Outlander star Sam Heughan teases challenges ahead for Jamie

With Outlander just a few days away from premiering season 5, we’re getting more and more intel on what to expect. Don’t you just love the excitement before a new season starts? There’s simply nothing like it.

Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) spoke to Parade about the upcoming season, specifically about the whole Murtagh situation. You see, Jamie has a predicament going into season 5: he’s loyal to Lord Tyron for basically giving him the land that he now calls home, but he’s also been tasked with finding his godfather, Murtagh, so he can punished for resisting the British government.

Of course, Jamie knows exactly where Murtagh is, and therein lies the problem: what to do? The Outlander season 5 premiere will open with Brianna and Roger’s wedding, but Murtagh will not be there. It’s simply too risky. Heughan spoke about how this will affect Jamie, and how difficult it is for him to figure it all out.

"Where do your loyalties lie? Blood is blood, though. Jamie would never want to betray his godfather. Murtagh, for him, has been his father figure for a large part of his life and has always been there. He’s been his constant companion and someone he can trust. It just is a great storyline for Jamie this season because he really is stuck between this place, where he’s trying to protect his family, but by the actions of Murtagh, Murtagh’s not making this easy for him."

I just want everything to be okay–is that too much to ask?

Outlander Season 5 Key Art and Marketing Shoot – Sep 17-21 2019

Luckily, as Jamie figures out what to do about Murtagh, he has Claire by his side. I have to say that they are my favorite couple on television. They may be from two different time periods, but they’re so respectful of each other. It’s rare to see that sort of understanding and bond in stories, and I love it!

But with Claire and Jamie officially becoming grandparents this season, does it mean that they’ll just be a boring, old couple? Let’s hope not!

"I don’t think settled into domesticity has a great ring to it. I think people see that as being boring, but they certainly are deeper and more content in their surroundings. They built this great property and, finally, they can settle down and enjoy their time, enjoy their family and those around them. But they still have great passion and great love for each other. They still have yearning, there’s still things that they wish that they had experienced together. They’re still learning about each other. It’s less will they/won’t they this season and last season, but certainly there’s still a lot of passion."

We are here for that classic Jamie and Claire passion!

Of course, this season, Jamie also has to deal with the fact that he’s on the wrong side of the coming Revolutionary War, the British side:

"This season we see that he really has to go against his moral code in a way. He’s a very loyal man, a man of his word, and yet he is having to be quite duplicitous. Eventually, the main storyline this season, which I think is a really strong one for Jamie, is that he has to hunt and track down his godfather, Murtagh. He obviously doesn’t want to do that and is playing along. It certainly gets him in a really tricky situation. I think it’s because he’s not being truthful and honest, which he normally is, that gets him in this difficult place."

And while we’re on the topic, how does Heughan feel about putting on the Red Coat? I know fans have been talking about this like crazy. “Before we even finished the last season, I knew that this moment was coming up that Jamie would be on the side of the Red Coats as a militia,” Heughan said. “I spoke to [executive producer] Matt [B. Roberts] about it, and I just had this very vivid image in my mind about Jamie in a Red Coat. I felt that it was a real 180 and it would be something that people wouldn’t be expecting with all that it signifies and stands for. It’s everything that Jamie’s fought against with his past issues with various people from Ardsmuir Prison, to his fellow Scotsmen being wiped out at Culloden, and his whole culture sort of being eradicated.”

I think things are going to get very, very emotional for Jamie.

Heughan also named the Murtagh storyline as his biggest challenge and this season of Outlander, which is no surprise.

"[E]motionally, this season I think alluding to that [Murtagh] storyline, it’s a really tough one. Jamie’s whole character’s built on loyalty and honor and being a man of his word. I think that really is called into question by Governor Tryon (Tim Downie) and by the situation he’s in. Then later on in the season, yeah, Jamie’s also confronted by his own mortality. That, as an actor, is also a great challenge. Every season there’s always something really good to get your teeth stuck into and this one’s no exception."

I think as the Droughtlander comes to a close, Outlander fans should brace themselves for what lies ahead. It’s going to be an emotional twister, folks.

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