'Outlander' Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on the Complicated Relationships Between William, Claire, and Young Ian on Season 7's Sixth Episode

The American Revolutionary War was a time of great strife in the New World, as families and friends were often at odds, depending on whether they decided to maintain their loyalty to King George or strike out for freedom. Season 7 of Outlander excellently captures the divisiveness of the time as the characters created by New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon face the dilemma.

We’ve already seen Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and Lord John Grey (David Berry) face this quandary and put their friendship on hold. But in the “Where the Waters Meet” sixth episode of the season, Jamie’s illegitimate son William (Charles Vandervaart) gets caught up in the drama when he runs into both Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Young Ian (John Bell) in the British camp. Claire is being held prisoner at Fort Ticonderoga and Ian has come to rescue her.

It's an unanticipated moment when Claire decides to speak to a young British officer about the appalling treatment of the prisoners and their need for food, water, and medical supplies, and she quickly realizes that she is speaking to Jamie’s son William. And William, who had met Claire when he was a boy and visited Fraser’s Ridge, is surprised to discover that she’s a prisoner because he knows that Jamie and Lord John were friends.

“William is (naturally) quite surprised to meet Claire again, and more so when he realizes that she's a rebel,” Diana tells Parade in this exclusive commentary. “Still, he's a considerate and gallant young man, and he knows that the Frasers at least were friends of his father (and he assumes that his father likely doesn't know about the Frasers now being traitors to the Crown). Beyond that, he's been raised to respect and protect women in general, and his instinct is to do that for Claire.

Related: Outlander Star Charles Vandervaart on What it Takes to Play Jamie Fraser's Son

“I doubt he'd feel strongly about her being a rebel, as she's not taking up arms against the King (and he may think that she's only a rebel because her husband chose that path and--being a woman--would have had no choice but to follow him).”

But Claire knows that Jamie is always hungry for news of William, and so even though she’s in dire circumstances, she’s thrilled to have run into William and glean what little knowledge of him that she can.

“She wants to tell Jamie all about his son, as she knows what Jamie's feelings for Willie are,” she continues. “At the same time, she's had perhaps two minutes of conversation with said son, so there's a limit to how much she can say.”

Related: Outlander Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on Why Jamie Is a Hero on Season 7's Fifth Episode

This is the second time this season that Claire has needed rescuing and it’s also the second time that it makes more sense for someone other than Jamie to do it. Ian volunteers for the job because he feels he can safely enter the fort in guise of being a Mohawk scout for the British – but then he has the bad luck of being spotted by William.

“Well, Ian urgently needs to get Claire out of the fort, as he realizes there's likely to be a battle soon, and she'd be in the middle of it,” Diana explains. “Normally, if interrupted in his rescue by a British soldier, he'd just kill the man and run for it. As it is, he's not about to kill Jamie's son--who is also his own cousin, by blood. So, he seizes the only possible way out and appeals to William's sense of honor (which he knows a lot about, after their spell in the Great Dismal), pointing out that William has said (and it's the truth) that he owes Ian his life.”

So, the two men make a deal: a life for a life, but William then tells Ian the next time they meet, they will be “quits. Don’t let me see you again. I won’t have a choice.”

“William might have refused this appeal, had it only been Ian, but he also has the aforementioned personal feelings about women in general and Claire in particular, and Ian's appeal to honor offers him (William) a way out of the dilemma between personal obligation and professional honor.”

Related: Outlander Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on the Hellos and Goodbyes on Season 7's Fourth Episode

Then back in the future, Roger has had an interesting offer: To teach a class in Gaelic to the students at Jemmy’s (Blake Johnston-Miller) school. Roger has been at at sixes and sevens, not knowing what direction to take, and as a former history teacher, this offer appeals to him.

“I loved Roger's classroom lesson on Gaelic,” Diana says. “So did a lot of people in Scotland (where I've just been doing the first International Outlander Conference--and was rather stunned to learn that the University of Glasgow has not only a Department of Gaelic Studies--dedicated to the learning/revival/spread of the Gaelic language and culture), which I knew about, but also (now) a Department of Outlander Studies, dedicated (mostly) to studies of "the Outlander Effect", which has--I'm told--been responsible for a huge increase in both Scottish tourism and the overall Scottish economy, as well as raising awareness of the Gaelic language and culture).

Related: Outlander Star Sophie Skelton on What it Means for Brianna to Be Back in the Future

“As for Roger himself, he loved the opportunity to teach again. He hasn't really had a good opportunity to do that on Fraser's Ridge (the population is small and widely spread out, and children would have been largely educated at home), and he's also been drawn to a religious vocation. Having been suddenly jerked out of that and back to the 20th century, he hasn't yet come to grips with whether he does still have a call to be a minister, or how to do it, if so (things being a bit more complex in the 20th century). He's come back with his family, because they had to bring Mandy [Rosa Morris] to a time where medical technology was advanced enough to save her life, but Roger--who was for a long time out of place and directionless in the 18th century--now finds himself in exactly the same situation. What is he really meant to do?

“Jem's run-in with his teacher gives Roger a fiery urge to Do Something to the school system, and Mr. Menzies' [Stephen McCole] invitation is thus very welcome. Having had a taste of the classroom again gives Roger heart and the sense that he might possibly find his way again. And, of course, the plot is helped by having Rob Cameron [Chris Fulton] (whom we already don't like, because of his attitude toward Bree [Sophie Skelton]) accidentally shown a clue [Roger mistakenly brought his time travel writings to school] as to what the MacKenzies really are. And we Just KNOW that's going to cause trouble...”

Next, Outlander EP Maril Davis Teases What Will Happen in the Final Season (Season 8)