Outlander season 7 saw Master Raymond make a return
Fans of Outlander have been delving back into earlier seasons of the show as the Droughtlander period takes hold. The series left viewers on a heart-wrenching cliffhanger, with Claire Fraser (portrayed by Caitríona Balfe) discovering that her firstborn daughter Faith might still be alive or could have survived her stillbirth.
In a hallucinatory state brought on by a gunshot wound, Claire experienced visions of Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), who offered her a cryptic apology. His words seemed to hint at the possibility of Faith being alive, with a locket bearing her name suggesting something along those lines.
Master Raymond’s last appearance before this dream sequence was in season two’s episode titled ‘Faith’. In this instalment, he saved Claire’s life by covertly entering the church hospital where she lay on death’s door.
He risked much to heal Claire, affirming their friendship and mutual support.
Furthermore, Claire later saved his life when King Louis XV (Lionel Lingelser) sought to expose practitioners of sorcery and summoned her as La Dame Blanche. Besides this, Master Raymond sent Claire anonymous packages in Scotland containing various items that would later bear significance in her life, such as bear finger bones – a nod to Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) Native American moniker, Bear Killer, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
These gifts seem to imply that Master Raymond had foreknowledge of Claire’s future and what lay ahead for her.
Master Raymond slipped away from the pages after his stint in Dragonfly in Amber and only earned an offhand mention minus his moniker in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. That’s why telly buffs got quite the startle seeing him pop up once more, a twist that most hadn’t seen coming.
Yet, the sharper-eyed viewers might’ve clocked a little clue of his upcoming reappearance during season two when he dropped what looked like a cryptic comeback teaser.
Outlander script maestro Toni Graphia let loose on her thoughts, remarking: “I like what he says, ‘We’ll see each other again.’ He told her a few episodes ago, in my other episode, ‘You will see Frank again.'” Digging a bit deeper, she added, “And here he says, ‘We will all see each other again.’ I don’t really know what that means, but it sounded mystical and he says to her, ‘Have faith’.”
It was this little breadcrumb trail that hinted at Master Raymond’s unexpected return in the seventh series.
Chipping in on the Official Outlander Podcast back then, she further disclosed: “I purposely had him say, ‘Have Faith,’ because of course that’s what Mother Hildegarde has named the baby.
“The baby had to have a name and be baptised to even be buried on the church property.”
Even though Graphia professed puzzlement over the implications, that single line kept the door ajar for the mystical Master Raymond to sneak back into the fray. Additionally, it paved the way for the show’s penmen to thread towards the alternative Faith storyline, one where Master Raymond whisks the wee tot to a different time, sparing her life and granting her days anew in a separate epoch.
This was a storyline that Outlander author Diana Gabaldon had intended to delve into via a graphic novel, but time constraints got in the way. However, fans can now witness this narrative unfold on the small screen, as the series is set to veer off from the book’s path henceforth.
Outlander Season 7 is available to buy now on Digital and Outlander is streaming on MGM+ via Prime Video now