Did You See That 'Outlander' Character Return in Season 7 Part 2? Sam Heughan Breaks Down the Tense Reunion (2025)

Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for Outlander Season 7 Part 2.

I am certain you'd agree, it's brilliant to have Outlander back as Season 7 Part 2 premiered yesterday, November 22. Returning to our screens last night were the Frasers and MacKenzies, with Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), returning home to Scotland. There was a lot to unpack from the ninth episode, which was titled Unfinished Business, as a tense family reunion played out. While Young Ian (John Bell) had a relatively decent welcome from the family, the same couldn't exactly be said for his aunt and uncle. One of the many surprises that lay in store was Jamie's decision to speak and apologize to Laoghaire (Nell Hudson).

It's a decision borne out of a place of honor for Jamie, Heughan tells RadioTimes.com, in an episode that offered several uncomfortable conversations. Speaking on the decision to speak with Laoghaire, Heughan understands the emotions under which Laoghaire has had to operate. The actor explained:

"And I also feel like there's still... despite their rather tumultuous, kind of crazy history that they've had together, there's still a part of him that remembers the young Jamie and the young Laoghaire. He knows deep down that she's hurting. He wants to help her, he wants to make sure that she's OK, but also Joni – he's got a very soft place in his heart for her. Obviously, they lived together for some time. So he has a sense of duty and he's a good man, and I think he's putting a lot of things to rest."

Jamie and Claire have, since departing for America, decided to make the Land of the Free their new home, and this settles lingering issues in Bonnie Scotland. Prior to their departure, Laoghaire, has been a character that has provided quite a lot of challenges for Jamie given the way things transpired between them. Heughan goes on to speak on revisiting old locations and characters, saying:

"He's made his home in America now, but there are certain things that he feels that he should put away. And it's great to see Nell [Hudson] come back. She's a character that I think fans love to hate. And as soon as she walks on screen, I think you'll be able to hear the audience gasp. But yeah, a really fun sort of chapter to revisit and to have all these great characters. But as you said, it is bittersweet saying goodbye to some of our favorite characters and some of our favourite locations as well."

Could There Be Another 'Outlander' Spin-off?

The beloved Starz series is set to end with an eighth season, and with it brings to an end over a decade of brilliance on Outlander. The series will be succeeded by the upcoming spin-off show, a prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. The series will tell the story of Jamie and Claire's respective parents, and is currently in production and will premiere sometime in 2025. There have been conversations surrounding other potential spin-offs with David Berry's portrayal of Lord John Grey, a potential pathway. Berry's character remains a part of Outlander going forward, and the actor has recently said that while the proposed spin-off centered on his character has been shelved, he is willing to return in that capacity. The actor says:

"I haven’t spoken about this. But I think that since the [original] series is over, I feel a bit more comfortable talking about it. There was a time in Season 4 when we were going to shoot our Lord John series; it had been written— well, there was a writer attached and I’d signed a contract to do a series. It went down to the wire of whether or not it would get approved by the network, but ultimately, at the time, it was decided that that wasn’t the right fit, or wasn’t the right thing for them. I was prepared to do it, and I’m still prepared to do it."

New episodes of Outlander Season 7 premiere on Fridays on the Starz app and at 8 PM ET on Starz.

Outlander

TV-MA

Action

Drama

Romance

Fantasy

Claire Beauchamp Randall, a nurse in World War II, mysteriously goes back in time to Scotland in 1743. There, she meets a dashing Highland warrior and gets drawn into an epic rebellion.

Release Date

August 9, 2014

Cast

Caitriona Balfe , Sam Heughan , Sophie Skelton , Richard Rankin

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

8

Studio

Starz

Story By

Ronald D. Moore

Writers

Ronald D. Moore, Matthew B. Roberts

Network

Starz

Directors

Metin Hüseyin, Jamie Payne

Showrunner

Matthew B. Roberts

Character(s)

Mrs. Bug, Lord John Grey, Angus Mhor, William Ransom, Josiah / Keziah Beardsley, Rupert MacKenzie, Marsali MacKimmie Fraser, Lizzie Wemyss, Fergus Claudel Fraser, Frank Randall / Jonathan Black Jack Randall, Ian Fraser Murray, Brianna Randall, Claire Randall Fraser, Roger Wakefield, Dougal MacKenzie, Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, Jamie Fraser

WATCH ON STARZ