‘Outlander’ Star Caitriona Balfe Reveals Her Favorite Episodes
Caitriona Balfe has portrayed Claire Frasier for five seasons of Outlander. And as fans gear up for season 6, the actor is looking back at the series and revealing which episodes she loved most.
Caitriona Balfe reveals one of her favorite ‘Outlander episodes is the pilot
In a feature for TV Guide’s Outlander Forever Issue, Balfe talked about her favorite episodes and revealed that one she loves most is the series pilot. Season 1 Episode 1, titled “Sassenach,” first aired in August 2014.
It highlights the chain of events that sends Claire through time, from World War II Inverness, Scotland, into the middle of an 18th century battle between the Scottish Highlanders and the Redcoat army. There she meets Jamie Frasier (Sam Heughan) for the first time. And so begins their life-long romance.
“Claire was discovering her new world, as was I,” Balfe said of the episode. “For something to become a success, you need a certain alchemy, a certain magic, and it was apparent from day one on Episode 1 that we were lucky enough to have that on this show.”
One of her favorites is the episode in which Claire loses Faith
Balfe picked her favorite Outlander episodes from each season. And she revealed that the one that pushed her as an actor was Season 2, Episode 7, “Faith.”
Claire is pregnant with her and Jamie’s first child in the episode. But when she delivers a stillborn, Claire is devastated. Not only does she have power through her own condition, but Claire also has to save Jamie from punishment by sleeping with the French king.
“It was such a beautifully written script by Toni Graphia (executive producer),” Balfe told TV Guide. “And though it was a really painful and tough episode for Claire, as an actor, it really pushed me and made me find new depths in my work.”
Balfe also noted that she liked Season 3, Episode 3, “All Debts Paid,” because of how it “laid bare” all of Claire and her husband Frank’s (Tobias Menzies) pent up anger. She also suggested that she enjoyed Season 4, Episode 4, “Do No Harm,” because it highlighted real-life issues of slavery.
Catriona Balfe loved the ‘Outlander’ Season 5 episode that takes Claire’s mind through time
In the TV Guide issue, Balfe revealed that Outlander Season 5. Episode 12, “Never My Love,” is one she is especially proud of because of how it conveyed Claire’s pain. In the episode, Claire is raped by Lionel Brown’s men. And during the assault, her mind escapes and brings her entire family, including Jamie, into the future.
The Frasiers appear in modern times, dressed in ‘70s attire. And they seem to be living a normal, happy life in the future.
“It pushed us all to find new ways of telling this story,” Balfe explained. “And I loved the whole ’60s dreamlike element. To go within Claire’s mind during the attack felt like an empowering way of telling her story, and I’m proud of the work we did on that episode.”
Season 6 of Outlander premieres on March 6 on Starz.
