Outlander season 3 teaser: A deep-dive analysis

“I have lied, killed and broken trust, but when I stand before God I’ll have one thing to say to weigh against all the rest…”

With that one simple but oh-so-passionate line of dialogue, the ongoing Droughtlander became a little less painful Sunday after Starz dropped its first official tease for season 3 of Outlander that was almost immediately leaked online for all those non-subscribers. So much for trying to get folks to tune into the premiere of The White Princess on the West Coast! (The network made it available online on Monday morning).

Was the teaser effective? You bet. Anytime you have a man saying, “Lord, you gave me a rare woman,” you’re going to have the female fans swooning. But there was so much more to whet our appetites, Sassenachs, which is why I’ve decided to take a deep dive into the teaser — because it may be all we’ll get for quite some time. (Can September seem ANY further away?)

How is it possible that one look from Claire can convey anguish, longing, and the sobering realization that she may never see her beloved Jamie (Sam Heughan) ever again? Caitriona Balfe does it magnificently, as she prepares to return through the stones at Craigh na Dun to resume her old life with first husband Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies) in the 20th century.

Hey, this moment should look familiar to EW Readers! In our exclusive first look cover from September, executive producer Ronald D. Moore talks about his plan to re-enact the Battle of Culloden in the opening episode. Our issue also included a first look of Claire walking through the battlefield during an eerie dream sequence. “It just felt like for the TV show, we’ve been promising this for a while and it just felt like we should have something,” Moore told EW of the conflict that was first teased in the season 2 finale between the French-backed highlanders and the British army. “We should give the audience some sense of what happened on that moor.”

Someone’s looking pretty good for her age here! I’ve got a little scoop for you, Outlander fans: Don’t expect Claire or Jamie to look like they’ve aged much in season 3, even though 20 years will have gone by since the lovers last saw each other. “I think they really wanted to not have us change too much,” Balfe tells me exclusively while shooting in South Africa. “The aging has been really subtle. There’s a bit of weathering and stuff that we’ve done, but it’s been very subtle.”

Oh, Sophie Skelton! So great to see you reprise the role of Brianna, Claire and Jamie’s daughter, at the start of season 3. But I fear her appearance in these 20th century scenes with mommy and her adopted dad Frank (Tobias Menzies) will be the extent of her work in the new season. Catch you more in season 4, girlfriend?

Ah, an old movie trope that never gets old — the shot of a hand dragging over the gorgeous flora as a sentimental shout-out to home. The last hot guy to do this so well was Maximus (aka Russell Crowe), as he prepares for death in the final scene of Gladiator.

Okay, so maybe this sight of 20th century Claire rushing through her Boston hospital in scrubs means nothing to the story. But I ask you, Outlander fans, is there anything more exhilarating than the sight of gorgeous medical personnel rushing to an emergency? Look no further than those swell nurses from the title sequence of M*A*S*H*.

Dang, that was quick! After stopping and starting the video at least 15 times, I surmised that it’s probably the moment when Jamie shoots the Earl of Ellesmere after he threatens to hurt a certain child. Out of respect for the non-book readers, I’ll refrain from any further details.

“I’ll find you. I promise.”

Okay, the images threw me for a bit; was Voyager so long that I simply can’t remember this particular scene? Fortunately, a key source who shall go unnamed hinted that it’s most likely a depiction of the Silkies Island, home of the hidden treasure. Apparently, author Diana Gabaldon didn’t explicitly describe the island in her books so it appears this is all from the great minds of Moore and production designer Jon Gary Steele. Whatever; I just liked this part the most because it made me think of Daniel Day-Lewis telling Madeleine Stowe that he will find her, “no matter how long it takes, no matter how far” in The Last of the Mohicans. Be still my heart!

Any other observations from the 30-second trailer? Sound off below!

Outlander returns to Starz in September.