It’s just under two months until the second half of Season 7 of Outlander premieres and STARZ has released photos from the first three episodes that give clues as to what fans can expect to see.
We left off in midseason with Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Young Ian (John Bell) setting sail for Scotland to oversee the return of the body of Simon Fraser of Balnain (Angus Macfadyen), who had died in the American Revolution fighting on the side of the British, but also because Jamie had promised his sister Jenny (now played by Kristin Atherton) that he would bring Young Ian (John Bell) home.
The return is both joyous and tinged with sadness. It provides Jamie with the opportunity to wrap up his life in Scotland because America is now his home and to say goodbye to some of those he holds dear.
The return to Lallybroch introduces Atherton as Jenny, but we also get to be reintroduced to the elder Ian (Steven Cree) and Jamie’s second wife Laoighaire McKenzie (Nell Hudson), who he married when he thought Claire was lost to him forever in time because she went back to the future.
“It is bittersweet,” Heughan told EW. “Especially between Jamie and his sister, Jenny, there’s some big stuff that they need to go through together.”
During their stay at Lallybroch, Claire finally reveals to Jamie’s family who she is, which brings her into confrontation once again with Jenny, who asks her to perform a miracle that Claire isn’t capable of. After all, she’s a time traveler, not a witch.
“There’s a lot of mutual respect and love there, but Jenny is not fluffy in any kind of way,” Balfe told EW. “Both her and Claire have a tendency, especially when they’re in pain, to lash out. And this is what we see. Jenny is in a very painful situation, and she wants Claire to really do something miraculous, and it’s not within Claire’s capability. There’s a lot of anger there that is maybe misplaced.”
And then Claire receives an urgent message from Philadelphia, requesting her skills as a doctor and her visit is cut short when everyone, Jenny included, urges her to return to America to aid Lord John (David Berry). This is a big turning point in the story as it is the first time that Jamie and Claire will be separated for a long period of time since she returned from the future.
“When the Frasers are not together, things don’t always go very well,” Balfe said in her interview. “This is not good. Claire believes an event happens, which is devastating.”
And Heughan added, “It’s not an easy time for the Fraser family, that’s for sure. But there’s so much for the book fans to look forward to, and if you don’t know the books, prepare yourself for a really emotional rollercoaster.”
Readers of the New York Times bestselling novels written by Diana Gabaldon will know what that major event is, because even though some events in the series have been altered—for example, the reason for Claire’s return to Philadelphia—the big event remains.
“This is a very tricky time politically, and Claire has her loyalties and her allegiances,” Balfe also told EW. “There may be a little bit of political intrigue and on top of everything else, she may or may not do some spying.”
Claire’s return on behalf of Lord John also puts her in touch with Jamie’s illegitimate son William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart), who has been raised by Lord John and isn’t aware that Jamie is his biological father.
“There’s a lot of the Fraser stubbornness, and then there’s also a lot of the Grey reservedness,” Balfe adds. “He’s not an easy person to get to know necessarily, especially when he’s not fully aware of who he is.”
Meanwhile, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin), who had returned back to the future to get their daughter Mandy heart-saving surgery, are dealing with the kidnapping of their son Jem by Rod Cameron (Chris Fulton). As Rod is also a time traveler, Bree and Roger believe that Rod has taken Jem into the past to obtain some hidden gold, so Roger goes through the stones to rescue his son.
This provides an opportunity for Roger to meet his ancestors Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) and Douglas MacKenzie (Graham McTavish), who we know from earlier seasons of Outlander.
Heughan wraps up the season saying, “[There will be] welcome homecomings, as old relationships and friendships are revisited or put to rest, and then new ones that are tested and broken as well.”
The second half of Outlander Season 7 will premiere on Nov. 22 on STARZ.
Source: Parade.com