Any Outlander fan worth her smelling salts will tell you, rather emphatically, that the Starz drama (and the source material upon which it is based, written by Diana Gabaldon) is most certainly not a bodice-ripper. And, well, they’re not wrong. Outlander blends historical fiction, action, and, yes, romance to tell the story of former World War II combat nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), an Englishwoman who inadvertently travels through time and falls in love with an 18th-century Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). And so the series is a bit of a genre-buster, luring male and female viewers in nearly equal numbers.
That said, there’s no denying one of the series’ most alluring attributes is its bounty of curl-your-toes sex scenes that leave little to the imagination. (Thank you, premium cable!) And not only are these racy interludes hot (like, really hot), but they also, nearly always, embrace the female gaze. These couplings are less about some unattainable fantasy and more about two adults having an intimate moment that tells us something about them — and almost always leaves both parties satisfied.
So, with Outlander’s fourth season underway, Vulture took a deep (deep) dive into the series’ many sex scenes, ranking all 20 using a complicated calculus factoring intensity, duration, mutual satisfaction, and plot advancement (with that last one weighted least heavily, because let’s not kid ourselves, we all know why we’re here).
All that’s left to do now is take a good long look …
19. The French Connection
Season 2, Episode 7 — “Faith”
In one of the series’ most transactional (read: least arousing) sex scenes, our heroine Claire offers up her body to King Louis XV in exchange for husband Jamie’s freedom after he’s caught dueling (a big no-no in 18th-century France). “I closed my eyes and thought of England,” Claire says in voice-over as she lies back on the king’s brocade bedding, fully dressed. Louis placidly thrusts half a dozen times (at least by my count) before finishing. And with that, the pardon is granted, and Claire is so over France.
18. The Honey Pot
Season 2, Episode 2 — “Not in Scotland Anymore”
After suffering unimaginable abuse at the hand of Black Jack Randall, Jamie struggles with the thought of ever being intimate with his wife again. So in an attempt to arouse her husband’s passion, Claire indulges in a French spa treatment (a.k.a. a wax), and shows off the results to Jamie. “Your honey pot is bare!” he exclaims. “I thought you’d be intrigued,” she replies. The two begin to make love, but Jamie stops abruptly as visions of Black Jack begin to appear. So instead, they simply go to sleep. It’s a heartbreaker of a scene, demonstrating just how broken a man Jamie has become.
17. The Long-Lost Lover’s Apology
Season 3, Episode 2 — “Surrender”
Dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to describe Claire and Frank’s relationship after she returns to him in the future, pregnant with another man’s 18th-century baby. Their love life, as it were, is nonexistent — a state of affairs that would be easy to write off to Claire’s burgeoning belly. But after she gives birth, Frank is less accepting of her disinterest. And so one night, as the two lie in bed, Claire attempts to make amends. “I miss my husband,” she purrs into his ear. (Whether she actually means Frank — and not Jamie — remains to be seen.) She proceeds to straddle him and peel off her nightgown. After just a few moments, however, the scene fades to black before anything particularly interesting can happen — rather metaphorical, I’d say.
16. The Long-Lost Lover’s Antipathy
Season 3, Episode 2 — “Surrender”
I’m pairing these two Claire-Frank scenes together since one is really an extension of the other, as conditions continuing to deteriorate at the Randall home. Some time later, as Claire and Frank share a drink next to the fire, Claire again initiates sex, this time slinking out of her underwear and offering herself to Frank. He scoops her up and gently places her on the floor next to the warming blaze. “Look at me,” Frank commands as he attempts to have sex with his wife. “Claire, open your eyes!” He stops when Claire doesn’t acquiesce, accusing her of fantasizing about Jamie. “Claire, when I’m with you, I’m with you. But you’re with him,” he says. And with that final indignity, it seems that the doomed couple’s sex life is, truly, over.
15. The Maid in a Cave
Season 3, Episode 2 — “Surrender”
Implied sex scenes are a total tease and definitely not what this list is all about. That said, this encounter between a morose Jamie and his sister’s housemaid, Mary McNab, is a meaningful one and bears including. At this point, Jamie has lived for quite some time as Lallybroch’s resident Grizzly Adams (McAdams?), taking up residence in a cave on his ancestral land, growing an unnecessarily long ginger beard, and grieving the loss of his returned-to-the-future wife. He’s become both a burden and a liability for his sister and her family, so he’s devised a plan to have himself captured by the British in order to keep them all safe. And so, the night before his scheme is to take place, Mary comes to him, proffering a basket of shaving supplies … and her body. He’s reticent, of course, he hasn’t done this in a long time (and as far as we know, with no one other than Claire). But the two are kindred spirits, both sporting deep emotional scars, and Jamie ultimately concedes. And maybe, just maybe, that little intimacy helped him face the uncertain task before him.
