Warning: spoilers are ahead for Outlander Season 7 through Episode 14, called “Ye Dinna Get Used To It.”
Outlander’s seventh season is approaching its finale in the 2025 TV schedule. While that feels painfully soon after the extended break between the first and second halves, I can’t deny that the latest installments have been thrilling. Each episode introduces new characters with familiar names to any buffs of U.S. history (and/or fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton musical). Still, after “Ye Dinna Get Used To It,” I surprised even myself by being more invested in William’s story than the one involving Claire and Jamie interacting with the likes of George Washington and Lafayette.
William’s story got a boost with the fallout of what Sam Heughan agreed was a “chaotic” plot twist. Throw in Jane (Silvia Presente) and young Fanny (Florrie May Wilkinson) showing up in his tent and a surprise plot to have him killed by Hessians in Episode 14, and his story has me on the edge of my seat ahead of the upcoming penultimate episode… and reflecting on what Charles Vandervaart told CinemaBlend about having an intimacy coordinator on set.
Let’s start with the latest for William in the final episode of 2024!
How Episode 14 Set Ups William Possible Capture
With William semi-recovering from doing – to quote Vanderaart – “horrible, horrible things” just a couple episodes prior, a grim fate awaits him unless Lord John can get to him quickly. William was given a message by Captain Richardson to take to a group of German mercenaries fighting for the British, not knowing that the message included instructions for William to be taken captive.
The motive, according to Wainwright – a.k.a. Lord John’s stepbrother/seemingly former lover – was to get John and his brother to start cooperating with the war effort at the price of William’s life. Claire could confirm that Richardson is a British spy for the Americans, but Jamie couldn’t just abandon his role as a general, so he agreed to parole Lord John and send him with Young Ian to try and save William’s life.
Unfortunately, William had already arrived at the Hessian camp. Entirely outnumbered and suspecting nothing, he seems to be on his own until John and Ian (hopefully) arrive. It’s all very intense and worrisome when the finale is just weeks away, but dang it, I’m just hoping that the story is resolved in time for him to get back to Jane and expand on that plot before the final credits roll on Season 7.
William’s Storyline With Jane And Fanny
William was processing the fact that Jamie is his biological father a lot better in “Ye Dinna Get Used To It” than he was a couple episodes earlier, returning to duty of carrying letters. His dalliance with Jane seemed to be far from his mind… until she showed up in his tent with her sister, having fled the brothel after Captain Harkness returned.
She eventually confessed that Harkness had paid a large sum to assault Fanny due to the little girl’s virginity. Jane killed the British officer before he could do anything to her sister, and the two escaped through a window and came to William. He asked her not to flee from the camp, and that he won’t turn her in. That storyline paused so William could deliver the fateful letter for Richardson, believing that he’d be back soon and definitely not walking right into a trap.
The plot with Jane and Fanny is certainly more compelling after the latest developments, but but seeing Charles Vandervaart opposite Silvia Presente again reminded me of their scenes in Episode 12, Vandervaart’s comments about an intimacy coordinator, and why Outlander would be all the better if it continues their storyline.
Charles Vandervaart On Outlander’s Intimacy Coordinator
Fans likely remember that William was spiraling throughout Episode 12, with Charles Vandervaart suggesting to CinemaBlend that his character needs “therapy” at the very least. It culminated in Jane – who was going by the name of Arabella for her work in the brothel – seducing him, which he fully participated in as it was happening but he believed cost him his honor. Outlander has delivered plenty of sex scenes over the years, but this was also a huge character moment for William.
I’d spoken with Vandervaart about arguably the biggest episode for William’s character of the entire series so far, and the sex scene teased in the surprisingly spicy trailer months ago. Noting that Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe had both spoken highly of having an intimacy coordinator on set starting in Season 6, I asked Vandervaart if that was also part of his experience in filming William’s scene with Jane, and he responded:
Absolutely. We had an intimacy coordinator that we worked with very closely for that one specific scene, and a couple of scenes with Jane in that episode, just to make sure that both of us were very comfortable. Sylvia and I were very comfortable with what was going to happen, and we established boundaries to say, ‘This is okay, but this is not okay.’ And it made me feel very comfortable. I can’t speak for her, but I remember we both were quite happy with how that scene turned out and comfortable with the actions that we had to do.
The actor went on to note that “obviously it’s a scene that’s very nerve-wracking especially for a young actor,” alluding to both himself and Silvia Presente. It also was unlike sex scenes that he’d filmed earlier in his career, as he explained:
I’ve done sex scenes in the past, but nothing to this degree, nothing where you can see as much as you see in this episode. I wanted to make sure that I felt comfortable, and I definitely did, and I think it turned out well. It’s good to have someone on your team that if you want to stop or you want to call a cut, you can just do that, because you have someone fighting for you. So I think intimacy coordinators are very important, and I’m very thankful that we had ours there.
As longtime Outlander fans are well aware by this point, Starz can show a fair amount of skin when it comes to love scenes. I suggested that William and Jane’s scene was tastefully done while also showing a lot, and he agreed:
I don’t think it was gratuitous. I think you’re right. It was tastefully done, and I’m very happy about that, because ultimately, I don’t want to be showing skin on camera just for the sake of showing skin. I want it to be for a purpose, and I want it to push the narrative in some way. And I think that does in the scene.
William and Jane didn’t go farther than kissing in “Ye Dinna Get Used To It,” since he didn’t want to do anything unless it was because she wanted it. All in all, I think that the actors have a nice chemistry with each other that sold their scenes in Episode 12 and established that bond for Episode 14 to justify why William would take such a big risk. The amount of care that went into their first scenes makes me optimistic for what I hope is in their future.
What’s Next For William?
All of this said, I think it’s a safe bet that if we get an update on William and how he’s handling Jane and Fanny’s situation, I doubt it will be before the end of the penultimate episode. Being captured by Hessians is a far more pressing problem, and it remains to be seen if Young Ian and Lord John can reach him in time to prevent the worst. Check out the promo for a taste of what’s to come:
Tune in to Starz on Friday, January 3 for the penultimate episode of Outlander Season 7, called “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood.” Given that that’s also the title of the eighth of Diana Gabaldon’s nine Outlander books currently available, I think fans can count on some very big events ahead of the Season 7 finale the following week.
