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Here are my reactions to Episode 109 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "Braemar". This is a terrific episode, easily my favorite of the whole season so far. Diana Gabaldon wrote the script.
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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The episode begins with Lord Lovat's announcement that Brian is to accompany him to a tynchal (hunt) at Braemar, the estate of the Earl of Mar. All the clans will be gathered there. Julia wants to come with them. Lord Lovat refuses at first, but Brian and Julia convince him that it's in his interest to bring the baby, to display his "legitimate son" in public.
Lovat admires the baby. "He favors his father," Julia says, looking miserable. She's thinking of Henry, of course. Lovat agrees to let Julia and the baby come with them.
There are some wonderful shots of the Highland scenery in this episode! We see a solitary rider on horseback, obviously in a great hurry. This man turns out to be Malcolm Grant's uncle, Malcolm MacKinnon Grant.
"I've come to further Isaac's work, and protect his legacy -- which is you."
It seems clear that this uncle (whom we've never heard of before) was brought in to fill the void created when Brian McCardie, the actor who played Malcolm's father, Isaac Grant, died suddenly during the filming of this season. Now that they've acknowledged in the show that Isaac is dead, they need someone else to serve as an older mentor or advisor to Malcolm. I like the character and I think they did a good job in making his presence believable.
I liked the way Henry introduces himself as "Henry BEAUCHAMP Grant," emphasizing the name he shares with Julia.
Arch Bug addresses Malcolm as "Master Grant," and Malcolm corrects him: "M'Laird. You'll address me according to my station, Mr. Bug." He smiles when he says it, but it's obvious that he's trying to assert himself in his new role as laird of Clan Grant.
I like the next scene, between Dougal and Colum at Castle Leoch, very much. Particularly this exchange:
Dougal: "Auld men who wish us to lick their boots."
Colum: "Those auld men have power. Wealth. Could slice your ballocks off and serve them to ye on a platter." - great line!
Ellen joins her brothers just in time for the unexpected arrival of Malcolm's uncle, who introduces himself as Malcolm MacKinnon Grant. (I'll refer to him as Uncle Grant for short, to distinguish him from the younger Malcolm.)
Uncle Grant orders the brothers to leave, so that he can speak to Ellen alone. Colum bows deeply in acquiescence. Clearly he doesn't want to do anything to offend the Grants.
"I wish for you to tell me why your virtue was brought into question." Awkward question, but Ellen isn't bothered by it.
I love the way Ellen smiles when Uncle Grant says, "I've a way of gettin' to the truth of matters." We have SO rarely seen anyone in this show smile, or laugh, that it's noteworthy.
"Clan Grant values loyalty above all else." That is unmistakably a warning!
"We MacKenzies may be spirited. Curious, indeed. Stubborn to a fault at times. But once we are wed, we are faithful forever." I love that, especially that last line. (Now, if only Brian and Ellen could be wed!!)
"Mind, Lady Ellen, if you break my nephew's heart, I'll rip your own from your chest." Yikes!! The smile on Uncle Grant's face as he says it gives me chills.
Ellen confides in Mrs. Fitz, who warns her, "There must not be the slightest glance betwixt you and anyone but Malcolm Grant, or at least one of you will be dead."
I love the way the tension, and the stakes for everyone involved, gradually ratchets up and up throughout this episode. Uncle Grant's threat is very serious. How is Ellen going to get out of the betrothal without putting her life or Brian's in grave danger?
The clans gather at Braemar Castle for the tynchal. I like the look of the encampment. Impressive attention to detail in the set design. It reminds me of the similar arrangement during the Gathering in OUTLANDER Episode 104.
Ellen and Malcolm exchange condolences and reminiscences about their recently deceased fathers. That's something they have in common, and I liked the fact that they talked about it here. I especially liked Ellen's line: "I still expect him to come to breakfast. My heart breaks when I see his empty chair."
Malcolm reminiscing about his father makes him even more relatable. I am liking him more and more! Really, he's not a bad choice, if you didn't know that Brian and Ellen were destined to be together.
As Colum and Dougal walk through the crowd, they spot three burly, long-haired men. They refer to them as "Gallowglass" -- hired assassins! I'd never heard the term "Gallowglass" before. Here's an article with more details about them.
I liked the little exchange between Murtagh and Brian. Murtagh is clearly still upset that Brian essentially stole Ellen (the love of his life) away from him.
Murtagh: "Hurts, doesn't it? Seein' the lass ye love enjoyin' the company of another."
"Aye."
"Well, the lass is lost to ye. She's better off for it, if ye ask me."
"I dinna recall asking you anything!"
"Of course not! You're in the habit of takin' what you wish wi'out considerin' the consequences!" - good line!
In another part of the crowd, Henry spots Julia and the baby a few yards away. He finally gets a look at his son. The baby is just adorable!
Lord Lovat appears, and calls Julia "my wife", much to Henry's shock. He leads Julia away before Henry can say anything more.
Uncle Grant tells Henry that he's been summoned to a meeting of the clan chieftains. Just then we see Seema the whore emerging from what Arch Bug referred to as "the brothel tent". I was really surprised to see prostitutes at a gathering like this! It's not a military encampment with camp followers who are there to serve the needs of men separated from their wives for long periods of time. This is just a temporary camp set up for this meeting of the clans at Braemar, presumably only for a few days at the most.
Seema's presence here cannot possibly be a coincidence, but I don't like it. It seems very contrived to me, to have her show up at the exact same place where Henry is. And she never says a word through the entire episode, so we don't know why they went out of their way to show us she is there. Presumably that will be explained in the season finale.
Dougal, Colum, and Ned join the other clan leaders for the meeting, attracting the notice of some of the other chieftains. I liked Uncle Grant's explanation of why Clan MacKenzie's leadership is split between Colum and Dougal:
"Ah, Dougal is a fine warrior, who could inspire men to do damn near anything. He doesna have the temperament needed to be a laird. We should consider them to be two important halves that make a strong whole. Dougal is the MacKenzie brawn. Colum is its sound mind."
The Earl of Mar welcomes them and introduces Rob Roy MacGregor, whom we met in Episode 107, "Luceo Non Uro". Rob Roy gives an impassioned speech rousing the men in support of the Jacobites. Many of them appear enthusiastic, but the Loyalist supporters in the crowd, like Colum and the Grants, are looking very uncomfortable.
Lord Lovat, watching this, murmurs, "A Scottish ruler rising from the Fraser bloodline, uniting the clans for centuries to come!" He's clearly excited by the prospect. Supporting the Jacobites is the logical next step to making the prophecy come true.
The Earl of Mar announces that after the tynchal, the clans will vote on whether to proceed with an attempt to restore the rightful king to the throne.
Lord Lovat introduces himself to the Earl, but Uncle Grant has had enough of Lovat's lies and self-aggrandizement. I really loved the way he cut Lovat down to size!
"You, Fraser, are a liar, a fantasist, and a scoundrel! [....] You make mischief without the slightest cause. You spread lies to suit your scurrilous agenda, about my nephew's betrothed, about the false promise of your heir. As if seed from your putrid loins could amount to more than a blight upon all of us. You are a detestable nodcock, Fraser, and so is any man who would confuse your damnable lies wi' truth."
Wow! No question about it, there's a difference when Diana Gabaldon writes the script! I can't be sure that she wrote that bit, but it seems awfully likely.
Meanwhile, Rob Roy spots Dougal. In front of Colum and Ned, he asks about the chest of gold that Dougal promised to contribute to the Jacobite cause -- the same chest that contains Ellen's dowry, now pledged, of course, to the Grants.
Colum, predictably, is furious. He confronts Dougal, asking if it's true.
"A bit of Ellen's dowry money. A wee contribution." - Notice Ned Gowan's reaction, as though he's come down with a massive headache.
Colum finally loses his temper and lets Dougal have it.
Colum: "You care nothing for the greater good of our clan. You're selfish and shortsighted."
[....]
Dougal: "You care for the clan, aye. But the whole of Scotland is my concern."
Colum: "Ye bent your knee to me. Lie to me again, and I'll hire the Gallowglass to cut your tongue out at the root."
Watching this, you can clearly see foreshadowing of similar arguments Colum and Dougal will have in OUTLANDER, nearly thirty years later.
Meanwhile, in the main encampment, there's music and entertainment of various sorts going on. I smiled at Murtagh's brief attempt at Highland sword dancing. (Foreshadowing of Murtagh's dancing in OUTLANDER Episode 114, "The Search", when he and Claire are looking for Jamie.)
And then there's archery. Watch Murtagh closely at about 32:30. He sees Ellen watching the archers. She's alone, but he makes no attempt to approach her. After a moment he turns to go, and sees Brian -- and quickly moves away in the other direction. I took that as Murtagh's way of giving Brian room to have a moment with Ellen, that he wouldn't try to interfere. And sure enough, as soon as Murtagh leaves, Ellen turns and notices Brian.
They stand watching the arm-wrestling for a while, not touching, not looking at each other. Eventually Brian apologizes for what she went through during the virginity test. She shrugs it off, making it clear she doesn't blame him. And then, while the crowd nearby is distracted by the end of the arm-wrestling match, Brian's fingers brush Ellen's.
"'Tis dangerous for both of us," Ellen says. "We must be careful." OK, so why are you two taking such risks in a very public place??
Brian bends down and whispers, "I love you." Awwwww!! But notice that she doesn't say it back to him. I think that's because she's just seen Ned Gowan searching for her. She hastily arranges to meet Brian later.
Ned takes Ellen to a tent where Colum and Dougal are waiting. Colum orders the others to leave, but Dougal pauses long enough on the way out to tell Ellen that he's told Colum "the truth about you and the Fraser bastard." Uh-oh!!
Colum is furious, of course.
"I will have the bastard killed if that's what it takes to keep you from him."
"You harm Brian Fraser in any way, and I'm finished with you. I mean it."
Finally Colum agrees, "I willna harm Brian Fraser [....] or see him harmed, from this moment onward."
Those last four words might as well be written in bright red flashing letters, because there's a giant loophole here: What if Colum has already set in motion plans to kill Brian?
In return, Colum demands that Ellen break off her relationship with Brian, "for good". Reluctantly, she agrees.
Meanwhile, Henry encounters Brian for the first time. Brian assures him that the marriage between Lord Lovat and Julia is "not what you think", and that Julia never stopped loving Henry.
In the ladies' sewing tent, Julia and Ellen finally have a chance to talk. Julia describes what her life has been like, and Ellen marvels that Julia put up with it.
Ellen: "Great sacrifice."
Julia: "It's what we do for the ones we love, isn't it? In spite of the pain it causes you, you protect them, no matter the cost."
Ellen: "Losing them forever is too great a price to pay."
So the implication is that Julia has talked Ellen into breaking off the relationship with Brian (!) Ellen must sacrifice her own happiness (and Brian's) by going through with the marriage to Malcolm, in order to save Brian's life.
