Colum MacKenzie never really stood a chance when it came to approval from his father. Blood of My Blood season 1, episode 3 confirms that, and it leads to a heartbreaking story for the man.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Blood of My Blood season 1, episode 3.
In a flashback, we get to see the aftermath of Colum MacKenzie falling off his horse. In fact, we get to learn about the events that led up to it as well. Jacob MacKenzie sent his two sons out on a task, and Colum ended up falling from his horse and getting injured.
We know that falling off the horse was the first sign of more complications for Colum. He would never walk the same, but it wasn’t actually to do with the falling off the horse. However, Jacob looked at correlation rather than causation, and it led for a heartbreaking upbringing for the eldest MacKenzie son.
Jacob MacKenzie was angry his sons disobeyed orders in Blood of My Blood
After Colum fell from his horse, Dougal stopped in his own tracks and brought his brother back to the castle. This wasn’t what Jacob expected. It didn’t matter that Colum had come off his horse; Jacob expected Dougal to continue the task at hand.
By coming back, time had been wasted. We get a real look at the type of man Jacob is. If he immediately sees weakness, he will either snuff it out or look down on someone because of it. Even Ellen wasn’t free from that as the favorite child, as she was looked down on for not being a man.
Colum further injured himself by trying to prove to his dad that he was worthy. For Jacob, the inability to walk was a failure on the family, and he couldn’t deal with that. This led to Colum getting out of bed, despite Ellen knowing it wasn’t the best thing to do, and falling down the stone stairs. He could have killed himself, and Jacob wouldn’t have cared.
Colum’s progressive condition isn’t even his fault
Falling off his horse didn’t cause his conditions with his legs. He has Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes bone abnormalities. Because of this, Colum’s legs eventually become immobile and brittle, and he is constantly in pain. Without a cure and as a degenerative disease, there is nothing for Colum to do but to accept his fate.
Of course, in the 1700s, this condition didn’t have a name, and it wouldn’t have been considered genetic. Jacob would never have allowed him to think that it was a disorder that could have been passed on by his family line, as that would have meant accepting the weakness could have been within him. It creates a heartbreaking story for Colum, as we see how much he wants to get the respect and love from his father that is never going to happen, and it’s not even his own fault.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on STARZ.
Stay up to date with the latest Outlander news with Claire and Jamie.