Directed by Azhur Saleem
Episode Written by Margot Ye
Based on Characters Written by Diana Gabaldon
Series Developed by Matthew B. Roberts
The Blood of My Blood season finale released recently, completing the first full season (the show has already been renewed for season 2). The episode brought back some forgotten inklings of Outlander, but overall, the episode felt off-kilter with cuts and flashbacks oddly placed and unequal screen time for the main characters.
The episode opens in 1920s England at Claire’s second birthday party. Quentin (George Kemp), Henry’s brother, visits and has clear rapport with his niece.
After the opening credits, the episode then opens with a wedding, where the bride is heavily veiled. These two opening scenes—Claire’s second birthday and the mysterious wedding—are almost competing for the role of Episode Opener—and yet they do not parallel or mirror each other, as previous episodes have done with carefully placed scenes.
The episode then flashes back to a day earlier, where we find Brian (Jamie Roy) and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) hiding out at their hobbit hut—where even though it is quite literally a tiny hole in a hill, the interior has the magic of a Harry Potter tent or the TARDIS (bigger on the inside) and it has impeccably set stone flooring and a lovely hearth and fireplace.
They apologise to each other, while Brian tries to understand why Ellen (Harriet Slater) would say she no longer loves him. He asks Murtagh to help him get to Ellen, but before they can act, they are attacked. Brian kills the attackers but one lives long enough for him to ask who sent him: Colum (Seamus McLean Ross). Brian then stabs the gallowglass (hired mercenary) in the heart. Murtagh has been injured, so Brian sets out alone to find Ellen.
At Leoch, Ellen and Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) walk the aisle to oversee its decorating. MacCrannoch (Dom Fraser) approaches her and offers a gift of a pearl necklace (the necklace from Outlander—and MacCrannoch is who assists in an important rescue in Outlander—the necklace is passed down to Claire and Brianna).
The scene cuts to Maura Grant (Bobby Rainsbury) walking in on her maid and Dougal (Sam Retford) having sex against a wall. She and Dougal exchange sarcastic words, but what viewers see is that we needed Maura earlier in the season. Her spunky personality and quick wit bring back a little of the humour often found in the writing in Outlander, though we have yet to see much of it in Blood of My Blood.
In Ellen’s chamber, Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin), Ellen, Janet (Ailsa Davidson), and Mrs. Fitz pack Ellen’s things. Ellen apologises to Jocasta for not getting her input when her marriage was arranged and asks for her help as Ellen steps in to lead a household at Grant Castle. The sisters are kind and supportive of one another.
At Castle Leathers, Lovat (Tony Curran) bemoans his humiliation at Braemar over dinner with Julia (Hermione Corfield). She offers him support and encouragement, and on his way to bed, he tells her he expects her in his bed later that night.
We shift to a quick scene of women plucking chickens while drinking and sharing laughter and “saucy tales.” Ellen’s rhyme offends Maura who leaves the group.
Back at Leathers, Julia concocts a plan to have Davina (Sara Vickers) send Balloch (Chick Allen) after her to save Davina from blame. Julia finds Henry, (Jeremy Irvine) who attacks and knocks out Balloch, and then they escape.
Next, we see Brian approaching MacKenzie land, where he knocks out a Grant guard and takes his clothing. Inside Castle Leoch, Ellen and Mrs. Fitz continue wedding preparations. Brian, with an improvised present in hand, asks Jocasta where Ellen’s room is to deliver the present, but Jocasta recognises him. He convinces her to take him to see Ellen by telling her that Colum tried to have him killed–and wounded Murtagh, who we know Jocasta loves. This is all told to Ellen and Mrs. Fitz, and as Murtagh is Mrs. Fitz’s nephew, earns her anger as well over Colum’s actions. Brian pledges his love again, and Ellen returns it. She says that Colum breaking his promise now frees her of her promise to wed Malcolm.
Ellen pays Colum a visit, and he thanks her for helping the clan. She asks him if there’s nothing he wants to tell her in that way that clearly says she already knows something and he best fess up, but he declines. He shows her their father’s sword, that they will lay at the feet of the Grants “for love of Ellen”.
Next, we cut to Henry and Julia (with baby William strapped to her chest) galloping across hills–which is repeated basically for the rest of the episode for them. No detailed reunion, no chemistry between characters, no dialogue, nothing. A flashback shows them sitting seaside back in the 1920s, watching a young Claire (Mae and Tuesday Roberts) playing in the sand with Quentin. Henry tells Julia he has planned a romantic holiday to the Highlands while Claire stays with Quentin. Julia shares that she is pregnant again.
In Colum’s office, Malcolm paces and announces that Ellen is gone, and he and Uncle Mac proceed to threaten Colum. The Grants walk out, and Colum tells Ned to find Dougal because his “clan needs him.”
When we cut back to the veiled bride walking down the aisle, the camera suspiciously passes other characters as viewers try to figure out who she is—especially with knowing that Ellen is missing. When she reaches the altar, Maura Grant unveils herself. The groom is asked to step forward–and Dougal rises and joins her. Dougal is clearly under duress and hesitant in saying his vows. They are married, keeping the peace between the clans, though it is clear neither is thrilled about the partnership.
