outlander

Watch Claire Petition the King of France in This Exclusive Outlander Clip

Spoilers ahead for the next episode of Outlander.

We were warned. When Jamie practiced his swordsmanship with Murtagh in episode two, in front of a gawking French audience, we were told that dueling was outlawed in France. So when Jamie finally dueled Black Jack Randall in last week’s episode, we knew this couldn’t have a good outcome. First Claire started bleeding. Then Black Jack suffered a wound to his crotch that might mean the worst for Frank’s future existence. And then the gendarmes arrived, to arrest the men. What is our time-traveling heroine to do, with both of her loves in peril?

Claire might not be able to do anything about Frank at the moment, but she can do something about Jamie. The last time she broke him out of prison, it was a messy affair, and required subterfuge, torture, rape, and 19 head of cattle. This time, she hopes, can be a little simpler. And so Claire goes straight to the top — to petition the king of France himself. In this exclusive clip from the next episode of Outlander, Claire petitions King Louis XV in a private audience.

“Claire feels she’s equal to anyone,” actress Caitriona Balfe told Vulture. “She doesn’t accept the fact that there is hierarchy. I love that about her. Even with the king, yes, she’s aware that she has to maneuver within certain parameters, but at the same point, she feels very justified. It’s an amazing scene when she goes and asks for Jamie’s freedom.”

It’s a loaded conversation, full of subtext, and takes place in the king’s bedroom. “Now, tell me what is it I may do for you?” the king asks, as if he would be of service.

“She realizes there’s a price to pay,” Balfe said. “But she’s willing to do it. Just for her to get Jamie back, that’s worth anything.”

Watch Claire Petition the King in Outlander