There were some excellent moments throughout Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, and it’s hard to pick out the best 10. We’re trying it, though!
The first season of the Outlander prequel brought some twists and turns that we didn’t quite expect. The ending was definitely not something expected, considering what we know of Brian and Ellen’s story from Outlander, but it goes to show that we’re not always told the truth. And that’s the way that we can look at this prequel series.
Remember, we were only ever told the stories via Murtagh and Jamie. They never came from the mouths of Brian and Ellen, so just how much was really true? How much did they leave out? Quite a lot, it seems.
Then we got Julia and Henry’s story, which isn’t part of Outlander at all, as in the books, they’re dead. Diana Gabaldon isn’t bringing them back, but that doesn’t mean the TV series can’t change anything. And that’s what we love about different mediums and different ways to tell a story. It brings something fresh and exciting.
So, let’s dive into the top 10 moments from Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1. They may surprise you.
The use of the Ellen and Jacob flashbacks
From the beginning of Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, we could feel the tension among the MacKenzies, and it was clearly because of how beloved Ellen MacKenzie was by Jacob. I loved that we were able to jump straight into the MacKenzie power struggle storyline, but we did need to know more about Red Jacob and the way he treated his children.
That came via flashbacks. Some of the strongest moments were seeing the way he and Ellen connected. It is clear why Ellen thought the way she did, but there wasn’t much that she could do as a woman. And even Jacob knew that.
Seeing how Julia and Henry were separated in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
I had a lot of questions going into the series once the first trailer was released. How did Julia and Henry both go through the stones, and why were they separated in the past? Well, it didn’t take long for the TV series to answer the questions, and it was just such a simple way to do things, but also foreshadowed a few things to come.
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I also love the use of the car crash. From Outlander, we know that Julia and Henry died in a car accident when Claire was five. Well, there have always been plenty of theories that they went into the past, and Matt B. Roberts ran with that the way many of us would love to. Playing out the scene the way they did just made sense.
The real look at World War I and shell shock
I will always appreciate Jeremy Irvine’s performance as Henry suffering from PTSD, or what was known as shell shock back then. The soldiers from World War I had no idea what they were suffering from at the time, and it was the first time something on that scale had been witnessed in the world. Here they were just trying to cope, constantly being told they were weak because they were suffering mentally.
We’ve come a long way since then, and it’s why I will always fight back when someone says Henry is weak because of his PTSD. I don’t judge a lot of people for their opinions, but when it comes to this opinion, I do. Getting that real look at World War I and shell shock was raw in Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, and it highlights so much even in today’s world.
Simon’s need for his life back
Throughout Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, we got a look at Simon Fraser before he got his home back. He was stuck at Castle Leathers, living with very little money but with the view that he didn’t deserve any of this. Of course, he wanted his old life back, and we got to see him attempt to get that.
This was such a real look at Lord Lovat from history. When you look at the man, you’ll see how much he manipulated and played both sides in the Jacobite rebellion. He survived for as long as he did because he was smart, but he did also make some dumb mistakes, and I love we get to see all of that play out.
A young Maisri being surprisingly included
We met Maisri briefly in Outlander season 2, episode 8, but there was always something about her. Well, she showed up in Outlander: Blood of My Blood, and you can see the way she manipulates what she tells people of her visions. I do think that she was supposed to have the sight in this, but that didn’t mean she always told the truth.
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She knew that telling the truth would hurt Julia. Rather than risking that, she told Simon exactly what he wanted to hear. Not only does it protect Julia, but it also helps her remain in good standing with him.
Ellen fighting with love and duty in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
From the beginning of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, it was clear that Ellen was going to be used as a pawn. She ended up betrothed to Malcolm Grant, and it didn’t look like it would be a terrible match. The guy clearly liked her, but she was only ever going to go through this marriage for duty.
Throughout the season, we watched her fight with her need for love and her need to do what was right for her clan. The problem was that her dad always promised that she could marry for love, but nobody ever thought she would fall for a Fraser, let alone an illegitimate Fraser.
Ned and Henry’s friendship on show
Out of all the people in the past, Henry ended up forming a close bond with Ned Gowan. It made sense, as they would need to spend time together as their clan’s respective bladiers. They would be together for negotiations, and that would lead to them getting to know each other.
We see a friendship form throughout the season, though. Henry trusts Ned to help him find Julia, while there’s even a moment of Ned opening up to Henry. If Henry does need help in 1715 in Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 2, maybe Ned can be that person to step in.
Seeing Davina decide she needed to change
At first, Davina tried to protect Julia from Simon’s advances, but then Julia made a decision that would change everything. After all, she needed to make sure her child with Henry was safe in the past. That angered and worried Davina, and so, she took it upon herself to make Julia’s birthing experience a misery.
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However, things changed as Davina realized that she was doing the wrong thing. I’ve said it at claireandjamie.com before that Davina needed to be given the chance to change, and we got to see what came of that. In the end, the two became friends, looking out for each other’s children while looking out for each other.
Julia figuring out Henry was in the past
While Henry knew that Julia was in the past, Julia had no idea about Henry. She believed that he had gone back to Claire, and she didn’t begrudge that. However, she found out that Henry was in the past in the perfect way possible for the two of them. It was all about letters.
They’d written to each other time and time again throughout World War I. It made sense that Julia would immediately recognize his handwriting, and that pushed her to figure out how to get to him. However, she had to put other people first, doing the right thing knowing that she’d eventually be able to get back to her husband.
Henry seeing Julia in Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1
As Julia learned that Henry was in the past, Henry got the tale that his wife and unborn child had died in childbirth. On top of that, they were buried in a pauper’s grave. It was heartbreaking for Henry, and he had a temporary mental break, before he was able to figure out what he needed to do next.
Then he saw Julia. At first, he was sure that she was a figment of his imagination or a ghost, but then he got to touch her and he got to smell her. This was his wife, and we saw just how he started to realize that. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much time to be together, but it was the start of the hope that they would get away from Castle Grant and Castle Leathers together.
There were so many great moments in Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, and some of them had to be skipped over. However, this is a show to stick with, especially if you can separate what you know from the books and just appreciate the work that went into the TV series.
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Outlander: Blood of My Blood is available to stream on STARZ.