Outlander season 2 'a whole new show' says Sam Heughan 

This Week's Cover: Inside the wild, sexy world of 'Outlander'

If you thought Claire and Jamie had a lot to deal with in season 1 of

, just wait until they attempt to change the course of history.

In an exclusive video for this week’s Entertainment Weekly cover story, stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan previewed what’s in store for the upcoming season, premiering April 9 on Starz.

“Season 2 is certainly a whole new show,” Heughan says.

The first half of the season trades in the untamed landscapes of Scotland for a new world of fancy gowns, lavish apartments, and French royalty. Claire and Jamie attempt to infiltrate the court of King Louis XV to prevent him from funding Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite rebellion, which would eventually lead to the Highlanders’ defeat at the Battle of Culloden Moor. 

“[It] involves so much political weaving and maneuvering. [They’re] trying to navigate their way through French high society. That’s sort of the first hurdle that they face,” Balfe says. “Once they come back to Scotland, it’s the battle to save the Highland culture and to save Scotland, and they’re very much at the forefront of that.”

Amid all those undertakings is the matter of Claire’s pregnancy. The couple will be preparing for impending parenthood while also dealing with the aftermath of Jamie’s torture and rape at the hands of Black Jack Randall.  

And speaking of Randall, the season will include interweaving timelines, as fans glimpsed in the new trailer. Also featured in the time jumps? The highly anticipated debut of Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin).

Watch the video above for Heughan and Balfe’s scoop on season 2, premiering April 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.  

, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands Friday, or buy it here.

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