We know the way the love story between Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser goes, don’t we? Outlander: Blood of My Blood gives us the full story.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, episode 1.
The Outlander: Blood of My Blood series premiere opens with the story of Clan MacKenzie. We know that Julia and Henry Beauchamp are in the past, but we don’t get to learn much about them, as their story is focused on in the second episode of the series.
So, we get a lot of Ellen MacKenzie’s life at Castle Leoch, and we get to see her meet Brian Fraser. There were some standout moments throughout the episode.
Ellen’s grief over her father’s death in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
Ellen is heavily grieving the loss of her father, as it’s sudden and she loves him dearly. The way he had been speaking with her close to his death, it was clear that he didn’t expect to die just yet, and now Ellen is struggling with all the emotions that she’s feeling.
She wants to be able to grieve, but she can’t fully. Not only does she need to look stoic and like a lady around others, but she has a lot of thoughts about Clan MacKenzie going through her head. We do get to see various moments of her grief throughout the episode.
The wish to take over Clan MacKenzie
This takes us to the next top moment, and it’s when she’s discussing the lairdship. She knows deep down that it has to go to a man, but that doesn’t stop her wishing for it herself. Her dad had clearly favored her, and he knew that she had inherited everything needed to run the clan, except one thing.
She’s a woman, and there isn’t a chance that she could take over. We get to see that wishful thinking, but she also knows that it is just wishful thinking. Instead, she needs to act behind the scenes.
Meeting with Brian Fraser in the stables
I adore that Outlander: Blood of My Blood put Ellen and Brian’s first meeting in the stables, as this is a place that Jamie loves to call home. It almost seems like fate that he would prefer to spend more time in the stables than with other people.
Ellen immediately connects with Brian, and there is a sense of trust there. For one, Brian hasn’t even tried to make a move on her. For another thing, he wanted to hear about her thoughts and took time to understand her decision to stay away from people. We see a subtle difference in the way she looks at other man compared to Brian.
Realizing he is a Fraser in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
You can see Ellen’s face change as she realizes that she is falling for a Fraser. She wants to be with this man, but there is no option for it. That doesn’t stop her wishful thinking, though.
Harriet Slater does an excellent job with her facial expressions, though. You can tell exactly what she’s thinking, which is something that Sam Heughan has always been able to do.
That realization her safety is disappearing
As the favorite child of Jacob MacKenzie, Ellen has always been protected. She’s been allowed to choose who to marry, and she’s been allowed freedoms at Castle Leoch that her sister Jocasta hasn’t. That’s all about to change, and at the end of the Outlander: Blood of My Blood series premiere, we see that.
She has this look of realization as Colum and Dougal are discussing marriage, the lairdship, and more. Colum even threatens her with the loss of her benefits in the castle, and it’s clear that she knows she needs to look out for herself at this point.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on STARZ.
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