The hit STARZ romantic fantasy the sadistic Jonathan Wolverton Randall, more infamously known as 'Black Jack Randall', a moniker coined for him to suit his twisted, dark nature.
Actor Tobias Menzies did a remarkable job, bravely bringing this incredibly difficult and disturbing character to life. Here are a few details about Black Jack Randall or BJR that some might have missed.
BJR Was Warned In Advance Of The Day He Would Die
Not many would this but in the series, BJR was warned of the day of his impending death by Claire herself.
Being from the 20th century, Claire was aware of the date when the Battle of Culloden would be fought, even though she would fight tooth and nail to stop it from happening. She had also heard from her first husband, Frank, who was BJR's descendant, that the latter would die in the battle, and she felt some sort of power over this despicable man who had been responsible for her Jamie's relentless misery when she whispered to him the day he would die.
Only The King Of Could Ever Humiliate BJR
One of the most lavish and entertaining seasons in Outlander so far has been the second season which takes place almost entirely in Paris. It seems as if King Louis XV is quite literally the only man to have ever managed to humiliate the brutal English officer.
BJR is practically brought to his knees by the King in front of none other than Claire Fraser, and the king's mockery of his French accent is naturally humiliating, especially since Claire's own accent is thoroughly polished and sophisticated. It seems as if the King of is the only individual capable of teaching the cruel redcoat a lesson in humility, however mild.
He Loved His Brother
Speaking of humility, the one other moment when BJR was shown to be out of his element was when he came to see his seriously ill younger brother Alex Randall.
In contrast to his usual savage, heartless self, BJR was shown in a different light completely when he appeared gentle and seemed to actually care for his little brother who was on the brink of death. He even agreed to marry his fianceé, Mary Hawkins, albeit on Claire's advice. The fact that he would consider even listening to Claire for his brother's sake showed that Alex was probably the only person the sadist older brother ever cared for.
This Twisted Villain Didn't Draw The Line At Attacking Kids
Fans know that BJR was portrayed as a monster; he was not only a wicked, godless man who seemed to draw some kind of twisted sense of pleasure from torturing people to whom he took a fancy, but he was for all intents and purposes a sexual predator.
The very first time Claire runs into BJR in the episode "Sassenach", he attempts to rape her, which meant that attacking random women wasn't beneath him. He was also shown to have attempted sexual assault on Jenny Fraser and didn't even draw the line at assaulting young children. For those who don't , BJR raped young Fergus in Maison Elise, leading to his duel with Jamie.
He Wasn't Particularly Enlightened
Apart from being a cruel sadist, BJR was also not a particularly enlightened man. As pointed out above, Claire told BJR the date of his death pretending to be a witch, an idea she rather took advantage of now and then to manipulate people. although usually for the greater good.
The fact that BJR was so easily intrigued by the idea that Claire could be a witch indicated that he was superstitious and less enlightened than Jamie Fraser, who was also from the same historical time but didn't believe in witches.
His Relationship With The Duke Of Sandringham Could Have Had Sexual Connotation
BJR was most likely bisexual since he was shown to direct his predatorial tendencies towards both men and women.
There was some hint, which many might have missed, that the Duke of Sandringham too was queer since he seemed particularly taken by Jamie. And since the Duke and BJR were said to be close, with the former often using his influence to favor the latter, it seems likely that BJR had some sexual entente with the Duke, thus ensuring his continued security, despite his notoriety.
BJR Wasn't Frank's Direct Ancestor
The series led fans to believe that BJR was Frank Randall's direct ancestor, even more so because he was played by actor Tobias Menzies, who also played Frank.
However, in season 2, it was revealed that it wasn't BJR, but his brother Alex and his lover Mary Hawkins, who were Frank's direct ancestors. However, since Mary had been forced to marry BJR before she gave birth to Alex's child, history would have recorded BJR as the father, thereby leading to the misconception regarding the family tree.
The Writers Brought Out Traces Of BJR In Frank Randall
The two characters played by Menzies on the show, Frank and BJR, couldn't be farther from each other in of their nature. Frank Randall in the series is a decent and loving gentleman while his ancestor is on the other end of the continuum with his violent, fiendish nature.
However, flashes of BJR appeared in Frank who was shown desperately looking for Claire after her mysterious disappearance. He uncharacteristically lost his temper with the police who he felt hadn't done enough to look for Claire. He also became violent after Claire revealed that she was pregnant with Jamie's child, thus linking him with his ancestor several generations prior.
Jack Might Not Be Inherently Evil, Said Menzies
According to actor Tobias Menzies, BJR might not have been completely and inherently evil as the show would have fans believe.
The sadistic redcoat was highlighted as a violently twisted man with next to no conscience. But Menzies has stated that his character wasn't necessarily evil but had been deformed by his own traumatizing experiences of war and punishment.
Actor Was Intrigued By Unusual Proposition
Menzies gave a powerful and memorable performance as the chief antagonist of Outlander in seasons 2 and 3. The role demanded that he get into the shoes of an inhuman man, fascinated by his own perversions.
It seems that the disturbing nature of the character only intrigued Menzies further and he was drawn by the unusual proposition of playing two characters on the same show., separated by generations but related by blood.