‘Outlander’ Star Caitriona Balfe Made Sure Claire’s Miscarriage Was Remembered

Jamie and Claire’s reunion in “Outlander” Season 3, episode 6 featured a lot of reminiscing, but actress Caitriona Balfe requested that they mention someone from the past on the Starz drama: Faith.

After Claire (Caitriona Balfe) returned to Jamie (Sam Heughan) in 18th century Edinbugh, they started catching up on everything they’ve missed. Jamie told Claire about his son William, who is being raised by Lord John Grey (David Berry). Claire showed Jamie photos of Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and told him about her childhood. Jamie mentioned that Brianna had red hair “like her sister, Faith.” Claire is clearly emotional at the mention of the baby she miscarried in Season 2.

The line about Faith was a request from “Outlander” actress Caitriona Balfe. “I was like, ‘Can we please put in just even the tiniest thing about Faith?’” Balfe told TVLine. “Because I think anyone who has lost a child or had a miscarriage or anything like that, it’s something they would never forget and that is still part of this family.”

It certainly makes sense that Jamie and Claire would remember their lost daughter while discussing the children in their lives now. Though it’s worth noting that Jamie didn’t initially tell Claire about William in the book. Diana Gabaldon’s “Voyager” had Jamie keep William a secret for months until Claire met Lord John Grey, who spilled the beans about the boy. The decision to make Jamie more open wasn’t the only departure from the books (though it was probably the biggest).

As previously reported, Sam Heughan also requested a change from the source material in episode 6 as well, but his suggestion was a bit less emotional than Balfe’s. The “Outlander” star wanted Jamie to have glasses. It seems Heughan felt that it would give Jamie an imperfection.

“I sent an email to [showrunner] Ron Moore last year saying, ‘How about glasses?’ It’s not something in the books but I thought it would be a nice surprise,” Heughan told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a weakness of Jamie’s. He doesn’t have many. It’s nice, and it’s something we can play off. It’s kind of a disguise as well. He plays so many different characters and I felt when we first see Jamie, it would nice to see him as a completely different character, a gentrified Edinburgh man who has his own business.”

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