Outlander season 7 subtly brought back one of the series’ already-deceased characters, but what did this appearance really mean? Plenty of characters have come and gone throughout Outlander’s run, and it’s always difficult to say goodbye. Thankfully, there is always an opportunity in a fantasy series like this for these characters to make a big return. Various actors and characters have been brought back to the screen for cameos, but the most unique instance of this in Outlander season 7 came quietly during the opening clip of episode 15.
Each episode of Outlander features a short scene that follows the main title theme sequence, “Skye Boat Song.” The clip will often include people, places, or items with some significance to that specific episode’s story. In an episode about a big battle, we may see soldiers quietly preparing. In an episode about a character’s death, we may see a grave. In the case of Outlander season 7, episode 15, which followed the events of the Battle of Monmouth, this opening clip saw a man and a young girl in a museum, looking at the famed “Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth” painting—and these characters looked awfully familiar.
Frank Made A Secret Appearance In Outlander Season 7
Frank Randall Briefly Returned
The opening clip of Outlander season 7, episode 15, “Written in My Own Hearts Blood,” never showed the man and child’s faces, but it’s pretty clear that this is Frank and Brianna Randall. Frank died in a car accident way back in Outlander season 3, so this surprise appearance years later is rather exciting. The clip of the father and daughter is a flashback to a trip the two must have taken to the Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City, where “Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth” is on display. It’s a quick moment, but a lot is going on here that impacts the rest of the episode.
Outlander season 7, episode 15, is when Jamie and Claire participated in the Battle of Monmouth. “Molly Pitching at the Battle of Monmouth” is a real painting, but the one Frank and Brianna are seen looking at is significantly different than the one currently on display in New York. The Outlander version sees Jamie manning a cannon while Claire cares for an injured soldier. It’s interesting that Outlander chose to bring Frank back for this clip since it reveals that Frank had once brought Brianna to see a painting of her parents fighting in a 200-year-old battle.
Did Tobias Menzies play Frank In Outlander Season 7?
Did The Actor Himself Return Too?
In Outlander seasons 1 through 4, Frank, as well as his ancestor Black Jack Randall, was played by actor Tobias Menzies. Both these characters technically died in season 3, but Menzies reprised his performances in season 4. This is the last that the actor has appeared in Outlander, and he remained adamant in the leadup to season 7 that he would not be returning for any future episodes (though he expressed confidence in the show’s ending). This confirms that the version of Frank seen in Outlander season 7, episode 15, was played by someone else, though their identity is unknown.
Why Frank’s Brief Outlander Season 7 Scene Was So Meaningful
This Clip Had A Profound But Subtle Impact On Brianna’s Story
Menzies has made it clear that he cannot return to Outlander, which is a shame since his character continues to impact author Diana Gabaldon’s story even from beyond the grave. Though played by a different actor, Frank’s cameo appearance seems to be a way for Outlander to compromise. In the books, Brianna discovers that Frank knew that Jamie and Claire would participate in the American Revolution. The man had recognized that his wife would one day return to the past, and he left information about Jamie and Claire for Brianna to find. It’s a touching revelation, but Outlander season 7 left it out.
It seems that Frank’s brief cameo in Outlander season 7 was a way for the TV show to acknowledge this book story without diving fully into it (which there likely wasn’t time for).
It seems that Frank’s brief cameo in Outlander season 7 was a way for the TV show to acknowledge this book story without diving fully into it (which there likely wasn’t time for). Rather than follow Brianna as she discovers the clues Frank left behind for her, the clip at the museum subtly reveals what the man had known. While still married to Claire in the 20th century, Frank saw her and Jamie in a painting of the Battle of Monmouth. Brianna’s adoptive father may be long dead by Outlander season 7, but this brief clip managed to subtly reveal that he knew far more than he ever let on.