well, she would come up with a note here or there. I remember a lot of great energy and laughter on set, and her episode is some of the strongest in this season.
Sam, do you remember any of the direction Caitríona gave you?
HEUGHAN She definitely said, “Act better, be better, act faster.” (Laughs.) In that first scene with Richard, we were sawing wood and having this heart-to-heart, and I had the great idea that as we just finished sawing, I’d kick the branch off, which didn’t work. I think it was in the blooper reel. I’m constantly attacking this tree, trying to break this trunk, but I couldn’t. There was quite an emotional segment to that scene that ultimately never made the cut, but I felt very supported by her. We talked about it, she listened to our ideas and adapted what she was planning on doing, and then we shot something slightly different on the day. She’s an adaptable, great director.
Naturally, you two also had to shoot a sex scene for Caitríona’s directorial debut. Tobias Menzies has said that he wouldn’t be seen in the final season of Outlander, but we do hear his voice haunting Claire and Jamie in different ways, and that intimate scene is ultimately a fruitless attempt to quiet Frank’s voice in Jamie’s head. What was your approach to that sex scene from a character standpoint, and how did you want the intimacy between Claire and Jamie to evolve once last time?
BALFE My approach is [the same] anytime we do intimate scenes: “How do we make this part of the storytelling?” We have been so fortunate for so many seasons to have Vanessa Coffey be our intimacy coordinator. So between the three of us, I wanted to make something beautiful. I wanted to make something that was tender, but also part of this story. I wanted to have all of the complexities of what Jamie is going through and what Claire’s going through shine through in those moments. These are never easy. You try and design it as you want, and then because you’re in it on the day, you’re like, “Okay, I got to rely on other people and make sure that it’s going as I want,” but you just don’t have time in the day to watch back everything.
HEUGHAN Jamie, in that episode, is seeking comfort and solace in her, and yet there’s a lot still left unsaid. Jamie and Claire always reconnect physically, and it’s one of their strongest ways that they communicate with each other. They’re older, wiser and still extremely in love with each other, and there’s a lot of passion there — but it’s not the sort of early years. There’s something deeper rooted in their love for each other, and I hope people watch those scenes and see the Jamie and Claire that have evolved, but yet their love has deepened.
Claire is trying to wrestle with her second husband’s impending mortality while trying to make sense of why her first husband would write this book about him. Can you each give voice to your characters’ internal dialogue this season as Frank threatens to come between them again?
BALFE The whole Frank book thing was very complicated. For Claire, it’s hard to understand why Frank would’ve done this. They had such a strong contract when Claire had come back [to the 20th century from the 18th century] that she wouldn’t bring Jamie up again. She would put that part of her life aside, and she expected him to do the same. They lived for 20 years together, and she had no idea that he was researching or doing this. So when [Claire and Jamie’s daughter] Brianna [played by Sophie Skelton] brings the book back, it’s like, “Well, what was his purpose?” Anytime you’re faced with somebody’s mortality, especially your husband — especially given everything that they’ve just been through — it’s hard for her to understand where that is coming from. She’s living in fear of [Jamie’s death].
HEUGHAN This season you really see Jamie wrestling with his mortality. He has faced death multiple times, and he’s faced the loss of Claire before and lived through it, and he realizes now what he has to lose. He knows that he would happily die — well, not happily, but he would die as long as he knows that everyone’s okay. But he would never want to live without Claire, so he’s more fragile. He has more responsibility, but this one really does plague him a bit.
The fact that he’s given this information that he knows when he will die — really, he’s wrestling with whether Frank Randall is trying to help him or curse him in some way. Jamie and Claire have faced history before and known what happens in the future, and they’ve tried to change the future multiple times, but they know that never really works. So there’s that theme [of mortality] that runs through the whole of this season, because we’re not only saying goodbye to Jamie, but we’re saying goodbye to Outlander.
In the big cliffhanger at the end of last season, Claire and Jamie have been led to believe that Fanny could somehow be their granddaughter. That mystery will be unraveled in due time, but how are Claire and Jamie approaching that relationship with this young girl this season?
BALFE Fanny has lost so much in her young life already. She is somebody who feels very abandoned, and there’s been so many situations where she thinks she’s in a safe situation, and that gets pulled out from under her. For Claire and Jamie, obviously, they believe she’s their granddaughter, so they’re just so excited to have her in their lives and they want to know more, but [they’re] respecting the fact that this is a young girl who’s coming to terms with a lot of things. How would they ever explain that [lineage] to her? So it’s trying to give her a safe place and making her feel like she belongs, has a home and allowing her the time before they start trying to pry more and drop bombs on her about her lineage.
The introduction of Elspeth Cunningham (Frances Tomelty) and her son, retired British soldier Charles Cunningham (Kieran Bew), in this final season adds a new complication for Claire and Jamie as they return to Fraser’s Ridge. Caitríona, how would you characterize the evolution of Claire’s relationship with Elspeth — who makes quite the entrance in episode one by screaming at Fanny — this season?
