TV
‘Outlander’ book readers know exactly why Graham McTavish’s Dougal MacKenzie will be a part of season 7.
Published on October 20, 2022
2 min readOutlander Season 7 will begin in Colonial America at the start of the Revolutionary War. The story will pick up right where it was left off in season 6, with Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) separated as she is taken to jail to face murder charges.
But as fans of Diana Gabaldon’s books know, the story will eventually head back to Scotland before the season is over. And a new casting announcement has promised the return of Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie. But, exactly how are they bringing that character back from the dead?
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
‘Outlander’ casting news ahead of season 7
Some familiar faces will be returning in season 7 that Outlander fans haven’t seen for years. According to Deadline, the upcoming season will see the return of McTavish as Dougal, Nell Hudson as Laoghaire Fraser, and Steven Cree as Old Ian Murray.
But that’s not all, Andrew Whipp is back as Jamie’s father Brian Fraser, Joan MacKimme will return as Marsali’s (Lauren Lyle) sister, and Lotte Verbeek is returning as Geillis Duncan, Claire’s former friend-turned-enemy and a fellow time traveler.
The large ensemble cast will also feature a number of new faces, including Kristin Atherton as Jenny Murray. She is replacing Laura Donnelly, who played the role in seasons 1 through 3. Charles Vandervaart has also been cast as William Ransom, Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel Hunter, and Joey Phillips as Denzell Hunter.
Exactly how are they bringing Dougal MacKenzie back from the dead?
Outlander’s casting announcement featured the return of two characters who are currently dead on the show — Dougal and Geillis. Fans on social media voiced their confusion after the announcement, wondering how they will bring these two characters back.
“Geilis is back?I thought she was dead? Claire cut her head off,” one fan wrote. Another added: “Dougal and Geillis are dead?! Does that mean more past scenes??”
Of course, the most obvious explanation for this is that they will appear via flashbacks from the living characters in season 7. But, will this time travel series really keep things that simple? Of course not.
In Gabaldon’s seventh Outlander book An Echo in the Bone, Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) believes that someone has taken his son Jem through the standing stones. So, he goes through them himself and ends up jumping back in time almost 40 years — to 1737.
‘Outlander’ returns to Castle Leoch in season 7
This occurs at Cranesmuir, before Claire arrives. And, this is when Roger bumps into Geillis and Buck MacKenzie. Fans will recall that McTavish actually did make a cameo in season 5 and portrayed Buck after Dougals’ death. But this time, Buck will be played by Diarmaid Murtaugh. Roger will also cross paths with Dougal while he is out collecting rent.
At this point in the story, Roger and Buck are traveling together. And Dougal invites Roger back to Castle Leoch, where he meets Colum MacKenzie (Gary Lewis).
Outlander Season 7 will premiere on Starz in late 2022 or early 2023.
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