‘Outlander’ Star Caitriona Balfe Reveals Why Season 5 Is Even Steamier for Jamie and Claire
Starz promised an end to “Draughtlander” when Outlander returns for season 5. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then the wait may result in even more love scenes between Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) to make up for it.
Balfe was on an Outlander panel for the Television Critics Association on January 14 and previewed Jamie and Claire’s relationship in season 5. Outlander returns Sunday, February 16 on Starz.
This ‘Outlander’ plot gives Jamie and Claire more time for love
Season 5 of Outlander sees Jamie and Claire settled into Fraser’s Ridge. Staying in one place means there aren’t as many distractions to their love affair.
“I think that the circumstances of this season have really allowed us to invest in those relationship moments,” Balfe said. “We see a lot more of the intimacy and the passion of Claire and Jamie, because we have that luxury of them being in one place a lot of the time and it’s so nice.”
Love is never easy on ‘Outlander’ though
That’s not to say everything is harmonious on Fraser’s Ridge. Caitriona Balfe said the day to day struggles still challenge Jamie and Claire on Outlander, but they’re able to work through them.
“We get to see how they work together as a couple, the strains and the pressures of these outside things, but they’re able to come together and touch base with each other and sort of support each other,” Balfe said. “It’s really lovely to see them just converse as a couple in this supportive and emotionally supportive way.”
One of those pressures is modern medicine
Fraser’s Ridge may give Claire and Jamie a stable home, but as a doctor, Claire is torn. She knows how to make penicillin so she can save her neighbors, but on Outlander there are consequences for inventing something before its time in history.
“It goes to that thing of playing God and playing with the course of history,” Balfe said. “Obviously, she had come back to the 18th century originally with her syringe and penicillin and we’ve seen how she’s used that in the past to save herself when she was sick and also save Jamie. So it’s something she’s already used in the past. It’s an essential thing to fight against infection.”
Claire may have used up her future penicillin but she still has modern-day medical knowledge she can use to help her Outlander costars.
“It will become necessary again later on in certain storylines, but it will also be the cause of a lot of pain and trouble for Claire further down the line,” Balfe said. “I do think we do play a lot with what are the consequences of testing fate and playing God. I mean, there are always consequences to these things.”
It’s not just medicine, it’s performing procedures that are easy in the 20th century, but considerably riskier in Outlander‘s 18th century.
“We see that she takes these big chances in exploring surgery that she would have done in the 20th century and also trying to maybe develop medicines that she would have used in the 20th century,” Balfe said. “That definitely is a very risky endeavor for Claire this season.”
