‘Inside Outlander’ Aftershow: Caitriona Balfe on Tackling Death & Birth in Directorial Debut ‘Prophecies’ (VIDEO)
Outlander‘s latest episode, “Prophecies,” delivered plenty of plot twists as life on Fraser’s Ridge continued to unfold for Claire (Caitriona Balfe), Jamie (Sam Heughan), and the rest of their family.
But the story wasn’t the only notable thing about Season 8’s second installment, as it also marked the directorial debut of Balfe as she stepped behind the camera for the jam-packed episode. “It was so incredible,” Balfe gushed to TV Insider about the experience. “It was great working with all the different departments and the crew that I’ve known for over a decade… that was so special because they’re all so talented and amazing,” she adds, teeing up our latest Inside Outlander aftershow.
Luckily for Balfe, she had plenty to play with as the episode covered various characters and storylines. Fair warning that there are spoilers for the Outlander Season 8 Episode 2 ahead! Among the episode’s two biggest storylines were a gruesome bear attack and the arrival of Ian (John Bell) and Rachel’s (Izzy Meikle-Small) first child.
Starz
The life and death motifs went through some changes from the script to screen as Balfe explained the bear attack, which sadly left Amy (Joanne Thomson) mauled to death, was originally meant to be a cougar attack. “It was so exciting planning all that,” Balfe shared, adding, “It also changed a lot very quickly… It was supposed to be a cougar attack, and then three days before shooting, they were like, ‘Actually, we’re turning it into a bear.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, I’m just going to re-plan that whole scene.'”
Despite the challenges, Balfe was more than game to take on the challenge. “But that was what’s so exciting about directing,” she mused. “I didn’t realize how much I would love all of that. The problem solving… these things happen on shows all the time.”
As fans saw in the episode, the lead-up to the bear attack was relatively calm and featured several women of the Ridge talking as they picked berries in the woods. When the bear came out of nowhere, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) attempted to shoot the animal, but not before it was too late for Amy, who was carried back to Claire’s surgery and only had enough breath to say goodbye to her young boys and new husband.
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“Having a scene with all the women just kind of not really doing anything but just chatting was really lovely that we had a scene where that could just breathe in the show because there’s often so much to fit in that we don’t get to see that,” Skelton remarked. And while Amy’s story may have ended in tragedy, the arrival of Rachel and Ian’s baby was a mood lifter as Fanny (Florrie May Wilkinson) witnessed a positive birth, unlike her past observations at the brothel.
“It is so lovely to see some hope,” Bell said. “I think in Outlander, it’s always balanced with hope, but especially with Ian’s past, it’s not always been so easy.” For Meikle-Small, she added, “It’s such a lovely moment for Fanny, kind of redefining and reframing what it means to have a baby and become a mother and making her feel wanted within the family and understanding that.”
Fans will have to tune in to see how Ian and Rachel handle their roles as parents to their newborn son as Season 8 continues to unfold. See what else the cast has to share in the full aftershow above, including how Jamie feels as people from Frank’s (Tobias Menzies) book begin popping up in real life. And let us know what you thought of the latest episode in the comments section below.
Outlander, Season 8, Fridays, 8/7c, Starz
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