Outlander fans 'work out' Geillis and Roger plothole that could cause issues in season 7b

*Warning - This article contains spoilers for the Outlander TV and book series.*

Speculation is rife among fans, as they've potentially unearthed a plothole in the lead-up to season 7b, which is set to premiere later this week.

The latter half of the seventh season, arriving on this Friday, will welcome back the beloved characters Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).

Devotees of the hit series have highlighted a potential plot inconsistency involving Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) and Roger Wakefield (Richard Rankin), although some have offered theories on how the show might cleverly sidestep the issue.

In anticipation of the fresh instalments, a keen Outlander fan going by @YOYOitsMEDRup voiced their musings on Reddit.

They posted: "I'm rewatching key episodes prior to 7B and had to pause during 2x13....warning = spoiler for 7B ahead if unfamiliar with books.

"In the show, Roger and Geilis have met ---- twice. In the books they hadn't. So how do you think the writers will have this impact when they see each other again in the 1730s??

"Do you think Geilis will recognize him in the show? How could this potentially alter the way they act toward each other if so?" they pondered.

"Or do you think they gloss over it and conveniently forget she should recognize him? In Geilis's life, she's only what, 2 years after actually traveling thru when she'd have met him?

"It's been 12+ years at least to Roger that have passed, but really not that long in her perspective," the enthusiast elaborated.

"I suppose it could be argued he was a clean shaven professor vs scruffy dirty guy with long hair so it could be a thin excuse she may not have it click right away to look familiar- but seems unlikely. Especially if Roger has a natural reaction himself when he sees her.

"What do you think? She will or won't recognize him?" they proposed, inviting others to share their thoughts in the comments section.

The fan community began sharing their theories on how this recognition issue will be approached on the show. One admitted: "I don't have an answer but just came to say that I've been wondering about the same thing.

"The easiest 'fix' in my mind is to gloss over it and not have Roger and Geillis interact in 1739. Maybe he just sees her from afar." (sic)

Another fan concurred, suggesting that while likely, there isn't really a necessity for the characters to meet as per the book's events. They explained: "I think that's the most likely scenario. There's really no reason for him to meet her, either-the whole reason he does in the book is that Buck wants to meet her after finding out she's his mother. He just asks Roger to come with him.

"In the show, Roger can tell him that he's met her before and decide to stay behind so as not to mess anything up in the future (Roger is convinced that things can change because of the house fire, after all)." (sic)

Another contested the possibility of recognition based on the rareness and context of the encounter, implying: "Briefly meeting someone 10 years ago doesn't mean you SHOULD recognize him, in a setting you totally wouldn't expect to meet such a person." (sic)

Another person chimed in with: "True, but when they met she also met Bree(show version) so Rodger would have been more memorable."

They added: "I do think it would be very easy for them to say she won't remember him tho, I don't think it's a problem if he remembers her tho." (sic)

Following the closure of Lionsgate+ in the UK, new episodes of Outlander will be available on Starz and to stream on Prime Video channel MGM+ from Friday, November 22. You must be an Amazon Prime member before you can sign up for MGM+.