Outlander Stars Talks Witch Hunts, Claire's Revelation and More: Post-Mortem

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Talk about a game changer of an episode, right Outlander Fanatics?

While we were pretty sure Claire wouldn’t be burned at the stake for being a witch in Outlander Season 1 Episode 11, how about her forging a stronger relationship with Geillis,...who revealed a 20th Century birthmark which Claire realized meant she is also a time traveler?!?

And if that wasn’t enough, after being saved, Claire finally told Jamie everything ... and instead of returning to her 1940s husband Frank, Claire couldn’t leave Jamie and didn’t pass back through Craigh na Dun.

Whoa!

What does all this mean moving forward in Outlander Season 1? What new threat is waiting for the loving couple? I chatted with stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan recently (the earlier half of this interview can be found here) to gather up scoop on all we can expect moving forward.

Claire, Captive - Outlander

TV Fanatic: Caitriona, talk about that realization that Geillis Duncan is also from another time. How much does that play into where we go next since Claire knows she’s not the only one.

Caitriona Balfe: I think that’s the trigger for her confessing to Jamie everything. Now the whole landscape of where she is has changed. Now she knows that it’s possible now that there are other people and it’s also possible that perhaps she can go back…or is it?

So, it has opened up a whole world of new possibilities and responsibility as well. I think that’s the thing that’s changes. I think now she realizes that it’s not just about her anymore and her journey to try to get back, there is a lot more at stake.

TVF: We see that she goes to the rock and Jamie thinks she’s left and then she returns to him. Do you think it was a hard decision for Claire to stay?

CB: I do. I think it was a very hard decision. Obviously the pull of love is very strong but I think that Claire is a much more complicated woman than just being like, “Well I love him so I’m going to stay.” I don’t think it was that easy for her.

I think that she really felt like choosing to leave would cause so much pain to [Jamie] whereas when she left the 1940s that was by accident. I think that she probably thought “Well, Frank has probably grieved already, he may be starting to get on with his life.”  Does she fracture all of that again and cause heartbreak?

Then there is, of course, the love that she has for Jamie. Would she ever be able to go back and love Frank the way that she’s experienced now? No. So, I think it was a very complicated decision for her.

TVF: Sam, when Claire finally tells Jamie, I was really drawn to how you played the scene with Jamie’s reaction. Tell me about some of the choices that you made in playing the scene.

Sam Heughan: That’s a hard thing to get your head around isn’t it? But ultimately it comes out of what’s just happened at the Witch Trial. He’s always known [Claire has] got a secret. He’s always seen something different about her. So, surprising things about her are not as surprising. Having said that, it’s a huge thing.

I think the way I played it was that, he sort of goes into himself and he has to question…not whether I believe her, but what he really feels about her and, ultimately, he trusts her. He trusts her word. He knows that she’s speaking the truth. She believes what she’s saying so he believes her but that doesn’t mean that he can get his head around it. I think he even says, “I trust you. I trust your word, I can’t understand a word of it,” but for now that’s enough. She believes it so he will believe it.

Then in the next three episodes, they do talk about it, they do discuss it and obviously down the line they use her knowledge for the future, for other purposes. It’s a big ask of someone but that just goes to show that he does value her work but it’s a very simple thing. If I’m in this relationship, I’m going to be grownup about this then I’ve got to believe what she tells me is the truth. That’s a big ask of someone.

Outlander airs Saturdays at 9/8c on Starz.

Jim Halterman is the West Coast Editor of TV Fanatic and the owner of JimHalterman.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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Outlander Season 1 Episode 11 Quotes

Drink tonight, Claire, for tomorrow our ashes will be scattered to the four winds.

Geillis

Claire: Is that what I think it is?
Geillis: It's not a May pole, Claire.