#it is VERY nice to finally see tobias menzies in something where he ACTUALLY gets to be british 😂😂

[stevethehairington]

finally gave in and started watching outlander

[love-little-lotte]

My Top 11 Favorite Outlander Episodes (Seasons 1-3)

Hello! I’m back again with another Outlander post haha. What did you guys think of the latest episode? Wasn’t much of a fan of it (what the hell, Roger?) but I’m kind of looking forward for the next episodes now. 

But that’s not what this post is going to be about. I mentioned from my Outlander Obsession post that I would like to discuss about the cast and characters of Outlander, much like I did with The Handmaid’s Tale before. But then I realized that there are so, so, so many Outlander characters that made an impression and it would be impossible to fit them in one post. So, I decided to make a Top 11 Favorite Outlander episodes. 

These episodes are entirely my favorites. So I don’t care if you agree with me. I’m just sharing to you my fave episodes. You can definitely share your own as well. I also chose episodes from the first three seasons because Season 4 is just starting. Maybe I’ll make another one when Season 4 is done. 

So, shall we begin?

#11: Season 1, Episode 15 - Wentworth Prison

This episode was such a roller coaster, I swear. Since I don’t know anything about Outlander (I just recently started reading the first book, thanks to a suggestion), I was caught off guard when this episode happened. I don’t really have the stomach for torture scenes, so this one almost made me cry. The next episode is more, um, detailed for sure and is more harrowing than this one, but I couldn’t bring myself to rewatch that episode just yet. 

The Wentworth Prison episode, however, is more bearable to watch. I especially love Claire in this episode, since she portrayed a strong modern woman. Jamie rescues her a lot - when she was almost assaulted by Black Jack Randall and the one with the witch trial - and now, we get to see her rescue him. Despite the dangers ahead, she didn’t stay put and she was ready to risk everything.

This also highlighted the acting chops of Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, and Tobias Menzies. They were definitely convincing as their characters, especially Sam and Tobias. I bet this was not an easy episode to shoot (as well as the next one), but hats off to them! 

#10: Season 2, Episode 11 - Vengeance is Mine

Ah, this was such an entertaining episode. I watched this in a public place on my phone while I was eating lunch, and I had to stop myself from screaming when the Duke died. The Duke of Sandringham is one of those characters that you love to hate! And it was such a pleasure to watch him die (most fittingly) in Murtagh’s hands. Mary also got her revenge to the man who raped her, which really ruined her prospects with the love of her life, Alex Randall.

Claire, also once again, became the heroine of the day when she sacrificed herself so that the Redcoats would leave them alone. Thanks to her quick thinking, she was able to save Jamie and the others, and crossed paths once again with Mary, saving her as well. 

#09: Season 3, Episode 1 - The Battle Joined

Finally! All of the events in the first two seasons led up to the historic Battle of Culloden, and it was a delight to see it. Though they only had snippets of it, it was so satisfying to see Jamie finally end Randall’s life. He finally got his revenge! But this triumph is temporary, when Jamie wakes to realize that most of his friends lost their lives in the battle, and that Claire is not there with him. 

Claire, on the other hand, is adjusting to her new life in Boston with Frank. It wasn’t easy, of course, but she was able to make life bearable. She learned to have a new relationship with Frank, even though it was not what they had before. Not only has she to overcome her new relationship with Frank, but also her status as a woman in the 40s, especially since she was regarded as one of the bravest women back in the 18th century Scotland. 

#08: Season 1, Episode 1 - Sassenach 

The episode that started it all. I started watching Outlander because I was bored one Sunday afternoon, but when I watched the first episode, I knew that I came across something special. 

The episode showed a small backstory of Claire in the war and her relationship with Frank, which made us sympathize her character when she time travelled to the 18th century. It also showed us Claire and Jamie’s first meeting with the dislocated shoulder scene! Sparks were definitely flying when they first met, I swear. The title of the episode is also one of my favorite term of endearments Jamie uses for Claire. 

#07: Season 2, Episode 4 - La Dame Blanche 

I have a soft spot for period dramas and dinner episodes haha. Maybe it’s an after-effect of Downton Abbey. 

