‘Outlander’ Season 3 Spoilers: Sophie Skelton Explains That Kiss

“Outlander” Season 3 has not reunited Jamie and Claire yet, but there was romance brewing elsewhere in episode 4. Brianna and Roger finally shared a kiss on the Starz drama, but actress Sophie Skelton explained that the lip lock was about much more than sexual tension.

“That kiss, it’s not just a mutual attraction,” Skelton told the Hollywood Reporter. “They’re very lonely people and Bree’s really let Roger in, so it’s a very intimate scene. It’s so much more than just throwing a kiss into the story.”

Viewers will recall that Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) opened up about their fears regarding their search for Jamie (Sam Heughan) in episode 4. Brianna has finally grown close to her mother, and she worries about losing her when they find her father. However, Roger worries about Brianna leaving when their research finishes. After admitting their fears, they shared a kiss.

Watch Roger and Bree’s first kiss below:

“There’s almost a thank you in that kiss and mutual respect, showing how deep their relationship actually runs without actually saying it,” Skelton explained. “Because that’s one thing Roger and Bree don’t do well: communicate with each other about how they feel about each other.”

“Exactly. They let their guard down and it’s almost like a reflex that they kiss,” Rankin added. “And then there’s this awkward moment where they put their guards back up after and it’s so infuriating.”

Roger and Brianna aren’t getting together yet. After that awkward moment, the search for Jamie hit a dead end. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Brianna were seen on a plane flying back to America.

Filming the episode, however, was a little less heartbreaking for the actors. Rankin is apparently the jokester on the “Outlander” set, and he was goofing around during the kissing scene. The star apparently made sure that Roger and Brianna’s kiss was fishy.

“I find that endlessly hilarious. The best thing to do before a kissing scene is to eat lobster or as much fish as you can cram in your face,” Rankin told Vanity Fair. “That’s more interesting than a straight down the line kiss. Everyone’s doing normal kisses. The normal kiss is done, it’s so uninspiring. But if you’ve got a lobster tail hanging out the side of your mouth it’s much better.”

Luckily, it doesn’t sound like Skelton will have to deal with too many fish-flavored lip locks in “Outlander” Season 3. She told Entertainment Weekly that unlike many characters on the drama, Roger and Brianna aren’t going to have sex right away.

“I think what’s nice with Brianna is that it takes a long time for her to get to that point,” Skelton said.

However, it sounds like they’ll be figuring out their relationship more after they reunite Claire and Jamie. “Bree and Roger have this wonderful bond in that they’re trying to find Jamie and it’s this wonderful adventure, and then once they achieve that goal, their worlds crash a little bit and then they both have to deal with things that they’ve been hiding from,” Skelton teased.

“Outlander” Season 3 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EDT on Starz.