Outlander concluded its penultimate season with a controversial twist about the Fraser family.
Outlander’s leading duo, Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, have stepped up to defend one of the show’s most divisive twists.
As their characters, Claire and Jamie Fraser, navigated the tumultuous American Revolution in the latest chapter of the acclaimed Starz series, viewers were hit with some bombshell family revelations.
Earlier on, Jamie’s illegitimate son William Ransom (played by Charles Vandervaart) encountered a young sex worker who went by the name Arabella, later unmasked as Jane Pocock (Silvia Presente).
Jane’s narrative took a heartbreaking turn when she murdered a British officer to protect her sister, Fanny Pocock (Florrie May Wilkinson), who then sang a lullaby that instantly resonated with Claire.
The very same melody she had once sung to her stillborn child, Faith, led Claire to the staggering conclusion that her baby had somehow survived, making Jane and Fanny her own grandchildren.
Despite the stunning twist, this plot point has been criticised by some fans as ‘insensitive’ towards mothers who have experienced similar losses. Additionally, it casts a disturbing light on William’s earlier interactions with Jane.
Nonetheless, Balfe and Heughan have lauded the season seven finale’s revelation and its implications for Outlander’s eighth and concluding season.
“It’s a huge moment for them to find out that their daughter potentially lived, and now they have this grandchild in their life,” Heughan revealed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s a great cliffhanger – one that I think book and non-book fans are going to be surprised by. I think it was beautifully done with the song. It’s interesting because even playing [Faith’s death] way back in season two, we played the truth of it; we had no idea ourselves.”
He then confessed: “So it was a shock for us as actors reading it and learning about it, as it was for the characters. I think the thought process for Jamie is, ‘How is it possible?’
“The elation, the happiness that, actually, it could be possible. And then, who is this young girl in front of us right now?”
Balfe was particularly impressed with her young co-star, Wilkinson, who will undoubtedly play a major role in the drama’s remaining episodes.
“I just love it when you are given a scene and you read it, and it’s like, ‘Ooh, that’s really good’,” she reflected. “But in the playing of it, when the hairs on your arms are standing up, it’s pretty brilliant.
“Florrie is so amazing. Every time we have a scene with her, you’re just so blown away by how brilliant she is. It’s such an interesting cliffhanger because it just opens up this whole other world of questions, which leads us so brilliantly into the next season.
“I think for Claire, it’s like her heart stops, her heart breaks and her heart sings – all at the same time.”
Last year, Balfe and Heughan announced they had wrapped up filming for Outlander’s eighth season, suggesting fans may not have to wait much longer for the next chapter in the Fraser saga.
Will Claire discover the reality about Faith and Fanny, or will their true identities stay concealed until the end?