New Characters Emerge in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood' Season 2 Premiere

The second season premiere of "Outlander: Blood of My Blood" on Starz, titled "Remembrance Day," has introduced younger iterations of Reverend Wakefield and Mrs. Graham, characters familiar to fans of the original "Outlander" series. The episode's ending sees these characters offering a glimmer of hope to Henry Beauchamp, portrayed by Jeremy Irvine, who finds himself disoriented and institutionalized in 1924.

Henry's temporal displacement to 1924 was facilitated by Arch Bug, who used a dagger to send him through time. While his wife Julia and baby William were unable to make the journey and returned to Castle Leathers, Henry awoke in the Inverness Lunatic Asylum. His claims of time travel were dismissed by the medical staff, who instead subjected him to electroshock therapy, resulting in the erasure of his memories of Claire.

During his time in the asylum, Henry encounters a compassionate young Reverend Wakefield (Tom Ashley) and his housekeeper, Mrs. Graham (Emma Hartley-Miller). Intrigued by Henry's assertions of time travel, Mrs. Graham visits him in the episode's closing moments, potentially offering a path forward.

These characters, Reverend Reginald Wakefield and Mrs. Graham, first appeared in the original "Outlander" series when Claire and her first husband Frank Randall visited them in Scotland. There, they also met Roger, the Reverend's orphaned great-nephew.

"When we’re breaking story, what we look for is when an 'Outlander' legacy character would naturally appear," "Outlander: Blood of My Blood" creator and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts stated. "For the opening of the season, this felt perfect. It was like, oh wow, we can get both of them in there." Roberts emphasized that any legacy characters featured must be able to actively influence the narrative rather than making a brief cameo.

Executive producer Maril Davis added, "I love the actors we cast for these roles. There was just such a spirit of the original characters, but they always embodied their own take on them as well."

Tom Ashley, known for his roles in British television series such as "Emmerdale Farm" and "Red Eye," portrays the young Reverend Wakefield. Emma Hartley-Miller, who has also appeared in "Emmerdale Farm" and the film "I Swear," plays Mrs. Graham. Irvine commented on the significance of these familiar characters, noting, "Any sort of thing like that which can resonate with the original fans is great."