I can see echoes here of future events. Jamie giving himself to BJR at Wentworth in order to save Claire's life. Claire agreeing to go back through the stones before Culloden, to save their unborn child. Still, it's a depressing thought.
In the next scene, Brian and Ellen meet by the old kirk. Brian tries to embrace her and she pushes him away. He suggests they go inside, and Ellen says, "No, we can't!" I suppose that's to avoid the appearance of impropriety, but it still seems very risky to have this conversation outside, where they might be seen together by someone who means them harm.
Ellen tells Brian that she can't be with him any longer. "I'm pledged to Malcolm Grant."
"My heart beats only for you--" (Placing her hand on his chest.) "Ye ken it as well as I do. And yours, yours beats for me, too!" (Placing his hand on her chest.)
In the middle of this heartbreaking scene, I smiled a little, because this business with their hands reminds me of Roger and Bree on their handfasting night:
He took her hands, one at a time, and placed them flat against his chest. Her palms were hot, and his nipples tightened.
“Feel my heart,” he said. His voice sounded thick to his own ears. “Tell me if it stops.”
(From DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 40, "Virgin Sacrifice". Copyright © 1997 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
And then Ellen utters the words that will burn in Brian's memory: "I'm not in love with you, Brian Fraser. Perhaps I never was."
Ellen runs off, and we see her burst into tears as soon as she's out of earshot. She's done what Julia advised, probably saved Brian's life, but in the process she's made both of them miserable, and destroyed any hope of their future happiness.
The camera lingers on Ellen's face for a long time, as she pulls herself together. She can't risk any hint of what she's feeling showing on her face when she rejoins the others. Brian, likewise, is very badly shaken.
It's hard to imagine how these two will ever repair their relationship. And yet... We know they will manage to get back together, eventually. These are Jamie's future parents, after all.
Again I'm thinking of Roger and Bree, specifically, the big argument on their handfasting night. I think it's a reasonable parallel to Brian and Ellen's current situation.
“You--bloody--arrogant--damn you, Roger!--damn you!” She jerked up the breeches and, leaning down, snatched up her shoes and stockings. “Go!” she said. “Damn you, go! Go and get hanged if you want to! I’m going to find my parents! And I’m going to save them, too!”
She whirled away, reached the door and jerked it open before he could reach her. She stood for a moment, silhouetted in the paler square of the doorway, dark strands of hair afloat in the wind, live as the strands of Medusa’s mane.
“I’m going. Come, or don’t come, I don’t care. Go back to Scotland--go back through the stones by yourself, for all I care! But by God, you can’t stop me!”
And then she was gone.
(From DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 40, "Virgin Sacrifice". Copyright © 1997 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Suppose you knew nothing at all about Bree and Roger's future beyond that point. Nothing. They fell in love, they became handfast, they had sex, but now they have a huge argument, and Bree stomps off, furious, leaving Roger devastated.
Would you think it likely, based on their relationship at that moment, that they would eventually be happily married with three children? It seems to me that Brian and Ellen are at a similar point right now. We know things will eventually work out, that they, too, will be happily married and raising a family some day. I'm looking forward to seeing how they resolve this.
In the next scene, Brian enters Lord Lovat's tent to find his father in a fury, with Julia and Murtagh silently watching. Lord Lovat starts spewing insults at his son, calling him all sorts of names.
"You can't even f*ck properly, it seems! If ye were even half a man, ye'd have taken the MacKenzie slut's maidenhead, and she would have been disgraced before her whole family and all the clans! But no, you couldn't even perform when she was handed to you on a plate!"
At that, Brian finally loses his temper, and shouts back, "Enough! You wicked man!" He and Lovat fight briefly, but neither is badly hurt. Lord Lovat, however, is still furious. He tells Brian he's to be a "beater" in the upcoming tynchal (a lower-status role), and Murtagh will take his place among the hunters.
"You're no son of mine," Lovat says.
"Then I'm glad to be free of ye."
FINALLY!! Now maybe Brian will start acting on his own, without constantly being criticized by his father. I see a strong parallel here to the change in Colum's demeanor in Episode 103 ("School of the Moon"), after Red Jacob died, when he was finally free to do what he wanted, without his father's constant belittling, name-calling, and criticism.
In the next scene, Henry comes to see Ned Gowan, to tell him that Julia and the baby are alive. "I can't leave here without Julia and my son," he says. "And I certainly can't return to the service of the Grants. I must escape."
Ned delivers a note from Henry to Julia. "Meet me by the shore during the tynchal." It's signed, "S.W.A.K."
The next morning, all the clansmen assemble for the tynchal, to hunt wild boar. (You may recall that we saw this in OUTLANDER Episode 104, "The Gathering".) The women, including Ellen and Mrs. Fitz, are there to see them off. Malcolm is the perfect gentleman, as always, and Ellen tries to smile at him, but she's clearly still depressed.
Brian moves ahead of the others into the forest, banging a stick on his targe to make a noise to attract the boar. Suddenly an arrow whizzes past his head, hitting a tree trunk and missing him by inches. Then a second arrow also misses him. Then a third!! Brian runs for his life.
Murtagh catches up with Brian and pushes him down into some bracken, where they hide until the others run past.
"If anyone's going to kill ye, it's going to be me," Murtagh says. Good line! Murtagh has thoughtfully brought along an extra horse, and he and Brian take off at a gallop.
Meanwhile, Henry meets Julia by the shore. She's very apologetic, but Henry says, "There's nothing to forgive." I was surprised that he got over it so quickly! But yet again, they are interrupted. Julia asks him to meet her at Castle Leathers.
And suddenly we see Seema, the prostitute, who has been hiding nearby, hearing everything.
Meanwhile, the Earl of Mar speaks again to the clan leaders. It's time to vote for or against the planned uprising. The majority of votes are in favor. Uncle Grant suddenly speaks up, saying, "Aye! Clan Grant stands with ye."
That's awkward, to say the least! He's not the laird, he has no right to speak for Clan Grant, but Malcolm is right next to him and doesn't say a word. So the Grants have switched sides. Under Isaac Grant, they were Loyalists, but now they're committed to the Jacobites. That's an interesting twist, and I didn't see it coming.
As the Earl of Mar raises the standard, proclaiming King James the rightful king, the ball atop the flagpole falls to the ground. This is a real historical event:
On September 6th [the Earl of Mar] proclaimed James as "their lawful sovereign" and raised the old Scottish standard, whereupon (ominously) the gold ball fell off the top of the flagpole. Mar's proclamation brought in an alliance of clans and northern Lowlanders, and they quickly overran many parts of the Highlands.
It definitely struck everyone present as a bad omen, as you can tell by their stunned reaction immediately afterward.
Malcolm angrily confronts his uncle, who is unapologetic. The men of Clan Grant, and the other clans present, "had to see that we'd act, that we're still strong." Still, Malcolm has been undercut by his uncle in public, and I think he'll be wary of Uncle Grant from now on.
Finally, Malcolm sees Ellen off home. As she gets into the carriage, she and Colum exchange somber, wary looks. Neither of them trusts the other. I'm betting it's going to be a long, awkward, silent ride home to Castle Leoch! And with that, the episode ends.
I hope you've enjoyed this recap! Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes.
IMPORTANT NOTE!! There will NOT be a new episode of BLOOD OF MY BLOOD next week! The season finale, Episode 110, "Something Borrowed", will air on STARZ on Friday, October 10, 2025.
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD will be taking a brief break between episodes 109 and 110. There will be no new episode the week of October 3rd!
Episode 109 ("Braemar") will be released on STARZ on Friday, September 26, and Episode 110 (the season finale, "Somethng Borrowed") will be released on Friday, October 10.
You may recall that they've had brief breaks like this in OUTLANDER's schedule from time to time, especially when they want to create "buzz" for a particular episode. I assume they're doing this to generate interest in BOMB's season finale. I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up.
Please spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested. Thanks!
I'm delighted to announce that the Wake County Public Libraries (my local public library here in Raleigh, North Carolina) will be doing a series of eight OUTLANDER-themed virtual programs, starting in late October! Some of you may recall the OUTLANDER-themed series they did in 2021, just before BEES came out. They did a wonderful job putting that series together, and I'm sure this one will be just as entertaining and informative!
This year's series, OUTLANDER: Highlands to Carolina, covers a variety of different topics:
Oct. 28 - Fraser's Footsteps: A Virtual Carolina Tour
Oct. 30 - Outlander's North Carolina: Where Fiction Meets History
Nov. 5 - Scotland Through the Lens: Jenny Nordstrom Photography
Nov. 12 - The Doctor is In...the 1700s: Claire Fraser and Colonial Healing
Nov. 19 - Outlander Kitchen: A Culinary Journey Through Time
Nov. 22 - Andy the Highlander: A Journey Through Scotland
Nov. 25 - Saltwater Scoundrels: Pirates and Privateers on the High Seas
Dec. 4 - Finale: An Evening with OUTLANDER Author Diana Gabaldon
Each program starts at 7pm Eastern Time, and a Zoom link will be provided. Online registration is required, but it's free! Click on the links on the left-hand side of this page to sign up for each individual session. (You don't have to live in North Carolina to sign up!)
I'm thrilled that Diana Gabaldon has agreed to attend! I should add that I don't work for the library or volunteer for them. I'm just a longtime resident of Wake County who's glad to see my local library doing something that will appeal to so many OUTLANDER fans. I helped to put the program organizers in touch with Diana, and we're excited to have her speaking at our local library, albeit virtually.
Thanks very much to the Wake County Public Libraries for doing this! It should be a lot of fun. If you have questions about this virtual series, please see the FAQ page. (Note, for example, that it says, "It is possible that some programs will be recorded.")
Please spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested.
Here are my reactions to Episode 108 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "A Virtuous Woman".
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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I had a mixed reaction to this episode. I'm not going to attempt a detailed recap, but here are some of the things I particularly noticed.
THINGS I LIKED:
I thought the long-awaited reunion between Henry and Julia (brief as it was!) was handled very well. I liked the way Henry reacted at first, thinking he'd seen a ghost. I also liked the fact that Henry said the baby was named after his grandfather. But in the end, after all that, Henry and Julia are separated AGAIN after just a couple of minutes.
My favorite line in this episode: The moment Lord Lovat leaves, Brian says he's going "to rescue my wife!" Very Jamie-like, and I loved that.
Second favorite line: Arch Bug saying sarcastically to Henry, "Such a pleasure to have you with us!" That made me laugh out loud.
I thought the scene between Brian, Julia, and Davina was excellent.
