‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood' Solves a Major Mystery in Its Premiere Episodes

Elle

3 days ago

Spoilers below.
How sweet it is to be back in bonny Scotland. For all its faults (of which there are a number) Starz's beloved Outlander saga—adapted from Diana Gabaldon's novels of the same name—has almost always done its best work whilst immersing viewers in the wonder of the Highlands. So it's a delight to experience that immersion in the new prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which plants its four lead characters within the heart of 18th-century Scotland.
If you're new to this time-travel franchise, don't panic. There's no homework required. You needn't devote any extra hours scrolling through the Outlander wiki or studying up on Gabaldon's lastest tome (unless, of course, you want to!). Blood of My Blood is designed for both newbies and super-fans alike: The series does an excellent job tracing connections between itself and its predecessor while presenting an accessible narrative for the casual viewer.
The two-episode premiere introduces our two star-crossed couples, and it depicts how they ended up together in the Highlands...despite having been born in separate centuries. First, there's Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater), eventual parents to Outlander's lead male protagonist, Jamie Fraser. They are both 18th-century Scots, born and bred in tartan. Then there's Julia Beauchamp née Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine)—already parents to young Claire Beauchamp, the same Claire who eventually travels through time in Outlander to fall in love with Jamie. (You don't actually need to know any of this to appreciate Blood of My Blood, but recognizing Jamie and Claire's ancestors does add further resonance to the story.) When we first encounter them, Julia and Henry are 20th-century Brits, having met during World War I. Episode 1, 'Providence,' spends most of its time with Ellen and Jamie, while episode 2, 'S.W.A.K. (Sealed With A Kiss)' hones in on Julia and Henry.
We begin within the walls of Clan MacKenzie's Castle Leoch, where Ellen and her younger siblings, including Colum (Séamus McLean Ross) and Dougal (Sam Retford), are mourning the unexpected death of their father, Red Jacob MacKenzie (Peter Mullan). Because Red Jacob did not name a successor ahead of his passing—like countless men before him, he had 'no intention' of dying so soon—the clan is in limbo. At the upcoming MacKenzie Gathering, the Highlanders will vote for a new laird to lead them, and though they should elect Jacob's eldest child, Ellen, she will never secure the position on account of her sex. But neither will Colum or Dougal, unless they can learn to cease their constant bickering.
Of the MacKenzie boys, Colum is the brains, Dougal the brawn. Colum has a physical disability; Dougal is impulsive, wrestled into toxic confidence thanks to their father's abuse. The former lacks the battle experience soldiers will respect; the latter lacks the skills for diplomacy. But if they can't find a way to support each other, they'll split their people's votes, and an outsider could earn the MacKenzie lairdship instead.
Ellen initially supports Colum's bid. But that's liable to change when she discovers his plans for her. In flashback scenes, we witness the bond once shared between Red Jacob and Ellen, and we learn that Jacob promised his daughter she'd always be a MacKenzie—and that she would never have to marry against her will. (We also discover she'd have been named 'James,' had she been born male. One of many Easter eggs to come, I'm sure.) As Jacob's funeral procession trudges through the fog-coated hills, Ellen's sisters, Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin) and Janet (Ailsa Davidson), reinforce how much Ellen adored their father: 'I doubt she'll ever love any other man half as much. And with him gone, she's lost her power.' No matter how much they might love their sister, both Colum and Dougal are all too comfortable taking advantage of her weakened position.
But before there's any talk of marriage, Dougal has to create some more problems first. Early in episode 1, he and his men chase off a group of would-be cattle thieves, whom Dougal believes (with no real evidence) were sent on behalf of rival clans, either Clan Fraser or Clan Grant. It seems unlikely Clan Fraser is behind the raid. As MacKenzie advisor Ned Gowan (Conor MacNeill) puts it, 'Simon Fraser of Lovat is not much of a threat, considering his lack of status.' No matter—Dougal is perfectly content to pin the blame on the Grants instead. Colum admonishes his brother for being so quick to jump to conclusions, and Ned agrees. Red Jacob had plenty of enemies outside Dougal's immediate suspects.
