One of the central linchpins of both the “Outlander” book series and Starz’ take on the material is the long-lived friendship between Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and Lord John Grey (David Berry). But it looks like the domestic camaraderie between the two old chums is about to become a casualty of the oncoming American Revolutionary War as the show’s 7th season moves forward.
“Lord John and Jamie find themselves on opposite sides of the war. Lord John’s a loyalist, and Jamie is a rebel. These two have come to a point in their relationship where it’s pretty much untenable,” Berry said during a July 2023 interview with TV Insider in the wake of the airing of the season’s second episode, “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
As Berry rightfully points out, Jamie is quite dedicated to his new country, while John is still dutifully serving the British crown. Ergo, the two friends are destined to become rivals, at least for the duration of the war. To wit, Berry reported that fans can expect things to get worse between the two buddies as they try to decide between their family and their countries. “As things progress, [you’re] gonna see that relationship deteriorate even further to the point where maybe they become enemies, who knows?” he said.
William will be a deciding factor
David Berry also strongly hints that Lord William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart) will become a major dividing factor in John Grey and Jamie Fraser’s friendship. William remains unaware that he is Jamie’s biological son through Geneva Dunsany (Hannah Adams). John married Geneva 20 years before and is acting as William’s stepfather. That’s a lot of pressure for any friendship to endure, and both John and Jamie are determined to keep William in the dark, though it seems to be only a matter of time before the truth comes out. “Anytime William comes to a scene, I say he’s a ticking time bomb,” Berry concurred.
Depending on how far afield “Outlander” goes from Diana Gabaldon’s novel series, devotees of the drama need not worry that Jamie and John’s friendship will be permanently strained. In fact, during the novel “Written in my own Heart’s Blood,” Jamie’s wife Claire (Caitriona Balfe) actually enters into a paper marriage with John to protect herself and her family after Jamie is presumed dead in the midst of the war. Fans of the series will have to keep waiting to see if that particular book plot winds up a part of the onscreen drama.
