'Outlander' season 2 spoilers: Cast talk about Duke of Sandringham's death
Deaths are nothing new to "Outlander" as the story is around historical wars. However, the death of the Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow) was bittersweet for cast members and they share why.
Callow is such a good actor that despite his villainous ways hated by the viewers, his effective acting makes him delightful to watch. His death may be satisfying to the story and his co-workers knew his character has to go and they express fondness as the actor exits from the show.
In an interview with TV Line, Callow shared he knew his character would die during the Battle of Culloden but, "I certainly didn't know he was going to die the way he did." He added, "It's a very satisfactory way to die."
The Duke of Sandringham was beheaded by Murtagh Fraser (Duncan Lacroix) as his way of avenging Mary Hawkins (Rosie Day) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe). The Duke admitted to have been the reason behind Mary's rape and Claire's attack.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Moore said it was time to put an end to the Duke's treachery. Balfe shared her thoughts on the morbid scene and said, "It was really fantastic filming that. I honestly loved working with Simon Callow. He's such a great person to have around the set." As for the character, Balfe said that she loved that Mary finally got the justice she deserves.
The Duke's death was such a big scene not only because a much-hated character met his brutal end but also because the actor deserved to figure in a memorable exit. Executive producer Maril Davis said, "What we tried to do is give the Duke a good sendoff because Simon who plays that character is such an amazing actor and we just loved having him on the show. We really wanted to give him a proper send-off."
Alas, what was shown on TV is just a piece of what could have been a bigger scene. Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie, shared, "There was actually more to that scene," and added "maybe at some point we'll get to see an extended version of this episode because there's some very scary stuff by Duncan Lacroix."
Heughan went on to say that there was more action going on than what was actually shown. Balfe added that one scene that did not make it was Murtagh delivering his lines in Gaelic.
In the book where the show is based on, the Duke had his head cut as well, but the details were not explored. Instead, Murtagh was alone when he killed the villain and presented his head inside the bag to Claire.
"Outlander" season 2 is shown Saturdays at 9 p.m. on STARZ.