Oh, and speaking of those pesky Frasers... When we finally meet Brian, he's perched on a crumbling stone wall outside Castle Leathers, the current home of his disgraced family. Brian is the bastard son of the aforementioned Simon (Tony Curran), and he tells his cousin Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser (Rory Alexander)—another familiar name from the Outlander-verse—he is most assuredly not going to the upcoming MacKenzie Gathering. Brian's not welcome in the MacKenzie orbit, no matter how much Murtagh wants his help wooing the woman of his dreams: a certain 'lassie' by the name of Ellen MacKenzie. Murtagh reminds Brian that the MacKenzies have never even seen his face before. How would they know any better, were he to traipse upon their lands?
What finally convinces Brian is, of course, his own father. Simon is exultant at the news of Red Jacob's passing, and he wants an insider at the Gathering—someone to bring home word of who might lead Clan MacKenzie next. If Simon can get on good terms with this new leader, he might have the chance to restore his reputation and thus his power. He orders Brian to accompany Murtagh to the Gathering, as they'll be less conspicuous traveling as a pair.
But before this scene cuts away, an unexpected character makes her first appearance. A maid arrives to serve Simon his supper, and, lo, whom should that maid be but Julia Beauchamp! What's a Sassenach like her doing at Castle Leathers? We'll find out soon enough. For now, Davina Porter (Sara Vickers)—the lead housekeeper at Leathers, as well as Brian's mother—urges Julia to avoid Simon except when absolutely necessary. He is, to put it lightly, a total creep.
The Gathering soon arrives, and there, Ellen is desperate to avoid a swarm of would-be suitors. Brian, too, can't help but hide when a group of revelers notice his unfamiliar countenance. Forced inside a stable to avoid a brawl, he inadvertently encounters Ellen amongst the horses.
It takes no time for the two to realize the attraction between them. If you know anything at all about Outlander, it's that Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe—who play Jamie and Claire in the flagship series—have capital-C Chemistry. In almost every scene they share, it's as if an invisible string tugs them closer together. Slater and Roy have enormous shoes to fill when it comes to romance, but their first interaction on-camera nails that 'struck by lightning' vibe so essential to Outlander's soulmate ethos. They can't tear their eyes away from each other.
Despite their instant connection, neither Ellen nor Jamie know the other's identity. That will prove complicated soon enough, but for the moment Jamie asks Ellen to meet 'in a more suitable place': a bridge on the way to Inverness. Without so much as a thought to what trouble they might be stirring up together, she agrees.
In the meantime, the Grants—Isaac (Brian McCardie) and his son, Malcolm (Jhon Lumsden)—arrive at the Gathering with yet another surprising face in tow: Henry Beauchamp!.(Somehow, the Beauchamps are all up in the MacKenzie-Fraser business, despite having no obvious connections to either family.) We learn Henry is now Isaac's bladier, his spokesperson and assistant. Ned is a tad suspicious of this British newcomer, but he nevertheless seeks Henry's counsel in forging a partnership between the Grants and the MacKenzies. Furthermore, he believes the Grants had nothing to do with the attempted raid earlier in the episode. Not that Dougal cares much for Ned's opinion.
En route to meet Brian, Ellen runs into another love-struck Highlander: Malcolm, who yearns for Ellen's hand in marriage. He asks to escort Ellen back to her chambers; as his feelings are plainly unrequited, she takes the earliest opportunity to evade him as she heads back toward Castle Leoch. When Malcolm spots her moments later, on the forested roads outside Leoch, he knows she's up to something. He realizes she's not interested in matrimony, and chooses to let her be—for now.
Ellen gallops to the bridge, where she meets Brian beside a babbling brook, their profiles bathed in watery sunlight. There, they finally learn each other's identities, and they realize they're in quite the Romeo-and-Juliet situation. ('That is unfortunate,' Ellen says of Brian's surname.) But the taboo nature of their encounter doesn't stop either of them from forging forward. They start on opposite ends of the bridge but draw closer together throughout the scene—there's that invisible string again—until at last their hands touch. (For some fun behind-the-scenes details on this moment, you can read ELLE's exclusive interview with the Blood of My Blood cast. Apparently, Slater and Roy could barely hear each other over the roar of the river beneath them. So much for babbling!)
Back at Leoch, Ellen's brothers realize she's missing from the castle. Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham), head housekeeper for the MacKenzies, tells Colum and Dougal that Ellen was last seen walking with Malcolm Grant. As is his tendency, Dougal assumes the worst and chases the Grants down, nearly beating Malcolm to a pulp before Henry intervenes, promising that no Grant has laid a hand on Ellen. Sure enough, the eldest MacKenzie shows up in her chambers unharmed, and learns her brother's brash actions have put her family in imminent danger. What she doesn't yet know is that Colum is already scheming up a solution—and it involves giving Malcolm Grant what he wants.