Other than that scene though, this also introduced us to another villain in the Frasers’ life - Comte St. Germain. That piece of shit tried to poison our favorite feminist icon but being the baddest bitch that she is, she survived. This was also the episode when Claire finally reveals to Jamie that Black Jack Randall is actually alive, and that he will get his revenge. Jamie also got over (more or less) his traumatic experience, and finally has sex with Claire after months. 

#06: Season 2, Episode 13 - Dragonfly in Amber

This episode reduced me to tears! So many goodbyes. So many heartache. My poor heart can’t take it. Though there was a small piece of happiness (Claire is pregnant, again!), it was also the reason why Claire has to go back to her own time for the safety of her unborn child. 

Claire and Jamie’s tearful goodbye were so heartfelt and real, and both Cait and Sam acted so perfectly in that episode. I especially love Jamie’s lines: “Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God, I loved her well” before making love to Claire one last time. In the end, though, we find out that Jamie never really died in the Battle of Culloden and Claire makes up her mind to go back to see him again. 

Oh, and we also get to see Brianna, Claire and Jamie’s daughter. She’s an interesting character, for sure, and I can’t wait to see more of her. 

#05: Season 3, Episode 6 - A. Malcolm 

Yes! The most awaited reunion! After 20 years of being separated from each other, they finally reunite. Even though they’re much, much older than they last met, the passion is still burning and the love they feel for each other is still there.

Aside from the most-awaited love scenes, my favorite scene in this episode is Jamie finally seeing photographs of Brianna. It was such a wonderful moment, that after 20 years of not knowing what happened to his wife and daughter, he is finally aware that the sacrifice he made 20 years ago was worth it. The couple also had a lot to talk about after not seeing for so many years. I watched the whole season 3 in, like, a day so I cannot imagine the agony the fans had to endure while waiting for this episode haha. 

#04: Season 1, Episode 7 - The Wedding 

Ah, of course. You can’t have a Top Favorite Outlander Episodes without including this episode. This episode showed Claire and Jamie’s first kiss (which was weirdly during their wedding lmao) and their first love scene/s (they had sex, like, three times in this episode). 

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t think Claire was in love with Jamie when she married him, but she was obviously drawn to him, and she felt a strong attachment. This was the beginning of an understanding Claire and Jamie shares - may it be physically, or romantically.

Plus, the costumes and setting were breathtaking. Claire’s wedding gown was absolutely charming, as well as the wedding place. It really gave me the 18th century feels. The flashbacks were also nicely put, as it gave more personality to other characters. 

#03: Season 1, Episode 9 - The Reckoning 

Correct me if I’m mistaken, but this was the first episode that Jamie was narrating, instead of Claire. We finally get to hear what he was thinking about the entire time. It was also in this episode where he truly admitted that he was indeed falling in love with Claire.

Claire and Jamie also get their first major fight as a married couple. The whole screaming match they shared was so... entertaining to watch haha. I could watch the two of them bantering the whole day, I swear. And when they forgave each other? Gah, tears me up all the time. 

Though the whole “disciplining the wife” scene was cringey, I guess it was still necessary especially because this was set in the 18th century, and husbands really do that to their wives. Jamie apologized in the end, though, and promised never to do that again and they had the most mind-blowing sex scene in the whole series lmao. 

#02: Season 2, Episode 7 - Faith 

This was one of the saddest episodes, ever. Or probably the saddest one. Claire losing her baby was such a punch to the gut. The whole scene with Claire singing to the baby was also such a heartbreaking moment. Claire is not a stranger to losing family members, since her own parents died when she was really young, but losing a child is something she never even imagined, also probably because she thought she could never conceive. 

The whole scene with the Comte and Raymond was also a nail-biter. The whole thing was directed perfectly and without flaw, and I love seeing the Comte receive his bitter end. Claire is someone you would not like to mess with. 

Caitriona Balfe in this episode was such a force to be reckoned with. Her acting chops were truly highlighted in this episode, and I could definitely feel her pain and anguish. I couldn’t imagine how she handled those feels, because ah, she was so amazing in this one. 

#01: Season 1, Episode 11 - The Devil’s Mark 

This episode is the best, really. The directing, the acting of everyone, the whole thing leading up to the witch trial... ah! Geilles is actually one of my favorite characters, even though she’s a villain. She’s tough and clever, and I have a weakness for female villains because it’s such a breather. Geilles is a very interesting character, for sure.

