Outlander Season 8 Stars Tease Tears In The Series Finale - EXCLUSIVE
If you’ve been following the Outlander journey for the last seven seasons, you’ll know we’re on a collision course for a dramatic and exciting conclusion to Jamie and Claire’s story. But while we’re looking forward to the final season of the hit romance show, it’s not going to be any less upsetting to say goodbye to these characters.
When the time-hopping series began in 2014, audiences were enraptured by the beautiful love story unfolding between Jamie and Claire. But having followed the characters on screen and in the pages of Diana Gabaldon's novels for many years, we’re now at a crossroads.
As we head into Outlander Season 8, Gabaldon’s final book is yet to be released, meaning none of us know where the last leg of this adventure will take us. However, after speaking to stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe about what to expect from the grand finale, JustWatch can shed some light on the situation.
Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe Discuss Outlander’s Bittersweet Ending
In an exclusive interview with JustWatch ahead of the release of Outlander Season 8, Heughan warned fans to prepare for a rollercoaster ride of emotions. "You're going to cry, you're going to laugh, you're going to be elated but probably not depressed,” he said.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a devoted Outlander fan who hasn’t cried at some point over the last 12 years. Still, the fact that Heughan doesn’t believe it will leave audiences depressed surely means there’s some kind of happy, or at least satisfying, ending to come.
He added, “It is coming to an end, so we do have to tie it up. We hope it serves the characters and the story, and of course, the fans as well.” Naturally, in any dramatic journey, there are sacrifices and farewells that we don’t necessarily want to see, but are crucial to good storytelling.
Outlander is a show that has never been afraid to kill off a key character. We don’t know whether even Jamie or Claire will make it out of Season 8 alive. Thankfully, the actors and the whole cast and crew have been able to realise the overarching vision for this sprawling epic TV show right to its planned conclusion. That’s a rarity, and not something that is lost on the stars.
Balfe explained what it was like on-set for the final days of shooting the new season, and by the sounds of it, we’re set for an absolutely monumental, emotional scene that was extremely tough for the two actors to complete.
“We had all the execs, all the producers, all the crew, all the cast had come in, and it was just Sam and I trying to get through a seven-page scene,” she said. “It was very, very emotional, and it felt very special and real.”
A long scene with that much weight behind it sounds like something that could really knock us for six. Balfe concluded by describing Outlander Season 8 as “a real celebration and mourning at the same time.” Meanwhile, Heughan called it a “bittersweet” send-off. Hopefully, that mourning is only for the show, and not for our beloved protagonists.
What Do We Know About Outlander Season 8?
Looking back at the events leading up to the Season 7 finale, one of the key storylines to keep an eye on will be Claire’s theory that her daughter, Faith, is not really dead. Her tragic death in Season 2 broke our hearts, but then all these years later, along came Fanny, a young girl Claire and Jamie welcome into their clan at Fraser's Ridge.
When Fanny begins singing ‘I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside,’ the song Claire used to sing to Faith, it sparks her belief that her stillborn daughter may have somehow survived and that Fanny is actually a descendent of Faith’s. The fact she is wearing a necklace that says “Faith” on it only adds further fuel to this fire. Given the time-travel elements in Outlander, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, and it would be a fantastic twist to bring Claire’s journey full circle if she can finally find some solace in what happened to Faith.
Meanwhile, the new trailer for Outlander Season 8 focuses very heavily on the idea of fate. Most notably, Jamie reveals he has read about his own death in an upcoming battle. Should he answer the call and join the conflict that will surely lead to his demise, or will he listen to Claire and avoid the fight altogether? We know what we want him to do, but that’s just not the way Jamie Fraser operates, is it?
There are a few too many guns and fiery scenes in that new trailer, which certainly doesn’t put our mind at ease when it comes to fearing for the Fraser family. But Balfe did say fans will “really enjoy” the final season, so hopefully, even if it is painful at times, it’ll all be worth it in the end.
