In the Season 7 finale of Outlander, viewers finally discover if Dr. Denzel Hunter managed to rescue Claire Fraser from a dire fate at the Battle of Monmouth. Amid Claire’s struggle for survival, she encounters a familiar figure from her past: the French apothecary Master Raymond. This marks the character’s long-awaited return to the Starz series after Season 2.
If you found yourself unsure about Master Raymond’s significance or surprised by the implications of his message in Season 7 Episode 16 “A Hundred Thousand Angels,” fear not. We’ll help clarify the mysteries surrounding him.
**Spoilers for Outlander Season 7 Episode 16 “A Hundred Thousand Angels,” now streaming on Starz**
Following Denzel’s successful intervention to save Claire from a gunshot wound, she goes through a period of recuperation. During this time, she has a surreal encounter with Master Raymond, who appears to her in a vision wearing a dark hood. He reassures Claire that her time has not come and asks for her forgiveness, hinting at revelations to come.
So who exactly is Master Raymond and how does this eerie reunion connect to the crazy Outlander Season 7 finale ending revealing baby Faith might have actually survived infancy? Here’s everything you need to know about the mysterious Master Raymond, a ghost from Claire’s past…
Master Raymond was first introduced in Outlander Season 2 Episode 2 “Not in Scotland Anymore.” He’s an apothecary whom Claire visits in the hopes of getting an herb to help the recently traumatized Jamie (Sam Heughan) sleep. Master Raymond immediately takes a shine to Claire, bonding with her over their shared love of botany and dislike of the Comte de St. Germain (Stanley Weber). He nicknames her “Madonna,” and the two become friends.
Later in the season, Claire warns Master Raymond that the king is cracking down on practitioners of the “black arts.” He promises to skip town, but later comes to her aid when she’s dying after delivering the stillborn Faith in childbirth. Master Raymond uses mysterious massage techniques to cure Claire’s puerperal fever. Later in the episode, Claire saves Master Raymond’s life in a magical trial the King forces her to preside over. Master Raymond is banished from France.
In the books, it’s a bit more clear that Master Raymond is a time traveler like Claire. In fact, it’s hinted, or at least theorized, that he is one of the original time travelers and may even be an ancestor of Claire and Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek), explaining why they can travel through the stones. In any event, he has knowledge and abilities that defy even Claire’s 20th century scientific know-how.
Which brings us back to what Master Raymond did that was so bad he’s got to beg forgiveness…
By the end of the Outlander Season 7 finale, Claire is pretty darn convinced that her first child with Jamie, baby Faith, did not die as a premature stillborn. Faith somehow survived and went on to give birth to Jane (Silvia Presente) and Fanny (Florrie Mae Wilkinson). Jane tragically took her own life before William (Charles Vandervaart) and Jamie could save her from execution, but Fanny is now in the Frasers’ care.
While it’s yet unclear if Claire’s theory is correct, it would mean that Master Raymond secretly saved Faith and spirited her to another family, to be raised away from Claire and Jamie. But to what end?? We don’t know!
Master Raymond is played by French actor Dominique Pinon, who is a massive star in his home country, but you probably recognize him from the international smash hit Amélie.
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