14. The First Time
Season 1, Episode 7 — “The Wedding”
They say you never forget your first time, and virginal Jamie’s is, indeed, memorable — though probably not for the reasons one would hope. After exchanging their vows, newlyweds Claire and Jamie retire to their room, both clearly nervous. They prolong the inevitable by eating and drinking (and drinking some more), getting to know each other in the process. (Remember: They’ve been acquainted for mere weeks at this point.) After a well-intentioned interruption from Angus and Rupert to see if the deed has been done, Claire is the one to finally make the first move: “It’s getting rather late. Perhaps we should go to bed?” she asks. “To bed … or to sleep?” Jamie replies with a waggle of his eyebrows. They tentatively start to unlace, unbutton, and untie each other (so many layers!), but before they can even dispense with all of their garments, Jamie grabs Claire and whirls her around so her back is to him (like the horses do it!). She rights herself, Jamie thrusts a few times, and it’s all over. Claire’s face is twinged with a mix of disappointment and embarrassment, though she later tells Jamie she enjoyed it. Thankfully, they will have a much more satisfying go of it the second time around (later on the list).
13. The Mourners’ Embrace
Season 4, Episode 1 — “America the Beautiful”
Fresh off the boat in the new world, and Claire and Jamie have already had to contend with the death of a loyal shipmate, hung at the gallows for a crime that was ultimately a terrible misunderstanding. In their grief, Claire and Jamie come together, as few things are quite so life-affirming as sex. Camped out next to a crackling fire, they take comfort in one another. It’s a sweet scene, but hardly the series’ steamiest four seasons on.
12. The Witchy Woman
Season 1, Episode 11 — “The Devil’s Mark”
After nearly being burned at the pyre on charges of witchcraft, Claire finally reveals her true identity as a time-traveler to Jamie. And with that confession, Jamie knows what he must do — the next day, he will take Claire back to the stones so she can return to her own time and place. But tonight, in the untamed wilderness, he will say his good-bye. He carefully pulls up Claire’s skirt, but Jamie refuses — tonight is about Claire’s pleasure. So he uses his skilled Scottish hands, knowing it may be their very last time together. Jamie is nothing if not a giver.
11. The Reunion Sex
Season 3, Episode 6 — “A. Malcolm”
It’s a moment 20 years (or, like, six episodes) in the making: After decades (and also centuries) apart, Claire and Jamie reunite in 18th-century Scotland. But their reunion isn’t exactly the stuff of legend. Despite their desire for one another (“I have burned for you for so long,” Jamie says), the pair’s chemistry is a little off. See: their awkward head butt as they fall in bed together. But the urgency never falters. “Do it now and don’t be gentle!” Claire commands and things do indeed get steamy. Their second romp later that evening goes more smoothly (and produces far less bruising): This time, they lie on their sides facing each other, going slow and steady. It’s good to have them back.
10. The Healing Touch
Season 2, Episode 4 — “La Dame Blanche”
After weeks of quiet desperation, Jamie finally opens up to Claire about his sexual assault by Black Jack Randall. He’s not sure he can be the man Claire needs anymore, but Claire is having none of it. They argue and retire to separate sleeping quarters for the night. But under the moon’s glow, Claire tip-toes to Jamie’s room, doffing her sleeping gown, and beckoning Jamie to “find her.” She (and her baby bump) straddles him and he’s present — present in a way he hasn’t been for months, as if Claire’s love can exorcise his demons. And, well, it seems to do just that.
9. The Pearl Necklace
Season 1, Episode 7 — “The Wedding”
After several attempts at making love on their wedding night — with varying degrees of success — Jamie gets out of bed and begins rifling through his belongings, finally finding what he’s looking for: his mother’s Scotch pearls. He presents the necklace to his new bride, placing it around her bare neck. She’s touched by the gift — it’s a meaningful token as its one of the last remnants Jamie has of his deceased mother — and Claire wears it proudly as she sits atop Jamie. The scene doesn’t have the same heat as their second pairing (later on this list), but it arguably has more emotional import. It’s the beginning of … something.
8. The Kink in the Castle
Season 1, Episode 1 — “Sassenach”
Here is Outlander’s opening statement — the first sex act depicted in the series debut. Claire and husband Frank have embarked on a honeymoon to the Scottish Highlands in order to rekindle their romance after war. As they tour the ruins of an ancient castle (where, unbeknownst to the former combat nurse, she will later hold court as a healer in the 18th century), Claire playfully hops atop a table and begins unbuckling her garter. “Why, Mrs. Randall,” Frank says, amused. “I didn’t know you left your undergarments at home.” Claire hitches up her skirt and pushes Frank’s head down, down, down. It’s a brief scene, to be sure, but a vital one as it establishes Outlander’s bona fides: This is a TV show in which women get as good as they give.
