Known for engaging fans with a blend of time travel, romance, and historical fiction, Outlander Season 7 arrived on Netflix in November 2024 and continues to intrigue fans with its compelling narrative. The series first premiered in 2014 and follows the story penned by Diana Gabaldon in her bestselling Outlander novels.
Since its arrival on Straz, the show has featured several time travelers like Claire Fraser, Master Raymond, and a few more. However, one of the characters who surprised fans through his identity as a time traveler is Ezekiel Richardson, a character who has been a recurring and antagonistic presence in William's life in various books.
Captain Ezekiel Richardson is introduced as a captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War and is portrayed by Ben Lambert in Outlander Season 7. Though he isn't a main character in the series, but is significantly contributing to advancing the storyline.
Richardson appeared briefly in Gabaldon's books until she wrote Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone and revealed that he is a time traveler. This revelation emerged as a notable twist in the book as Richardson seemed like an enigmatic figure from the start. Continue reading to explore more about the character.
Ezekiel Richardson is a time traveler in Outlander: Exploring his story arc in the books
Since his introduction in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books, Ezekiel Richardson has often acted as a thorn in Claire, Jamie, and their family's lives. The author gave a deep dive into the character in her 2021 book Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone whose motives stem from his identity as a time traveler.
Not to forget that the ongoing Season 7 is exploring book six, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, before An Echo in the Bone and Written in My Own Heart's Blood. And Richardson has been causing trouble since An Echo in the Bone, who had a long-standing grudge against the Fraser family and their allies. In 2021, the author offered a glimpse into his reasons for hating the titular characters.
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His goal in the book is to stop the American Revolution from succeeding so that it remains under British rule. But why? Because this would lead to the early abolition of slavery in the British Empire, years before the American Civil War.
The abolition of slavery in Britain is a key element in Ezekiel Richardson's motives and can harm innocent people for his vision. Over the years, in the Outlander books, Richardson has forced Claire to marry Lord John Grey, attacked Brianna and her children, and even captured Lord John Grey to stop his brother Hal from convincing the British government to end the war.
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What did Outlander's author say about Ezekiel Richardson's time travel reveal?
Ezekiel Richardson's identity as a time traveler might have surprised the dedicated book enthusiasts who knew him as a troublesome and mysterious character. The author herself didn't initially plan for Richardson to be a time traveler until she explored history and understood Richardson's motives.
Gabaldon learned that if Britain had won the Revolutionary War, slavery in American colonies would have ended much earlier because Britain ended it before America. This was Richardson's goal, as it would ultimately lead to the abolishing of slavery in America.
He found this worth traveling through time and hiding his true identity in the book. This was explained by the author in a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly when she opened up about crafting a twist in the Outlander narrative. Diana Gabaldon said:
"And I thought "Aha, okay, that's what he's there for," you know, that's a big enough surprise to be worth time-traveling and hiding your identity and so forth."
The author let the plot evolve naturally, and when she discovered the historical angle about slavery and the Revolutionary War. While Ezekiel Richardson is a complex character in the book series, his main aim was to end slavery.
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