The Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1 finale sees Julia and Henry finally get to be together, but things aren’t all that easy for them. They need to escape, and there’s only one place for them to head. It’s a snap decision to go to Craigh na Dun in the hope of traveling back to their own time.
Of course, they’re not alone anymore. They have baby William with them, and that brings up the questions of whether William can travel or not. Jeremy Irvine and Hermione Corfield break down the decisions and what we can expect after the events of the Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1 finale.
ClaireandJamie.com: Let’s talk about the snap decision to go to the stones.
Hermione Corfield: I think they made the decision to get there. I think that had always been their intention, maybe to get back to the stones together and get home, but I think the realization that maybe William can’t travel is pretty immediate and in the moment. Then they obviously have to navigate what they do next with that.
Jeremy Irvine: I think like a lot of husbands, or men, rather, Henry’s gone, “we’ll just get there. We’ll get there. We’ll get there.” Luckily, his intelligent, pragmatic wife sort of goes, “Hang on. There’s more to it than that.”
We actually filmed about five or six different versions of what was going to happen, because we didn’t know how we were going to start Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 2. So, we filmed quite a few versions, so I found out how it ended [the day before the interview].
C&J: A nice little surprise for you!
JI: Yeah, and I think it was the right one. There was no world in which Henry was going to leave Julie there. Julia’s situation is so much worse than Henry’s. Anyone who’s a father and husband would sacrifice themselves in an instant.
C&J: Although, I think Henry is in a slightly more precarious situation than Julia by the end of the first season.
JI: Really?
C&J: Julia says that she has Simon’s protection as his wife.
JI: Oh yeah, I see what you mean. And I suppose Malcolm was Henry’s ally, and then obviously it gets a bit sticky, doesn’t it? If Henry ends up staying, then life is going to be a lot harder. I guess you’ll have to wait until season 2 to see how it comes out.
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HC: And you had Arch Bug coming behind you as well.
JI: Yeah!
C&J: I just want to jump back to episode 9 for a second, where Henry finds out everything that Julia has been through to protect herself. It’s a shame we don’t get to see all that on the screen, but I do want to know what it was like playing Henry just forgiving Julia for everything. There was nothing for him to forgive.
JI: I don’t know if I’d feel the same. Look, Henry’s a good guy, and it’s not necessarily that. It’s his love for Julia runs so deep, and he knows there’s no way that she would do anything unless it was to protect her life and our son’s life. There will be time to unpack that, but that wasn’t the time.
It’s unconditional love. We put that to the test in this season and the next. We have to put that to the test.
C&J: Hermione, what was it like for you to play Julia with so many emotions?
HC: I think she’d imagined seeing Henry for so long. She found out he was alive, and then that he was with the Grants. Seeing him in the flesh is a totally different thing. That moment is euphoric. Everything else goes out the window, and then obviously, they have to deal with the ripple effects of that and all that’s passed since they’ve seen each other. It was interesting playing that and exploring that in Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 2.
There’s so much to unpack and so many layers to peel back. It’s kind of a fun exercise of reconciliation. They’re so happy to be together, but it’s working through the problems with marriage. What’s that song? It’s not always a rose garden?
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C&J: One of the things I’ve loved about this season is seeing the development of Julia and Davina’s friendship. What was that like for you, Hermione, especially with Julia leaving Leathers for (hopefully) good?
HC: I was going to say mixed emotions. She definitely doesn’t want to be there, but there are mixed emotions in the sense that the plan concocted was that hopefully Davina isn’t punished. She cares deeply for Davina. Things happen to both of them, and there’s also the motherhood. She has a deep love for her that’s like a sisterly love.
C&J: Then there’s Henry and Ned, which I also loved. Jeremy, what’s it like for Henry to leave Ned behind?
JI: It is a friendship, but he’s never able to be completely honest with Ned. But Ned was one of the only people nice to him for the right reasons. The 1700s Highlands is a ruthless world, and the two have a bond that’s quite an intelligence sort of emotional bond.
Ned puts his safety on the line for Henry, and the last thing Henry wants is to get Ned in trouble. I think it’s a tough one for him, but it’s also lovely that he found someone.
C&J: It’s all the time I’ve got, but Jeremy, I did want to say how appreciative I am of your portrayal of PTSD.
JI: Thank you! I want to say thank you for welcoming us. You guys, as the Outlander fanbase, didn’t come in as our fans, and we had to earn that, so thank you for all the nice comments. It really means a lot to us.
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Outlander: Blood of My Blood is available to stream on STARZ.