I’ve already suspected that Geilles was something else, when Claire saw her dance in the woods before, so I wasn’t really surprised when she was also from the future. Lotte Verbeek’s acting was so good, and I couldn’t imagine a better Geilles than her. 

Also, I always believed that this was the episode Claire finally realized that she’s really in love with Jamie. She finally trusts him enough to tell him the truth. And despite all of that, Jamie accepts her and even took her to Craigh na Dun so that she can be together with Frank again. He was ready to give up his happiness, his love for her, so that she could be happy.

But Claire didn’t go through the stones. She decided to stay with Jamie because yes, she’s in love with her. She also told him to bring her home to Lallybroch. It was actually in the next episode where they say “I love you” to each other, but her staying is also a sure sign that she was indeed has serious feelings for him. 

So, there you have it - my Top 11 Favorite Outlander episodes. Most of them are from the first two seasons, because those two are my favorites are more memorable to me. 

This is probably going to be the last lengthy Outlander post I’m going to make, unless there’s something exciting that will happen in the future episodes and I’ll have to rant about it haha. 

[fuckyeahjamieandclaire]

Against all odds, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) survived the Battle of Culloden and made it home at the end of Episode 1 of the third season of Outlander. His life was hanging by a thread — and not for lack of trying to die — but when Episode 2 airs, Jamie has moved out of Lallybroch and into a cave in the hills above his home to keep his family safe.Hiding from the Red Coats, who are still searching for traitors, is a lonely life, and the Dun Bonnet, as Jamie is now called, grows weary of his existence and comes up with a plan to change things up.In an exclusive interview with Heughan at Comic-Con, Parade talked to the Scot about Jamie’s long-awaited confrontation with Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies); his despair of being alive and knowing that Claire (Caitriona Balfe) is too, but so far in the future, he can’t reach her, so she might as well be dead;  the most difficult scenes to film in Season 3; and more.

Season 3 is different because Jamie and Claire are not together in the beginning and they’re not just separated, they’re eras apart. How do you handle that because there’s a lot of grief involved?  It’s like somebody died.

He knows that she’s gone back to live her life and to care for their unborn child, but to him, she’s dead. He’s going off to the battlefield to die, basically to commit suicide because he knows that’s the outcome. He’s going to stick with his men. That’s the honorable thing to do. He doesn’t expect to survive so then, that’s the problem: How does he survive having lost the person he loved?

Of course, he lives in the memory of her and lives in the fact that he’s completely in love with her, but he’s never going to see her again and he has to come to terms with that. In episode three, “All Debts Paid,” when he does go on this fool’s errand of trying to find her when he thinks that she could have possibly come back, he actually realizes, “You know what? She’s dead. She’s gone.” I think that’s it and he has to move on. So, it is sort of a death.

A big element of the season is the Battle of Culloden. What was it like to film that?

It doesn’t tell you what happened, the logistics of it, but, what it does do beautifully is weaves this tale of the end of the people that we’ve grown to love, this race of Scots, and the end of their culture. It weaves it in beautifully with the stuff that’s going on in Boston.

On the battlefield, Jamie’s losing his blood and he’s getting closer and closer to death. Where Claire appears to him [in a vision] is the point where actually he takes his last breath, and that’s the moment where he’s just about to be released to the stars or the heavens or whatever, and then at that moment Rupert appears.

I loved that moment where Jamie and Black Jack lock eyes and you know their fight is the culmination of everything that’s come before in their relationship.

We worked on it for a while, but there’s something in the exhaustion and it goes heightened and they die in this embrace. There’s a lot of hugging involved. Because of their past, I think it’s a very interesting moment when Tobias almost says, “Claire.” I think when he is so out of it and he’s just at his last stroke, I think he says, “Claire.” I’m pretty sure on the day I was like, “That’s what you’re doing.”  It might not be, but that was how I interpreted it.

In real life, you have only aged one year since Season 2, but your characters are aging 20 years by the time they get back together in Season 3. Talk about having to portray your character at an older point in his life and when they come back together is it a more mature love?