Malcolm Grant is becoming more likeable all the time. I wasn't really expecting that, but it was good to see. I was also glad to see that they've finally acknowledged in the show that Malcolm's father is dead. I was surprised that the messenger handed the letter to Henry, though, since it was obviously meant for Malcolm.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I didn't care for the way the pace slowed down to almost a complete stop in places. The characters spent a lot of time waiting around. Some of it was suspenseful (will Ellen crack under the pressure?) but not all of it. Even that very first shot in the episode, the close-up look at the medical instruments and so on, seemed to me to go on so long that I started to get impatient.
The idea that Julia is suddenly an expert on making an ancient centuries-old concoction made no sense to me at all. I thought that was very contrived. Is there ANYTHING she can't do?
I really disliked seeing Brian stuck in that cellar for such a long time. Hiding in a cellar sharpening his dirk when the love of his life is nearby and he came there specifically to rescue her? I expected him to at least make a try at sneaking into the main part of the castle and finding Ellen, regardless of the risk. That's the sort of thing Jamie would have done, and I hope we'll see something like that in next week's episode.
I definitely could have done without all that peeing, and all the discussion of "making water". All the emphasis on Ellen's bladder capacity made me think of this bit from OUTLANDER:
I couldn’t tell whether this delay was in hopes of unnerving me--in which case; it was working--or merely because he couldn’t decide what to do next.
The tension was slightly relieved by the entrance of an orderly, bearing a tray of tea things. Still silent, Randall poured out and offered me a cup. We sipped some more.
“Don’t tell me,” I said finally. “Let me guess. It’s a new form of persuasion you’ve invented--torture by bladder. You ply me with drinkables until I promise to tell you anything in exchange for five minutes with a chamber pot.”
(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 21, "Une Mauvais Quart d'Heure After Another". Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
"Spare me the details", as my mom used to say. Yes, we know STARZ's new slogan is "We're All Adults Here", but IMHO that whole sequence just dragged on way too long. In an episode that was only 57 minutes long, they really spent an inordinate amount of time fixated on Ellen's urine and her ability to hold it in!
With only two episodes left in the season, I am starting to wonder if we will see Brian and Ellen's elopement at all in Season 1. I would be even more skeptical about that, if it wasn't for the fact that Diana Gabaldon wrote the script for next week's episode and co-wrote the season finale.
Finally, I continue to be absolutely baffled at the way this show has been marketed and publicized, including the official key art with Brian and Ellen embracing at the center of the frame and Henry and Julia separated on either side. The story of two couples? Not even close! So far, 80% of the way through Season 1, it's been mostly the story of Henry and Julia, with Brian and Ellen playing supporting roles, pursuing separate storylines that barely intersect at all with one another.
In this episode, I was disappointed that Brian and Ellen didn't even set eyes on one another. I'm still left with the same feeling I had at the end of Episode 107, with regard to Brian and Ellen's relationship: Get on with it already!!
I feel as though we've been misled by TPTB, led to expect a romance (or at least some sort of serious relationship) between Brian and Ellen that might not even materialize in Season 1 at all. I really hope I'm wrong about that! Yes, they're handfast, but they've barely interacted at all since that happened. Brian spends far more time with Julia than he ever has with Ellen.
I really wanted to see the story of Brian and Ellen TOGETHER, but the show writers don't seem all that interested in telling it. At least we will have their story in book form, eventually. In the meantime, I'm very much looking forward to next week's Episode 109, "Braemar", written by Diana Gabaldon!
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
STARZ released a new teaser video for OUTLANDER Season 8!
I think it looks terrific! What about the rest of you?
Diana Gabaldon posted a comment on TheLitForum today that absolutely made my day! As many of you know, I've been moderator (aka "Chief Bumblebee-Herder") of Diana's section of the forum since 2008. I had posted on the forum yesterday stating my opinion that it's totally fine to post in a long thread (discussion) without reading all of the previous messages. I said, "I'm sure Diana Gabaldon will back me up on this."
Boy, did she ever! Check this out! (Click on the image for a bigger view.)
I burst out laughing when I saw it. I had a vivid mental picture of her coming to my defense, dirk in her hand, ready to stab whoever it was through the throat if necessary. (Not literally, of course -- but still, WOW!!) What a terrific comment! I will treasure that one. Thank you, Diana!!
Here are my reactions to Episode 107 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "Needfire".
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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This episode was a vast improvement over last week's! The mood of unbearable grimness and despair is finally starting to lift. The characters even smile occasionally. <g> Here are some of the highlights:
The title of this episode, "Luceo Non Uro", is the motto of Clan MacKenzie, meaning, "I shine, not burn." The episode opens just before the baptism of Julia's baby boy. Brian and Julia hold a secret ceremony in which the baby is given the name William Henry Beauchamp. Officially, to the world at large, he will be known as Simon Fraser. (Traditionally, the heir to Clan Fraser of Lovat always bears the name Simon.)
Davina and Julia are acting now almost like besties, even giggling over their plans to put something in Lord Lovat's food to decrease his sexual desire. Such a quick change didn't seem realistic to me, but I'm glad they are at least able to be friends now.
I didn't expect Rob Roy! What a breath of fresh air he was in this episode. <g> The actor, Jamie Sives, is terrific.
Julia singing "I Like to Be Beside the Seaside" made me go "NOOOOO!!" in reflex the first time I heard it, because of all the controversy over the ending of OUTLANDER Episode 716. But thinking about it further, it does make sense. Julia is Claire's mother, after all, and it's appropriate that she would sing that song to this baby, just as she sang it to Claire.
I liked the scene between Murtagh and Brian, but I didn't understand why Brian stayed on the ground through the first part of their argument. That just seemed awkward.
Now that Lord Lovat has his legitimate heir (documented in the parish register), it seems to me that Julia is expendable, from his point of view. He hired a wet nurse to care for the baby. He doesn't actually need Julia anymore -- particularly if he can't perform in bed. <g> That might be a good thing. It could free Julia up to be able to escape, if and when she and Henry finally find one another. But suppose Henry and Julia do find each other? I could see LL agreeing to let Julia go, but insisting on keeping the child, this "future king" and heir. That would be heartbreaking for both Henry and Julia.
I thought some parts of the plot were predictable, like Julia finding a letter in Henry's handwriting (I've been expecting that ever since Episode 104, when we first saw an example of Henry's correspondence), but it was still enjoyable to see how the pieces came together.
Henry has come to his senses, FINALLY!!
"This time has stolen from me. It's taken my wife. It's taken my child. The life that I fought for is gone. There is still someone who needs me. I must return to her. I must get back to the stones. To Craigh na Dun."
I have been waiting all season for him to come to that conclusion, so I was very glad to see this! Even if he doesn't succeed, it's important that he wants to go back. He has found something to live for.
The falsified dates in the parish register didn't surprise me (it reminded me a little of Jamie, just before Culloden, putting a false date on the Deed of Sassine transferring title of Lallybroch to his young nephew) but I was taken by surprise when Lovat's henchman, Balloch, killed the minister. It's totally in character, though. There will be no witnesses to say the baby isn't Lovat's legitimate heir.
Favorite Brian moment: when he fired his pistol into the floor of the meeting room, causing everyone to rush out into the streets. That struck me as a very Jamie-like thing to do.
Favorite line from Lord Lovat: "Scruples are for the weak." What a succinct description of his outlook on life. Yikes!
I liked the way they brought the Jacobites into this episode. Nearly thirty years before Claire first saw Dougal collecting money to support the Stuarts, it's clear that he's already a passionate supporter of the Jacobites. And we know the 1715 Rising is coming soon.
I found the big meeting of the Jacobites a little confusing because it's hard to tell the clansmen apart when they're all dressed alike. I didn't realize until someone pointed it out to me that the man who called out, "I say the time HAS come!", followed by something in Gàidhlig which I believe translates as "Long live the Stuarts", was Marcus MacRannoch, whom we met earlier this season, and will see again, many years later, in OUTLANDER Episode 115, "Wentworth Prison".
Brian and Ellen still barely have a moment together in this episode. That's disappointing. We only have three episodes left in this season! Are they EVER going to get together?
The show has (so far) been surprisingly uninterested in telling the story of Brian and Ellen's relationship. They seem to want this to be Julia's and Henry's story, for the most part, with Brian and Ellen playing only secondary roles. But that's not at all what we were led to expect based on the pre-release marketing, including the official key art for this season, which prominently features Brian and Ellen right in the center of the frame.
It's been very disappointing for those of us who were hoping they'd focus more on Brian and Ellen's romance and developing relationship. Their romance, such as it is, seems to have been put on "pause" since the handfasting.
But I liked Ellen's reaction to Mrs. Fitz finding the bit of Fraser tartan among her things. Snatching it away, saying, "No! It's mine!"
At least it appears (for now, anyway) that Lord Lovat won't stand in the way of their relationship, since he's happy that it's going to cause a "ruinous scandal" when the Grants find out. But I thought Lovat hugging Brian was ridiculous. He doesn't normally show affection for Brian at all.
Finally, I loved the fact that this episode ended on a (dare I say it?) HOPEFUL note, with Julia finding the letter written in Henry's handwriting. Her joy and relief at realizing that Henry is alive and somewhere nearby is just infectious!
It was an entertaining and somewhat suspenseful episode, and I am delighted beyond words to see less of that dark, grim, depressing vibe in the show this week.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here are my reactions to Episode 106 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "Birthright".
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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PLEASE NOTE: As always, what follows are my personal opinions only! You're certainly free to watch and make up your own mind.
I thought this episode was easily the worst of the whole season so far. It had one or two good moments, but the vast majority of the episode was awful, all but unwatchable. I'm not going to attempt a detailed recap, just a few reactions.
Julia's entire storyline in this episode was like something out of a horror movie. The sequence with the women conducting what amounted to an interrogation (or inquisition) of a woman in labor (!) was horrific, and dragged on far too long. I was half hoping Julia would respond to their repeated demands to know who the father of her child was by gasping out, "Henry Beauchamp," just to get them to stop, for God's sake!
I found that whole sequence nearly unbearable to watch. It felt like torture, as though the women didn't even consider Julia a fellow human being. No empathy, not even a shred of human decency, for a woman going through such an incredibly painful ordeal.
The cruelty and general lack of kindness, empathy, compassion, and human decency among most of the 18th-century characters forms a major theme in this episode. The whole idea of Lord Lovat proposing to force Julia to marry him while she's in active labor (so that the baby will be his legitimate heir) was just ludicrous, to put it mildly. Lovat came across as a madman, so determined to get his way that he won't listen to reason.
I have to say I really liked the priest, despite his small role, because he was willing to take a stand in favor of simple human decency and morality, and say (paraphrasing), "No, this is wrong, and I won't go along with it!"
Brian continues to demonstrate that he is a genuinely kind and decent man. I particularly liked his line, "I will do as my honor and my conscience dictates, and so should you. If you have any decency at all, you'll leave this chamber."
Still, the overall impression I'm left with in this episode (and the series as a whole, to be honest) is that the people with power will always use it in the most cruel and heartless ways imaginable. What a grim, depressing view of the world!
