TV viewers have been inundated with series about time travel in the past few years, from the heightened ridiculousness of Legends of Tomorrow to the more grounded drama of 11.22.63, But there's still nothing out there quite like Starz's Outlander, which is probably good, considering our emotional cores couldn't possibly take two era-spanning romances like Jamie and Claire's. We finally got our first magical and fashion-friendly look at the upcoming Season 3, and fans might as well get ready for even more stress and heartache, as our central lovers are nowhere near each other, in either space or time.
I know what you're thinking. How can anyone on Earth possibly end up in a happy relationship together if Jamie and Claire can't successfully keep their centuries-crossing love story intact? Sadly, I do not have an answer for that question, wonderful as it would be, since it doesn't look like either Sam Heughan's Jamie or Caitriona Balfe's Claire have a clear and concise plan to return to each other's arms. But they do have the l motivation and determination, though, and you can't tell me showrunner Ronald D. Moore is going to let Jamie's promise to find his soulmate go unresolved.
And while we're definitely down to wallow in the aftermath of 18th century wars with Outlander's handsome hero, there's a lot to look forward to with Claire in the present, as it were. For one, Starz's know-no-bounds costume and set design crews went all out to bring alive the 1940s-1960s for all of the marital complications that Claire will face through some of Season 3. I guess being partly responsible for ensuring the heritage and existence of one's husband kind of ruins the romance.
But hey, even if her character isn't exactly happy, Caitriona Balfe looks stellar rocking the modest and dated duds of the mid-1900s. It's like everyone is just getting ready to watch the news broadcast about J.F.K.'s assassination. (Perhaps not the most lovely event to bring up.) It should be quite interesting to see how the two eras' dynamics play off of each other as the two leads' longing for one another grows unbearable.
Readers know a bit of what to expect for how all this plays out -- even though readers' imaginations didn't have this budget -- as Season 3 comes form the third book in Diana Gabaldon's novel series, titled Voyager. There will still certainly be surprises sprinkled throughout the story, though, as Claire's realization of Jamie's survival beyond the Battle of Culloden drives her to find a way to return to the stones. (Hopefully no dog fights will affect anything here, either.)
Just because we now what to look for doesn't mean we actually know when we'll find it, though, as Outlander still doesn't yet have a release date set. We know it's coming back to Starz in September, though, so that's at least something to put in our calendars. Until then, though, you can check out our midseason premiere guide and our summer TV schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen soon.
