Outlander season 7 part 1 ending explained: Producer unpacks 'really horrifying' storyline

As well as bloody battles, time travel, new landscapes and characters, our beloved ensemble has had to deal with a lot of new challenges in this seventh season.

Caitriona Balfe had previously teased to RadioTimes.com that there would be "a lot of peril" this season, and it has definitely been a rollercoaster journey of emotions.

The action only notched up another level in the mid-season finale as Jamie (Sam Heughan) fought in the pivotal Second Battle of Saratoga - especially since the mid-season finale purposely didn't show Jamie as being conscious to begin with.

But it's Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) whose ending was particularly tense, as they continued in their search for their young son Jemmy after he was kidnapped by supposed friend and Bri's colleague Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton).

All bets were well and truly off when it came to the finale, as teased by executive producer Maril Davis exclusively to RadioTimes.com.

Still reeling from the season 7 part 1 closing episode? Well, read on for a full breakdown of what happened - with a detailed explanation from Outlander's executive producer Maril Davis.

Outlander season 7 part 1 ending explained: What happened to Jamie and Claire?

The episode starts off with the very stark realisation that Jamie may not actually be alright after all, as the scene opens with a sad overview of the dead bodies on the battlefield.

A mother and son are going around, stealing objects from the corpses, and come across Jamie's motionless body. But as he coughs, the mother steps back and orders her son to slit his throat. Claire soon appears, threatening them and wielding a sword at them - which seems to work a trick as they leave and Jamie and Claire are reunited.

Typically, they get bickering about the fact that Jamie could have been killed and Claire looks him over for signs of serious injury.

Back at the base camp, Claire tends to Jamie's wounds and tells Jamie that the British are claiming they've won, although they suffered twice the amount of casualties than they did, leading him to wonder whether his son William (Charles Vandervaart) is okay.

As the Second Battle of Saratoga looms, Claire meets Benedict Arnold and, with her modern-day knowledge, knows that the well-known American soldier will defect to the British and eventually lead the British army against the soldiers he had once commanded.

She later explains to Jamie that his name will become synonymous with being a traitor, and that they must let it happen because that will mean the American troops will win.

In the tense Second Battle of Saratoga, we see Jamie shooting the hat off of William’s head. After the battle, Simon Fraser requests Jamie's presence before it's too late, and we see that he has been severely injured in the battle.

He shares a touching final moment with Jamie, talking about how content he is to die among his comrades.

Later on, outside the tent in which Simon died, Jamie sees Claire and William talking and gives Jamie back his tricorn hat. The next day, Jamie is informed that Simon requested for his body to be sent back to Scotland to be laid to rest.

Although there is a blockade, Jamie is told that he and Claire will be put on one of his majesty's ships back to Scotland and is excited to tell Claire, who is very happy at the news.

Meanwhile, we seen how close Ian (John Bell) and Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small) have become. While they've admitted their feelings for one another, they have to make an emotional goodbye as Ian tells her that he will be returning to Scotland with Claire and Jamie.

Ian asks Rachel if she can take care of his dog Rollo and she agrees, saying that it means he'll return one day.

But later in the woods, while out walking Rollo, Rachel encounters a mysterious man who seems to recognise the dog – but who is he, and will his ominous presence be explored in part 2? We're almost certain of it.

What happened to Roger and Brianna in the Outlander season 7 part 1 finale?

The action of the episode really starts notching up when we flip back to the '80s, where Roger and Buck storm back into Lallybroch to tell Brianna that Rob and Jemmy have travelled back through the stones.

They can't call the police, so Roger tells Brianna that he's going after them - because if she's right about Rob's plans, he's set to take a ship to America from Inverness.

Brianna is to stay with Mandy, and Buck asks what Rob's plan is. Roger explains that Rob is trying to find the Spaniard's gold which ended up in North Carolina, and Jemmy knows the spot where it's hidden. So Rob will want Jemmy to take him there.

Buck tells Roger that he'll go with him because it's his time, after all, and that he wants to help his child.

Things end on two differing notes for our main characters, as a teary-eyed Brianna and Mandy are left behind as Roger and Buck go through the stones. But the ending shot of the episode is of an emotional and happy Jamie and Claire (and somewhat worried-looking Ian) finally getting their glimpse of Scotland.

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So, with things leaving on such different trajectories for our characters, was a cliffhanger for Roger and Brianna and happy ending for Jamie and Claire always on the cards?

Well, as executive producer Maril Davis explains: "We were actually planning this season in the writer’s room – we didn’t know that Starz was going to break this season into two. We kind of guessed they would, since it’s 16 episodes – that’s the first time we’ve done that since season 1 – so we kind of assumed they would. We just kind of planned for that.

"Obviously we didn’t want to leave it with a huge cliffhanger, but something exciting, something that would make people want to come back - but also [something that] leaves us on a hopeful note."

There's no denying that fans will be eagerly waiting to see if Roger and Buck are successful in finding Jemmy, but on leaving their story on a cliffhanger, Davis said: "That story we didn’t necessarily want to leave on a cliffhanger.

"We weren’t trying to do something that was a downer versus Jamie and Claire on a high note. It was more kind of where the story laid out and, as we went through the season, it just happened to work out that way.

"It’s the two stories and kind of a parallel. But yes, we didn’t want to necessarily leave both of them in the same place. It was a nice contrast to both stories for them to go this way."

Chatting about her reaction to the finale, Davis revealed: "I mean, I loved it. I think seeing Jamie, Claire and Ian going back to their roots, so to speak, is really a cool full circle moment. Certainly from where we came from in season 1.

"Obviously with Brianna, Roger and Buck, leaving their story in a really devastating moment. There’s nothing worse than thinking, I’m sure, that your kid is somewhere else in a different time period – it’s really horrifying.

"I think it’s just a great way to wrap up the mid-season finale and leave people wondering what will happen. And it’s true, all bets are off in some ways. We’re heading into our last season and anything can happen."

Outlander season 7 is available to stream on Starz in the US and on Lionsgate+ in the UK. You can buy Diana Gabaldon's books on Amazon.

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