I think they have absolutely grown up. When we first started, she was a more experienced woman and he’s young and falling in love. But it was that their love was brand-new and they were finding each other for the first time. This time, they’ve lived their own lives separately so they reconnect on, “Oh, it’s you. I know this person.” And there’s a great joy of that but then it’s the rediscovery. There are parallels to Season 1 even in the way the episodes are written, shot and play out.

The moment in the print shop that is teased in the trailer that everybody wants to see, what was that like?

It’s great. There was a lot of anticipation about that moment but, honestly, for me that’s not the moment. Personally, it’s not. I think it’s everything that happens before and everything that happens afterwards. The moment they see each other, of course, to him it’s a complete shock. It goes through from the print shop onward to then going on this adventure journey in Jamaica.

What was it like working on those ships in South Africa?

I’m really excited because we’re going to new places. The show started in Scotland and it’s about these particular people and this particular place. Now it’s really going somewhere else. By the end of the season, we’ve reached America so it’s the New World. There’s so much to explore in that.

It’s like the only thing the viewer has now is the characters to anchor themselves to. Everything else is new and, I think, there’s so much of a scope for options of things we could explore in the next season. Obviously, we’ve got the books to go on but it’s been nice to take these characters, who we think we know and we do, but see them in different situations.  Who knew that Jamie was a great sailor? Eventually.  [laughing] Terrible at first.

Because they’ve had so much adventure, do you think that they could ever just settle down and live a quiet life?

That’s what Jamie wants. He’s been desperate.

Is that what he thinks he wants or is it what he really wants?

It’s what he thinks he wants. He just wants to be at home. He said it in every season, “I just want to be home and have hundreds of kids and have a quiet life.”

What were some of the most difficult scenes that you had to film this season?

I feel like the finale was the toughest. It was just physically tough. Without giving away too much, there’s a lot of different environments in the last episode and just physically I was battered by the end of it. For instance, even our first day of shooting on the boat was incredible. You stand on these boats, they’re actually on wheels in the middle of the desert, but, somehow with the wind going and the sails up, it feels like you’re on this amazing galley, and suddenly, they’ve got water cannons going and sprays.

Were you injured this season?

It’s a very physical show. Caitriona and I — it’s very physical between us and it’s usually in the most uncomfortable places. It may look great for camera being passionate on the floor, or on a carpet, or on a boat, but actually it’s really uncomfortable. You go home and it’s, “I’ve got carpet burns,” or “I’ve got bruises on me.”

Last season, there were the beautiful clothes in France. This year, Jamie spends time living in a cave and in prison. What’s it like to do a whole different look?

In my case, Jamie’s appearance changes a lot this season because he plays different people. He doesn’t want to be Jamie. In fact, he goes by many different names this season. I enjoyed caveman Jamie, but it was horrendous. It’s so uncomfortable wearing a beard glued to your face and the wig, but it all helped toward the character of the Dun Bonnet. It’s nice to be able to do something different and I think it’s been a nice progression in every season. Jamie’s wearing the same clothes he wore in Season 2, but that’s the joy of it.  Season 2 they were beautiful French Parisian clothing and clean, and by the end of Season 3, they’ve lived for 20 years and there’s holes in them, they’re covered in dust and they’ve been stitched up and broken down. I think that’s amazing to see where that fashion goes. It tells a story.

What is it like seeing Claire in the future when you watch the episodes?

I felt, “She’s so forward of her time. She’s a pioneer.” Because we generally see Claire in the past and she’s from the future. We kind of take it for granted that she’s doing this because she’s from the future. But actually, in her own time, she’s still pushing the boundaries and I think that’s really interesting. She is a mouthy, very forward thinking woman and I think it’s amazing. She’s inspiring people.

Outlander could potentially be ten books. Are you in for the whole time?

We’ve signed for seven. We’re about to do Season 4.

You’re currently filming The Spy Who Dumped Me.

I’m very lucky that it fit in. Yeah, I’m extremely fortunate. Ultimately, the biggest lesson I’ve already learned doing this other job is how good Outlander is. It really is because it makes me realize how efficient, how much planning, and how vast the production is. We have to shoot, basically, a feature every month, two hours worth. It’s ridiculous how much we have to do. It’s incredible that it gets done.