BALFE The Cunninghams are a very interesting dynamic in the show. They’ve obviously arrived at the Ridge before Claire and Jamie came back, and they’ve established themselves and taken over in some aspects. Her introduction is pretty wild. (Laughs.) And to [scream like] that to a child — Claire gets over it pretty quickly. I’m not sure I would, but there’s then a very tentative respect that builds between the two women. For Claire, once she understands people’s past and their pain and their hardship, she can see maybe why they do some of the things they do — and that’s definitely the case with Elspeth. As Jamie is figuring out his relationship with [Charlie], Claire and Elspeth are wearily figuring out theirs, but there is a common respect between the two of them, in a way.
Sam, what does Jamie see in Charles that makes him so weary and suspicious of his true motives?
HEUGHAN I think the enemies are on every level in this season. Not only the external battle is coming and the possibility that Jamie could die in battle, but also internally within the Ridge. There’s this new power play, perhaps, but it’s hard to know. Jamie’s sixth sense is tingling, and he realizes that this guy has been gaining power and status on the Ridge since [Claire and Jamie have] been away [in North Carolina]. Jamie’s really trying to work out his allegiances, and we find out that also Cunningham fought on the other side against Jamie in battle. They are both hardened warriors. They’re both men that have been military men, but they’ve moved on from that — or have they? So Jamie’s really trying to find out a bit more about who he is, and he comes in the guise of a very chivalrous, charming man. He’s a worthy adversary, for sure, for Jamie.
In the third episode, Jamie admits that he still cannot get past the fact that, after believing Jamie had died in battle, Claire and Lord John Grey (David Berry) had a grief-induced, one-night stand that they have both admitted was a big mistake. Sam, do you think Jamie will ever be able to forgive these two for sleeping together? What would it take for him to forgive both of them?
HEUGHAN It’s so great because, at times, even reading it, you’re like, “God, Jamie, get over yourself. You know why [it happened]!” He totally understands why, but yet he still can’t get over himself. He’s still got that hotheaded jealousy that he’s had his whole life. The relationship with John Grey really has been tested — it’s been horrific what Jamie did to John Grey, and it’s always been a very intriguing and multifaceted relationship. It started in the strangest place with Jamie being a prisoner, but there’s always been this trust between the two of them, whether it’s Jamie asking him to look after his son Charles, or fighting on the same side. I’m talking around spoilers here, but I hope that they figure it out.
What is the dynamic like between Jamie and John when they come face-to-face again this season?
HEUGHAN Look, they’re both proud men. They’ve both been hurt in many ways, so it’s going to take a lot for them to reconcile with each other. But at the heart of it, there’s also a lot of love. So I, as Sam Heughan, hope that they reconcile, and I think the fans do too. Whether or not we allow that in our final season, who knows? But there’s been so much water under the bridge that I hope that this very strange [love] triangle doesn’t undo them, that they can find their friendship once more.
Your showrunner, Matthew B. Roberts, has revealed that you guys shot multiple endings, or there were at least multiple ways he could have ended the show. At this stage, do you even know which ending he chose, or are you just as in the dark as everyone else?
BALFE I’m just as in the dark as everybody else!
HEUGHAN Honestly, I don’t know. None of us do. None of us have seen it.
BALFE I think Matt had to [do it that way]. He wanted to do the show his way. I think a showrunner has to be the one who guides the show. It’s not TV showmaking by committee. So this season was interesting because normally we would get an outline of the whole season before we would start, and this season was the one season where I was most in the dark throughout the whole entire thing. So I had our first two episodes when we started, and then we would just find out as we got episodes throughout the season, which as a control freak was not always the easiest. (Laughs.) I’m not sure how he has chosen to end it, so we will find out with other people too. Look, I’m not a good secret keeper, so he probably chose the right thing to do.
HEUGHAN I had an ending that I wanted and I pushed for, and I know a few people did. I’m really excited because obviously we couldn’t finish [Diana Gabaldon’s] books. We couldn’t do the full 10 seasons, so we’ve had to make our own ending. We did come back for season eight to give something more satisfying for the audience and for ourselves, so I hope it serves everyone.
BALFE Obviously, I’m constantly trying to find out more information, because I’m like, “Tell me what is happening!” (Laughs.) But they were still working on the episodes [as we filmed], and I’m sure he had his plan from the get-go, but he was not sharing it.
HEUGHAN I know what I shot, and I know how hard I pressed him for certain things, so I’m hopeful that that’s what comes out. But I’m excited just to watch it and be a fan of Outlander myself. So, yeah, I think the fans will be happy.
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New episodes of Outlander will be available to stream every Friday on the Starz app and all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms.
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