But enough about the MacKenzies. What about the Beauchamps? Episode 1 ends with a flashback (or, I guess, a flash forward?) to the early 1920s, in which Julia and Henry enjoy some sex on a picnic blanket. Already parents to Claire, whom they've left at home in London with her uncle, they're traveling through Scotland on holiday. As they criss-cross the Highlands in their motorcar, they discuss their life back in England—particularly their fears and excitement around Julia's second pregnancy. But when an elk crosses their path, Henry swerves dramatically, sending them (and the car) plunging into the river.
Some fans might expect the Beauchamps to perish here, as, in Outlander, Claire believed her parents died in a car accident. But Julia and Henry both survive, walking for hours through the hills, only to stumble upon—what else?—the standing stones of Craigh na Dun.
Here's where a little prior Outlander knowledge is helpful: The stone circle of Craigh na Dun provides a magical gateway through time for those blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with the gift of time travel. Claire Beauchamp was one such traveler, and it seems as though her parents were the same. Julia and Henry inadvertently go through the stones separately, transporting back to the same time period but at different junctures. Thus why they wind up apart, in the respective homes of Clan MacKenzie and Clan Grant.
Episode 2, then, depicts how they wound up in those homes. First, we get some important backstory: Julia and Henry's romance began in 1917, while Henry was a lieutenant on the Western Front of World War I. There, he writes an open letter expressing his existential despair from the trenches. Julia Moriston, an employee at the Postal and Telegraph Censorship war office in London, ends up replying. They strike up a correspondence that soon grows passionate, with each feeding the other's mind and soul from miles away. (Henry takes to calling Julia 'my hope.') When his letters suddenly stop arriving, Julia fears he might have died before taking his leave. But then the two cross paths in the middle of London, and it's all they can do to keep from tearing each other's clothes off in broad daylight. (Thankfully, they manage to make it back to Julia's flat in time.)
Soon enough, they're married, and in spite of Henry's PTSD-riddled nightmares, they seem happy. But then the episode lurches forward, and we watch as Julia awakens, confused, in 1714 Scotland. Henry is nowhere to be found. To alert him of her whereabouts, she carves the initials 'S.W.A.K.' (short for 'Sealed With A Kiss,' the sign-off from their letters) onto a stone, along with an arrow pointing in the direction she runs to find help.
Instead of help, she discovers a group of Scottish farmers who speak nothing but Gaelic, and they end up kidnapping and dumping her at Castle Leathers as a debt repayment to Lord Simon Fraser, for whom she's forced into servitude. At Leathers, not even Brian's kindness—and willingness to take a whipping on Julia's behalf—might be enough to keep her from Simon's leering eye.
Meanwhile, Henry (also in 1714 Scotland, though a bit behind his wife) finds Julia's 'S.W.A.K.' message and follows her arrow toward Inverness. There, he has an inadvertent run-in with Malcolm Grant at a local pub. Henry was a solicitor back in London, and so he can't help but recognize the Grants are about to make a piteous business deal. Malcolm, intrigued by Henry's legal acumen, drags him back to his father like a prize pony. To Isaac, Henry reluctantly presents his case for property deeds, plus a bonus 'observation' that the Grants' current bladier is 'misrepresenting' the clan. Isaac punishes this bladier accordingly—mounting his head on a spike—and hires the 'canny' Henry to replace him.
Like Julia, Henry is temporarily bound in servitude. But at least in Henry's case, working for the Grants gives him the protection, opportunities, and connections to search the Highlands for Julia.
The series then takes a time jump one month later, 'back' to the events of the first episode. Ned and Henry meet in Clan Grant's stagecoach to secure an arrangement: The MacKenzies will offer a betrothal between Ellen and Malcolm in exchange for the Grants' forgiveness for Dougal's attack. An ongoing alliance will blossom between the families. And in exchange for Henry's help making this deal, Ned will help Henry find Julia—or, in Ned's estimation, a woman like her.
By their own admission, the Beauchamps are lost without each other. But Henry swears, 'I will not rest until we are reunited.' Julia, from the drafty cellar of Leathers, makes the same promise: 'I'll find a way back to you.' If Outlander has proven anything over the years, it's that these vows are indeed eternal.