Just before the highly anticipated series finale, Outlander has left fans absolutely devastated by killing off TWO major characters in a shocking final-hour twist that nobody saw coming. 😱💔 Viewers are calling it the most emotional episode in years as heartbreak, betrayal, and impossible choices push Jamie and Claire closer than ever to the end of their journey. From tear-filled farewell scenes to hidden clues that may reveal what’s coming in the finale, the episode has sparked massive reactions across social media, with longtime fans saying they’re still trying to recover. 😭

In the penultimate episode of Outlander, two characters met their end.

In the May 8 airing of the Starz series, Percy Beauchamp (Michael Lindall) and Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert) were killed off. Both Lindall and Lambert joined the series in season 7.

The episode began with Lord John Grey (David Berry) waking up after he was kidnapped by Richardson, who threatened to expose several of his romantic dalliances with other men — including with his stepbrother, Percy, who confessed to their affairs, further damning John.

In order to keep his affairs a secret, Richardson demanded that John persuade his brother, the Duke of Pardloe, not to give a scheduled speech related to war funds, which he said would lead the British to lose the war, but John refused. Percy made a second attempt to convince John to do what Richardson was asking, and while pleading with him, told him he loved him.

John asked that Percy give his son, William (Charles Vandervart), a message and his ring, which ultimately led William, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitríona Balfe) to find and rescue John from Richardson.

Before John killed Richardson, Claire learned that Richardson was a time traveller, too, and shared her own experiences with him. He shared that he was striving to have the British win the Revolutionary War instead of the U.S., all as a means of abolishing slavery earlier, because he had experienced the Civil War.

After an emotional conversation, Claire agreed to let him go free — but John shot and killed him just seconds later.

Percy’s death came later in the episode, after John had settled back in at home. John paid a visit to his former lover and demanded that Percy sign an affidavit and confess to his involvement in the kidnapping, as well as discredit the allegations about John’s sexuality.

Though Percy signed the form and was willing to face the authorities, he shot and killed himself after John left.

Percy and Richardson’s deaths came a few weeks after Fergus (César Domboy) was killed off in a major deviation from Diana Gabaldon’s book series, of which the Starz series is based. In Gabaldon’s book, Fergus’ son, Henri-Christian, died in a fire at their print shop, but the show had Fergus die in the blaze instead.

Gabaldon told Parade that she believed Starz made the change because they “couldn’t stand to kill” a child. “I suppose they thought they had to kill somebody,” she said. “Personally, I thought if they were too chicken to do it right, they should just have eased back and burned down the print shop.”

The series finale of Outlander premieres May 15 on Starz.