'Outlander' season 3: Anne Kenney on why Jamie kept his eyes open

The kissing scenes of Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) were a parallel. However, some fans were left wondering why Jamie kept his eyes open while Claire shut hers. Co-executive producer and writer Anne Kenney has clarified the issue, sharing details about some of the challenges they faced while filming. The following article contains spoilers.

Jamie was indeed imagining Claire when he was kissing Mary (Emma Campbell-Jones). But he chose to keep his eyes open as he felt Mary would feel bad otherwise, Kenney said responding to a fan question (see below).

Towards the end of the episode, Jamie surrendered to the Red Coats. However, fans who have read the book “Voyager” by Diana Gabaldon will remember the events related to this scene to be different. Kenney said she doesn’t remember whose idea it was to make Jenny (Laura Donnelly) turn her brother in, but added that she loved writing the script.

Although the books are the primary source for the TV series, there have been many changes. Kenney said the writers generally pitch ideas that change the script. The changes are necessary to make the story fit the format of an episodic show.

There were also challenges the producers faced while filming the second episode. The stream, for instance, was made to run faster thanks to a few engineers. The deer Heughan carried in one of the scenes was a real one sourced from a farm, and it was apparently heavy. The raven that got shot required a real trained bird and a stuffed one. The illusion of seeing the bird getting shot is thanks to the editing work by the team.

Despite the challenges, the cast and crew seem to have had some fun time while filming. Kenney apparently got to eat some of the prop food after filming the second episode.

Credit: Anne Kenney/ Twitter