‘Outlander’: I Adore Rachel and Ian’s Tragically Horny Romance

When I think of Outlander on Starz, I think of romance. I think of passionate love scenes, soul mates traveling through time for each other, and the idea that love really can conquer all. One aspect of romance that I haven’t seen in a hot minute on Outlander, however, is the blush of new attraction. Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) have been married for decades (if not technically centuries) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) have long settled into the rhythms of domestic bliss. Neither couple is still grappling with the exquisite torture that is sexual tension.

So I was thrilled when the Outlander Season 7 mid-season finale gave us the official start of a new romance between Young Ian (John Bell) and Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small). The two kiss! The two regret the kiss! The two clearly want to bone, but can’t because it’s 1777 and she’s a good little Quaker and he’s a Scot who has fully embraced Mohawk culture! It’s an impossible situation — or is it???

I’m personally rooting for Rachel and Ian’s romance. Specifically, I hope they figure out that being horny for each other isn’t the end of the world, but rather the start of a grand new love story for Outlander.

We first met Rachel Hunter back in Outlander Season 7 Episode 4 “A Most Uncomfortable Woman.” Young Ian brought an injured William Ransome (Charles Vandervaart) to Rachel’s brother, Dr. Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips) for assistance. Although Ian soon departed to rendezvous with Jamie and Claire up north, there was already a spark between him and Rachel. (There was also a bit of a spark between Rachel and William, but who doesn’t adore a love triangle?)

By the time Outlander Season 7 Episode 8 “Turning Points” rolls around, Ian and Rachel have been traveling with the Continental Army for a while. Ian is working as a soldier, scout, and liaison to local indigenous tribes and Rachel is a nurse assisting brother Denzell. Claire is obviously aware that Ian is sweet on Rachel. So she asks him to play errand boy, tasking him with delivering some goose grease meant for Denzell to Rachel. It’s a classic set up, folks!

Ian makes good use of his alone time with Rachel. When the goose grease drops, the two share a charged moment where their fingers graze. (Fingers grazing!!) Emboldened by his luck, Ian kisses Rachel. At first it seems she likes it, but when they break apart she does something very un-Quaker-like and slaps him. “Thee must know better!” she chastises. Ian apologizes, but also immediately takes Rachel’s hand. As they get closer, the energy is charged with sexual desire. Rachel warns they must not give into their temptation and Ian agrees, saying it’s not safe.

“I’m not worried about whether you love me. I’m worried that you might die because of it,” Ian says, verging on melodrama. Naturally, Rachel mocks him…in a flirtatious way. Soon Ian is literally saying that she better not touch him because if she does, he’ll take her right then and now. (SCANDALOUS!)

Rachel naturally turns to her brother Denzell for advice and he reveals that he already knows Ian and her have the hots for each other. Denzell also explains how it’s, in the words of great American singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, “a bad idea.” If Rachel marries Ian, she will be shunned forever by the Quaker community. (HER SOUL COULD BE IN PERIL!)

Rachel and Ian’s attraction to each other is fabulous to see unfold because they are hampered by the societal conventions of their time. In our day, it really wouldn’t be a big deal for two adults to consensually hook up. However in 1777, premarital sex could ruin Rachel. Marrying Ian could also ruin Rachel. Basically, Rachel’s attraction to Ian can only lead to her social stock plummeting.

These stakes only add fuel to the fire that’s burning between Rachel and Ian, and I love it. I adore the butterflies you feel when love is new and its outcome uncertain. I am obsessed with the way sexual tension fogs every otherwise innocuous encounter. Rachel and Ian’s budding romance adds a dash of spice that Outlander needed in Season 7. It’s the spice of forbidden love that you can’t help but to root for despite everything.

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