'Outlander' season 2 plot news: Season is 'a whole new series'

Outlander Starz

The production of the second season of "Outlander" is already underway, and the cast and crew have stepped away from the Scottish setting as season 2 now puts the lead characters Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) in Paris. In a report from Blastr, the cast and crew described the next season like an entirely new show. 

Balfe stated that back in season 1, they had gotten so accustomed to shooting in "Scottish mud" and constantly had to wear dark, heavy wool costumes but suddenly for season 2, they are doing scenes in elaborate apartments and "grand houses" set in Paris circa 1744. 

"Every set, costume and prop had to be set aside," explained showrunner Ron D. Moore. "Now it's a whole new series. We're going to Prague for the streets of Paris, but we're still doing most of the interiors on our soundstages. There are other locations in Scotland we'll use, like exterior home gardens. And there are some palaces in England that will be stand-ins for Versailles." 

The changes are more than just aesthetic. Moore explained that Jamie "throws himself wholeheartedly" into their mission and does a good job at it but he does not relish a single moment of it. There is now the fact that Claire is pregnant and it is this pregnancy that ties her and Jamie together. 

Balfe continued saying that season 2 will showcase Jamie and Claire going through very difficult times in their relationship, particularly after the sort of trauma that Jamie had gone through at the ending of season 1, but he also said that it is interesting to see how they find a way of supporting each other. 

Season 2 is based on "Dragonfly in Amber," the second novel in the "Outlander" series written by novelist Diana Gabaldon, and sees Claire and Jamie continue their attempt to end the Jacobite uprising.

"Outlander" season 2 is set to premiere in 2016.  

News
Fire severely damages historic Amsterdam church on New Year’s Day
Fire severely damages historic Amsterdam church on New Year’s Day

A major fire tore through one of Amsterdam’s best-known historic buildings in the early hours of New Year’s Day, seriously damaging the property and forcing people to leave nearby homes.

Rwanda’s president on the defensive over church closures
Rwanda’s president on the defensive over church closures

Rwandan President Paul Kagame defended the government's forced closure of Evangelical churches, accusing them of being a “den of bandits” led by deceptive relics of colonialism. 

We are the story still being written
We are the story still being written

The story of Christ continues in the lives of those who take up His calling.

Christians harassed, attacked all over India at Christmas
Christians harassed, attacked all over India at Christmas

International Christian Concern reported more than 80 incidents in India, some of them violent, over Christmas.