'Outlander' Season Finale: Sam Heughan, Graham McTavish Discuss 'Dark' Episode

Expect more graphic scenes in Saturday's Season 1 finale of the Starz TV series “Outlander.” Cast member Graham McTavish explained on Twitter how he plans to watch the difficult scenes, while series creator Ron Moore and star Sam Heughan spoke about filming the scenes in a recent interview.

McTavish hinted that he will be watching the final episode with some alcohol. He posted a picture of five whisky bottles of various brands on Twitter and wondered if they would be sufficient to help him get through the episode. The actor said in another tweet that he would start drinking just as the show starts and “save time.”

Another actor who said that he had to get “drunk” in order to endure the difficult scenes was Sam Heughan. The actor spoke to TVLine about the finale and how he had to do various things, including climbing mountains in Scotland, in order to “clear the mind” after filming the scenes.

“Jamie’s very much affected by this,” the actor said, referring to his character, Jamie Fraser.

Moore explained that the producers’ approach for the episode was to tell the story as “truthfully” as possible. “Outlander” is based on books by Diana Gabaldon, and Moore said that in the finale they tried to be neither “gratuitous” nor shy away from “showing what needs to be shown.”

Heughan and Tobias Menzies, who plays Jack Randall, apparently spent “hours talking through the scenes with each other and director Anna Foerster,” Moore explained, adding that the set for the finale episode was “physically dark” and “not a happy place to be [in].”

The “Outlander” season finale is titled “To Ransom a Man’s Soul.” It will focus on a daring rescue attempt by Claire (Caitriona Balfe) to help her husband Jamie. The events of the episode are said to have a lasting impact on the character, according to the official synopsis. The cast members are currently filming Season 2 in Scotland.