More than a year after the Outlander Season 7 midseason finale ended with Claire and Jamie back on the shores of Scotland, the show is finally returning with new episodes. Of course, going to Scotland doesn't mean staying in Scotland when the Frasers still have work to do for the American Revolution, and a new trailer for the second half of the season previews what to expect for the returning characters. While much of the focus is on the core cast of Frasers, an unexpected character is featured in a surprisingly spicy scene: William.
Actor Charles Vandervaart opened up to CinemaBlend about the love triangle including his character ahead of Outlander's return in the 2024 TV schedule, and his comments are particularly interesting in light of the new trailer, seen above.
Now, anybody who has watched six and a half seasons of Outlander knows that a bit of spice is normally far from surprising for this show, which has chronicled Claire and Jamie's love story pretty explicitly over the years, with Bree and Roger getting their share of sex scenes as well. What surprised me from the trailer is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment at the 1:33 mark, when a shirtless William can be seen kissing a mystery woman. This character has certainly not been part of love scenes like others have!
And the only woman who William seemed to seriously look at romantically over the course of Season 7A was none other than Rachel, played by Izzy Meikle-Small. Unfortunately for William, Rachel has grown quite close to Young Ian (John Bell), who definitely doesn't mind her affection, to say the very least. For either man, Rachel's status as a Quaker would complicate everything unless she's willing to abandon that community and/or form a connection with a loyalist.
So, when I spoke with Charles Vandervaart ahead of Outlander's return during Starz's Season 7B press junket, I had to ask for his spoiler-free thoughts on whether William/Rachel/Ian is a true love triangle or one is the loneliest number for his character. The actor shared his opinion:
I think William really thinks it's a love triangle. I think he really hopes it's a love triangle. I hope for him that it's a love triangle, but I don't know. I don't think he can compete. I don't think he can compete with Young Ian. He is a hell of a man, and I think William has a lot of growing to do before he can enter a relationship like that. Maybe in the end, it's best for him to do some personal growing before he finds a partner.
Young Ian and William seem to think well enough of each other as well, which just seems like a further complication... if this truly is a love triangle in which William stands a chance, anyway! The woman with him in the trailer is only shown from the back and appears to have dark hair, but I certainly wouldn't count on the woman being Rachel.
Of course, Rachel's fate overall is uncertain at the moment, since she caught Arch Bug's eye at the end of the first half of Season 7 and presumably will be his target for vengeance against Ian. A lot can happen in the remaining episodes of the seventh season, which is also the penultimate of the series. Outlander will end after the eighth season.
That's still a ways off, though, despite the fact that the cast wrapped on filming Season 8 just last month. For now, you can look forward to the return of Outlander for Season 7B and whatever is in store for William with the midseason premiere on Friday, November 22 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz.
