Lord John Grey has returned to the Outlander world in a big way. The fan favorite character appeared on the Jan. 13 episode of the show, which airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Starz, and found himself more ingrained than ever in Jamie, Claire, and Brianna’s realm. From what’s going on with Brianna to his past with Jamie, check out these 5 key facts about the fan favorite character.
1. Lord John Grey is now engaged to Brianna. Lord John Grey showed up during the Jan. 13 episode as Brianna was looking to find a suitor to marry after Aunt Jocasta said that her child would be deemed a bastard if she wasn’t married by the time it was born. John and Brianna met at a dinner party that was held so Brianna could find a husband. Later that night, Brianna discovered John having sex with one of her suitors. The next day, Brianna asked John to marry her, and if he didn’t accept, she would tell everyone what she saw. These two eventually had a heart-to-heart, and he accepted her proposal. Brianna was totally honest with John, admitting that she had been raped by Stephen Bonnet and doesn’t know if Roger or Stephen is the father of her child.
2. He made his first appearance in season 2. That’s when he first crossed paths with Jamie and Claire as a teenager. Jamie spared John’s life when he could have killed him. He returned in season 3 as the new governor of Ardsmuir Prison, where Jamie found himself locked up. John and Jamie forged a bond, and John later had Jamie released. John eventually became the stepfather of Jamie’s son, Willie. Jamie and John continue to cross paths on their journeys.
3. He has feelings for Jamie, Brianna’s father. Lord John fell in love with Jamie while the latter was a prisoner at Ardsmuir. When Lord John revealed his feelings, Jamie completely rejected him. The revelation nearly ruined their friendship, but their bond prevailed. Jamie even offered his body to Lord John in exchange for taking care of his son, Willie. Lord John declined Jamie’s offer. “I should probably want you ’til the day I die,” Lord John added. When Claire was taking care of him while he had measles in season 4, Lord John told her that he still had feelings for Jamie. During his talk with Brianna, he was upfront about his lingering feelings for her father. However, he did not tell her that he is technically raising her half-brother.
4. He’s the center of the Lord John series of novels and shorter works. Diana Gabaldon, the 67-year-old author of the Outlander series, has written 5 novellas and 3 novels focused on the character. When asked whether or not a Lord John Grey spinoff would be coming to TV, Diana tweeted: “Who knows? Interest Has Been Expressed, is about all I could tell you.”
5. He’s played by the dashing David Berry. Prior to his role on Outlander, the Australian actor, 35, had notable roles on Australian drama series Home & Away and A Place to Call Home. David is married to Kristina Tesic, and they have one son together.