'Outlander' Stars Preview Jamie's 'Great Revelation' and a Big Reunion
Outlander is changing locales to lavish Paris in Season 2 (premiering in April), but the horrors Claire and Jamie suffered back in Scotland will follow them to their new home.
Jamie is “definitely still affected by the trauma” of his rape at the hands of Black Jack Randall, star Sam Heughan said Friday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena. However, “it’s not the primary focus of the season,” the actor noted.
“Time is a great healer, and ultimately, [Jamie] puts his whole body and soul into this mission about changing history,” Heughan previewed. “And there is a great revelation that cures him, or brings him out of himself. I can’t tell you what that is, but it certainly brings back the old Jamie.”
Get a behind-the-scenes peek at Outlander Season 2 right here:
The couple’s plot to subvert the Jacobite rebellion will also reveal a new side of Jamie that even his portrayer didn’t know about. “He’s playing someone else. He’s being quite deceptive… and he does it very well,” Heughan said. “[I admire] his humor and buoyancy and his natural ability to keep going, no matter what’s wrong.”
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Meanwhile, Claire’s pregnancy presents challenges of its own in Season 2, especially in how it affects her role in their efforts to stop the uprising. But that will hardly be the biggest issue for Mrs. Fraser, who finds herself — major spoiler alert! — reunited with her 1940s husband during the season.
“There is that reverse thing where every time she looks at Frank, she can’t help but see Black Jack,” Caitriona Balfe said. “There’s many layers of why that relationship is difficult when she goes back. She’s definitely not the same woman that left.”
Added Balfe: “[Season 1] was a very reactionary season… She was in survival mode. The difference with this season is there’s been time to be in one place and contemplate. Things are sitting with her a lot more, and she has time to consider her place and how she feels.”
Author Diana Gabaldon, on whose novels the Starz series is based, earned some laughs when she inadvertently took a jab at pal George R.R. Martin. The Game of Thrones scribe recently confirmed his next novel would not be ready in time for the HBO drama’s sixth season; Martin blamed travel and other distractions for the delay.
“Unlike George, I write no matter where I am or what else I am doing,” she said.
Launch Gallery: ’Outlander’ Season 2 Photos
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