The much-awaited reunion finally happened. Unfortunately, that meeting was short-lived because the moment Jamie (Sam Heughan) laid eyes on Claire (Caitriona Balfe) for the first time in two decades, he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he fainted at the end of the episode. Although it may have kind of ruined the moment for some, Balfe shared there is an excellent reason behind the cliffhanger.
Speaking to Radio Times, the actress said Jamie was unprepared of his wife's return, unlike Claire who had time to formulate what she would do when they see each other again.
"You think, 'How am I going to deal with this, what am I going to say when I walk in?' and Claire's had all that time to prepare whereas for Jamie it's literally like a ghost walks into the print shop," Balfe explained.
The scene is lifted straight from the pages of Diana Gabaldon's "Voyager" novel where the season is based on. The show naturally could have made it different from the source material, but Balfe is glad the writers chose not to.
The actress admitted she loved that it was awkward and kind of funny. "A little bit of humour and a bit of realism is quite nice to ground this whole thing," she added. "It's been built up so much that you want to keep it grounded and make it actually real to both these characters."
Most "Outlander" fans are probably still swooning over the couple's reunion, but that took a lot to happen, especially for Claire. She had to leave her daughter, Briana (Sophie Skelton) with Roger (Richard Rankin) in the present, probably forever. It is unclear whether they will still appear in some of the episodes this season or not.
"Who knows where they go from here," Rankin told The Hollywood Reporter when asked where the pair's journey will pick up next season. But Rankin noted that they had developed a deep connection and added that it would continue for the two.
"Outlander" season 3 will take a one week break and return with episode 6, "A. Malcolm", on Sunday, Oct. 22., at 8 p.m. EDT on Starz.
