@megsokay Published March 13, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET Where to Stream: Outlander Powered by Reelgood More On: Outlander ‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan’s Surprising Reaction to The Return Of Tobias Menzies Via Voiceover: “Personally, I Didn’t Love the Fact That We Hear His Voice” New Shows & Movies to Watch This Weekend: ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ on Hulu + More When Does ‘Outlander’ Season 8 Episode 2 Come Out on Starz? How Many Episodes Are In ‘Outlander’ Season 8? Outlander Season 8 Episode 2 “Prophecies” is more than just a new chapter in the saga of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan); it also marks series star and EP Caitriona Balfe’s official directorial debut.
Now, Balfe has dabbled behind-the-camera before, acting as a second unit director on the Starz show in the past. However, Outlander Season 8 Episode 2 “Prophecies” is all Balfe’s vision, right down to a jaw-dropping forest attack that the actress/director had to scramble to get right at the eleventh hour.
**Spoilers for Outlander Season 8 Episode 2 “Prophecies,” now streaming on Starz**
About fifteen minutes into Outlander Season 8 Episode 2 “Prophecies,” Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) find themselves berry picking in the forest with local pals Lizzie (Caitlin O’Ryan) and Amy (Joanne Thomson). The ladies are having a lovely time, collecting blueberries and talking about their love lives. Then, Amy decides to move a little bit away from the group because the ants are bothering her.
That’s when a black bear bounds out of the woods and attacks Amy!!!
Bree quickly grabs her musket and fires a round, but it’s too late. Amy has been mauled by the bear and eventually dies from her wounds back at Claire’s apothecary.
According to Balfe, though, Amy wasn’t even supposed to be attacked by a bear in this week’s Outlander!
“The funny thing about that was up until four or five days before shooting, it was a cougar because we thought we did have a cougar,” Balfe told DECIDER. She went on to explain that although the production team had done all they could to get a live cougar on set, it fell apart at the last minute.
“So I had planned out this whole sequence that was to do with the cougar. And the way a cougar stalks and attacks is so different to the way a bear does. And then at the eleventh hour, we found out we weren’t going to be able to have it,” she said. “So we were starting shooting on a Monday. That scene was happening on Wednesday. But I was in every single day shooting, either directing or acting up to that. So, you know, it was sort of one of those things of like, ‘Oh, I have a day and a half to fix this.'”
While some people would utterly hate this sort of chaotic turn of events, Balfe said she found it “kind of exciting.”
“Like in a way, when you get thrown these curveballs, like, that’s where the fun is,” Balfe said. “You’re kind of like, ‘Okay, let’s everybody put our heads together. How can we fix this?'”
Balfe immediately did research into bear attacks and learned that they would “pick somebody off who’s like, away. They don’t really go into groups.” Hence why Amy had to move away from the group.
Balfe then came up with the idea to have a shot where we, the audience, are in the bear’s point of view, but she gave the camera crew all the credit for pulling it off. She also gave shout outs to Outlander‘s “amazing special effects team” and the prosthetics team headed up by the “incredible” Mark Coulier.
“So, yeah, all of that stuff, I was just having the best time. I was having so much fun. I was loving every second of it,” Balfe said. “So yeah, it was really good.”
Balfe also confirmed that no bears were injured while filming this week’s Outlander because no real bears were used at all. “Yeah, we don’t have bears in the UK,” Balfe said.
One part of this week’s episode that Balfe didn’t have a say in? The cheeky opening title card that features a bear and some berries.
“So for my episode, I filmed a certain title card, which was really fun, but then didn’t end up getting used,” Balfe said, before explaining that Outlander runs like most American shows where showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has final say on all episodic edits.
“Every director that comes in, we get to direct our episodes, we get to choose all of our things. We get to give in our director’s edits and then you sort of say goodbye to it,” Balfe said. “Our showrunner will then take it and re-edit whichever way they want and stuff.”
“So I did not do the bear with the berries, but it’s cool, I liked it,” she said, immediately squashing our instinct to demand Starz release the Balfe cut.