7. The Short Good-bye
Season 2, Episode 13 — “Dragonfly in Amber”
With the disastrous Battle of Culloden looming, Jamie insists that Claire and their unborn child travel through the stones back to the future where they’ll be safe — with Frank. Of course, strong-willed Claire puts up a fight, but Jamie won’t relent. “Lord, you gave me a rare woman — I loved her well,” he muses as the two say their good-byes at the foot of the stones. Knowing he will never see his bride again, Jamie takes her quickly, urgently — a lifetime’s worth of passion dispensed with in a fleeting moment or two. And as the guns fire and canons blast in the distance, Claire disappears through the stones.
6. The Makeup Sex
Season 1, Episode 1 — “Sassenach”
What’s the worst possible topic of conversation one could raise while on their honeymoon? After Aunt Bertha’s bunion surgery, I’d reckon it to be your wife’s completely hypothetical infidelity. Yep, Frank decides to use the occasion of the couple’s romantic getaway to inquire whether Claire ever took “comfort” in other men during their separate tours of duty. This, obviously, does not go over well with Claire — especially considering that she has been nothing but faithful to Frank up to this point — and the two have quite the row. Yet, just minutes later, they drop trou. “Sex was our bridge back to each other,” Claire explains in voice-over. And here is the series’ first full-blown sex scene, complete with naked bodies jauntily writhing. Perhaps the fight was worth it after all …
5. The Landlubber
Season 3, Episode 13 — “Eye of the Storm”
One of two nautical naughties on this list, here we find Claire and Jamie on the high seas, attempting to chart a course back home to Scotland after rescuing Jamie’s nephew Young Ian. As Jamie grooms himself in their cabin he tells Claire that he has “given much thought about what I want to do with you when we reach dry land.” And then, well, he does it all — with narration! Now, I have no idea whether this is historically accurate (when was dirty talk even invented?), but I’ll take any anachronism this arousing.
4. The Undercover Lover
Season 1, Episode 10 — “By the Pricking of My Thumb”
If you happen to be heavy-handed with the fast-forward button, you may have missed this moment all together, as producers hardly let the credits roll before throwing Claire and Jamie into bed. And at first, you may not even know what you’re seeing. It looks as though Claire is simply lying in bed sleeping. But then she begins to stir and moan and you realize something entirely different is going on. You realize what, exactly, when the camera pans down Claire’s torso and you see the flaming crown of Jamie’s head. A knock comes at the door, but Jamie will not stop, whispering “No! No! No!” And with a flourish, he finishes the job before answering the door to a sheepish Murtaugh. Anyone else sweating?
3. The Turtle Soup
Season 3, Episode 11 — “Uncharted”
In this fan-favorite moment from the book Voyager, a feverish Claire, drunk on turtle soup, instructs Jamie to “bolt the door” of their ship cabin. She then clumsily pushes him onto the desk. “This must be what it’s like making love in hell!” Jamie quips. As the two disrobe and begin going at it, a knock at the door heralds their shipmate Willoughby, who’s come to inquire if Claire wants seconds on the broth (alleged to be an aphrodisiac). Jamie tries to muzzle the inebriated Claire, and Willoughby finally gets the hint. It’s one of the more fun and playful sex scenes in the whole series — a welcome bit of levity from the usual bedroom dramatics.
2. The Unsheathed Sword
Season 1, Episode 9 — “The Reckoning”
There’s no clearer signal that social mores are a tad bit different in the 18th century than when Claire is spanked by husband Jamie after disobeying one of his orders. And, no, we’re not talking BDSM here. Claire receives multiple lashes to the bottom after wandering off from where Jamie told her to stay put. By episode’s end, the couple have reached an understanding — Jamie swears to never hit Claire again. But Claire wants to make sure. So as the two begin to have sex by the fire, Claire gets on top of Jamie and grabs for his dagger. She raises it to his throat — never once losing her rhythm — and warns him: “If you ever raise a hand to me again, James Fraser, I will cut your heart out and have it for breakfast. Do you understand me?” He agrees, declaring that Claire is his. While I do not condone nonconsensual knife play, this scene is nonetheless titillating.
1. The Second Time
Season 1, Episode 7 — “The Wedding”
If there’s one thing we learn about Jamie in “The Wedding” it’s that he’s a very quick study, illustrated here by his and Claire’s second time in the sack. Where the first was hurried and fumbling, the couple take their time, prolonging the foreplay. They strip for each other, slowly sizing up the other’s body, really appreciating it for the work of art that it is. Jamie eventually picks Claire up and drops her onto the bed. And this time, Claire’s cries of passion are so intense that Jamie worries he’s hurt her. When she climaxes, well, he’s still a little confused. “Does it happen every time?” he asks. “Only if the man is a very good lover,” Claire explains, breathless, right before biting his chest and going down on him. And that, dear readers, is the Outlander sex scene that will always leave us breathless.
