Outlander Season 7 Casting News Reveals So Much
SPOILERS!!!
A few days ago, we got a surprise announcement of several new cast members along with many returning cast members for Season 7 of Outlander, which is currently filming. So, what can we learn from these announcements about what may or may not be coming? A lot, actually.
And fair warning: spoilers ahead!
Let's start with one of the standouts: The recasting of Jenny. Given Laura Donnelly's previous comments, it seemed extremely unlikely that she would be returning to the series, and with several of her other projects in motion, no surprise there. The choice of actress, at first blush, seems a good one for a recast. But it tells us a few things. We will definitely be returning to Scotland, and they won't be writing out Jenny like they did in Season 4. This is a good choice, as giving us extended time at Lallybroch without the lady of the house would be extremely odd and off putting. So while the change might be a bit jarring for some viewers, it's far and away the best option. Thankfully, we are getting the fabulous Steven Cree back as Ian, and I am beyond excited to see him and Jamie reunited.
That leads us to another familiar character but with a new actor. Namely, that's Diarmaid Murtagh as Buck Mackenzie. Since Graham McTavish played him as kind of an Easter Egg in Season 5, the recast makes sense. Graham playing Dougal and Buck would be a confusing mess and border on the silly. So that casting choice makes a lot of sense too, but it also tells us a lot of what's coming, and it seems a good chunk of that will be moved up from book 8. Namely, the adventures of Buck and Roger, which have some...interesting turns in the books. They travel back to 1739 to look for Jemmy and run into familiar faces along the way. I'm assuming they'll be skipping the mother/son incest plot. I hope.
This seems like a good moment to mention that Lotte Verbeek will be back as Geillis, and Graham McTavish will return as Dougal. Still hoping Graham will have reason for that nudity clause in his contract at last. Dougal and Geillis are one of my favorite, chaotic, terrifying couples I can't look away from. It will be extremely interesting to see how much these two are in the story and how they influence it as we see them even before we knew them in Season 1.
Another familiar face is, of course, Nell Hudson as Laoghaire, and to say I'm excited for her return is a wild understatement. Any time she is onscreen with Jamie and Claire, the tension is electric. I'm thrilled to see how things play out and to get more insight into hers and Jamie's messy, problematic, difficult relationship. And it will be lovely to see our little Joanie again, all grown up, still played by the same actress in Layla Burns.
Andrew Whipp will also be reprising his role as Brian, and I wonder if they will use this as an opportunity to amp up anticipation for the prequel series currently in development. A taste of Brian and Ellen in the past might be just the thing.
Some new characters from the books tell us quite a bit about what's coming. For example, Georgia Obianyo as Mercy Woodcock, who is a woman who nurses John Grey's nephew and develops feelings, and if the casting of William wasn't enough to tell us the Greys would be more present, this certainly is.
Next we have Benedict Arnold, played by Rod Hallett, who I personally adore from The Tudors. We will definitely be getting more American Revolution this season, and clearly some American History Easter Eggs if the likes of Benedict Arnold are showing up. Finally, we have Chris Fulton as Rob Cameron, a casting I'm particularly excited about given his Bridgerton connection. But that, along with the behind the scenes photos, tell us that we will be following the Mackenzies to the future. Rob Cameron is a helluva character who kidnaps Jemmy, sexually assaults Bree, and leads to a lot of drama and even more time travel.
So overall, it seems like we have a pretty good idea of the storylines that will play out because of these announcements, and it's shaping up to be a packed season, especially since they still have the Christie storyline to wrap up.