Outlanderseason 7 subtly brought back one of the series' already-deceased characters, but what did this appearance really mean? Plenty of characters have come and gone throughoutOutlander’s run, and it’s always difficult to say goodbye. Thankfully, there is always an opportunity in a fantasy series like this for these characters to make a big return. Various actors and characters have been brought back to the screen for cameos, but the most unique instance of this inOutlanderseason 7 came quietly during the opening clip of episode 15.
Each episode ofOutlanderfeatures a short scene that follows the maintitle theme sequence, “Skye Boat Song.“The clip will often include people, places, or items with some significance to that specific episode’s story. In an episode about a big battle, we may see soldiers quietly preparing. In an episode about a character’s death, we may see a grave. In the case ofOutlanderseason 7, episode 15, which followed the events of the Battle of Monmouth,this opening clip saw a man and a young girl in a museum, looking at the famed"Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth” painting—and these characters looked awfully familiar.
Frank Made A Secret Appearance In Outlander Season 7
Frank Randall Briefly Returned
The opening clip ofOutlanderseason 7, episode 15, “Written in My Own Hearts Blood,” never showed the man and child’s faces, butit’s pretty clear that this is Frank and Brianna Randall. Frank died in a car accident way back inOutlanderseason 3, so this surprise appearance years later is rather exciting. The clip of the father and daughter is a flashback to a trip the two must have taken to the Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City, where “Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth” is on display. It’s a quick moment, but a lot is going on here that impacts the rest of the episode.
Outlanderseason 7, episode 15, is when Jamie and Claire participated in the Battle of Monmouth. “Molly Pitching at the Battle of Monmouth” is a real painting, but the one Frank and Brianna are seen looking at is significantly different than the one currently on display in New York. TheOutlanderversion sees Jamie manning a cannon while Claire cares for an injured soldier. It’s interesting thatOutlanderchose to bring Frank back for this clip since it reveals thatFrank had once brought Brianna to see a painting of her parents fighting in a 200-year-old battle.
Did Tobias Menzies play Frank In Outlander Season 7?
Did The Actor Himself Return Too?
InOutlanderseasons 1 through 4, Frank, as well as his ancestor Black Jack Randall, was played by actor Tobias Menzies. Both these characters technically died in season 3, but Menzies reprised his performances in season 4. This is the last that the actor has appeared inOutlander, andhe remained adamant in the leadup to season 7that he would not be returning for any future episodes (though he expressed confidence in the show’s ending). This confirms thatthe version of Frank seen inOutlanderseason 7, episode 15, was played by someone else, though their identity is unknown.
Why Frank’s Brief Outlander Season 7 Scene Was So Meaningful
Menzies has made it clear that he cannot return toOutlander, which is a shame since his character continues to impact author Diana Gabaldon’s story even from beyond the grave. Though played by a different actor, Frank’s cameo appearance seems to be a way forOutlanderto compromise. In the books, Brianna discovers that Frank knew that Jamie and Claire would participate in the American Revolution. The man had recognized that his wife would one day return to the past, andhe left information about Jamie and Claire for Brianna to find. It’s a touching revelation, butOutlanderseason 7 left it out.
It seems that Frank’s brief cameo in Outlander season 7 was a way for the TV show to acknowledge this book story without diving fully into it (which there likely wasn’t time for).
It seems that Frank’s brief cameo inOutlanderseason 7 was a way for the TV show to acknowledge this book story without diving fully into it (which there likely wasn’t time for). Rather than follow Brianna as she discovers the clues Frank left behind for her, the clip at the museum subtly reveals what the man had known. While still married to Claire in the 20th century, Frank saw her and Jamie in a painting of the Battle of Monmouth. Brianna’s adoptive father may be long dead byOutlanderseason 7, butthis brief clip managed to subtly reveal that he knew far more than he ever let on.
