Outlander Season 7: Jamie & Claire's Steamy Love Scenes Are Gone For Good Reason

The "Outlander" series — Starz version and book series alike — are both well known for the impassioned sexual connection between soulmates and spouses Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). But it's been hard for fans to ignore the fact that the fire seems to have gone out of the TV version of the Frasers' love life over the past couple of seasons. It turns out those heavy-breathing days might be over for Jamie and Claire. And according to Balfe, there's a good reason for it.

Speaking with The Decider in July 2023, Balfe said that the cooldown in Claire and Jamie's marriage is an intentional reflection of the age of their union. "You know, we're talking 30 years later. It would be highly, I think, unreal and unrealistic if they still had the same kind of first passion that they had."  Balfe went on to explain that the connection between the couple has changed, but also become richer. "This is something that's grown over time, it has deepened, it has evolved. They are no less passionate, but it's just in a different form," she continued.

While fans might find it hard to accept — and of course, older couples like Jamie and Claire are still able to keep the home fires burning well into their seventies — the couple are grandparents who have reared an adult daughter. So slowing down the show's famous love scenes does make sense. And it turns out one of the show's executive producers agrees with Balfe's take on the situation. 

"Outlander" executive producer Maril Davis backed up Caitriona Balfe's statement about the flow of Jamie and Claire's romance. While speaking with Decider, Davis added that there's another reason why the Frasers won't be getting frisky too often during Season 7: production logistics. 

"There are a couple iconic [sex] scenes I think people will miss [in Season 7], but that was logistics. Our locations don't always want to play along with our storyline," explained Davis, referring to various intimate moments in Diana Gabaldon's "The Fiery Cross," which provides the basis for events taking place within Season 7. "We still like to push the boundaries, but it's just in different ways." 

The fifth "Outlander" book includes multiple intimate encounters between the couple, including an infamous one involving a tree. There's no word as to whether or not that scene has been axed from Season 7, but one thing hasn't: intimacy coordination. Sam Heughan praised Vanessa Coffey's work to Decider, favorably comparing the difference between shooting without a coordinator and with one. "She just makes it not only safe for everyone, but it helps us explore these scenes and maybe help us get more out of them, right? To explore what intimacy is for these two characters," he said. And when you're an Outlander fan, more intimacy between Claire and Jamie is likely the only thing you've ever wanted, even if it's not of the explicit variety.