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The much-anticipated eighth season of “Outlander” has made its grand entrance, marking the final chapter of this beloved series. Fans can rejoice as familiar faces return to the screen, with Sam Heughan and CaitrÃona Balfe reprising their iconic roles as Jamie and Claire Fraser. Joining them are John Bell as Young Ian Murray, Lauren Lyle as Marsali Fraser, César Domboy as Fergus Fraser, and David Berry as Lord John Grey.
This season, consisting of 10 episodes, takes its cues from Diana Gabaldon’s ninth novel, “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone,” continuing to weave a rich tapestry that blends historical events and figures with the fictional narrative that fans have come to love.
The series has a reputation for skillfully merging the historical and the fantastical, often drawing on real-life personalities and occurrences to enhance its storytelling. This blend has captivated audiences and added depth to its characters, making them resonate on multiple levels.
One character, in particular, has sparked curiosity: Lord John Grey. Recent comments from Maril Davis, the executive producer of “Outlander,” have fueled speculation about a potential spin-off centered on Grey, inspired by Diana Gabaldon’s novellas.
Adding to the intrigue, Professor Charles Upchurch of Florida State University shared insights with Reach Plc, shedding light on the historical inspirations behind Lord John Grey. He delved into what life might have been like for a character of Grey’s background and sexuality in that era, as reported by the Daily Record.
Professor Upchurch explained there were “high-ranking military men on both sides of the American Revolution” who resembled Lord John Grey.
He referenced Prussian military officer Baron von Steuben, who instructed the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and Secretary of State for the Colonies Lord George Sackville, who oversaw the conflict against the American colonies.
Both von Steuben and Sackville were recognised during their lifetimes for their same-sex attractions. Outlander enthusiasts are hopeful that Lord John, recognised for his profound unrequited affection for Jamie, will ultimately discover some semblance of romantic fulfilment of his own.
Whilst audiences will need to wait to discover how the season unfolds, Professor Upchurch did indicate it was feasible for gay individuals such as Lord John to sustain a same-sex relationship.
He stated: “The more we look, the more scholars are discovering evidence of long-term relationships between both male and female same-sex couples in the 18th century, at the upper, middling, and lower-class levels of society, with the forms that these relationships take varying significantly because of the material resources of each class.”
Someone like Lord John would be granted greater privilege owing to his upper class position, being part of the military and possessing wealth.
The punishments for those apprehended having same-sex relationships were “draconian”, nevertheless, the “minimal” enforcement of these laws meant that upper-class men could “purchase their privacy” both at home and overseas and would be “relatively safe”.
The academic, who is presently working on the book ‘Called it Macaroni’: A British Queer History of the American Revolution, explained that even those who defied convention and “became notorious” were able to escape abroad rather than face arrest and prosecution. Reflecting on why Lord John Grey may have been included in Outlander by Gabaldon, Professor Upchurch suggested that he served as the antithesis to the brutal Captain ‘Black Jack’ Randall (Tobias Menzies).
The academic elaborated: “In the torture scenes at the end of season one, Randall’s investment in getting Jamie to accept and consent to the violence being inflicted on him is a long-standing trope of literature on colonialism.
“Outlander was innovative in that it was not Claire but Jamie who was the victim, and whilst there were a number of asides in season one that indicated that sex between men was a part of this world and not such a big deal, the lack of queer characters in season one meant that the only representation of sex between men was through violence and sadism, made more extreme because of its use as an analogy for England’s treatment of Scotland.
“Lord John, first appearing in season two, is in many ways an atonement for this.”
Outlander season 8 airs on Starz in the USA on Fridays and on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK on Saturdays
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