WARNING: We're about to discuss the biggest, most tear-jerking moment from the season two finale of Outlander! If you don't want to know exclusive details about Claire and Jamie's huge scene, then you'd better run away to the nearest time-traveling stones. For everyone else, pour another shot of whisky and listen up…
"Lord, ye gave me a rare woman -- and, God! I loved her well."
Be honest: who else is hysterically sobbing right now after watching Outlander's heartbreakingly wonderful season two finale? We experienced 90 minutes of timeline shocks and surprises, but watching Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) parting ways at Craigh na Dun was, by far, the episode's most impactful moment.
It was such a powerfully romantic and painfully gut-wrenching scene, so we called up Outlander's executive producer Maril Davis to get the exclusive behind-the-scenes details on how they brought this iconic goodbye with Heughan and Balfe to life from script to screen.
"It's just such a beautiful moment and just a horrible moment," Davis said of the couple's stone sendoff. "He's trying to say goodbye to the woman that he loves and, in some ways, it's like you want to make it last forever -- but you don't want to prolong the agony at the same time. I think that scene really captured that."
Book fans should have noticed that the Fraser's departure happened much differently than in Diana Gabaldon's novel, Dragonfly in Amber. So we asked Davis to break down the biggest differences that happened with our Laird and Lady's last goodbye, last dance, and last lovemaking.
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Their Last Goodbye: "In the book, the scene at the stones where Claire and Jamie say goodbye to each other, that actually happens down at this little cottage," Davis said. "They say goodbye to each other for the last time and then Claire kind of runs up to the stones, but there really wasn't a place where we could do this."
"So certain adjustments had to be made and we played the whole goodbye scene up at the stones," Davis said, adding that she's "very pleased" with the productions team's decision for the set shake-up. "Obviously, this is an iconic scene and -- while different from the book -- I think it's a little bit more satisfying that we get to see them say goodbye at the stones as opposed to down the hill."
For all the fans (like us!) who were desperately hoping that Jamie would be able to pass through the stones with his soul mate, Davis revealed that, although it was tempting to dream otherwise, the producers ultimately knew they needed to stick to Gabaldon's original work.
"When Jamie said, 'I can't hear the stones. I can't go back with you,' There's so many ways that moment could go," the showrunner said. "But I think Jamie knows he also has to go to answer for the things he's done and Cullodean."
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Their Last Dance: Rather than just walking Claire towards her time-traveling destiny, the Outlander powers-that-be decided to put a romantic flare on their farewell. "[Co-executive producer/writer] Matt [Roberts] and [executive producer/writer] Toni [Graphia] came up with this great idea that's just so poetic and I love it," Davis explained.
"As they're going towards the stone, Jamie is leading Claire and it's like they're dancing back to the stones," she continued. "It's this very romantic moment and it's just this very wonderful way to take her back home instead of just walking over. It was kind of their last courtship moment."
If you found your eyes brimming with tears during Claire and Jamie's waltz, take comfort in the fact that you were not alone. "It was so moving to me and so emotional and yet very satisfying," Davis said. "In the playback, there were several times where I openly cried and I wasn't the only one. It's just so moving."
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Their Last Lovemaking: Similar to their last goodbye, Jamie and Claire's final time making love was originally supposed to take place in a different location "In the books, the last lovemaking moments take place up against the wall in the cabin," Davis revealed. "That was a difficult scene to choreograph because obviously Claire and Jamie do make love one last time up there and it's kind of this frantic, we-only-have-moments-left [kind of sex.]"
"We were joking on set saying, 'Why could've they have done it up against the stones?'" she recalled with a laugh. "And our writer and producer Matt Roberts was like, 'Because Claire would keep disappearing and then reappearing!' We thought that was kind of funny."
Many fans have expressed disappointment that season two did not feature as many intimate bedroom scenes as the first, so we questioned Davis about the series' lack of sexy scenes. "There was certainly a discussion of where we could see those intimate moments and we did try to figure out spaces for them," she admitted. "I think a decision was made in the second season that the story didn't always lend itself to having those more quiet and intimate, lovemaking moments."
"I understand why the fans are upset," Davis added. "I'm a fan too and I get it. I understand that they want to see the things that they most love about Jamie and Claire, which is their intimacy and seeing them together."
Fingers crossed this means that the next chapter, based on Gabaldon's third book, Voyager, will bring us an extra dose of those intimate Fraser moments. Speaking of season three, check back to ETonline on Monday, July 11 for exclusive list of what's to come next year on Outlander!
