Outlander producer promises 'exciting' season 7: 'The Revolution is here'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Fresh off the season 6 finale, we spoke to Outlander executive producer Maril Davis about the exciting cliffhanger, outstanding episodes from the season, and what we can expect from our favorite soulmates, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) in the upcoming season 7.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: It's hard to pinpoint the villain this season. Is it Tom Christie? Malva? I've decided to pin it on the fisherfolk as a whole.
MARIL DAVIS: You're not wrong. There are a lot of villains this season. There's no one Jack Randall or Stephen Bonnet. It's questionable. In many ways, we talk about the theme being, "What happens when your home turns against you?" And literally, the Ridge turns against Jamie and Claire. Tom Christie's motives are questionable. Things are black and white. There's no grey. The fisherfolk believe Jamie and Claire are the devil. They don't believe in what they are doing. They are judgmental, which is crazy because Jamie and Claire opened their home to them!
Tell us about Tom Christie and what he has brought to Fraser's Ridge.
What's interesting in episode 8 is that it's Tom who comes and speaks for them and stands up for them. Is Tom a villain? Does he believe Claire killed Malva? We don't know. But we know he believes in right and wrong. And he surprises us! He's the last person we think will stand up for Jamie and Claire. But whether or not he believes Claire killed Malva, he does think she deserves a fair trial. And that's an interesting take on that character. We don't expect it to happen.
Speaking of interesting characters, let's talk about Ian. He always saves the day. I loved episode 4, where we learn more about Ian's background. How will that unfold moving forward?
First of all, a huge shout out to John Bell, because I think he's done such a tremendous job with this character. Young Ian is one of my favorites from the books. John has done such an amazing job of taking Young Ian and transforming him before our eyes from young man to man. This season was him coming into his own. And John Bell owned that. In episode 4 where we see his backstory, and his tragic love story, it's poignant. He's done a great job of progressing Young Ian as a character. Even in his interactions with Malva, you see a tormented soul. Once again, I've told John so many times that I'm so impressed by the trajectory of his character. We've seen him transform before our eyes. When you think of him when we started and where he is now, that character is a man now. I'm so excited because season 7 is going to be great for Young Ian. You'll see his story go to a whole new level.
Are we going to be at Fraser's Ridge or Wilmington?
We might be in Fraser's Ridge or a lot of places. It's our biggest season yet. I know I say that every season, but it's true. We are all over the place.
So much was jam-packed into eight episodes, even though it was a short season. Did you end it at this point on purpose, with the cliffhanger?
No. This episode [finale] was written as it's written now. It seemed the perfect place to end once we realized we couldn't do those last four episodes. It was like a miracle. A perfect place to end. It's a cliffhanger and I feel like we really lucked out.
Is there anything else you can tell us about season 7?
This is our biggest season yet. We have so many storylines. So many different places. The trajectory — we cover so much terrain. I really feel sorry for our production designer, art department, costume designer and her team. It's such a huge season. We almost can't wrap our arms around it. It's not only the extra four episodes, it's just, the Revolution is here. It's going to be really exciting.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
