The Outlander: Blood of My Blood series premiere predominantly took place in the 1700s, but there was a small touch on the 1920s. It’s time to look back at the episode, picking out the best moments.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1, episode 1.
We’re only looking at the very first episode. Yes, two were released at once, but there is so much to break down in the two episodes. We want to keep everything separated.
The first episode opens with the death of Red Jacob MacKenzie, who is played by veteran actor Peter Mullan. There are a few flashbacks with him, and they are essential to the overall story. However, it’s clear that his death causes problems for many others in Clan MacKenzie and beyond.
Here’s a look at the top five moments from the first episode, covering the major storylines throughout. We’re looking individually at Ellen and Brian (and at Julia and Henry for the second episode), so their individual moments may not be covered in this post, as there’s so much more going on.
Flashbacks with Ellen and Jacob MacKenzie
I don’t often like the use of flashbacks to tell a story. It’s more like telling it to us, rather than fully showing us. But in this case, the flashbacks are needed. We don’t need to see a lot of Jacob MacKenzie to know the type of presence he had in Castle Leoch. The flashbacks in the first episode give us a clear look that he didn’t expect to die when he did.
We also get to see the love he has for his daughter, Ellen. She is his favorite, and we need to understand just how clear that was. It affects her relationship with her other siblings, and everything is changing for Ellen with the death of her father.
Dougal and his men stopping an attack in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
With Jacob’s passing, there is a fight for the lairdship, and not just between Dougal and Colum. We get to see that there are threats from other clans, and Dougal stops one of those threats early on in the episode. We see just how excited he is to be able to stop something, and he’s full of bloodshed with the way he immediately chops off fingers.
We see that Dougal is very much of the vein “act first, ask questions later,” and this is important for later on in the episode. I did wonder if the man attacked was a young Arch Bug, but that was quickly confirmed not to be the case later in the episode.
The dinner scene at Castle Leathers
In a way, it’s a shame that Outlander: Blood of My Blood told us that Julia and Henry can time travel. It would have been great to not know this, so that when Julia first appeared at Castle Leathers, we would have had a sense of shock and surprise. While it is disappointing, it doesn’t take from the moment, though.
With this scene comes a look at who Simon Fraser is, and there’s a hint that he is going to get what he wants. We also get a look at how Brian attempts to stand up for her, and how Murtagh just sits back, unable to really do anything. Of course, it’s Mrs. Porter who helps get Julia out of trouble.
Ned’s discussion with Henry in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
Ned is shocked to find out that the Grants have another Bladier, as he had only just recently been working with the former one. Henry doesn’t give a lot away, but he makes it clear that there is a story there. I love the relationship that Ned and Henry seem to be forming in this episode.
We also get a sense of who both Ned and Henry are. Henry is a man who will use opportunity as he can, while Ned is one who reads between the lines. The two are observant, and that’s going to be important moving forward.
Seeing how Julia and Henry get separated
There have been a lot of questions about why Julia and Henry end up going through the stones separately. Does the car accident separate them? The end of the Outlander: Blood of My Blood series premiere tells us. After their accident, they are still together as they end up being thrown off course down the river.
It’s while looking for a way to find help that they come across the stones. Henry stops to get a stone out of his shoe while Julia heads up the hill to get an idea of where they are. And so, it makes sense that they end up separated in the past.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on STARZ.
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