Outlander star David Berry addressed Lord John’s marriage proposal to Claire (Caitríona Balfe) in season 7, explaining why it’s such a difficult ask for the character. During Outlander season 7, episode 10, it’s revealed that Jamie (Sam Heughan) supposedly died after his ship, the Euterpe, became lost at sea. This led to John proposing to his friends’ wife, feeling a need to protect her from a potential treason charge, as Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert) warns him about. This puts the protagonist in a precarious situation after just losing her husband.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Berry addressed John’s proposal to Claire in Outlander season 7, explaining how his grief for Jamie makes him want to protect her. The actor said John doesn’t want to marry her, but that, in order to protect her from dangers like a treason charge, he has to. He also calls her “extremely ungrateful” for his offer, but also explained how his character understands because of the shared grief they feel over Jamie’s supposed death. Check out what Berry had to say below:
Why should we judge who’s deserving of more grief? Lord John has a deep and profound love for Jamie. The extent to which we sympathize with that depends on how much you really think that he should feel this grief, but there’s certainly the love that he’s displayed for the Frasers over time. His relationship with them is undeniable. He’s done everything for them.
To think that he would not feel a profound sense of grief for the loss of Jamie takes away from the full dimensionality of the character. That’s something that we really flesh out — how and why Lord John feels this grief and the extent to which he processes this grief and how it’s different from Claire, but in many ways similar because they both share a profound and deep love for this man.
I don’t think Lord John wants to be married to Claire at all. That is an act of sacrifice for Jamie and Claire. It is Lord John completely acting again in service of the Frasers. It’s an act of love for them and for Jamie — to protect the thing that Jamie values most, which is Claire.
She’s recklessly spiraling and putting herself in danger. Lord John is trying to hold things together for them. Does he want to be married to Claire? No. He has a life and needs and wants that exist beyond the Frasers. To understand the sacrifices that he’s making and the frustration that he feels towards Claire is a huge source of drama and conflict between the two of them.
Claire is being extremely ungrateful for the service that he’s done to protect her. She’s not getting on with the practical element of the fact that her life is in danger. He’s perhaps a little bit insensitive toward the fact that she just wants to die because Jamie doesn’t exist anymore. But the extent to which he can truly feel sympathy for that is limited because he also feels such a deep sense of grief for Jamie’s loss. There is a need for him to propel things forward and motivate her to live. That’s a great act of heroism on his part.
What Lord John’s Marriage Proposal Means For Claire In Outlander Season 7
She Might Need To Seriously Consider His Offer
Given John’s status as a Loyalist, Claire marrying him will offer her plenty of protection from those who believe her guilty of treason. While it would be a marriage of convenience, it’s now something she has to seriously consider, lest she become a target of social politics and be punished for the crimes she’s accused of. Though she hasn’t decided by the time season 7, episode 10 ends, what she says could determine how the rest of the season, alongside Outlander season 8, ends up playing out.
However, because Jamie died offscreen and there is still so much of the series left, it’s unclear if he’s actually dead, or simply lost at sea. This means Claire could hold out hope for his potential return, their love conquering even the most difficult of barriers between them. But, for her immediate safety and how future events in Outlander could play out, she might have to consider marrying John, if only to keep herself and her family safe.
Our Take On John’s Proposal To Claire
It Makes Sense Given His Love For Jamie
Lord John’s genuine love for Jamie means he’s grieving too, making it unclear if his marriage proposal is really going to be what’s best for Claire’s protection. However, if she doesn’t capitulate to the idea, she could be facing charges of treason that will put her in more danger than ever before. With Outlander season 7 part 2 only just beginning, she’ll need to think about what to do before acting on it, deciding whether his protection is going to be worthwhile.