SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from “A Most Uncomfortable Woman,” Season 7, Episode 4 of “Outlander,” now streaming on Starz.
As the American Revolution revs up on “Outlander,” a battle over a new lass may also have begun for two of the series’ most handsome bachelors — Ian (John Bell) and William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart).
In the fourth episode of Outlander’s seventh season, Ian discovers Ransom severely injured in the woods after being bucked off his horse while on a covert mission for the British army. The two come upon Quaker siblings Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips) and Rachel Murray (Izzy Meikle-Small) while in search of medical aid for Ransom. Hunter is luckily medically skilled, planning to serve as a Continental Army surgeon.
After Ransom is treated, both he and Ian get some alone time chatting with Rachel. As Bell describes it, a love triangle is certainly “bubbling” — but who Rachel will eventually lean toward is uncertain for now.
Variety spoke with Bell and Vandervaart about the potential romance, as well as what to expect from each of their characters this season.
This episode, your characters meet under not-so-great circumstances, well for William at least. We start to see how you two are opposites in some ways, but alike in others. Could there be a friendship budding here or conflict?
JOHN BELL: Well, you owe me your life!
CHARLES VANDERVAART: That’s true. You saved my life. So there’ll be interesting things to come from that.
BELL: That was the first scene we shot together. It’s a great little meeting of characters. I had such fun bouncing off of you that day.
VANDERVAART: There was a great feeling of familiarity between the two of us.
BELL: I loved the power dynamic between us where I actually know more about you than you do yourself. Seeing you struggle to find your own identity at that moment, I want to just reach out and hug you and say it’s going to be all right. But I cant, I’ve got my loyalty to Jamie there.
VANDERVAART: That’s such a common theme at the beginning of this for William. Every time he has a conversation, there are so many people that know more about who he is. He doesn’t really know anything about his true parentage. There’s something to note too between the two of us is we’re both really passionate about serving and fighting. We just happen to be on opposite sides completely. We’re quite similar but it’s just by circumstance that I’m on one side and he’s on the other.
Both of you have chemistry with Rachel. What can you share about the relationship you’ll each have with her this season?
VANDERVAART: I think we both fancy her.
BELL: Both of us, yes.
VANDERVAART: She’s a strong woman. She’s beautiful. Smart. What’s not to like?
Exactly. She reminds me of Claire. Perhaps Ian notices those positive qualities too?
BELL: Absolutely. I mean I love that scene, when I bring you to her (laughs with Vandervaart). It’s not really much said in the words themselves but in the looks. There’s a whole love triangle bubbling, which is just very exciting.
VANDERVAART: And, I think, William, being half Jamie, it makes sense that he would like somebody who is a little like Claire. I hope William ends up with her. We’ll see what happens.
We’re definitely starting to see how William is like Jamie. Charles, what qualities does William have from his biological father, and what has he learned from being raised by Lord John Grey?
VANDERVAART: There are a lot of similarities with both of his dads. We had a lot of discussions about this, about what William would bring to the table in terms of how he relates to both of his parents. It was important that he had some similarities to Jamie, like in his passion. But he is his own person, right? He is not a carbon copy of one or the other. He has quite a few traits from John Grey because obviously, he raised him. So the way that I present myself, the diplomatic way that I speak, that’s from Lord John Grey.
In this episode, there’s a traumatic scene where a woman is burned to death by British soldiers. We see William possibly having conflict with his duty as a British soldier and what is right. What can we expect to see from him this season as he grapples with that?
VANDERVAART: It’s not an easy road for William this season. Tight off the bat he has these really naive ideas about war and about glory and violence. He’s yet to experience any of that in the real world. He’s been very sheltered in his privileged life. There’s a massive learning curve when you actually go to war and you see soldiers doing horrible things. You grow up with a set of morals and thinking that certain people are righteous, a lot of growing up is figuring out the right path in life.
In episode three, Ian kills Mrs. Bug thinking it was her husband instead. When Mr. Bug confronts Ian about her murder, he basically says ‘I’m coming for you.’ How worried should we be for Ian?
BELL: Ian can handle himself for sure. At this point, he’s got quite a few murders under his belt. But there’s just something about those parting words from Bug that worm their way into his head, into his psyche, which I think is going to come back to haunt him.
What’s next for Ian this season — especially with him wanting to join his Uncle Jaime in fighting for the budding United States of America?
BELL: Young Ian’s journey up to this point through the whole season, we’re really arriving at him fully developed. He’s not so young anymore. He’s fallen in love with America, with this land of opportunity and endless possibilities. He’s a passionate, loyal person, and he gets that from his uncle and his aunt. So of course, he is in for a penny, in for a pound in this fight and wants to give it his all. It’s very exciting. We’re gonna get to see a lot of warrior Ian again as he fights.