Claire was faced with the biggest decision of her life in Saturday night's "Outlander."
(Spoiler alert! This story contains reaction to "The Devil's Mark" episode of "Outlander" Season 1. If you haven't watched yet, bookmark this link to come back to later.)
Are nearly losing her life in a witch trial, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) finally spilled her big secret to husband Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) – she's from the future. That big reveal created a plot altering twist as the noble Jamie eventually took his wife to the place that brought her to 1743 -- the standing stone circle at Craigh na Dun.
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"You have a home there, a place, the things you're used to -- and Frank," Jamie told Claire as they stood on the hilltop.
"He feels very real to him at that point," Sam told Access Hollywood about his character choosing to say Frank's name. "He's almost there in the room with him, or in the space with him, and yeah, [it's] conjuring up that figure. ... It's definitely -- Frank is in the way between these two characters and saying his name yeah, just makes him present."
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After Jamie reminded Claire of what waited for her on the other side of the stones, he told her he would wait back at the camp just to make sure she got away safely. But, just like in Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" book, in the Starz series, Claire made the choice to stay.
Caitriona knew that filming the sequence, where Claire chooses to stay, was important to get right.
"I knew when it was coming up to film, it was one of those ones I was kind of looking at on the horizon and it was very important for me that it land correctly. And it's coming up with the right reasons for yourself about why she chooses to stay and then telling Jamie," Caitriona said. "That scene, for me, it had to be so right because so much depends on it and… yeah, it was a tough one to film, but a good one. I think it's one of those ones where you feel like you've… maybe it was a bit cathartic or something."
Jamie was heartbroken knowing Claire was leaving, but his heart swelled when she decided to stay. And her decision is, of course, life changing.
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"He then has responsibility and he now has a wife and that's sort of really made his life," Sam said. "Before she chooses to stay, I think he's completely lost. Before he's met Claire, he's just doing what he does and has no responsibility and then he's suddenly forced into this situation where he actually cares for someone and needs to put [himself] on the line for someone else rather than just himself. And her leaving him just throws him into – I don't know, I don't know what he would have done had she not come back. He's a strong man and he'll get over it, but I dread to think what would have happened."
"Outlander" continues next Saturday at 9 PM ET/PT on Starz.
-- Jolie Lash
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