There are challenges all around in the seventh season of STARZ’s hit drama Outlander. The new season, which premieres June 16, will include 16 episodes, up from last season’s shorter run. Expect a hiatus after episode eight with the final eight episodes airing in 2024. Richard Rankin and Sophie Skelton are eager for audiences to experience the upcoming season because there simply is so much happening in it.

The engaging actors portray Roger and Brianna respectively. They are a noteworthy couple filtered into the mix of Outlander’s main drama, which revolves around Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). You may recall how the series originally found dear Claire, a married combat nurse from 1945, mysteriously sent back in time to 1743 and into a very different life. She’s forced to marry Scottish warrior Jamie and must come to terms with two different men she loves in two different time periods.
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Season six’s devastating events found Jamie and Young Ian (John Bell) racing to rescue Claire before she’s tried and wrongfully convicted for murder. That mission is complicated by the increasing firestorm that is the American Revolution. In the seventh season of Outlander, Jamie and Claire find themselves fighting for an emerging nation: the United States of America. Meanwhile, things are very different for Roger and Brianna. Richard Rankin and Sophie Skelton shared more about the upcoming season with MovieWeb.

A Relationship Deepens but Faces Challenges

If you’ve been tracking the mind-bending events of this period drama television show, you already know that Roger and Brianna have not been a part of Claire’s brouhaha. The couple left for Edenton because Roger had decided to become a minister. At the beginning of the new season, Roger and Brianna are in the midst of Roger’s ministering. Brianna is very pregnant and frustrated with a lack of purpose. She’s stuck with the fine ladies of Edenton while he’s off ministering to the soldiers in need. Plus, she misses her mother and other freedoms.

Related: Outlander Season 7: How It Will Set Up the Final Season

“I want to avoid spoilers, but that what happens in episode two really gave me goosebumps when I read the script; it made me cry,” shared Sophie Skelton. “Everything seems really lovely, homey, and perfect initially. Then, as it is with Outlander, it all goes a little south very quickly. So, I think at episode two is going to be one that’s going to shake things up for people because everything really gets torn apart pretty quickly.”

Interesting to note is the mysterious stranger Roger encounters. Lips are sealed on that but expect some big surprises when those scenes play out as that particular story arc challenges the Roger and Brianna’s relationship to some extent. Meanwhile, as the Revolutionary War plays out, particular in Claire and Jaimie’s arena, Richard Rankin quickly noted that Outlander is “often very good at integrating historical events into the show. I think people are going to really love the upcoming season.”

The Shocking Season Ahead

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Fans have loved how Outlander plays with the genres of romance, science fiction, adventure, and history, of course. With major changes arriving in season seven, Rankin and Skelton immediately noted how the show’s core relationships continue to generate buzz, especially with Roger and Brianna, who have evolved as the series rolled out.

“It’s been a lot of bloody hard work for them,” shared Rankin of the on-screen couple. “And it’s been a long time coming. Our characters have a lot of ups and downs, maybe more so than anticipated. We’ve come a long way.”

Related: Outlander: Why We’re Excited for the Final Season

“They’ve got enough similarities, too,” noted Skelton. “Their love of history, just their demeanor in certain scenarios, and the way they handle things. A lot of times in the relationships you see in TV and film is the lack of communication. It’s always such a frustration for me because I always think communication is just number one. It’s just the key to things working. I think we’re a lot better at it. Roger and Brianna are better at just taking a breath, stepping back, and looking at things from the other side. And working through things as a team. I definitely think that’s why they work now.”

As for the fate of Claire, well…. Outlander fans take note: Showrunner Matthew B. Roberts said he wanted the new season to begin with something shocking, something that would appeal to people who read Diana Gabaldon’s popular books as well as viewers interested in binge-worthy television. Meanwhile, if Outlander intrigued to some extent because it illuminated Claire’s inner voice and feelings, expect the upcoming season to show stories from different characters’ perspectives. Cheers to that. Dive in, folks.

Outlander premieres June 16 on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming, and on-demand platforms, and internationally on the LIONSGATE+ premium streaming platform in the UK.