Sam Heughan has “mixed emotions” about Outlander coming to an end

Outlander is currently airing its seventh season, which will run for a whopping 16 episodes, divided into two chunks of eight. It’s a treat for fans, and one of the last they’ll get, because the show will end with the upcoming eighth season.

It’s now starting to dawn on stars Caitriona Balfe (Claire Fraser) and Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) that the end is nigh. “I think the emotion is starting to hit a little,” Balfe told Collider. “We have a lot of work left to do, and there are a lot of episodes for people to still see. But it does feel like a huge accomplishment, when we’re coming up to 10 years. That’s such a crazy number, and it’s so wild to think we started this a decade ago, but it’s also a very proud moment too.

Heughan agrees with his long-time castmate. “I think we all started feeling it, towards the end of this last season,” he said. “It was very tangible, the fact we were coming towards the end of it. It’s mixed, isn’t it?”

"We are very proud and always very excited to promote and celebrate, with the fans, the new season, but we also know that, when we go back, it will be the last time. So, it’s mixed emotions."

In that time, Jamie has come a long way, going from a Scottish Highlander to a leader fighting for the Rebels in the American Revolutionary War. Heughan appreciates that he’s been playing Jamie for years now and never stopped being surprised. “That’s partly down to the writing, partly down to Diana [Gabaldon]’s great characters, but it’s been such a great journey,” he said. “Every day that we come to set, you feel comfortable, which is amazing. Having lived with the character that long is incredible. To actually say goodbye to that character will also be difficult.”

"The fact that Jamie is now just responsible for so many people, not just himself and Claire and his extended family and everyone at Fraser’s Ridge, but now people that are under his command, and he almost has a responsibility to do the right thing for America, this new country that’s forming. The weight of responsibility is something that he never knew would happen to him."

Outlander has “several battles” coming in season 7

But before we start thinking about season 8 and the end, we still have plenty of season 7 to enjoy. And with a war brewing, there’s more than enough to occupy our minds, and the minds of the producers.

“Portraying the Revolutionary War was actually a really exciting thing to do,” producer Maril Davis told Den of Geek. “We have several battles this season, we filmed each of the battles from character perspectives, and by doing so, it personalized it, it made it more manageable to wrap our heads around. And also just to me, grounded each of the battles. It wasn’t just a battle for a battle’s sake. It actually meant something to our characters, and I think that provides a really interesting perspective and an updated history lesson in some ways. We all know about these battles. We’ve heard about a lot of them. But to put them in the context of the show in a creative way, it makes this season more grounded, realistic, and more timely.”

Meanwhile, Jamie and Claire’s daughter Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and son-in-law Roger (Richard Rankin) have gone back to the future to take care of their family by availing themselves of modern medical technology. They’ll face their challenges, although at least they won’t be in the middle of a war.

“Roger and Brianna had a slow introduction to the show, in that the audience didn’t really get to love the characters before you were able to hate them,” Skelton said. “Now, you just actually get to see these really cool humans that they’ve become and what a great team they are. I think people will be a lot more invested in the characters this season.”

“It feels like a different show, a whole new world, a whole new Roger and Brianna,” Rankin added. “They are different people now, as a couple they’re stronger than ever. They’re building this wonderful family and it all gets completely torn apart, but it’s how they handle it together.”

New episodes of Outlander air ever every Friday on Starz.

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