[fuckyeahclairebeauchamp]

Claire Randall Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) knew when she went back through the stones to the future, she was leaving Jamie (Sam Heughan) behind forever. She did it for the sake of their unborn child, because as she told Parade, “If it hadn’t been for Brianna, Claire would have stayed with Jamie, would have gone to Culloden, and would have gladly died on that battlefield next to him.”

But she does have Brianna (Sophie Skelton) to care for, so it’s back to Frank (Tobias Menzies) and the 1940s for Claire, as she promised Jamie. Over the years, Claire and Frank both put their best foot forward to share a harmonious marriage, but the ghost of Jamie always comes between them.

“Many people have marriages of convenience in some way, and, I think, that’s what Claire and Frank essentially have in the end,” Balfe says. “There is love there, there’s respect there for sure, and she admires the father that he is, the man that he is, but there’s no passion there. There’s no intimacy, really. They’ve forged this alliance which is, ‘We’re going to coexist, we’re going to support each other, and we’re going to raise this daughter the best that we can.’”

So Claire devotes her energies to becoming a doctor, which we will get to see when the “All Debts Paid” episode airs Sunday night.

But before tuning in, check out our exclusive interview with Balfe, in which we discuss how Claire gets past her grief at being separated from Jamie, her marriage of convenience, Claire as a doctor, leaving her daughter behind, and more.

Season 3 is different because Jamie and Claire are separated, not just by miles, but by centuries.

Well, they both believed each other has died, so for them, they’re both widows when we meet them. And they both deal with it in very different ways and they both are in very different circumstances. For Claire, she can’t collapse and do nothing because she has a child to look after.  So, I think that’s a big drive for her to try and move on, even though it’s heartbreaking. It’s difficult in that time to be a single mother, so when Frank offers her this solution or this refuge, in a way, she has to take that opportunity. I think that she feels that because Jamie is dead her only option is to try and push forward.

The character of Claire feels different when she goes back to the 1940’s. The word brittle comes to my mind. Where you think her head is when she first comes back?

I think this goes back to the previous question. She’s a woman who is in grief, but doesn’t really have the opportunity or the luxury to express that, so there’s a lot of suppressed emotion. She’s a lot more, brittle is a good word, but repressed. The Claire that we know from previous seasons is very earthy and elemental, I always think of that with her and Jamie. But I think she’s going to stay on that path until she meets Jamie again, and then you see her shed those layers.

The scene in Episode 1 where Dean Jackson is telling her that women can’t be doctors, I was like, “Oh, my gosh. What a chauvinist.”

I think that’s the moment she decides she’s going to go to medical school.

Frank knew that what his boss was saying was really annoying Claire, but he kept still.

I think he had to. We have to remember the social requirements of that era. Frank’s starting a new position at a very prestigious university and he has to kowtow to his superiors in a way. But then, the scene after that when they’re walking out, he checks in on her and he’s, “Are you sure you’re all right?” I think there had been a line later on, I think it got dropped in the edit, but it was something about, “I’m surprised you didn’t go after that guy.” I think you could sort of see it just in the looks.

In real life, you have only aged one year but your characters are aging 20 by the time they get back together. What is it like to portray your characters at an older point in their life?

I think a decision was made early on that we didn’t want to do loads of prosthetics. Hopefully, we have a long way to go with the show and you want to leave places to go, first of all, but it’s very hard to make a lot of prosthetics look natural and real. We all wanted to do it more about how the character feels and how the character carries themselves rather than it be about adding tons of wrinkles or whatever. Obviously, we both have changes in our hair and there’s a little bit more salt and pepper in there, but also Claire is 50; Jamie is only 43.

That’s not super old and in the books Diana [Gabaldon] talks about how well they’ve aged. But, it was an interesting opportunity to get to play an older woman and to be able to show those things on TV, because I think it’s a taboo, this whole thing about aging in our culture at the moment.

When they come back together is it a more mature love or because they have been apart is it the same young love that they had?

