It is a well-known fact that grief makes people do uncharacteristic things. Outlander Season 7 offered much grief in its most recent episode, with the presumed death of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) in a shipwreck. Some of those who the heroic Scottish highlander presumably left behind, such as his wife, Claire (Caitríona Balfe), and one of his most devout friends, Lord John Grey (David Berry), have been left to mourn his loss. However, grieving will not last long, as the ever shifting tides we are used to in Outlander forces Lord John to make a shocking proposal to Claire. David Berry, who plays the British soldier and diplomat, has since teased a major jaw-dropping moment when the series returns this Friday.
Last Friday’s gloomy proposal was a shocking one, but extremely necessary. Claire’s life is at stake and this might be the only way to protect her. Berry has, however, teased in an interview with TV Insider, that an event which “is going to shock audiences,” will make up part of the viewing for the December 6 episode. Discussing with the outlet, Berry reveals that what transpires “shocked us as actors and anyone who’s read the books. I think Diana [G abaldon, who wrote the bestselling novels on which the show is based] just comes up with this massive bombshell.” Adding, “The way to prepare for it is [as an actor], well, how do you inject a sense of believability into it and humanity, and how do we get these characters through this massive moment? And there were a lot of competing ideas and a lot of it was a really difficult thing to put on screen.”
John’s Love is Mutli-Dimensional
Overall, Lord John is a very private man who keeps his personal life under wraps. Berry reveals that what is set to transpire between the pair would see Claire and Lord John become closer while revealing more about the diplomat’s life. Berry explains:
“Claire’s starting to learn that Lord John is not just this person who pines for Jamie in a very one-dimensional sense . He is a three-dimensional person with needs and wants and loves and hopes and dreams that exist beyond the Frasers. He even has a love or a liaison with somebody that isn’t Jamie. That is really surprising to Claire, the way that he, as a man of his time, negotiates that kind of relationship.”
When Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert) informs Lord John of the plans to have Claire arrested as a rebel spy and executed. It was done out of curtesy to his station. John’s decision to marry Claire was clearly a calculated one, albeit born of grief. However, Berry is quick to note that the fallout from that decision is one likely to put Lord John in peril in the December 13 episode, saying:
“It blows up in a way that is the worst possible thing for Lord John. He gets brutalized and beaten within inch of his life.”
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.