Outlander's Caitriona Balfe (Claire Fraser) breaks down that surprise proposal

The most recent new episode of Outlander, "Brotherly Love," ends with a monster twist: Lord John Grey (David Berry) delivers the bad news to his friend Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) that her husband Jamie (Sam Heughan) has likely died on his way to the American colonies, since the ship he was on sunk.

Naturally, Claire is devastated. “There are a lot of twists and turns,” Balfe told TV Insider about Claire’s journey this season. “I think for Claire anyway, this is her reality. This is the news she’s been given, and...apart from how she feels, she has no reason really not to believe it.”

Now, if you're watching at home, you probably don't believe that Jamie is really dead; he's one of the main characters, actor Sam Heughan is the show's biggest breakout star, and we're only two episodes into season 7 part 2 with six to go. Odds are he makes it out okay. But Claire doesn't know that right now. “But yeah, it’s really heartbreaking. You have to play that grief," Balfe continued. "You have to play it. She believes it. And yeah, it’s an intense episode."

Sam Heughan jokes that Lord John Grey's behavior towards Claire is "disgraceful"

To add a twist on top of a twist, Claire is also being hunted at the moment for seditious activities. She's currently staying in Philadelphia at the behest of Lord John Grey, who had need of her medical skills; that's why she left Jamie behind in Scotland, knowing that they would be reunited later. When the authorities come knocking on her door, Lord John Grey leaps into action and asks Claire to marry him, since apparently that will keep her from going to jail.

“Claire obviously gets herself embroiled in some political intrigue," Balfe said. "She is passing notes along. She’s working as a spy and gets caught doing so. To protect her, Lord John offers to marry her, which is very honorable of him.”

Lord John Grey is gay, so this is definitely a strategic move rather than a romantic one. Still, Heughan joked that John Grey's behavior was "disgraceful," but Balfe would have none of it: “It’s very chivalrous.”

Did I also mention that Lord John Grey is the adoptive father of Jamie's son from a prior relationship, William (Charles Vandervaart), and that William doesn't know that Jamie is his actual biological father? The soap opera vibes in this house are strong, especially with Jamie about to walk through that door any minute and reveal that he didn't actually die at sea. And also maybe his wife will be married to his gay best friend.

Never a dull minute in the 18th century. New episodes of Outlander air Fridays on Starz.

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