I think in terms of the relationship, actually, it’s: Who are you now? Who have you grown into? Within that, there’s also a slight regression. It’s like when you go home, you’re always going to be sort of a teenager in your parents’ house. It’s the same with Jamie and Claire; they meet on such a fundamental soul level that they’re always going to be slightly ageless with each other, so the passion is still there and all of that.

What was it like working on the ships in South Africa?

First of all, when we got to South Africa, it was 28, 30 degrees one day at work. For me, there was a little while where it was just me and a bunch of sailors. It’s just so different and these sets are so contained. You’re so dependent on the wind, or if it’s too much wind. It was just logistically such a different experience. But, the sets are beautiful. I think it’s going to add such an incredibly interesting dynamic to the show.

Because they’ve had so much adventure, do you think that Jamie and Calire could ever settle down and live a quiet life?

I would say with Claire, her whole thing in Season 1 was she’s never lived anywhere long enough to have a home. Probably Boston was the longest she’s been anywhere for any length of time. I do think it’s possible. But, I do think they are sometimes their best selves when faced with adversity.

What’s it like working with an actress — Sophie Skelton — who’s only 14 years younger than you and couldn’t really be your daughter?

Sophie is, first of all, amazing. It’s been so nice to work with her and it’s been so nice to have her around. She’s such a lovely girl, she’s such a talented actress and we have a lot of fun together.

How does Claire bring herself to decide she can leave her daughter behind and go back through the stones ?

That was a really tough part. I can’t imagine ever doing that. We talked a lot with the writers about how to convey that and, at one point, there was a conversation that Claire has with Roger (Richard Rankin) and it was like, “This conversation should be with Bree.” I think the only reason she could go is that Bree finally is the one that tells her to go. Without Bree’s permission, she never could do it.

Last season we had those beautiful clothes in France. What’s it like to do a whole different look?

For me, I just adored the ‘60s looks. It’s such a glamorous era. There’s so many of the outfits that I was begging [costume designer] Terry [Dresbach] to make me doubles or let me take things home at the end of the season. It’s such a glamorous era and it was also nice to play with how Claire is now a powerful professional but also very reserved. It was nice to see that represented in her clothes as well.

This could potentially be ten books. Are you in for the whole time?

We’ve signed for seven. We’ll be age appropriate by the time we get there.

[fuckyeahjamieandclaire]

Claire Randall Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) knew when she went back through the stones to the future, she was leaving Jamie (Sam Heughan) behind forever. She did it for the sake of their unborn child, because as she told Parade, “If it hadn’t been for Brianna, Claire would have stayed with Jamie, would have gone to Culloden, and would have gladly died on that battlefield next to him.”

But she does have Brianna (Sophie Skelton) to care for, so it’s back to Frank (Tobias Menzies) and the 1940s for Claire, as she promised Jamie. Over the years, Claire and Frank both put their best foot forward to share a harmonious marriage, but the ghost of Jamie always comes between them.

“Many people have marriages of convenience in some way, and, I think, that’s what Claire and Frank essentially have in the end,” Balfe says. “There is love there, there’s respect there for sure, and she admires the father that he is, the man that he is, but there’s no passion there. There’s no intimacy, really. They’ve forged this alliance which is, ‘We’re going to coexist, we’re going to support each other, and we’re going to raise this daughter the best that we can.’”

So Claire devotes her energies to becoming a doctor, which we will get to see when the “All Debts Paid” episode airs Sunday night.But before tuning in, check out our exclusive interview with Balfe, in which we discuss how Claire gets past her grief at being separated from Jamie, her marriage of convenience, Claire as a doctor, leaving her daughter behind, and more. 

Season 3 is different because Jamie and Claire are separated, not just by miles, but by centuries.

Well, they both believed each other has died, so for them, they’re both widows when we meet them. And they both deal with it in very different ways and they both are in very different circumstances. For Claire, she can’t collapse and do nothing because she has a child to look after.  So, I think that’s a big drive for her to try and move on, even though it’s heartbreaking. It’s difficult in that time to be a single mother, so when Frank offers her this solution or this refuge, in a way, she has to take that opportunity. I think that she feels that because Jamie is dead her only option is to try and push forward.

The character of Claire feels different when she goes back to the 1940’s. The word brittle comes to my mind. Where you think her head is when she first comes back?

