Our official Droughtlander cure, Heughan and Starz’s Scotland docu-travel series Men in Kilts (one of our favorite shows like Outlander) is over and we won’t have any new Outlander episodes until Season 6 launches on Starz on Sunday, March 6. (Want to watch Outlander? You can go to starz.com and sign up for $5.99 a month to watch every episode when they drop.). In the meantime, to help us get through Droughtlander, let’s look back at the best Jamie Fraser scenes from past seasons–some shirtless, some not…all sexy, though! Pretty much any scene with Jamie is an amazing scene, so it was really hard to narrow down—did we miss any?
Best scenes with James Fraser on Outlander
1. Their first horse ride (Season 1 Episode 1)
After she’s found wandering through the woods post-time travel, Jamie takes Claire onto his horse with him, helping keep her warm. She doesn’t yet trust him, but the sexual tension between them is palpable—even though he does end up falling off the horse (granted, he had been shot). Nurse Claire then tends his wounds.
2. Jamie tells Claire about his scars (Season 1 Episode 2)
Outlander’s early episodes, as Jamie and Claire are first discovering their love, are some of the series’ best. In this scene, Claire sees the scars on Jamie’s back, given to him by Captain “Black Jack” Randall, and reveals the story behind it. We—and Claire—see his tender side for the first time. Later, Claire reciprocates by breaking down in front of him, and they embrace. “Ye need not be scared of me or anyone else here, as long as I’m with you,” he tells her. Swoon!
3. Claire and Jamie’s wedding night (Season 1 Episode 7)
Their first night of lovemaking is everything viewers have been waiting seven episodes for: tender yet hot, awkward yet romantic, and totally worth the long lead-up, as the couple spend the first part of the night just talking. The best moment in the episode is later on in their wedding night, when Claire undresses Jamie, then they make real love for the first time.
4. Jamie begs forgiveness (Season 1 Episode 9)
Jamie and Claire have some pretty intense fights, but one of the most serious comes after a controversial storyline in which Jamie spanks Claire—and not in the consensual S&M way, but in the old-fashioned wife-must-be-put-in-her-place way. But he sees the error of the custom, and literally begs forgiveness at her feet. He holds a knife to his heart and says, “If ever my hand is raised in rebellion again then I ask that this holy iron may pierce my heart.” He goes on, “You are my home now…I want you so much I can scarcely breathe. Will you have me?” With an apology like that, of course she will.
5. Jamie naked in a river (Season 1, Episode 12)
This is a bit of shameless, shirtless Jamie viewing, but a great scene nonetheless, as Jamie must hide from encroaching Redcoats by hiding underneath a water wheel in their mill. Why was he naked? He took off his clothes to check the wheel, which wasn’t working, of course. Even though he’s underwater for most of this scene, his emergence from the water is worth it.
6. Parting with Claire (Season 2, Episode 13)
Jamie and Claire must eventually part, as the dangerous Battle of Culloden between the Scottish and English approaches. Claire is pregnant, and Jamie insists she return to her time for their child’s safety. Before they make tearful love one last time and Claire leaves, Jamie has some passionate and beautiful words for her: It’s got to be one of the most heartbreaking TV scenes ever filmed. “When I stand before God, I’ll have one thing to say against all the rest: ‘Lord, you gave me a rare woman, God, I loved her well,’” he says.
7. Culloden (Season 3, Episode 1)
Viewers finally see what happened at the fateful battle, and Jamie’s final showdown with Black Jack Randall. We’ve seen Jamie in action before, but this is the culmination of everything Jamie has bravely fought for: his honor, his country, his wife and his fellow Scotsmen. Wounded and near death, as he lays on the battlefield Jamie remembers the fateful moment he ran his archenemy through—and viewers cheer.
8. Jamie rides away from Willie (Season 3, Episode 4)
While Claire is back to the future, Jamie fathers a child out of wedlock—and to protect the boy’s inheritance, he can’t let him know he’s his father. Jamie does develop a close relationship with his son, Willie, but eventually, he realizes it’s in Willie’s best interest if he leaves. Seeing the pain and resolve in Jamie’s eyes as he rides away is one of the most poignant moments of the series.
9. Jamie meets Brianna (Season 4, Episode 9)
Jamie unfortunately doesn’t have the opportunity to raise either of his biological children. Brianna is born in the 20th century and raised as Claire’s present-day husband Frank’s daughter, but she eventually travels back in time and finds Jamie. At first Jamie doesn’t realize who she is, but when he does, the bittersweet joy on his face shows 21 years of longing and love for his daughter.
10. Jamie loses Murtagh (Season 5, Episode 7)
Aside from Claire and his family, Jamie’s godfather Murtagh is the person who means the most to him. We feel Jamie’s unbearable loss as Murtagh is killed in a skirmish with the British. It’s unexpected for viewers as well, and the pain we see in Jamie is award-worthy for Heughan. Next, are you an Outlander super fan? Test your knowledge with these 50 surprising Outlander facts.
