Warning! Spoilers for Outlander season 7, episode 10 ahead!
Outlanderseason 7 sees Claire get remarried once again, and though the circumstances are similar to season 1, her motivations are entirely different. Not long after the news of Jamie’s death, Lord John Grey learned that Claire was going to be arrested as a spy and determined that he must marry her to prevent this. Of course, Claire was none too eager to remarry after losing Jamie, but, just as back inOutlanderseason 1, her personal safety depended on it. However, this time around, it wasn’t due to concern for her life that Claire agreed to the sudden nuptials.
InOutlanderseason 7, episode 10, it’s revealed that the messages Claire passed on for the rebels were being intercepted. The consequence of this treason would surely be death, but marrying Lord John Grey—a respected British loyalist—would ensure Claire’s safety.This is similar to the story inOutlanderseason 1 when Claire had no choice but to marry a Scot(Jamie) to stay out of the hands of British soldier Jonathan Randall. The parallels here are intriguing, and these two marriages allow for some contrast within Claire’s own character development inOutlander.
Claire Agrees To Marry Lord John Grey To Protect Ian & The Hunters
Claire Wouldn’t Have Married Lord John For Her Own Safety
When Claire learned she had been caught as a spy and would likely hang inOutlanderseason 7, she wasn’t particularly concerned. Jamie had only been recently presumed dead, and Claire herself had lost the will to live. She considered Lord John a friend, but marrying while she was still so in love with her husband was too painful for her to consider. However, Lord John pointed out thatif Claire went down as a spy, then Ian, Rachel Hunter, Denzell Hunter, and Mercy Woodcock would all go down with her by association. They were all known rebels, after all.
This reminder is what ultimately motivated Claire to go through with the marriage. She didn’t care enough about her own life in those moments, but Claire would never want anything to happen to Ian, the Hunters, or Mercy. This has always been a qualityClaire has demonstrated inOutlander. She is very passionate about saving others when she is able. However, it’s interesting that this time around,Claire needed other people’s lives to be in danger before she would remarry. Back inOutlanderseason 1, self-preservation had been enough for her to set Frank aside.
Claire Agreed To Marry Jamie To Protect Herself
It Didn’t Take As Much For Claire To Let Go Of Frank
InOutlanderseason 1, Claire agreed to marry Jamie because it was the only way to keep her out of Black Jack Randall’s hands. She was very reluctant to go through with this since she was still eager to return to the standing stones and travel back to her own time to be reunited with her husband, Frank Randall. Sure, Claire had chemistry with Jamie, but she was determined to put that aside and remain loyal to Frank for much ofOutlander’s first episodes. Of course, this fell apart entirely once she was actually married to Jamie, and Frank became a distant memory.
LikeClaire’s marriage to Lord John in season 7, her union with Jamie was an obligation to preserve life. However, at this point in season 1, it becomes clear that Claire isn’t so dedicated to Frank that she would choose death over being disloyal to him.Had it been Jamie who Claire left in a different time, this exact situation would have gone differently—and season 7 proves this once and for all.
Outlander Season 7 Demonstrates How Claire Has Redeemed Herself In Love
Claire Isn’t Disloyal - Jamie Is Just Her True Soulmate
Outlanderhas done something interesting by mirroringClaire’s marriage dilemma from season 1in season 7. Back at the beginning of the series, Claire felt immense guilt for marrying Jamie, even before she wholly fell in love with him. This guilt carried over when she returned to the future and resumed her marriage with Frank. She had, in a way, been married to two men at the same time. Frank felt this betrayal as well, and it poisoned something between them for the remainder of their time together.
She loved Frank, but Jamie was her soulmate, and the draw to him was entirely irresistible.
Claire’s reluctance to move on, even if it meant her own death, inOutlanderseason 7 redeemed her of her past betrayal. It took other people’s lives being in danger for her to even consider it. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean much to Frank, but it proves that Claire isn’t a disloyal person. She loved Frank, but Jamie was her soulmate, and the draw to him was entirely irresistible.Outlanderseason 7 demonstrates how Claire’s decisions differ from the past, perfectly reflecting her character arc to this point in the series.
New episodes ofOutlanderseason 7 release on Starz every Friday at 8:00 PM EST.
Outlander
Cast
Outlander follows Claire Randall, a married nurse from 1945, who is transported back to 1743 Scotland. Amidst political intrigue and danger, she navigates life in the past and becomes torn between loyalty to her husband and the love for a dashing young warrior.