Ellen and Brian, now dressed as servants, are ready to leave when Jocasta and Mrs. Fitz arrive to tell them they will distract the wedding guests and return to tell Ellen and Brian to make their escape.
At the wedding feast, everyone has a good time—except for Dougal and Maura. Colum provides a toast, and as soon as the toast is done, Maura suggests Dougal take her to his bedchamber to consummate the marriage. He is surprised but follows obediently.
In his room, Maura is so matter-of-fact that Dougal is disconcerted. Maura is direct and not coy or coquettish—and the scene is perhaps one of the funniest we’ve had for the show—something that has been much missed.
Tucked into the cuts of the scene changes, we see two little boys steal some ale or wine (Angus and Rupert–who play larger roles in Outlander). The boys proceed to drink, fart, and laugh. Between them and Maura, a small amount of humour is finally present—which we had in Outlander and seems to have been forgotten here. Even the most serious of storylines needs small humorous breaks to provide some balance. This was true for Shakespeare—and it is true today. Even the harshest episodes of Game of Thrones included small jokes and witticisms.
Throughout the whole season, episodes have had the same structure where towards the last third of the episode, the scene cuts become quicker and quicker—but for this episode, those cuts have been the case for the whole episode, and quickens even more for the last third of this one–though ultimately not much happens.
Mrs. Fitz and Jocasta return for Ellen and Brian and share tearful goodbyes, while nearby Uncle Mac plies Malcolm with whiskey. Malcolm is angry and heartbroken, and Uncle Mac encourages him to take revenge on Ellen—tomorrow. Today is Maura’s wedding day.
In Dougal’s bedchamber, he and Maura consummate their wedding—and Dougal sees a woman climax for apparently the very first time.
Malcolm finds Ellen and Brian together in their escape and at first assumes that Ellen has returned to him. He then realises she is escaping with another man. He proceeds to slut-shame Ellen and insult Brian, who asks him to let them pass, but Malcolm, drunk, draws a small sword (or large dagger?). Brian tucks Ellen behind him as Malcolm swings haphazardly and knicks Brian’s arm, while Brian (still unarmed) asks him to stop. Malcolm swings the dagger overhead and tries to stab Brian, but Brian grabs the blade and turns it back, stabbing Malcolm in the chest with his own weapon. Ellen is shocked and upset, but follows Brian. They escape on horseback.
They travel back to Brian and Murtagh’s hobbit hole, where Murtagh convalesces in front of the fire. Brian admits his love and devotion for Ellen (“I’d do anything for ye”) regarding killing Malcolm to keep her safe–but this viewer notes that after Murtagh passes the whiskey to Brian, who takes a drink, he does not pass the flask on to Ellen. So, he would, in fact, do anything for love—but apparently not that.
Back at Castle Leathers, an upset Lovat stomps around the stable yard, yelling at Davina about Julia’s “capture”. Arch Bug (Terrence Rae) and his posse ride up, looking for Henry. One of Bug’s posse finds tracks, so they set out after Henry and Julia.
In the hobbit hole, Ellen doctors up Brian’s arm in front of the fire as they swear oaths of love and devotion.
Julia, Henry, and Baby William camp out as Arch Bug’s posse searches for them through the night. No dialogue, no storyline here, nothing.
In the hobbit hole the next morning, Ellen and Murtagh chat for a few minutes—perhaps their first true chat. Ellen thanks Murtagh for his help saving Brian’s life. Murtagh then gifts her with the boar tusk bracelets. Later, Murtagh leaves to go “hunting” to give Brian and Ellen some sexy time. The next morning, Brian sees in the distance the fiery crosses being lit—a message system to call the men to arms because the Jacobite rebellion is beginning. Thankfully, Brian explains what this means: that he must return to Lovat as his Laird or leave Scotland forever. Ellen promises to stand by him.
Next, we see Henry and Julia at Craigh Na Dun. They hear the buzzing, and Henry reaches to touch a stone, but Julia stops him: what if the baby cannot travel? (Something one might think they would have discussed on the way there…). They make a plan in that moment: one will try to go through the stones holding the baby so that if he cannot travel, the other will be there to care for him until the first returns. Before they can act, Bug and his posse are spotted in the distance.
Julia insists Henry take William through, as she will be safer than he since she is a Laird’s Wife, but Henry takes her hand and places it on the stone just as the scene cuts away to the train station in the 1920s. Henry and Julia are telling Claire goodbye, as they leave for Scotland. Uncle Lamb holds her hand as they wave goodbye.
Overall, the season was okay. It narrated two love stories—one of which readers of Outlander were familiar and one with which they were not. Neither truly brought a new story to life.
However, with the characters spread out between so many locations, the episodes became quite repetitive: characters waking up, planning a trip, getting ready for the trip, traveling to the second location, time at second location, then going home. Nearly the same footage was used of horses galloping across green hills over and over again. By the finale, Julia’s voiceovers stopped, and she and Henry are barely present–tertiary characters in their own narrative line.
In attempting to create “good” faultless heroes and heroines, the show falls into the oft-seen trap of creating main characters that are rather boring. With season two already greenlit, hopefully the show finds stronger footing and can become its own narrative, rather than a shadow of Outlander.
