Outlander welcomed back old friends and foes in season 7, episode 10, which saw the return of Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) and Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish). Dougal died in the Battle of Culloden during season 2 and Geillis was burned as a witch in the season 1 finale, but their presence has lingered — sometimes physically — long after their passing. With Roger and Buck having accidentally traveled back to 1739, the show had a unique opportunity to present Geillis and Dougal as they were before Claire met either of them.
The meeting is an especially charged one for the characters, as Buck is their illegitimate child (though he doesn’t know it yet) and Roger is their grandson many times removed. But it’s also a nostalgic moment for Outlander audiences, who never really saw Geillis and Duncan in the full bloom of their romance and only heard about their secret affair as part of the tragic circumstances surrounding them. In “Brotherly Love,” however, viewers bear witness to the flirtatious vibes between the two even as Roger keeps a running tally of the crimes Geillis will commit against his family.
ScreenRant interviewed McTavish and Verbeek about the return of Dougal and Geillis in Outlander season 7, episode 10. The duo reminisced about having worked on the hit series for nearly a decade despite their limited appearances, teased the possibility of returning once more before the show concludes in season 8, and addressed the strength of their true feelings. In addition, McTavish joked about seeing Diarmaid Murtagh take over the role of Buck, which he occupied for a brief time in season 5.
Graham McTavish & Lotte Verbeek Keep Potential Outlander Season 7 Storylines Under Wraps
“There’s lots to speculate, and maybe it’s better that way.”
Screen Rant: Welcome back to Outlander! How does it feel to resurrect these characters in an earlier time than we originally encountered them?
Lotte Verbeek: Yeah, it’s very exciting. Outlander has been such an amazing show to be part of, so to revisit that and to see everybody again has just been a treat, honestly.
Graham McTavish: It was quite strange in some ways, getting back into a costume that was just exactly the same. It’s a show about time travel, and it really felt like we were traveling in time at that point. Then to meet your own son that you had also played was quite a surreal moment, and to meet Lotte in character when we all know where that led…
Screen Rant: Will we get further clarification this season on where you two are right now? Can you tease anything about future appearances?
Lotte Verbeek: Well, I’m afraid that we can’t say a whole lot. But I feel like this relationship, this pairing has always been such a mystery, and you see very little of it. There’s lots to speculate, and maybe it’s better that way.
Graham McTavish: Yeah, that’s a good way of looking at it. There’s lots to speculate on, and we like to keep our relationship slightly mysterious to everybody. And we’re very private people. [Laughs] Dougal and Geillis are very private. They’re not wandering around arm in arm; it’s all discreet.
Lotte Verbeek: Very discreet. I mean, they snuck off before the camera could get them, so they’re very much that way.
Graham McTavish: We managed to avoid the camera crew for quite some time.
Lotte Verbeek Shares Her Take On Geillis’ True Feelings For Dougal In Outlander
“I personally think Geillis is more than just calculating.”
Screen Rant: Fans have often debated whether Geillis really loved Dougal or was just using him. Lotte, could you speak to your thoughts on the matter?
Lotte Verbeek: I would say that’s up to the viewer to interpret that, but I personally think Geillis is more than just calculating. She also has a huge passionate heart, I think, and there was a spark there between them. But we’ll never know.
Screen Rant: Graham, do you have any thoughts on your successor and how he is portraying Buck?
Graham McTavish: My experience with him was great. I was very interested to see what I looked like with hair. [Laughs] But he was a lovely guy.
It is quite an interesting experience to be acting with somebody who’s playing yourself. It’s a new experience for me. But it was great to work with all of them, actually. Richard and all of them, and especially Lotte, who I hadn’t seen for a while.
Lotte Verbeek: Can you imagine that we’ve been working on this show for seven years now, all in all?
Graham McTavish: Oh, no. More than that. I remember us going to the bar in Byers Road, probably in 2013.
Lotte Verbeek: Speaking of time travel, huh?
More About Outlander Season 7, Part 2
Coming off the first half of Outlander Season 7, we find Claire, Jamie and Young Ian leaving the colonies and arriving in their beloved homeland: Scotland. The perils of the Revolutionary War force them to choose between standing by those they love and fighting for the land they have made their new home. Meanwhile, Roger and Brianna face new enemies across time, and must battle the forces that threaten to pull their family apart. As loyalties change and painful secrets come to light, Jamie and Claire’s marriage is tested like never before. With their love binding them over oceans and centuries, can the MacKenzies and Frasers find their way back to each other?