Hungarian version/Magyar változatThe 14th episode of Outlander‘s seventh season brings us closer to major historical events and introduces several new characters, including two real historical figures:
General Charles Lee (Chris Porter)
and Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, better known to posterity as the
Marquis de La Fayette (Charles Créhange)
As a writer of period dramas myself, I know how exciting and magical it is to craft the first line for a fictional character based on a real historical figure. It’s a pivotal moment that sets the tone for their portrayal.
In Outlander, the audience meets La Fayette for the first time at a market. He is depicted as a clumsy yet kind and charming young man who accidentally bumps into Claire. He immediately shares an anecdote—possibly one of the most awkward (if not humiliating) moments of his youth—about dancing with Marie Antoinette and stepping on the queen’s foot. She called him a turnip.
During the same conversation, La Fayette enthusiastically discusses cheese, wine, and the luxurious livestock he brought to America. This moment highlights his privileged upbringing and his apparent preoccupation with the extravagance of his life. At first glance, he might be seen as an overprivileged, spoiled aristocrat, fixated on wealth and indulgence.
However, I love the complexity of his character revealed through this brief interaction with Claire. He inherited his title and fortune as a young teenager and, naturally, made many mistakes navigating the rigid world of the French court. Cruel and bored members of the aristocracy ridiculed him mercilessly. Seeking to prove himself and find meaning beyond his shallow, privileged existence, he journeyed to America to fight for a cause greater than himself.
In contrast to the charming young French aristocrat, Charles Lee appears to be a rather unpleasant man. At dinner, he interrupts small talk. Later speaks to Jamie in a manner that makes it clear to the audience that he is a career soldier.
Indeed, Lee was one of the British high-ranking officers who joined the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Everything Jamie tells Claire about him later is accurate. Lee had served in various countries and saw himself as a rival to George Washington for the role of Commander-in-Chief.
The TV series TURN: Washington’s Spies had more time—two full seasons—to explore Lee’s character in depth. In that series, he is introduced as an officer seduced by an actress and kidnapped at the start of the show. Throughout the second season, Ben Tallmadge and his buddies know Lee is a turncoat, but Washington plays the long game, revealing his knowledge of Lee’s betrayal just before the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse.
Of course, in Outlander, Lee won’t have two seasons to discredit himself—perhaps only two episodes—but given the constraints, his introduction is handled quite well.