Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) will be tying the knot in the season 5 premiere of Outlander, which airs Feb. 16. Jamie and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) will be right by Bree’s side for her special day. For any father, watching his daughter get married is a big deal but even more so for Jamie. After having missed so much of Brianna’s life when Claire went back to the 20th century to protect herself and Brianna, this moment is an unforgettable one for Jamie. “It is a huge moment for him and I think it is very emotional,” Sam Heughan, 39, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the Outlander season 5 premiere on Feb. 13. “He has always wanted this and he finally gets to give her away. I think that you see in the very, very first episode that he is nervous and he is excited and he wants it to be right. He obviously wants her husband to also be the man who is worthy of his daughter. I think with Roger he doesn’t quite see that he is up to that, but it’s a wonderful episode, that first episode, and very emotional for everyone.”
What remains strong in season 5 is the relationship between Jamie and Claire. The two characters have been at the heart of the series since the very beginning and have gone to great lengths to be together — defying time, war, and more. HollywoodLife asked Sam about how Jamie and Claire’s relationship will evolve in the fifth season. “In the past seasons, it has been a lot about will they or won’t they? But Jamie and Claire are very settled now. They have their extended family around them and not only that but they have all of Fraser’s Ridge,” Sam continued. “I think now that as a couple, they are getting older, and there is still a great amount of passion and a great amount of yearning. There is still a life that they haven’t had together. You know, Jamie never got to raise a child with Claire. I think he is still romantically involved and yearns to have that life with her, and the bigger picture with Roger and Brianna is that might be safer for them to go back to the future. For Jamie, he certainly doesn’t want them to leave. He has just got his daughter and he is happy at this point to have this extended family around him.”
Season 5 will cover the fifth book in Diana Gabaldon’s series, The Fiery Cross. One of the biggest changes the show has made has been keeping Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) alive. In the book series, Murtagh died during the Battle of Culloden. Sam noted that Jamie and Murtagh’s storyline is Jamie’s “biggest storyline” in season 5. Jamie and his godfather Murtagh are on opposing sides this season, as Jamie is trapped by an oath to Governor Tryon and the British crown while Murtagh’s involved with the Regulators.
“I think it is one of my favorites probably in the last two seasons,” Sam said about the Jamie and Murtagh storyline. “It is a really strong storyline and you will see it right at the end of this first episode. Jamie has been sent out to track his godfather and, obviously, he is torn between his love and his loyalties, but I think in a way it somewhat is surprising that those who have read the book don’t know that it is going to surprise them as well!”
The season 5 premiere is currently available exclusively to STARZ subscribers only on the STARZ app and STARZ On Demand. Outlander season 5’s linear premiere is Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. on STARZ.