Outlander season 4 preview: The reveal right under our noses

Starz unleashed their most-substantial Outlander season 4 preview on Sunday, and there was all sorts of great stuff that we had a chance to see. Yet, at the same time the biggest reveal was the one that was hiding just under our noses … and also from the British.

This reveal was none other than Stephen Bonnet!

As a non-reader of the Diana Gabaldon books, when we first watched the preview on Sunday we were none the wiser as to who Jamie and Claire were hiding as a “dead body” in their carriage — and, in turn, who was stabbed in the leg. It was obvious that they were hiding someone, mostly because this is totally Jamie and Claire’s M.O. to be doing something like this. It was just remarkable in the moment that whoever this was managed to be okay with getting stabbed by one of the soldiers.

Well, that person was Bonnet, unless of course the show changes things up rather dramatically from the source material and throws a different character back there. We basically had our first glimpse at this character in season 4 without actually seeing him.

Who is Stephen Bonnet?

He’s being played by actor Ed Speleers on the series, and he is certainly one of the most notorious characters from the fourth Gabaldon novel Drums of Autumn. He is someone who Jamie helps escape the law while in America, though he harbors some reservations along the way as to whether or not he is doing the right thing. Bonnet does then come later to have a very important role in the series, albeit in an entirely different way. We don’t want to say anymore about that since we’re getting a little bit further ahead in the story. His role in the books isn’t just limited to Drums of Autumn, so don’t make the assumption that this is going to be a brief role for Speleers in the slightest.

Related – What should Starz highlight next from Outlander season 4?

It makes a certain degree of sense as to why Outlander chose not to show Bonnet in the flesh in this scene. For one, it keeps a little bit of the mystery as to what he will look like on the show. They want to have some secrets to share later! Beyond that, this was not meant to be a particularly long scene, and they probably didn’t want to stretch the run time to the point where you were getting five or so minutes from an episode (that’s almost 10% of one!) so many months before the show returns to the air.

Did this Outlander scene make you more intrigued to see Stephen Bonnet, or just nervous given what this character does within the books? Share below, and like CarterMatt on Facebook for additional news regarding Outlander. (Photo: Starz.)