In the world of TV, everything happens for a reason. Outlander focusing on Callahan and even giving him a name in season 7, episode 14 was done for a reason.
Caution: We’re going into some book spoilers in this post.
Outlander season 7, episode 14 brought us a small showdown at Lallybroch. Brianna was able to rip the mask off one of the attackers, and Rob Cameron later named him Callahan. The focus on him was too long for it to be someone that we haven’t met yet, and this hints that a particular book story is likely to happen.
Who is Callahan in Outlander?
Callahan is a man mentioned in the Outlander books. In An Echo in the Bone Chapter 47, he goes with Rob and Roger to the site of an old church on the MacKenzie lands. Callahan is an archaeologist.
When Callahan doesn’t find anything all that interesting or noteworthy, we don’t really hear much about him again. It’s not until Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone that he’s mentioned again properly. This is where we end up with speculation about him and a certain Captain Richardson—and it looks like the series is building to this.
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For the show to focus on Callahan when he’s not been seen before, it suggests that the man is going to come back. This was just something small to get us to remember him, so there can be the “ah ha!” moment later on.
Are Callahan and Richardson the same person in Outlander?
We learn in the books that Captain Richardson is actually a time traveler. He is trying to make the British win the Revolutionary War, so his position on the American side is to manipulate things the way that he needs.
When Brianna sees a drawing of him, she recognizes him as Callahan. There’s been some plastic surgery work, but she’s sure that this man is the same as one of those who attacked her at Lallybroch.
I’ve always thought the Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone storyline is a little far-fetched, making Richardson a cartoonish villain, but we don’t know how it will play out just yet. It seems like the series is running with this idea, and Captain Richardson is likely to become the main big bad in Outlander season 8, which is something I did expect to see happen.
Outlander is available to stream on STARZ.
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