Claire Randall is the beating heart of Outlander, and according to star Caitriona Balfe, the character does something that’s both “surprising and shocking” in an upcoming Season 7 part 2 episode.
Randall (Balfe) is the WWII nurse who’s transported back in time in Outlander, where she meets and falls in love with Highland rebel and warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).
The Starz series has charted their romance for the last decade, with the first half of Season 7 airing in June and July of 2023, and the second half commencing on November 22, 2024, with upcoming Outlander air dates here.
The official S7 P2 synopsis states: “Jamie, Claire, and their family are caught in the violent birth pains of an emerging nation as armies march to war and British institutions crumble in the face of armed rebellion.”
According to Balfe, there’s also a major revelation in Claire’s near future, while she’s about to behave in a way that shocked the star.
During an interview with the actress about life after Outlander, we asked Balfe if there’s been a moment where Claire surprised her. “Many,” came the response. “I think over the years that’s one of the lovely things about playing her, she does constantly surprise me.”
Then Balfe teased something major happening in these upcoming episodes by saying: “This season in particular in fact – these episodes that are just about to be released – in Episode 11 she does something that’s completely surprising and shocking and as an actor, it’s always a challenge to figure out where that sits in your understanding of the character.
“But we in our own lives sometimes do things that surprise us and shock us and I think it’s nice that 10 years in I get to find that in the character that the writers are writing for me.”
New Outlander episodes will air weekly on Starz from Friday, November 22. For more on the show, here’s everything we know about Outlander Season 8, plus details of forthcoming prequel Blood of My Blood.