And it's not just in Julia's storyline. I was struck by the casual cruelty in the way Arch Bug paid off that woman to tell Henry a completely fabricated story about his wife and baby having died in childbirth, "buried in a pauper's grave".
It reminds me of Dougal lying to Jamie about his sister becoming a whore to BJR, which is what kept Jamie away from Lallybroch for years after Ft. William. But it's worse, in this case, IMHO, because Henry's sole focus has been his search for Julia, and Arch (by his actions in paying the woman to lie to Henry) dashed those hopes so thoroughly that Henry might actually suffer permanent psychological damage from it. Arch's defense, such as it was (the laird ordered him to do it) just made me mad. That's no excuse!
Poor Henry appears to have suffered a psychotic breakdown of some sort. He's apparently lost touch with reality, unable to tell the difference between Julia and a whore in the brothel he frequents, and worse, unable to distinguish memories from real life. He runs down the road, joyfully shouting the news that the war is over, thoroughly startling the 18th-century people he passes.
"Oh, Julia! As long as I have you and Claire, I can survive anything." But he doesn't have either of them, and it doesn't look like he ever will.
I really disliked this turn of events! Henry appears to have suffered severe and possibly permanent psychological damage. Is it a coincidence that Danielle Berrow, the writer of this episode, also wrote OUTLANDER Episode 607, "Sticks and Stones", in which we see Claire suffering severe psychological effects from PTSD, tormented by the image and voice of Lionel Brown? (You may recall that I was quite upset by that at the time.)
About Davina Porter's role in this episode: I understand what the writers were trying to do, in showing the (many) parallels between Julia's situation and Davina Porter's. Davina was raped by Lord Lovat as a young teenager, resulting in Brian's birth. She was subjected to the same verbal abuse and harassment that Julia suffers in this episode, for daring to bear a child out of wedlock, and I do feel some sympathy for her on that account. But Davina behaved just as hatefully toward Julia, for most of this episode, as the women conducting that "inquisition".
It seems that she did have a genuine change of heart with regard to Julia, when she banished the "inquisitors" from the birthing chamber at long last, and I was glad to see her finally speaking her mind to Lord Lovat, saying, "When have you ever cared about what's right in the eyes of man or God?"
So Julia has given birth to a son. (Just a reminder: as I said in my Episode 101 post, in the books, there is no hint whatsoever that Claire ever had any siblings!) For me, the flashback scenes showing Julia giving birth to Claire only serve to emphasize the glaring fact that Henry and Julia have another child, whom they rarely even think about and likely will never see again. That's a depressing thought.
Finally, I did like the scene between Brian and Lord Lovat starting at 23:16, where they discuss the "Fraser name" and what Brian has made of himself so far. But that was the only scene in the whole episode that I really enjoyed, and it was FAR outweighed by my horror and disgust at the rest of it.
I won't be watching this episode again.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here are my reactions to Episode 105 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "Needfire".
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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I had a very mixed reaction to this episode. Brian and Ellen's storyline was fantastic!! I've been waiting for that for so long, and they didn't disappoint. Very well done! I had a much more negative reaction to Julia's storyline in particular, and I'll have more to say about that below.
First, a few miscellaneous bits that I particularly liked:
Henry: "What's all this I keep hearing about a stone circle hereabouts, It might be significant in some way?"
Ned: "Aye. Craigh na Dun."
I laughed at that. Yeah, it might be.... (But Henry doesn't pursue it, which surprised me. I thought he would be curious, even excited that he might have found a way to get back to his own time, but we don't see any indication of that.)
I liked seeing the relationship between Ellen and her sister Jocasta developed a little further.
I loved the way Ellen's whole face lights up when she sees Brian at the dancing. Malcolm says, "You're glowing," and he's right.
The cinematography with the dancers and the torchlight and the arch on fire on Beltane was really beautiful, mesmerizing to watch!
The handfasting night was handled very well. It reminded me a bit of Roger and Bree's handfasting in DRUMS. I really liked Brian's line where he says he doesn't fear darkness because "the fire you've lit within me is bright enough to put the moon and the stars to shame, set this whole place aglow."
When they start kissing, Brian pulls away, concerned for Ellen's reputation if he takes her right then, no matter how much they both want it. "Ye'd be ruined," he says. But Ellen is not put off at all. "Ruin me!" she replies instantly. That line took me by surprise.
The handfasting scene absolutely took my breath away. Including the deliberate echo of the blood vow from Jamie and Claire's wedding! I thought it was just wonderful, all of it! I liked the fact that they had some time to talk afterwards, to let us get to know Brian for the first time.
"Is he as bad as they say, your father?"
"Worse."
That reminded me of what Jamie said just before he and Claire met him in DRAGONFLY.
"I’ve heard he acts like a terrible auld monster, but ye shouldna be scairt of him.” He smiled at me as I swatted at the deerfly with the end of my shawl. “I’ll be with you.”
“Oh, crusty old gentlemen don’t bother me,” I assured him. “I’ve seen a good many of those in my time. Soft as butter underneath, the most of them. I imagine your grandfather’s much the same.”
“Mm, no,” he replied thoughtfully. “He really is a terrible auld monster. It’s only, if ye act scairt of him, it makes him worse. Like a beast scenting blood, ye ken?”
(From DRAGONFLY IN AMBER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 40, "The Fox's Lair". Copyright © 1992 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
We learn that Brian went on a pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago. He wanted to understand why God created him, "the unwanted bastard of such a cruel man." Despite the circumstances of his birth, Brian is a good person. He wants to be worthy of Ellen, and I was glad to see that. I'm reminded of Roger saying much the same thing in DRUMS:
He relaxed just a bit when he realized the content of his prayer; it wasn’t the ignoble “Let me have her” he might have expected. It was the more humble--and acceptable, he hoped--“Let me be worthy of her, let me love her rightly; let me take care of her.”
(From DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 18, "Unseemly Lust". Copyright © 1997 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
I liked Ellen's line:
"I haven't been given much choice in this life [...] but you, I chose for myself. If I'm only allowed one choice for the rest of my life, I would choose you, time and again."
The whole sequence was really well done and a pleasure to watch!
Murtagh is a tragic figure in this episode. You can see how devastated he is to see Brian in love with Ellen. And then to be beat up by Arch Bug -- as if things weren't bad enough already! Poor Murtagh! I liked watching him in this episode. But I didn't care for the scene with him and Jocasta, where they kiss and she turns away, weeping because she knows she can never have him. We had more than enough of this "Murcasta" business in OUTLANDER; I really don't need (or want) to see it here!
I liked seeing Maisri the seer. It's heartbreaking for Julia to hear Maisri talking about seeing a little girl "all alone". That would be young Claire, of course, who's been all but forgotten in the show until now. But I thought it was a clever idea to bring the Fraser Prophecy into this.
“It’s a prophecy concerning the Frasers?”
“The Frasers of Lovat, aye. [....] The prophecy states that a new ruler of Scotland will spring from Lovat’s lineage. This is to come to pass following the eclipse of ‘the kings of the white rose’--a clear reference to the Papist Stuarts, of course.” He nodded at the white roses woven into the carpet. “There are somewhat more cryptic references included in the prophecy, of course; the time in which this ruler will appear, and whether it is to be a king or a queen--there is some difficulty in interpretation, owing to mishandling of the original....”
(From VOYAGER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 61, "The Crocodile's Fire". Copyright © 1994 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
No wonder Lord Lovat got so excited at the idea that this baby might be the one described in the prophecy! But watch Julia's face in that scene. She looks like she's about to throw up, realizing that there's no hope of escape now that Lord Lovat thinks her child is so valuable.
Lord Lovat's threat to Davina Porter near the end was just chilling. He orders her to take care of Julia, make sure the child is born safely. "But if you ever speak of this again [that Julia's baby is not his], the last thing you'll see is Balloch's dirk as it slides across your throat." Yikes!
Meanwhile, Henry has had no luck in trying to locate Julia. When Ned tries to help him, offering advice based on his own experience of how to move on after having lost the love of his life, Henry just brushes it off.
"I had a choice to make. Linger in my torment or start anew. I chose the latter and it saved my life."
"For me there is no choice."
"What if ye never find her?"
"I will."
I'm sure that was meant to come across as stubborn determination, but at this point it seems like he's deluding himself, unable to face the reality that he might never see her again.
All in all, I thought the good parts of this episode far outweighed the less enjoyable ones, and I was glad to see Brian and Ellen's part of the story moving forward at long last! But I want to address something that's been bothering me more and more with each episode.
I'm finding both Julia's and Henry's storylines increasingly tedious and depressing, to be honest. It feels as though they are both stuck in that "half a person" mode that Jamie and Claire endured during their twenty years apart, lonely and depressed, and I simply don't enjoy watching that for an extended period of time.
The contrast between Brian and Ellen's joy and love, and Julia's increasing despair and hopelessness, was really jarring in this episode. Julia's situation is getting more depressing and unpleasant with each episode, and this episode left me feeling as though she was caught in a steel trap, with no way out. My sense is that even if Henry finds her, Lord Lovat probably wouldn't let her go, or he would let Julia go but insist on keeping the child. And that is just flat-out depressing, in my opinion.
We're halfway through the season already, and I'm getting very tired of both Henry and Julia. I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't really care what happens to these two. The vibe I am getting from Julia's story in particular has gone (IMHO) from Grim to Grimmer to REALLY Grim to There's No Possible Way Out of This Grimness. It's just not enjoyable to watch. I'm looking for escapism and entertainment, and the unrelenting grimness is just making me depressed.
I intend to continue to watch the show for Brian and Ellen's half (which has suddenly gotten MUCH more interesting!!) but I may have to fast-forward through Henry and Julia's storylines in future episodes.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here's a very interesting post by Bear McCreary, who is the composer for both OUTLANDER and BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. He goes into great detail about the music of BOMB, including the theme song and the musical themes for all of the major characters. I thought it was fascinating!
He also includes the lyrics to the opening theme music, in both Gàidhlig and English.
The BLOOD OF MY BLOOD Season 1 soundtrack is available on Amazon Music and Apple Music, as well as various streaming sites.
I'm celebrating TWO blogging milestones today! August 28th is the 17th anniversary of Outlandish Observations, and by coincidence, this happens to be my 2000th blog post!! (Believe it or not, on both counts!)
Seventeen years....wow, that's amazing, even to me! Really hard to believe I've kept it up that long! I'm delighted, as always, to see that people are still enjoying it.
I started Outlandish Observations on August 28, 2008. That was about a year before AN ECHO IN THE BONE was published, long before anyone knew there would be a TV series. In the beginning, I had two goals in mind. The first was simply to learn about blogging. The second was to create a central repository for news and information for OUTLANDER fans, a place where people could go to find answers to commonly asked questions, links to other OUTLANDER-related sites, and the latest information on Diana Gabaldon's new and upcoming releases.
