"It's tough because [when you] come at it from your modern mind, especially with the spanking scene and things like that, there's an initial reaction of, 'No way we can do that.'" Balfe said. "My job in scenes like that is usually a lot easier because Claire is pretty much of the same thinking. She's a much more modern woman, and you have to look at things in the time that they're situated within. In the 1700s, this was kind of the way of life. I do think, especially when it's sexual violence, that we have a responsibility to not take it lightly, to treat it with the respect that it deserves. We have always said, from the onset of the show, that if there are scenes of a sexual nature, or violence, that they're there for a particular reason. It's to tell part of the story and to move the story forward. It can be a hard conversation sometimes."