Why does Lord John Grey have such a scruffy beard in Outlander Season 8?

If there is one thing we know about Lord John Grey, it’s that he is an officer of the British Army. That means being clean-shaven, but the Outlander Season 8 leaked photos show him with a very scruffy beard.

The leaked photos are likely from the last two episodes of Outlander Season 8. We can see Claire and Jamie with Lord John Grey, which could give us an idea as to what’s going on. There’s also William and someone who looks like Amaranthus in other photos.

Is this from Lord John Grey being taken in Outlander Season 8

While there are some fans out there who suspect that this is from when Jamie beats Lord John Grey after learning about things that happened between John and Claire, I’m going to jump past that storyline. I have a feeling all of that is going to happen in Outlander Season 7B.

Instead, I suspect that Lord John Grey’s look comes from the aftermath of events in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, the ninth book in the series. We know that Amaranthus is coming into the story, and it does look like she is around in the leaked photos. It would suggest that all of this is going to be the aftermath of that Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone storyline.

In the ninth book, John is taken by Captain Richardson. The book leaves us with William going to see Jamie for help to get John back, and we know in the 10th book that is going to play out. We could see how the show’s aftermath looks. It makes sense to keep this for the end of the season, wrapping up that storyline and a few others from the ninth book, avoiding the spoiling of anything from the 10th book.