So much has changed in the OUTLANDER fan community in recent years, as the OUTLANDER TV series has exploded in popularity, and now with the prequel TV series, OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, airing on STARZ. It often seems impossible to keep up with everything that's going on! I think that's one reason that Outlandish Observations has lasted so long. There's always something new to talk about!
Looking back over the past 17 years, here are some of the highlights:
Friday Fun Facts - From 2012-2014, I had a weekly "Friday Fun Facts" feature, where I posted five interesting or unusual facts or bits of trivia from the OUTLANDER books. (You can see the index of topics here.) It was very popular, but I opted to stop when MOHB and the TV series came out in 2014, because I just didn't have the time to do the research those weekly posts required.
My interview with Diana Gabaldon in 2018 - That was the first and only interview I've ever done. I was delighted with Diana's responses and with the reaction from the fans! Maybe I'll do another one sometime.
My OUTLANDER episode recaps! I've received so many positive comments about those recaps over the years, and I'm glad you're finding them useful! It takes a lot of time and effort to put those detailed posts together, but it's worth it. I definitely intend to continue these detailed recaps for OUTLANDER Season 8 when the time comes. In the meantime, check out my reactions to BLOOD OF MY BLOOD here.
Someone asked me recently if I still get a thrill whenever Diana Gabaldon puts the link to one of my blog posts up on her Facebook page. The answer to that is a definite YES! (Always.) I was especially pleased by her reaction to my March 2025 post about Jamie and Roger's relationship, which she called a "fantastic exegesis" -- high praise indeed!
Outlandish Observations was one of the first successful OUTLANDER-related blogs. These days there are innumerable fan-sites and Facebook groups, and of course a great many people sharing their love of All Things OUTLANDER on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media sites. The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned! <g> I'm proud to be a part of such a thriving, creative, and enthusiastic worldwide community of fans, united in our passion for these books and characters and this amazing story Diana Gabaldon has created, that is now being brought to life on TV.
Special thanks to all of my followers on the Outlandish Observations Facebook page! I now have almost 16,300 followers! I'm delighted that so many new people have found my site over the past year. Welcome! I hope you take some time to look around and see what else is available here.
Finally, let me just say this: If anyone had told me when I started Outlandish Observations that I'd still be blogging about All Things OUTLANDER seventeen years and 2000 posts later, I'm sure I would have said they were insane! <g> But I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. At a time when "OUTLANDER burnout" is affecting some of the more well-known fan-sites, I'm still here, and I intend to keep this site going for the foreseeable future. There's still a lot to look forward to, including OUTLANDER Season 8, A BLESSING FOR A WARRIOR GOING OUT (aka Book 10), and more!
Many, many thanks to all of you who've visited Outlandish Observations over the past seventeen years! It's been an amazing journey, and I'm so glad you've come along for the ride.
THANK YOU ALL!!
Here are my reactions to Episode 104 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "A Soldier's Heart".
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I liked this episode much more than the last one. Though some parts seemed really contrived, it held my attention throughout, and I found myself at the end wondering what's going to happen next. Here are my initial impressions, in no particular order.
Things I liked:
The use of the St. Anthony medal was a clever way to show the connection between Henry and Julia even when they're separated. I liked the way they did that throughout this episode. Henry clings to it like a talisman.
Brian sees right through Julia's fake illness. His decision to take her to Castle Leoch surprised me, but in a good way! He's more intelligent than we've been shown up to now.
Jeremy Irvine, who plays Henry, is a terrific actor. I really enjoyed all of his scenes, especially the ones dealing with Henry's PTSD.
And speaking of the PTSD: I also liked the way Julia reacts to those episodes. She's understandably frightened and upset by his behavior, but she accepts him the way he is, in spite of the PTSD and occasional nightmares. Henry may be "broken", but as Julia says, she fell in love with him when he was already in that state. That's another parallel between Julia and Claire, in that Claire never knew Jamie before his flogging at Ft. William. She's never seen his unscarred back. He was traumatized by the flogging, and his father's death, before she ever met him.
I enjoyed Ellen and Colum's "walk and talk" tour of Castle Leoch, a la THE WEST WING. Last week I thought they spent way too much time with the characters standing in one place, just talking. Here, because they never stopped moving until they reached Colum's study, I found it easier to pay attention to what the characters were saying.
Brian McCardie was terrific as Isaac Grant, and I was glad to see, in the credits at the end, that this episode was dedicated to him. it's really a shame that he passed away so suddenly in 2024, during the filming of this season. He was only 59 years old.
I liked the way Julia convinced Ellen to let her into her room by saying, "I'm the bridge," a reference to Brian and Ellen's encounter by the bridge in Episode 101 ("Providence"), where they agreed to treat the bridge as their "chaperone".
"Let me and this baby be your guiding light" as the inspiration for Claire's name -- what a sweet moment! The line itself is rather clunky, IMHO, but I liked the fact that it gave them the idea.
I smiled at Julia quoting "Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of little children", which is a line from William Makepeace Thackeray's VANITY FAIR, published 1847-48. I always love it when the time-travelers refer to literature or pop culture that doesn't yet exist in the 18th century.
There was some really good dialogue in this episode:
Colum: "[Da] left this earth with the coffers empty, and his family and clan on the precipice of destitution." (To me, that sounds like a line Diana Gabaldon might have written.)
Dougal: "If I were you I'd show some respect to your war chieftain."
Ellen: "I would, if we were at war!"
Henry: "A little girl would make me the happiest father alive."
I thought it was refreshing to hear one of the tenants say "Sassenach!", very angrily, right before he punched Henry. We're so used to Jamie saying "Sassenach" with affection that we tend to forget that it was very much a derogatory term for English people in those days. I liked that reminder.
Finally, notice the story Colum tells Ellen starting around 16:23, about Maura Grant, who was betrothed to a man named Graham Finley, but Finley "disappeared into the heather" (i.e., the Grants killed him!) after he decided to .arrt someone else. Maura died in Episode 110, "By the Pricking of My Thumbs". You may remember TV Dougal going into a berserk, drunken rage when he learned of her death. I'm guessing that Dougal will agree to marry Maura as part of the eventual agreement after Brian and Ellen elope, in an effort to mend relations with the Grants. I like that small connection to both the books and the OUTLANDER TV show.
Things I didn't like:
The whole business with the lottery as a way to raise cash for the rents made no sense to me. This seems like presentism on the part of the writers, IMHO, assuming that everyone in this rural part of the Highlands circa 1715 has access to spare cash with which to buy lottery tickets. It was well established in OUTLANDER (books and show) that it was very common in the 18th century for tenants in the Highlands to pay their rent with goods and livestock in lieu of cash, as indeed we saw some of them doing in this episode.
"A weighty mass of copper and silver is still easier of transport than the bulk of his lairdship’s income.”
[Ned] turned to direct a piercing look over his shoulder at the two large mule-drawn wagons that accompanied the party.
“Bags of grain and bunches of turnips have at least the benefit of lack of motion. Fowl, if suitably trussed and caged, I have nae argument with. Nor with goats, though they prove some inconvenience in terms of their omnivorous habits; one ate a handkerchief of mine last year, though I admit the fault was mine in allowin’ the fabric to protrude injudiciously from my coat-pocket.” The thin lips set in a determined line. “I have given explicit directions this year, though. We shall not accept live pigs.”
(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 11, "Conversations With a Lawyer". Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Not only that, but in this situation, these poor tenant farmers are being enticed (by Henry) to invest money they can ill afford in this lottery scheme, in order to make a very wealthy clan chieftain even richer. Henry says they collected far more from the lottery than the amount they would ordinarily have received, even with the increased rents. How is that ethical? If the tenants spend more than they can afford on lottery tickets, they run the very real risk of being unable to afford food or other necessities. And there is no safety net, no social services to speak of in the early 18th century.
Moving on.... I didn't like the subplot with the whore in the brothel at all. She seemed included only a) so they could get a half-naked woman into the show, and b) so Henry would have someone to talk to about Julia. Very contrived, IMHO.
LLL ("Lord Lovat on the Loo"), again! Two episodes in a row, and I'm tired of it already.
Julia's line, "In the darkest moments, we must seize hope wherever we can find it." Enough already! I wish she'd stop spewing quotes about hope. It makes her sound like a motivational poster or something.
I was surprised by the way Lord Lovat reacted at the end, seemingly delighted to hear that Julia's carrying his child, especially if it's a son. Um, why? That didn't make sense to me. Another bastard for him to raise, when he seems to have little use for Brian?
A few final thoughts:
So far they haven't given Brian much to do, unlike the other three main leads. Henry is a more compelling character at this point than Brian is, and that's disappointing to me. If this is supposed to be truly half Brian and Ellen's story, they need to get on with it! The season is 40% done already and Brian and Ellen still haven't exchanged more than a few brief words. I hope they don't draw that out TOO much longer, or the viewers will start to lose interest. Maybe at the Beltane celebration they'll finally have a chance to develop their relationship further.
I really am looking forward to seeing where they take this story next week. This is the first episode all season that made me feel that way.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here are my reactions to Episode 103 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "School of the Moon".
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Overall I was disappointed with this episode. I did like some parts of it, but I thought it was an overly "talky" episode, without much action, and I really disliked the ending.
Things I liked (in no particular order):
I enjoyed seeing how Colum's two falls came about, more or less as described in the book.
“Colum was a whole man to the age of eighteen or so,” [Ned Gowan] resumed his story, “and gave promise to be a fine leader. He took Letitia to wife as part of an alliance with the Camerons—I drew up the marriage contract,” he added, as a footnote, “but soon after the marriage he had a bad fall, during a raid. Broke the long bone of his thigh, and it mended poorly.”
I nodded. It would have, of course.
“And then,” Mr. Gowan went on with a sigh, “he rose from his bed too soon, and took a tumble down the stairs that broke the other leg. He lay in his bed close on a year, but it soon became clear that the damage was permanent. And that was when Jacob died, unfortunately.”
(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 11, "Conversations With a Lawyer". Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
I liked Ellen's reaction after Colum's first fall, where she's the only one treating him with kindness or compassion. But to me, this just emphasizes how very cold Colum is toward Ellen in the scenes in the present day at the Gathering, which I didn't like at all.
I liked both Colum and Dougal's speeches at the oath-taking. Especially Dougal's, which I thought was really powerful.
The scene near the beginning with Brian and Murtagh, where Brian learns Ellen is to be wed to Malcolm Grant, is just terrific. Poor Murtagh, hopelessly in love with Ellen and having just learned that she's going to marry someone else. And poor Brian, just as dismayed at the news, but for different reasons!
I thought it was a nice touch that Alec McMahon MacKenzie (whom we got to know in OUTLANDER as "Auld Alec", in charge of Castle Leoch's stables) was the first to swear allegiance to Colum. I didn't recall seeing him in earlier episodes, though I might have missed it.
