David Berry (Lord John Grey) bids farewell to Outlander

Outlander fans had a lot to process during this past Sunday’s penultimate episode of season 5, “Journeycake.” First, we had to wrap our heads around the fact that Brianna, Roger and Jemmy are heading back to the future through the stones, and then there was Claire getting abducted!

But there was one more event that we may have glossed over in all the hubbub: the exit of one Lord John Grey, played by David Berry. Over the years, John Grey has become a beloved character, in the books and the series. But during Sunday’s episode, he revealed that he’d be heading back to England after the passing of Lord Dunsany.

Berry shared a short but emotional Instagram post ahead of the episode, and it left a nervous pit in my stomach. I mean, this is Lord John Grey, we’re talking about. He saved Jamie, he took in Jamie’s son William, and his love for Jamie has never faltered in all these years. Sigh, he’s the real deal, folks.

Now, I know there are those of you out there, like me, who aren’t convinced this is the last time we’ll see Lord John Grey on Outlander. He has a tendency of unexpectedly popping up in the most random of places, so let’s not count him out just yet.

But I think there could be something bigger planned for the character. There have been rumors of a possible Lord John Grey spin-off, and this exit could be a setup for that. Let’s not forget Outlander author Diana Gabaldon has a series of books revolving around Lord John Grey, so there’s plenty of source material. Plus, Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch has said he’s open to more shows in the Outlander universe:

"We think there’s a lot of opportunity in the Outlander universe to have story extensions or spinoffs or sequels. We continue to look at that with our partners at Sony."

We haven’t heard any official word regarding this expansion just yet, but I’d like to believe it’s coming.

Here’s to hoping we haven’t seen the last of Lord John Grey!

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h/t Town & Country