I think this goes back to the previous question. She’s a woman who is in grief, but doesn’t really have the opportunity or the luxury to express that, so there’s a lot of suppressed emotion. She’s a lot more, brittle is a good word, but repressed. The Claire that we know from previous seasons is very earthy and elemental, I always think of that with her and Jamie. But I think she’s going to stay on that path until she meets Jamie again, and then you see her shed those layers.

The scene in Episode 1 where Dean Jackson is telling her that women can’t be doctors, I was like, “Oh, my gosh. What a chauvinist.”

I think that’s the moment she decides she’s going to go to medical school.

Frank knew that what his boss was saying was really annoying Claire, but he kept still.

I think he had to. We have to remember the social requirements of that era. Frank’s starting a new position at a very prestigious university and he has to kowtow to his superiors in a way. But then, the scene after that when they’re walking out, he checks in on her and he’s, “Are you sure you’re all right?” I think there had been a line later on, I think it got dropped in the edit, but it was something about, “I’m surprised you didn’t go after that guy.” I think you could sort of see it just in the looks.

In real life, you have only aged one year but your characters are aging 20 by the time they get back together. What is it like to portray your characters at an older point in their life?

I think a decision was made early on that we didn’t want to do loads of prosthetics. Hopefully, we have a long way to go with the show and you want to leave places to go, first of all, but it’s very hard to make a lot of prosthetics look natural and real. We all wanted to do it more about how the character feels and how the character carries themselves rather than it be about adding tons of wrinkles or whatever. Obviously, we both have changes in our hair and there’s a little bit more salt and pepper in there, but also Claire is 50; Jamie is only 43.

That’s not super old and in the books Diana [Gabaldon] talks about how well they’ve aged. But, it was an interesting opportunity to get to play an older woman and to be able to show those things on TV, because I think it’s a taboo, this whole thing about aging in our culture at the moment.

When they come back together is it a more mature love or because they have been apart is it the same young love that they had?

I think in terms of the relationship, actually, it’s: Who are you now? Who have you grown into? Within that, there’s also a slight regression. It’s like when you go home, you’re always going to be sort of a teenager in your parents’ house. It’s the same with Jamie and Claire; they meet on such a fundamental soul level that they’re always going to be slightly ageless with each other, so the passion is still there and all of that.

What was it like working on the ships in South Africa?

First of all, when we got to South Africa, it was 28, 30 degrees one day at work. For me, there was a little while where it was just me and a bunch of sailors. It’s just so different and these sets are so contained. You’re so dependent on the wind, or if it’s too much wind. It was just logistically such a different experience. But, the sets are beautiful. I think it’s going to add such an incredibly interesting dynamic to the show.

Because they’ve had so much adventure, do you think that Jamie and Calire could ever settle down and live a quiet life?

I would say with Claire, her whole thing in Season 1 was she’s never lived anywhere long enough to have a home. Probably Boston was the longest she’s been anywhere for any length of time. I do think it’s possible. But, I do think they are sometimes their best selves when faced with adversity.

What’s it like working with an actress — Sophie Skelton — who’s only 14 years younger than you and couldn’t really be your daughter?

Sophie is, first of all, amazing. It’s been so nice to work with her and it’s been so nice to have her around. She’s such a lovely girl, she’s such a talented actress and we have a lot of fun together.

How does Claire bring herself to decide she can leave her daughter behind and go back through the stones ?

That was a really tough part. I can’t imagine ever doing that. We talked a lot with the writers about how to convey that and, at one point, there was a conversation that Claire has with Roger (Richard Rankin) and it was like, “This conversation should be with Bree.” I think the only reason she could go is that Bree finally is the one that tells her to go. Without Bree’s permission, she never could do it.

Last season we had those beautiful clothes in France. What’s it like to do a whole different look?

For me, I just adored the ‘60s looks. It’s such a glamorous era. There’s so many of the outfits that I was begging [costume designer] Terry [Dresbach] to make me doubles or let me take things home at the end of the season. It’s such a glamorous era and it was also nice to play with how Claire is now a powerful professional but also very reserved. It was nice to see that represented in her clothes as well.

This could potentially be ten books. Are you in for the whole time?

We’ve signed for seven. We’ll be age appropriate by the time we get there.