Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) is a woman in search of peace in Outlander season 6. She and husband Jamie (Sam Heughan) have settled in their town of Fraser's Ridge in 1770s North Carolina, and Claire has dedicated herself to using her medical knowledge from the future to develop a form of anesthesia ahead of its proper historical time, for the benefit of her friends and neighbors.
However, all is not well — Claire knows that the American Revolution is on the horizon, some new arrivals at the Ridge create tensions in the community, and although she's trying to put it behind her, the trauma of her ordeal of kidnapping and sexual assault by Lionel Brown and his men is still haunting her.
We spoke to Caitríona Balfe to find out more about what lies ahead for Claire in season six...
Caitríona Balfe on returning to the role of Claire Fraser
"Claire lives within me — every time you film a scene, and every season that we do, you just continue to build this trove of memories that are her memories, but because I'm playing her, they become my memories. So in a way she's very much within me, and to step into that character is quite easy — but with every season, you still have those 'first day back at school' nerves! I think on this show we just feel really lucky because it changes so much every season, so you never feel like you're going back to do the same thing over again."
What can you tell us about Claire's important medical breakthroughs in season six?
"There's a lot going on this season! She's continuing to advance her medical rediscovery — trying to incorporate things that exist in the future, that she knows from her past! She wants to bring them to the Ridge so that she can treat people in a safer way. She's also really still reeling from the events at the end of last season, and she's still experiencing a lot of trauma. Even though on the surface she's putting on a really brave face, that's going to be continue to be really present for her, and she's going to have to learn how to deal with it."
The Christie family cause a stir on their arrival - and daughter Malva takes an interest in Claire's work. How does that relationship play out?
"Malva's this really curious young woman, but she unfortunately has a really oppressive father and brother. Claire sees within her someone who is really intelligent and has a real appetite for learning, and shows a real interest in what Claire is doing, so she takes her under her wing and eventually takes her on as an apprentice. But I think Malva being the complicated character that she is, that might not work out the best for them..."
Is Claire a little bit wary of getting too involved with Malva?
"Yes — she comes with a lot of this doctrine from her father. She's interested and excited about learning, but she also comes out with 'is that the devil's work?' It's this very fine line that Claire has to tread when she takes somebody into her circle, because obviously her medical knowledge is from the future, so how does she bring someone in without compromising her own safety?"
We've seen in the previous season that Claire is realising how her actions in the past could influence the future. Is that still weighing heavily on her?
"Definitely, I think more so this season. She really starts to self-examine in a way that she never has before: what is her legacy? What has her traversing time done — has it helped people, or hurt people? Has she hurt people she loves? Is she being selfish? She's grappling with a lot of that."
Outlander returns on Starz platforms on Sunday, March 6, and will be available on StarzPlay in the UK.