Ned Gowan saying, "I'll go fetch Davie Beaton" after Colum is hurt made me laugh. Yeah, that's not going to work out too well. We have a pretty good idea of Beaton's medical knowledge (or lack thereof) from Claire's browsing through his casebook in her early days at Leoch:
Reading through a few of the recipes, the reason for the late Davie Beaton’s lack of success with his patients became apparent. “For headache,” read one entry, “take ye one ball of horse dunge, this to be carefully dried, pounded to powder, and the whole drunk, stirred into hot ale.” “For convulsions in children, five leeches to be applied behind the ear.” And a few pages later, “decoctions made of the roots of celandine, turmeric, and juice of 200 slaters cannot but be of great service in a case of jaundice.” I closed the book, marveling at the large number of the late doctor’s patients who, according to his meticulous log, had not only survived the treatment meted out to them but actually recovered from their original ailments.
(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 7, "Davie Beaton's Closet". Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Things I disliked:
The sex scene at the beginning was tender and intimate, much more explicit than I was expecting (Ellen putting Brian's hand betwen her legs!) but then it turns out to be a bait-and-switch. Only a dream. Grrrrr!! I hate when they do that! They've used that device more than once in OUTLANDER, and I never cared for it then either.
Scene after scene of the characters just standing around talking, sometimes recapping earlier conversations in this same episode for the benefit of characters who weren't present, as though the audience didn't hear it the first time. That came across to me as boring and repetitive.
Julia saying (in voiceover), "I am determined that our baby will live, and that Claire will one day meet her sibling." This actually made me feel physically ill. NOOOOO!! I keep telling myself, "The books are the books and the show is the show," but it's not really helping in this instance. Maybe it's not technically fan-fiction (since the show is done with Diana Gabaldon's consent), but it sure feels that way sometimes!
Seeing Julia willingly go to Lord Lovat's bed - again, nooooo!!! Why would she do that? In hope of better treatment? Hoping he might let her go? Whatever her reasons, I didn't like that At All, and I thought it was a depressing way to end the episode.
A few final thoughts:
My favorite parts of the episode were the scenes involving Colum and Dougal and their father, Red Jacob MacKenzie. It's very clear that Red Jacob despised any sign of weakness in his sons. That makes sense to me, and I thought the flashback sequences were interesting as a way to show Jacob's relationship with both of his sons, particularly Colum.
I thought the change in Colum's demeanor from the flashback scenes with his father to the present-day scenes at the Gathering was interesting. Now that his father is dead, he's much more confident, free to do (more or less) what he wants, without Red Jacob constantly criticizing, second-guessing, belittling him, or making derogatory remarks about his disability. He must find it quite freeing.
Finally, I was fascinated by the man (I don't know who it was) declaiming in a loud voice in the background, to the raucous cries of a crowd, starting around 17:10 into the episode. ("Rank beggar, oyster-dredger...." and so on.) It sounded really interesting, so I looked it up online. It turns out that the original version from which these lines were taken is even more entertaining. Check out The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy, by William Dunbar, a Scottish poet (1456-1520). Next time you're looking for a really creative (but obscure) way to insult someone, you might try some of those!
I will keep watching, for now, but I just didn't care for most of this episode.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here are my reactions to Episode 102 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "S.W.A.K. (Sealed With a Kiss)". Unlike my OUTLANDER episode recaps, I will not be doing detailed scene-by-scene recaps for BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. What follows are my general reactions to the episode.
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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I found this episode rather disappointing, compared to my very positive reaction to Episode 101. It's a very grim episode, with too many coincidences and parallels to Claire's story for my liking.
This exchange toward the end of the episode sums up my feelings toward Henry and Julia pretty well.
Henry to Malcolm - "You don't like me much do you?"
Malcolm - "Dinna ken ye well enough to have formed an opinion."
We don't really get to know the characters very well before they time-travel. We know almost nothing about Henry's background, except for his WWI experiences -- as if he has no life or existence prior to the War -- so I had no idea he was a solicitor by profession until quite late in the episode. Julia, likewise, appears to have little or no personal life beyond her letters to Henry.
I did like some parts of this episode. I thought the WWI scenes were riveting and well done. In the scene where the commander tells Henry, "I would be quite within my rights to shoot you," I thought, you can't do that! If you shoot Henry before Claire is born, the whole OUTLANDER series goes POOF, just like that! <g> (This was the only place I laughed in the whole episode.)
Julia writes, "I know what it is to feel alone and to ask why." I thought, No, you don't, but you will before this episode is over, I'm sure!
"Have you heard from your brother Lamb?" - I smiled at that reference to Claire's beloved Uncle Lamb, aka Quentin Lambert Beauchamp, who was an archaeologist.
So Julia "adores Scotland", seemingly every bit as fascinated by All Things Scottish as many OUTLANDER fans. <g> I suppose that explains why they went to Scotland on holiday in Episode 101.
I liked the concept of the letters, but I didn't really care for Julia's writing style. It was hard for me to imagine why Henry fell in love with her just from the things she said in those few letters.
So Henry just happens to show up at the exact moment when Julia walks by? That was awfully contrived.
I thought the sex scene was just OK. We don't really know these two at all, beyond their letters and Henry's war experiences.
Henry has PTSD and wakes up screaming, more than Jamie ever did after Wentworth. Julia calms him by quoting from her letters, of all things, as though she can't actually speak to him directly, although he's right there beside her. I thought that was really odd.
The sequence where Julia wakes at Craigh na Dun was FAR too reminiscent of Claire's first trip through the stones. But I liked Julia leaving a "note" for Henry by scraping "S.W.A.K." on a rock. That was a good idea!
On the other hand, Julia seems out of her depth from the moment she arrives at Castle Leathers. She promptly finds herself the "property" of Lord Lovat, and more or less turns into Cinderella. After the failure of her single escape attempt, she seems to resign herself to being trapped there. Unlike Henry, she doesn't (I think) make any attempt to get word out to locate Henry. He'll have to find her, somehow.
Brian takes a strapping meant for Julia. The parallel to Jamie and Laoghaire in OUTLANDER is VERY obvious!
“So you did help that girl Laoghaire because you felt sorry for her,” I said, when I had recovered my composure. “You knew what it was like.”
(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 22, "Reckonings". Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
If I were Julia, I'd seek out Brian to see if he can help her get word to Henry, since he's the only one who seems even slightly sympathetic to her plight.
Meanwhile, Henry is having difficulties of his own. He encounters a group of clansmen, accidentally gets in the middle of clan business (the details of this were very confusing to me) and is saved by Malcolm Grant. Henry is taken to Bowmont House, seat of Clan Grant. We learn that Henry is a solicitor. He tells the clan chief (Isaac Grant) that his trusted aide has been "misrepresenting" him. Arch Bug takes the man out and beats him. Henry is offered the aide's job. (That was quick, but on the other hand, Claire became the healer at Castle Leoch about as quickly.)
My take on this is that Henry is both intelligent and resourceful, able to size up a situation very quickly and turn it to his advantage. I hope we see more of that in future episodes.
One month later, we've caught up with the timeline from last week's episode. Ned Gowan apologizes to Henry (whom we met but I didn't recognize in the first episode) for Dougal's behavior during the fight. Ned Gowan offers Ellen to Malcolm Grant as a means to ally the two clans, but the Grants refuse.
"The laird wants Dougal MacKenzie's head, not his sister's hand." - good line.
Ned offers help in searching for Henry's lost love in return for bringing the proposal to the Grants.
Finally, Julia and Henry write letters to one another, vowing to find a way back to one another, somehow.
It's early yet, but I'm still not really invested in these characters. I do hope for Julia's sake that she evades Lord Lovat's advances long enough for her pregnancy to progress to the point where he'll lose interest in her. Henry, by contrast, seems to be doing amazingly well for himself! I'm not concerned that he's in any danger whatsoever at this point, as long as he keeps doing the Grants' bidding, so I have less reason to care what happens to him.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here are my reactions to Episode 101 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "Providence". Unlike my OUTLANDER episode recaps, I will not be doing detailed scene-by-scene recaps for BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. What follows are my general reactions to the episode.
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.
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I thought this was a terrific episode, and a real treat, in many ways, for those of us who have been waiting many years to see Jamie Fraser's parents' backstory in more detail. I loved almost all of it, except for the last few minutes (more on that below). Here are some of the things I particularly noticed.
Red Jacob's cause of death: "Died mounted on a maidservant" - It's been done before in movies and TV, of course, but I laughed out loud in surprise, not expecting that.
The whole cast is terrific! Ellen MacKenzie is instantly likeable, IMHO. She's a wonderful character, and I liked the interactions with her father very much.
Dougal cut a man's finger off for raiding the MacKenzies' cattle?!? Yikes. He's a ruthless young man, no question about it.
Murtagh is just wonderful! Diana Gabaldon says he's her favorite character in BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, and I can definitely see why. I love his smile, and his exuberant outlook on life, so different from the dour older version of Murtagh that we're used to.
Lord Lovat is excellent, as I expected.
The brief scene with wee Angus and Rupert was cute, but I definitely could have done without it. There are more than enough parallels and "Easter eggs" for the fans in this show already.
Colum and Dougal together are riveting to watch, and thoroughly believable. Two thumbs up! I love the relationship between these two, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it.
Murtagh looking at Ellen: "I can only see her."
Mrs. Fitz: "Then close your eyes." - Great line!
Brian and Ellen's first meeting was wonderful just wonderful!! I love the way they can't take their eyes off each other. I have no idea how close this is to Diana Gabaldon's version of the scene, of course, but to me it FEELS like she must have written it.
The scenery by the stream where Brian and Ellen met again is just gorgeous! "The bridge could be our chaperone" is a great line.
When Ellen asks his name, Brian hesitates -- not just because his father, Lord Lovat, hates the MacKenzies, but because his best friend, Murtagh, is attracted to Ellen, too. Awkward, to say the least!
"I dinna care if it's fate or divine intervention that brought us together. If I had to bargain with the devil himself to spend a moment more with ye, I would." This is a terrific line, but Jamie Roy's delivery is rather flat, monotone, as if he's just reciting the lines. I expected a bit more passion in his voice. (Minor point.)
I was glad to see the boar's tusks following Murtagh's big success at the tynchal. But I could have done without the Murtagh and Jocasta scene, which is clearly there as a treat for the fans who loved the relationship between those two in the OUTLANDER TV series. (I've never been one of them.)
I like the way Ned Gowan tries to be the voice of reason whenever Colum and Dougal argue ("Don’t leap to conclusions" about what's become of Ellen, etc.), and Dougal just ignores him.
The confrontation with the Grants was more or less what I expected. It's hard to follow the action sometimes, when I'm still trying to keep the characters straight.
