The Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 1 finale made a huge change to the Outlander canon that we have always known. The show killed off Malcolm Grant, despite him supposedly being the laird of the clan in Outlander season 1.
I wasn’t sure how to take that at first. I shared at claireandjamie.com before that it didn’t quite sit right with me, but at the same time, I could certainly see why the series added this death in. It was dramatic, it was heartbreaking considering the type of guy Malcolm actually ended up being, and it certainly adds to drama in Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 2.
Well, the more I think about it, the more I’m on the side of killing Malcolm off. It can be explained thanks to the way Outlander season 1 was written.
We didn’t get to see Malcolm Grant in Outlander season 1
Think back to the first season of the flagship series. While Malcolm Grant was mentioned, we didn’t get to meet him. Of course, the implication was there that Malcolm was still alive and still the laird, but is it possible that some of the story was lost over the years?
Jamie tells Claire all about the story of Ellen set to marry Malcolm. He tells her all about how Brian and Ellen ran away from Castle Leoch on the night of The Gathering in 1715, leaving Malcolm behind. After that, Malcolm hated Clan MacKenzie, and that hatred continued for decades.
But it’s somewhat more assumed that the Malcolm who is currently laird at Castle Grant is the same Malcolm. We know the names tend to run in families, and it probably wasn’t that surprising that Isaac used the name Malcolm for his son when his brother was also named Malcolm in Outlander: Blood of My Blood. That probably came from another ancestor.
Is it possible that Uncle Malcolm is actually the laird in Outlander season 1? Maybe Jamie has heard the story but not quite put it all together, because while he’s smart, he would have had no reason to really get into it all until he ended up at Castle Grant. Because of this, the change of canon could work out.
The other Malcolm didn’t like Clan MacKenzie in Outlander: Blood of My Blood
It was clear that Uncle Malcolm didn’t like Clan MacKenzie. He only has his own clan’s interests at heart, and he’s a fairly ruthless man in that nature. It would make sense for him to hold a grudge against the clan for everything that happened.
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While Malcolm was upset that his bride ran off, he didn’t have the same level of anger that his uncle did. It was Uncle Malcolm who pushed for a marriage between a MacKenzie and a Grant to happen, or there would be blood.
With this in mind, it would be easy for Uncle Malcolm to continue holding a grudge, especially with the death of his nephew. It seems a lot of bad luck falls on the Grants when at Castle Leoch.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood is available to stream on STARZ.
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