Why Outlander Has The Best Sex On TV, According To Caitriona Balfe

outlander jamie claire wedding episode

Outlander on Starz is known for many things, ranging from the time travel to the gorgeous Scottish scenery. If there is one thing the show is particularly known for, however, it has to be the steamy scenes between Claire and Jamie. We've gotten a whole lot of sex scenes ever since the two characters got married back in Season 1, and they're filmed in such a way that they never feel gratuitous. Now, leading lady Caitriona Balfe has weighed in on why Outlander really has the best sex on TV, saying this:

She's great with anatomy and the men wear kilts, so it's easy access.

The steaminess of the sex scenes is apparently due to Claire's knowledge of the human body thanks to her medical training and the convenience of kilts when it comes to get down to business as quickly as possible, according to Caitriona Balfe on The Late Show. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Claire and Jamie look like Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, but it makes sense that the combination of Claire's anatomy mastery and the convenience of Jamie's kilt... expedites things in the bedroom. Or whatever room/flat surface/grassy area they happen to be in when the mood strikes them. Jamie and Claire are really not especially picky about the how and where when it comes to sex.

Of course, they did go through a bit of a dry spell in Season 2 when Jamie was recovering from his rape and assault from Black Jack Randall. He was understandably traumatized by what Randall did to him, and he wasn't ready for sex with his wife again for a while. Also, he wore pants instead of his kilt frequently in the first half of Season 2, and Claire was growing pretty quickly as her pregnancy progressed, so the time wasn't necessarily right for the two to get busy on a regular basis during their stay in France. That said, Caitriona Balfe has teased that there will be more sex in Season 3, so the Frasers probably won't go through dry spell 2.0 once they're reunited.

Sam Heughan also has had some kind words to say about kilts, although for a different reason than easy access for sex between the two lead characters. While it's evidently uncomfortable to sit down on wet grass without properly arranging the folds of the kilt, Heughan said that there are "many great benefits," including "aeration" and "the swing." Given how often he was in the kilt for the first two seasons of Outlander, it's a good thing he finds them comfortable! Caitriona Balfe may not have the same opinion about corsets. At least Jamie has gotten pretty good at dealing with Claire's corsets.

Luckily for Outlander fans everywhere, the hiatus that has lasted for over a year is finally coming to an end. Season 3 will premiere on Starz on Sunday, September 10 at 8 p.m. ET. For a last-minute refresher, check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Outlander Season 3, and don't forget to take a peek at our guide to fall TV shows.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).