"Such dramatics!" Mrs. Fitz says. "Worthy of Shakespeare." She's right, of course. Brian and Ellen have been giving off major "Romeo and Juliet" vibes since the moment they met!
"If only ye had a c*ck," Red Jacob says. I laughed out loud in surprise at that. But it's a little sad, too, that Ellen is held back by society's expectations of what is proper for a woman.
"My father is dead, and so is his word." Good line.
I like the bit with the birds, which ties back to Claire's first meeting with Colum at the very beginning of OUTLANDER:
As I entered, my attention was drawn at once by an enormous metal cage, cleverly engineered to fit the curve of the wall from floor to ceiling, filled with dozens of tiny birds: finches, buntings, tits, and several kinds of warblers. Drawing near, my eye was filled with plump smooth bodies and bead-bright eyes, set like jewels in a background of velvet green, darting among the leaves of oak, elm, and chestnut, carefully tended trees rooted in mulched pots set on the floor of the cage. The cheerful racket of conversing birds was punctuated by the whir of wings and rustle of leaves as the inhabitants flitted and hopped about their business.
(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 5, "The MacKenzie". Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
But I totally wasn't expecting the sudden transition to Henry and Julia AT ALL!!
Up to this point, I would have given this episode a VERY enthusiastic "I loved it!!" I was thoroughly enjoying it, up to the moment where they switched to Henry and Julia's timeline. The last part of the episode seemed tacked on as an afterthought, just to give Julia and Henry some screen time and to provide a cliffhanger.
The woman who runs the inn (mentioned in passing) - could that be a very young Mrs. Baird? This was too reminiscent of her, IMHO. Also, Henry and Julia are in Scotland on holiday -- why? a second honeymoon, like Claire and Frank? Again, the parallel is unmistakable.
Julia's voice sounds remarkably like Caitriona! It's sort of eerie at times.
Julia is pregnant?? So does that mean the writers are going to have her give birth to a daughter who will grow up to be Fanny's mother, providing an explanation for the song at the end in OUTLANDER Episode 716? I hope I'm wrong, because this seems REALLY contrived, and I don't even want to speculate further about it. Just noting that in the books, there is no hint whatsoever that Claire ever had any siblings!
UPDATE 8/15/2025 4:05 pm: When I mentioned that last comment to Diana Gabaldon on TheLitForum last week, she said firmly,
Indeed she does not!
"I'll be back before you know it" - famous last words! Again, the parallel to Claire is obvious. She goes off to pick forget-me-nots, and that's the last time Frank sees her for three years.
Finally, if you pay close attention, you can spot both Henry and Julia in the 18th-century scenes in this episode! I didn't realize that until someone pointed them out to me.
It was a great start to the show. The whole cast is terrific, the costumes and the cinematography are gorgeous, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Brian and Ellen's storyline.
Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes, and please come back next week for more!
Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.
Here's a two-part interview with Diana Gabaldon, by Angela Hickey of the Outlandish Hive. The first part is about the TV shows, both BLOOD OF MY BLOOD and OUTLANDER Season 8, and the second part is about the books and Diana's writing process. I thought Angela asked some great questions!
Note that Part 2 contains some discussion of Book 10 (A BLESSING FOR A WARRIOR GOING OUT) that excerpt-avoiders may want to skip over! In my comments below, I noted a few bits that may contain spoilers.
Part 1 - BLOOD OF MY BLOOD and Season 8
18:07 - Diana said she would like to see SCOTTISH PRISONER on TV at some point, perhaps as a limited series. The idea being that because this story is half Jamie and half Lord John, it might bring in more fans than a (hypothetical!) series focusing on Lord John, which the people in charge of the TV adaptations don't seem interested in. I like this idea, even if it never actually happens.
About 20 minutes into Part 1: On the subject of whether there is any possibility that Book 10 might come out around the same time as Season 8, Diana said this:
Naturally the publisher would love to get it out as close to Season 8 as they can, but there's no way that it's going to be out in time to be published, packaged, etc., by "early 2026". It's not coming out before Season 8, let's put it that way.
I think we can take that as a definitive statement. It doesn't come as a surprise to me at all, given how long it takes to get through the many steps of the book-production process!
Part 2 - Book 10 and Diana's Writing Process
I loved Diana's explanation at the beginning of this part, about where the title, A BLESSING FOR A WARRIOR GOING OUT, comes from.
04:38 - On the shape of BLESSING, which Diana has described before as being like the aerial view of the eye of a hurricane:
There are several different storylines which [...] form a proper story arc, and so forth. But they overlap with the other storylines, and they intersect in some cases. And that's when you get this convergent look, like you get from the aerial picture of the eye of a hurricane, of all these different strands of cloud and rain and wind and all that. They're all circling around this sort of still center. Obviously we know what the still center is. This is Jamie and Claire, their relationship in the midst of that. All of these storylines are influenced by their presence, even though they're not included in all of the different storylines. That's essentially what I meant by that.
(Excerpt-avoiders should STOP at the end of this explanation and skip to around 13:00, to avoid spoilers! I don't read excerpts or #DailyLines, so I won't discuss them here.)
More interesting bits from Part 2:
13:20 - How has her writing process changed since she began writing OUTLANDER?
16:30 - Diana's reaction to the new Kristin Atherton narrations of the OUTLANDER audiobooks.
(Excerpt-avoiders should skip from 21:14 through 24:00, to avoid spoilers!)
24:03 - "If you could go back and give yourself advice before publishing Book 1, what would it be?" - interesting question, not one that I recall hearing before.
26:20 - Diana says she is "nowhere near" the Final Frenzy stage of BLESSING. As far as when the book might be finished, she said:
I'm not guaranteeing a date. This is not something I can do. Aside from my writing speed, all kinds of things happen.
Many thanks to Angela and Diana for a very interesting interview!
Good news for OUTLANDER fans in the US: Starting Monday, August 11, we will FINALLY be able to watch the first 8 episodes of OUTLANDER Season 7 on Netflix!
Why did it take so long? According to this article, Netflix can't air each new season until two years after the season is broadcast on STARZ.
Netflix in the United States is and continues to be the last to get new seasons of Outlander. Since 2019, Netflixers in the United States have had to wait two years after each season finale airs. For Season 6, the series finale aired on May 1, 2022, and was then released on Netflix on May 1, 2024.
The first half of Season 7 aired its finale on August 11, 2023, meaning we’re not expecting those eight episodes to drop on Netflix US until August 11, 2025, which is now confirmed by Netflix’s app. The wait for part 2 will be another agonizing wait, with the following episodes expected to land on Netflix US on January 17, 2027.
Please pass this on to anyone you know who may be interested.
Looking for a place to discuss OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD with other fans? Check out TheLitForum! Formerly known as the Compuserve Books and Writers Community, this forum, in its various incarnations, has been Diana Gabaldon's main online hangout for about 40 years. (It's where she posted the very first excerpts of what would become OUTLANDER, back in 1988.) Diana is on the forum most days, except when she's traveling, and she responds to comments and questions as time permits, sometimes in great detail. I've been managing the discussions (aka "herding the bumblebees") in Diana's section of the forum since 2008.
TheLitForum is a community of readers, writers, book-lovers, and fans of All Things OUTLANDER, and we invite you to come and join the discussions!
You definitely don't have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the books or the OUTLANDER TV show in order to post there. Everyone is welcome, whether you've been reading the books for 30+ years or you just discovered OUTLANDER recently as a result of the TV series. We'd love to hear what you think of BLOOD OF MY BLOOD!
Please come and check out the forum HERE. You'll need to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free. When you enter the forum, you'll see a list of the different sections. Scroll down until you see the Diana Gabaldon section. You'll find the BOMB discussions there, along with many other OUTLANDER-related topics. Be sure to take the time to read this important message, which explains the spoiler policy for BOMB discussions and how those discussions will be organized.
If you love Diana Gabaldon's books but you're not interested in the prequel TV series, no problem! We love to discuss and speculate about anything OUTLANDER-related, any time!
When you visit the forum, we encourage you to check out the other sections, too! TheLitForum.com is much more than just a place to talk about All Things OUTLANDER. If you're a writer or an aspiring writer, the forum is a great resource for feedback on your writing, advice on how to write a query letter, answers to obscure research questions, and much more! Take a look around and jump into any discussion that interests you, or start a new one.
If you have questions after you've signed up, please post on the forum (rather than leaving a comment here), and we'll do our best to try to help. Hope to see some of you there soon!
Some unexpected news from SDCC yesterday: STARZ will be releasing the first TWO episodes of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD on Friday, August 8th! Apparently Episode 101 will focus on Jamie's parents, Brian and Ellen, and Episode 102 will focus on Claire's parents, Henry and Julia. I was surprised to hear about this "double-header", but I think it's probably a good decision on their part, because they need to introduce the main characters as quickly as possible, to make it clear from the beginning that the series will focus on both couples.
Look here for more details, and a few video clips. (I haven't watched the videos myself. At this stage, with less than two weeks to go until the series premieres, I am trying to avoid spoilers.)
A FEW THOUGHTS ON BLOOD OF MY BLOOD
Some of you may be wondering why I haven't said much about what I personally think of BLOOD OF MY BLOOD (aka BOMB). The truth is that my opinion hasn't changed much from my initial reaction in February 2024. The fact that so much of this series (including ALL of Claire's parents' storyline!) will be completely invented by the writers, "untethered", if you will, from anything that Diana Gabaldon has written or plans to write, makes me uncomfortable.
Diana responded to some of my concerns in a post on TheLitForum on July 17, 2025:
BOMB consists, essentially, of two intermittently touching story lines: the story of Jamie's parents, Brian and Ellen, and the story of Claire's parents, Julia and Henry.
The Jamie's parents story is about 90% mine (allowing 10% for adaptations <g>). Julia and Henry's story is about 90% Matt (with 10% input/adaptation/suggestions from me). The actors are ALL great, and the production standards are well up to the original OUTLANDER show.
Scotland is still Scotland. <g>
In short, you aren't seeing an "alternate" story, because you've never seen any of this story before. You've only heard the brief story Jamie told Claire about his parents.
Still, there's no reason whatever to watch it, if the notion of it upsets you. I will say it's good, though.
That helps, as does the knowledge that Diana wrote the script for Episode 109 and co-wrote the season finale, Episode 110, with showrunner Matt Roberts. But in this case, her opinion isn't enough to convince me. I want to decide for myself! At the end of the day, it's just a TV show, and I reserve the right to stop watching if it turns out I'm not enjoying it.
I still intend to watch the show, to make up my own mind, but I'm not feeling anything like my usual level of enthusiasm, let alone excitement, about BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. (In contrast, I was genuinely excited by yesterday's announcement about OUTLANDER Season 8 coming in "early 2026".) At this point, I'm feeling a sort of mild curiosity, but nothing more than that.
