We continue our journey celebrating 8 years casting anniversary for Caitriona Balfe, remembering Claire’s development in Season 2 of Outlander.

After our second Droughtlander, yes I count the Droughtlander between Season 101 and 102 as a Droughtlander, we meet Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser in her know-it-all time traveller phase, where she boldly believes she can change the course of history. SEason 2 is based on Diana Gabaldon’s book, Dragonfly in Amber.Not thinking of the consequences to any around her, Claire steps in it the minute she is off ship in L’Havre harbor, France, she obsesses about preventing the Jacobites demise at the Battle of Culloden. The mistakes of the young hold true as Claire endeavors to explore the darker side of love and betrayal.

Roaming the backroads near Inverness, Claire stumbled back though the stones into her own time in the 20th Century. She is forced to reconcile with Frank and Frank agrees to help her to raise the child she is carrying as their child. There must be no more talk of Jamie Fraser. We see a grieving, angry side of Claire.

Back in the past, Claire wraps up Jamie with her new found cause of stopping the Jacobite rebellion and the demise of over 2000 clansmen. This means embedding themselves with the Jacobite cause in Paris, alienating Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) by dragging him into their dangerous game of intrigue, and keeping him in the dark about the reason behind it all.

Making a new and dangerous enemy, the Compte St. Germain (Stanley Weber), by diagnosing the sick men taken off of the Compte’s merchant ship as having plague. The ship must be burned and the Comte threatens revenge on Claire.

Claire and Jamie set up as wine merchants while Jamie’s cousin Jared sails to the Indies, but not before he set’s Jamie up to meet Prince Charles Stuart (Andrew Gower), the man they must stop from leading the Clansmen into a dangerous war they cannot win. Having the wine house, means they can invite political and court members to dinner. A great way to find news of rebellion. Claire begins a campaign embroiling herself, Jamie and Murtagh further into deceits.

Claire meets Maitre Raymond (Dominique Pinon), a small, quick-witted Parisian, at his apothecary and trades medical knowledge with him, and learns that he too is considered a rival of the Compte.

After securing an invite to Versailles and wearing That Red Dress and Shoes, Claire, Jamie and Murtagh bump into the ever annoying Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow) and Claire learns that Captain Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) is not dead.

Claire plots with Murtagh to not tell Jamie of BJR being above ground, as Jamie is still reeling with the dark trauma of their last meeting. Jamie takes on political machinations that further his dark side. Claire loses Jamie further as he seeks retribution.

Claire starts using her healing skills, volunteering at L’Hopital des Anges. Claire also earns and uses the moniker of Madame Blanche, a white witch. Claire gains an adopted son, Claudel, who is renamed Fergus. She befriends Mary Hawkins (Rosie Day), whom she later remembers is the woman who will mary BJR and starts the lineage that becomes Frank Randall. She then begins another conflict with Jamie. If BJR doesn’t marry Mary, there is no Frank. Finally, Claire is beginning to see how altering history makes for a very tangled web.

Claire finally reveals to Jamie that BJR is alive, and Jamie comes out of his dark place, a new mission to extinguish the Captain. When they meet at Versailles, the 18th Century’s most awkward moment is endured.

Claire falls out with Jamie over a plot to stop a wine deal that the Prince is hoping to raise funds for rebellion, beginning to drive a wedge between the two. Claire loses her baby after Jamie enters into a duel.

After Claire fights for her life, she must fight for Jamie’s again, as his dueling angers the king. He is thrown into prison, again. She makes a great sacrifice to bargain for his freedom. After reconciliation the pair tempt fate and return to Scotland. They return to Lallybroch and family.

Back in Scotland Claire returns to Lallybroch, meets Jamie’s terrible uncle Lord Lovet, and Colum MacKenzie brings her Nemesis, Laoghaire, in tow. After much wrangling with the Old Fox, they gain more men to fight and return to Lallybroch.

Claire goes on the road with Jamie and Murtagh as the Jacobites win some early battles, including Prestonpans, were the Highlanders start losing dear friends. As Claire and Jamie fight on, they try to thwart Charles Stewart’s determination to regain the Scottish throne. Claire does battle herself with PTSD from her WWII experiences.

Claire is reunited with Mary Hawkins who is very cold indeed. Claire had selfishly tried to part Mary and her young lover, Captain Randall’s brother Alexander. Claire makes amends by tending Alex who is dying, thus meeting BJR again. Claire makes a deal with the devil, with Murtagh by her side.

Claire is sadly reunited with Mary Hawkins at Lord Sandringham’s where she is held captive. She finally pieces together that he is responsible for having her and Mary attacked in Paris, where Mary was brutally raped and Murtagh feels responsible as he did not protect them. Murtagh takes a hand.

In a flash forward to 1968, Claire travels to the UK with Brianna (Sophie Skelton), her daughter by Jamie Fraser, who has no idea about who her real father is. After years of estrangement within the bargained marriage with Frank, Claire begins to open up about thinking freely about Jamie, yet will be estranged from her daughter. Claire meets young Roger Wakefield (Richard Rankin) again as they attend the Reverend Wakefield’s wake in Scotland. This begins a long journey for Claire and Brianna as Claire slowly reveals that Frank was not Brianna’s true father. Thus begins a mother/daughter battle of the incredulous concept of time travel.

We return to the past and Claire and Jamie kill Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish) before the battle of Culloden, as he blames her for Colum’s death. Claire is thrust towards Crag Na Dun again by Jamie on the morning of the Battle of Culloden, where she enters the stone and leaves Jamie behind.

Claire learns that no matter how right she thinks she is, she cannot change history without dire consequences. She is a hypocrite in her desire to stop Culloden, yet cannot see BJR killed before he sires a son, or there will be no Frank. Diving a wedge of trust between herself and Jamie. And it all appears to be for nothing as finally loses Jamie in the end as he forces her back to her own time.

Let us know your thoughts as you watch Season 2 for the hundredth time. Join us as we slowly get through all the seasons again before the 2022 release of Season 6.

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