Though season four of Outlander has so far found Claire and Jamie more settled than ever before, these first six episodes have also really put Claire through the wringer. But following the brutal events of last week’s episode—in which Claire’s friend and fellow healer Adawehi was murdered by Herr Mueller, prompting the Cherokee tribe to kill Mueller in retribution—tonight’s episode offered a few moments of respite. “Blood of My Blood” features the return of Jamie’s son William, a moving moment between Claire and an ailing Lord John Grey, and a truly swoony ending in which Jamie gives Claire a ring that will be very, very familiar to book fans. Sure, the couple may be in mortal danger going into the back half of the season, but at least their love is stronger than ever.
Below, Catriona Balfe speaks to ELLE.com about the “horrific” events of last week’s episode, Claire’s loaded conversation with John, and the significance of that ring.
Last week’s episode dealt with the conflict between settlers and Native Americans in a very brutal way. How did you feel about that storyline?
Pretty quickly, Claire and Jamie had formed a good bond with their Cherokee neighbors. I think there’s a mutual respect there, especially when Claire meets with Adawehi, who’s a fellow healer, and they end up forming this really nice bond. What happens with the Muellers, it’s this idea about the fear that people bring with them when they come to a new place. Being on a frontier, in some ways they think they’re the first people there, but when you realize there are people already there, it becomes about this fear of “the other.” The Muellers are definitely guilty of that; Claire sort of tries to be a go-between and a translator, and it goes horribly wrong. It’s such a sad, awful moment, when Herr Mueller brings the scalp of Adawehi, and the first friend that Clare has made in this place is taken away. It’s a horrific thing.
In tonight’s episode, Lord John Grey tells Claire about the offer from Jamie. Her reaction is a little ambiguous—how do you think she takes the news?
I think she is just feeling so much compassion for the pain she can see Lord John Grey is in. I don’t think Claire is ever insecure about Jamie’s feelings for her, or about her feelings for Jamie, so I didn’t want to play that as her feeling threatened. But even though she’s not threatened, it’s not nice to hear. She understands how difficult it must have been for Jamie to make that offer, and the price he was willing to pay for the love of his son.
For me, her heart was breaking at the sadness of it, all the sadness that Jamie would be willing to do that for his son, but also the sadness that this man [Grey] is obviously so in love, and has carried this unrequited love with him for years, and she understands that. She understands what it’s like to love this man, and not be able to have him. I think she’s just in a place of compassion and sadness at this horrible, horrible situation.
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What does Jamie giving Claire the ring from the books mean to you?
It speaks to Jamie reaffirming that their love is solid. Claire has had this incident with John Grey, and even though she knows it and she believes it in her heart, for Jamie to have done this behind her back as this romantic gesture, it’s this reaffirming moment of how strong their bond is. It’s a really romantic moment, super sweet, and I think the fans have been wanting to see that ring for quite a long time! It’s a little moment for them too.
Brianna went through the stones in episode five, suggesting she and Claire will be reunited soon. How do you think their separation has impacted Claire?
In the beginning of the season, there’s so much for Claire to be happy about in one way. She came back, she found Jamie, they have a small extended family with them, they’re starting to build their life. But obviously it’s come at a huge price because her daughter, her flesh and blood, has been left behind, and essentially, Claire believes that she’ll never see her again. It’s the one thing that still causes her a lot of pain, and I think we definitely wanted to explore that and keep that quite fresh. As we probably know, they may or may not see each other again, but at this point Claire doesn’t know that. It’s a nice way to counterbalance later on in the season.
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What can we expect from the back half of the season?
Hmm… [laughing] Well, I think some characters are going to do some travelling. I think families are going to be reunited, and I think there’s another search on the way.
What about the revelation that Jamie and Claire apparently die in a fire at Fraser’s Ridge within the next 12 years?
I know that Diana’s about to release her tenth book, and I’ve heard we’re still in it! We’ve been picked up for another two seasons and as far as I know, Sam and I are still in it, so I have to imagine that maybe they get to a ripe old age before that happens. Maybe.
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