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‘Outlander’ Season 2: Passionate Romance And Testing Times For Claire and Jamie

By Abdul Kuddus
Published on: 03:04 PST, Apr 9, 2016

Outlander Season 2 starts in France with scenes of passionate romance between Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, who play Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall. Their job is to spoil the British monarchy’s plans to infiltrate the Jacobite rebellion, and save the Scottish life and culture from destruction.

Based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling historical romance book, the Outlander series weaves a fascinating tale that has enthralled viewers worldwide in Season 1. The story captures the struggles of Randall, a British World War 2 nurse travelling through time in 18th Century Scotland. There, she meets the Scottish Jamie, who rescues her from the torture of Captain Jack Randall.

In essence, Outlander Season 2 will propel the gripping love story, which explores the complexities of human relationships — from the efforts that Claire takes to reconnect with her husband Frank after their separation, to the blossoming passionate chemistry between Claire and her Scottish beau in the 1700s, Jamie Fraser.

In the rustic settings of Scotland, Claire Randall marries a man she barely knows, is suspected of being a witch and is sexually assaulted by Jack Randall. Season 1 ended on a gloomy note with a sadistic Randall brutally raping Jamie that shattered the world of Claire. Outlander Season 2 reportedly brings a freshness with passionate love-making, symbolizing the vanishing sadness and alienation that dominated the last phase of Season 1.

The two lead actors depict a real, thriving relationship despite the fantasy-world situation. Balfe’s deft handling of the dark scenes in the first season earned her a Golden Globe nomination and the series became popular for its passionate romance, lighthearted banter, bloody confrontation, and fascinating battles.

Compared to the hugely popular Game of Thrones, Outlander has its own share of graphic violence, fantastic storytelling, and passionate sex scenes, which explains its worldwide appeal.

There’s more time travel and a lot of surprises in store this season, the Irish Examiner reported. Outlander Season 2, according to the Daily Beast, introduces “a stunningly beautiful sex scene that heals wounds from the most heated fight Jamie and Claire have ever had. It’s all the more extraordinary for the fact that Claire is pregnant when it happens.”

While Season 1 delivered some of the steamiest scenes on television between stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, viewers expect Season 2 to keep the passion alive.

The Hollywood Reporter quoted Balfe on the impending twists-and-turns expected in Outlander Season 2.

“We’ll see Claire struggling with impending motherhood and what that means to her. That might drive a wedge between them. Plus, their marriage continues to be put under pressure from external circumstances. So how will they as a couple cope with that and grow with that?

It will be worth the wait to see Claire and Jamie adapting to the Paris life, which is a stark contrast to the rustic Scottish highlands, as they go about scheming against the English monarchy efforts to destroy the Jacobite rebellion. As they navigate the political intrigues in France, Outlander Season 2 is expected to reveal different sides of Jamie and Claire investing all their energies to save the Jacobite cause.

The Scottish settings in Season 1 was a profuse narrative of period romance, castles, balls, and corsets and at the same time there were some of the most intense rape scenes ever on modern television in the last two episodes.

The French settings in Outlander Season 2 make it feel very different from the Scottish settings last season; the appearances are different, the society is different, the colors are different, the fashion and everything is different.

While Outlander hasn’t managed to match the epic complexity and scope of Game of Thrones with its ice zombies, royal orgies, and other mystical paraphernalia, the series is firmly anchored in romance and the passionate chemistry between Heughan and Balfe in Outlander Season 2 should retain its popularity.

[Photo by Craig Barrit/Getty Images]

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Sam Heughan Caitriona Balfe
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