It is truly great to have Outlander back for the second batch of episodes in its seventh season. However, with the Droughtlander over, this means a return to the sometimes heart-wrenching storylines that permeate the beloved Starz series. At the end of Season 7, Episode 10, titled “Brotherly Love,” the world is turned upside down for Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe). Having returned to the American Colonies at the start of the episode to help treat the ailing nephew of Lord John Grey (David Berry). Claire is informed that her husband, Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) ship, the Euterpe, has been lost at sea. While Claire grieves, so does Lord John, given that the trio have a storied history between them.
While incarcerated at Ardsmuir Prison, Jamie served as the de facto leader of the prisoners. A much younger Lord John served as warden, and together, they worked to keep the institution functional and respectful. Lord John made a romantic move on Jamie, one that was brashly rebuffed. And while, in the future, Jamie would offer himself to John after having helped in a tight situation, the British officer declined as the pair went on to build a strong bond of friendship. There is friendship between the two men, but Lord John also loves the Scotsman. “I hope audiences can really relate to John’s grief in this moment as much as they relate to Claire’s,” David Berry, who plays Lord John, tells TVLine. “I think it’s easy for audiences to really tap into the grief that Claire is feeling, but this is also a great love that Lord John has been carrying and a huge loss that he experiences.”
Lord John’s True Grief Must Remain Hidden in ‘Outlander’
It’s the 18th Century and there are certain choices and lifestyles acceptable today that were utterly abhorred in that time period. Lord John’s sexuality was one of them. Given his status as a diplomat and revered soldier from a storied military family, he kept his true self hidden. Closeted, this means that Lord John can’t really grief as he would want given the societal implications, but how long will that hold? Berry thinks, not long, saying:
“There is a real problem and tragedy in that he can’t mourn the way publicly, or even privately, that he wants to. He has to hide it from William. He has to hide it from the public,. Again, he’s very adept at hiding things and the things that he loves, but it’s going to tear him apart.”
Lord John has, in his grief, found a way to honor his friend’s memory. Having served only briefly as a spy for the Continental Army, Claire is facing the noose as British forces have uncovered her role. To save her from execution, Lord John shockingly proposes a marriage, which will protect her from the hangman. “I don’t think Lord John wants to be married to Claire at all,” Berry explains. “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.”
New episodes of Outlander Season 7 premiere on Fridays on the Starz app and at 8 PM ET on Starz. The franchise expands next year with the prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood.