Outlander has never shied away from shocking, even downright traumatic, scenes. Since Season 1, the show has aimed to shock its audience with its gratuitous portrayal of life in the 18th century.
In the most recent, fans saw the aftermath of Lord John Gray’s (David Berry) wedding and the grief he and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) shared for their loss, culminating in a racy scene that audiences not familiar with the books would have expected. And whilst this pairing was certainly shocking, Berry felt it could have gone further than what was shown.
Over the last seven seasons, across Scotland and France and now the Continental United States, we’ve seen Claire and Jaime Fraser (Sam Hueghan) torn apart and thrown into danger, be it the hands of a mob or the suffering of the Red Coats. Every time one has gotten lost, the other has reached out and been their savior. How many times we’ve seen Jaime rescue Claire I can scarcely count. But this time, Jaime can’t save Claire from her grief, as Jaime is declared dead.
Whilst Lord John, a fan favorite character, took her in marriage to protect her, it was in their grief that they found their way to sharing a bed – something incredibly unexpected and more than a little shocking. For one thing, Lord John is gay and in love with Jaime, though the two justified their actions as seeking comfort by imagining they were in the arms of their shared lost Scotsman.
Outlander’s Shocking Latest Hook-Up Was Comparatively Mild For The Show
The scene is quite mild for the show, with no nudity and mostly the two screaming and ripping each others clothes. Perhaps a more satisfying choice to demonstrate their grief and anger to the audience rather than attempting to shock with a heavy sex scene. What the showrunners did was very effective, though David Barry who plays Lord John felt there was room for more.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Barry broke down the scene and why he chose to mourn with Claire. Further going in to what led to Lord John and Claire sleeping together, Barry explained this scene as “a real pivotal moment” for the characters. However, he does feel as though the scene could have been extended.
“No one’s there for him, and he’s shouldering all this grief and also trying to shoulder it for her,” he said. “On the page, it was written a lot more. I was really interested to explore that a bit further, and I would’ve been happy to push it a little further. We ended up in a negotiated position where we didn’t do that, and I do feel a sense of curiosity and even regret that we didn’t challenge ourselves to do that a bit more.”
“On the page, it was written a lot more.”
Whilst the scene may be cut, the impact of the events of this episode will certainly be felt as the series gears up for its last few outings, with Season 7 soon to wrap and 8 to be its last.
Outlander is currently streaming on Starz.