Outlander followers needed to wait greater than a yr for the second half of Season 7, with out entry to the nice old school Outlander time journey to attempt to cheat the size of hiatus. Season 7B has rewarded viewers with twist after twist to this point, however these twists weren’t too nice for William Ransom in the latest episode to air within the 2024 TV schedule. After the chaos of the earlier cliffhanger resulted in William lastly studying the reality that Jamie is his father, he spent Episode 12 spiraling… and he did not deal with it nicely, lashing out to the purpose of forcibly kissing Rachel.
I spoke with actor Charles Vandervaart about what occurred, and taking part in William positively did not imply that he would attempt to justify any a part of what the character did forward of the finale within the 2025 TV schedule.
How William Grew to become A Villain
Outlander has after all had its fair proportion of completely, fully, 100% dastardly villains over time, with characters like Black Jack Randall and Stephen Bonnet. With regards to William, followers have gotten to know him over time, and he usually had the most effective of intentions up till Episode 12 of Season 7B, referred to as “Carnal Information.”
Reeling with the information that he is in truth Jamie’s illegitimate son, he lashed out first towards the prostitute who was sort to him after which compelled a kiss on Rachel after studying that she was engaged to Younger Ian and having Ian arrested. Not one to sugarcoat what had occurred, Charles Vandervaart weighed in on his character’s actions, saying:
Damage folks damage folks, and that is what occurs on this episode. William’s a damage individual, and he hurts folks, sort of irredeemably. There’s probably not an excuse for what he is doing. There’s an evidence, for certain, however he’ll must do rather a lot to make it as much as these folks on this episode.
Now, actors might generally have extra beneficiant views of their characters’ actions than followers do, however Charles Vandervaart was fast to drop “irredeemably” about William. I then requested if he thinks there is a manner that William even may very well be defended after the occasions of “Carnal Information,” and the actor shortly stated “No, no” and shared an interplay he had together with his solid mates:
A short while in the past, we have been going round, and the solid was asking about villains and what villain is their favourite. And I keep in mind Izzy [Meikle-Small] stated William Ransom. And also you by no means actually consider him as a villain, however on this particular episode, completely he’s. He does horrible, horrible issues, issues which are unforgivable. It is an fascinating factor, as a result of generally you empathize with him, as a result of he’s simply this damaged child, primarily, that is appearing out of impulse. I believe he will get away with it rather a lot as a result of he is Jamie Fraser’s son, as a result of everybody sees the nice in him. Everybody sees the Jamie Fraser in him, however he’s as a lot of his dad as he’s his mother. I believe there’s some darkness there, and you’ll see that on this episode. He is appearing selfishly.
Curiously, Jamie additionally did some “horrible issues” in Episode 12, relying on the place you fall on his response to Claire and Lord John sharing a mattress when he was (so far as they knew) lifeless! Because the actress taking part in Rachel, Izzy Meikle-Small having a tackle William as a villain definitely tracks. Him forcing a kiss on Rachel was unhealthy sufficient; his actions additionally prompted her to betray her ideas and slap him. After I talked about that the scene between the characters received fairly ugly, Vandervaart agreed, saying:
That is most of what I am speaking about. That is in all probability William’s low level, I am imagining. I hope it is William’s low level. I hope it does not worsen than that. I believe his id was fully shattered in entrance of him. He isn’t the Ninth Earl of Ellesmere. A minimum of, he isn’t the rightful inheritor of that title, and I believe he tied perhaps part of his id to Rachel, and that was perhaps one thing he was simply holding on to after shedding every little thing else. And you would see him act in a really, very unhealthy, borderline unforgivable manner after discovering out that he wasn’t actually the third a part of that love triangle. He was similar to an additional, spare half.
Charles Vandervaart previewed forward of Season 7B that “William actually thinks it is a love triangle” with Rachel and Younger Ian; the newest episode proved that William wanted to get awfully near all-time low and make some fairly horrible choices earlier than actually determining that the opposite two solely have eyes for one another.
William And The Love Triangle
Whereas heartache is a sense that almost all viewers can in all probability relate to, William mishandled his emotions in nearly each potential manner. Hitting Younger Ian unprovoked was unhealthy sufficient; having him taken into custody for combating again was a good decrease blow, after which kissing Rachel! Charles Vandervaart elaborated on what his character realized within the scene between the trio in Episode 12, saying:
He isn’t the third wheel. He is the small tricycle wheel that is not even touching the bottom, that is barely necessary. He actually thought he was the primary man, however oh nicely. He’ll discover love hopefully, or at the very least be taught to like himself.
William was already upset with Younger Ian for holding the key about his true father, so it actually did not take a lot to set him off. Based on Vandervaart, studying about Younger Ian and Rachel stung much more in mild of how he’d simply found that they have been associated. The actor shared:
And it was his cousin too. I believe that is in all probability another excuse why he feels so mad, as a result of Ian represents Jamie Fraser in that second. He represents that household tie that he does not need to be part of. So there’s simply a whole lot of layers of self hatred and outwards hatred that William’s experiencing in that second. He wants remedy. Get him a therapist.
It stays to be seen what William does to attempt to make up for his actions in Episode 12, if he does in any respect. Sharing a mattress with Jane simply made him really feel worse, as a result of he felt that she’d made him lose his honor, and it is potential he hasn’t really hit all-time low but. I am curious to see what’s going to occur if/when he finds out that Jamie brutally beat Lord John after which left him to a band of enemies to the British crown.
Discover out with the following new installment of Outlander on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. Referred to as “Good day, Goodbye,” the episode is among the final earlier than the tip of the yr, so you’ll want to tune in!