I will be posting my general reactions to the episodes, but I'm not planning on doing the sort of detailed episode recaps that I've done for OUTLANDER. (I will definitely be doing those episode recaps for Season 8 when the time comes, though.)
I don't mean to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, at all! Who knows, maybe I'll love it? I'm sure the acting, the cinematography, Bear McCreary's music, and much more, will be very enjoyable. But I still have doubts, and I know I'm not alone in feeling that way. 
STARZ just announced that OUTLANDER Season 8 will air in "early 2026".
I love that image of the standing stones seen from above! A unique perspective, to say the least, and very cool!
Here's a brand new teaser video STARZ just released along with today's announcement. The bit from Season 8 starts about 2 minutes into the video, but the rest of it (featuring highlights from all of the previous seasons) is really well done, too, definitely worth watching!
For those of you who don't know, Season 8 will be the final season of OUTLANDER. It will be 10 episodes long, and it will cover the events of GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, Book 9 of the OUTLANDER series.
Here, at last, are the opening titles for OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD!
I think it's a lovely song, hauntingly beautiful even if you don't understand all the words. Be sure to turn on the CC setting on the video to see the lyrics in both English and Gaelic.
Here's a brief article from Variety with some details about the opening credit sequence from showrunner Matt Roberts.
I have been feeling pretty ambivalent about this show, willing to watch and make up my own mind, but mostly out of curiosity rather than enthusiasm. After seeing this video, along with the beautiful theme music by Bear McCreary (sung by Julie Fowlis in English and Gaelic), for the first time I'm feeling a little bit excited!
STARZ has released a set of four short videos introducing the main characters in OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. (There are more of these short "intro" videos, but I'm focusing on the four lead roles in this post.)
You may encounter SPOILERS in these videos!
Brian (Jamie's father)
Ellen (Jamie's mother)
Henry (Claire's father)
Julia (Claire's mother)
OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD premieres on STARZ on Friday, August 8!
 Re-reading BEES (Part 9)
 2025-07-13 15:35 UTC by noreply@blogger.com (Karen Henry)
Here's the 9th and final installment of my series of posts about my reactions on re-listening to Diana Gabaldon's GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, Book 9 in the OUTLANDER series. (The other posts in this series are here.)
*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***
If you haven't read GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE, there are MAJOR SPOILERS below! Read at your own risk!
One of the hardest parts of re-reading (or re-listening to) Diana Gabaldon's books is revisiting the most emotionally intense or traumatic scenes. Wentworth, for example, or the farewell scenes in DRAGONFLY, or Roger's hanging, or Claire's abduction and rape in ABOSAA. For me, the whole sequence at Kings Mountain where Jamie gets shot and nearly dies is certainly one of those!
On my first reading of BEES, I was absolutely terrified that Jamie might die, for real. I kept saying to myself, "There is no safety net in this book. Absolutely anything might happen." In the 3 1/2 years since BEES came out, I've read through my detailed notes on this part a number of times, "re-living" my initial reactions, but until last week, I had only read or listened to the entire sequence in the actual book, from beginning to end, maybe twice, and not at all since 2022. I had such an intense emotional reaction the first time that the thought of going through that again scared me a little.
But I never (ever!) skip over scenes on re-reading or re-listening. I always make the effort to push through that difficulty, the fear and dread of what's about to happen, because I think it results in a richer and more rewarding experience. And I suppose I feel that if the characters can get through this, the least I can do is go along for the ride. Not just to bear witness, but to get a better understanding of how this experience has affected them. Because one thing I've learned over the years is that the most traumatic events in these books have permanent effects on the characters, and I'm sure we'll see some of that in A BLESSING FOR A WARRIOR GOING OUT (Book 10).
Here are a few things relating to the events at Kings Mountain that struck me on this re-listen.
Jamie's last words to Claire, just before the battle:
“Look after her, Roger Mac,” [Jamie] said, then cupped my face in his hands and kissed me, briefly. His hands and face were pulsing with heat and I felt a sudden coolness when his touch left my skin.
“Tha gràdh agam ort, mo chridhe,” he said, and was gone.
(From GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 145, "The Mirror Crack'd". Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
"Tha gràdh agam ort, mo chridhe" is "I love you, my heart," in Gàidhlig. So Jamie made sure that his last words to her were "I love you", just in case he didn't come back. It's a reminder of his promise to her in that wonderful last line in FIERY CROSS.
“When the day shall come, that we do part, [...] if my last words are not ‘I love you’--ye’ll ken it was because I didna have time.”
(From THE FIERY CROSS by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 111, "And Yet Go Out to Meet It". Copyright © 2001 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
I like that very much!
Here's something else I never noticed before:
It was no more than minutes now, and he kent from Randall’s book what would happen to Ferguson. Spare him knowing what’s coming to him... Let it be a Scot, at least... He hadn’t time to think more, before his sight fixed on the checked shirt and his finger tightened on the trigger. He took a step sideways, barrel following his target, and something snagged round his foot.
(From GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 146, "The Curse is Come Upon Me". Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Jamie's full attention had been focused on Patrick Ferguson, in command of the British troops. Jamie's finger was on the trigger of his rifle, waiting for the right moment to shoot him, and that's one reason why he didn't notice the snake.
Also, he was standing there with a rifle aimed straight at Ferguson. No wonder he was shot multiple times! The Redcoats naturally were trying to protect their commander. In my total panic the first time I read this part, that never occurred to me, but it makes sense.
And speaking of total panic:
Jamie's smell had changed, and that frightened me badly. [....] I could smell Jamie’s sweat and his blood--God, the blood, it had saturated my bodice and stays and the fabric stuck to me and to him, a thin crust of hot stickiness, not the cut-metal smell of fresh blood but the thick stink of butchery. The sweat was cold on his skin, slick and nearly odorless, no vital reek of manhood in it anymore.
(From GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 147, "A Lot of Blood". Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
This bit absolutely terrified me on the first reading, because I thought Jamie was literally turning into "dead meat" right in front of us (!!) I still find it unnerving just to read that description.
I love the way Claire absolutely refuses to give up trying to save Jamie, no matter what! Her determination never wavers for a second through the whole ordeal. It gave me something to hold on to, the first time, when I was panic-stricken and terrified that Jamie really was going to die.
The other thought I have had more than once since the book came out is this: All the eyewitnesses (other than Roger and Ian) who saw Jamie at Kings Mountain that day assumed that he was mortally wounded. Whoever wrote the contemporary accounts of the battle would naturally assume that, too. Frank has nothing to go on except those historical accounts, and so he made that same assumption, that Jamie didn't survive the battle. If history is only what people wrote down (as Diana Gabaldon has noted before, a number of times), then those historical accounts are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
One final thought about what happened at Kings Mountain. Ever since I first read BEES, I've been intrigued by the repeated references to a mysterious, beautiful Blue....
"Blue. It's not empty. It’s beautiful."
[....]
"Blue. So beautiful. It’s not empty."
(From GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 147, "A Lot of Blood". Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
I've always loved that, especially the second one. It's a poetic thought, almost a haiku. When I mentioned that on TheLitForum recently, Diana Gabaldon replied,
That repetition of "Blue..." is because it's a mental conversation between Claire and Jamie. (It might be spoken, too, but no way of making that distinction and keeping the sense of mystery.) One of them says it, and the other repeats it, with a different emphasis.
We still don't know what exactly that Blue represents, but I think it's related somehow to Claire's healing powers, to her use of the healing blue light. You may recall from OUTLANDER Episode 207, "Faith", when Master Raymond healed Claire following the miscarriage, she also had an overwhelming impression of "blueness".
I am specifically referring to the shot in the bottom right-hand side of this image, where the flying bird sort of morphs into a beautiful blue abstract image, and the overall sense, from Claire's POV, is of BLUE, surrounding her.
"Blue. So beautiful. It’s not empty."
I think of that every time I look at that big, BEAUTIFUL, BLUE book on my shelf, most definitely NOT empty, but full of everything I love about OUTLANDER and the characters. <g>
Moving on.... I want to share a few thoughts about Percy's actions in the last part of BEES. As Lord John has noted more than once, Percy is a coward. In their last meeting aboard the Pallas, John asked only one thing of him:
"[If] you meant what you just said, then for the sake of any love you’ve ever had for me--go and tell my son that I love him.” He badly wanted to shout, “For God’s sake, tell Willie what’s happened! Tell him to go to Prévost and get help!” But Percy was terrified of Richardson--and everything else in the world, he thought with an exhausted pity--and to ask him to risk something like that was likely to make him run away, get drunk, or cut his own throat.
“Please,” he added, gently.
It was a long moment, and he imagined he heard the wingbeats of the pelicans passing soberly over the river below, but Percy nodded at last and stood up.
(From GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 151, "A Message in a Bottle". Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
They say their final goodbyes, and the next time we see Percy is at the house in Savannah where William and Amaranthus are staying. Percy looks exhausted and ill, but he manages to convey the news that Lord John is being held captive aboard the Pallas.
"I didn’t abandon him!” he cried, seeing William’s frown. “I--I would never have left him, but I could do him no good, and I thought--well, he told me, in fact. He told me to go and to find you.”
[....]
“And what did he tell you to say when you did find me?”
“He didn’t...say...exactly. I mean, there wasn’t time for a message..."
(From GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 152, "Titus Andronicus". Copyright © 2021 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
I actually made an involuntary growling noise when I heard that in the audio version this time. That last line from Percy makes me yell at the book, "Coward!! You had ONE JOB! All he asked you to do was to deliver that message, and you couldn't bring yourself to do that." It makes me furious! Especially the thought that if John dies before William and Jamie can rescue him, John will never have heard that last message from William.
I do think that Percy redeemed himself (for the most part) by letting William know the extreme danger Lord John is facing, and that Richardson is responsible. But I admit that I was not unhappy to see him go, at the end. (There's been considerable debate on TheLitForum on the subject of whether Percy is in fact dead, but I personally have never had any doubt.)
Finally, I have to say that I loved the last scene in the book, with the celebration of the wedding of the Higgins and Hardman families. This is one of the very few things I guessed right about, on my first reading of BEES. After the scene in Chapter 84 where Silvia divorces Gabriel, I thought, "Hmmm....Silvia will need a man to provide for her, Bobby needs a wife..." The fact that it's basically a "Brady Bunch" scenario -- a widower with three boys, marrying a divorced woman with three girls -- always makes me smile.
What did you think of the last part of BEES? Please leave a comment here or on my Outlandish Observations Facebook page and let me know.
I hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on re-reading BEES. Look here for the other posts in this series.
STARZ has released the official trailer for OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD!
The description accompanying the video says:
Outlander: Blood of my Blood is a saga that unfolds across time. From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, unfolding in surprising and unforeseen ways.
A few quick impressions:
It does look interesting, with plenty of action in addition to the dual love stories. I was glad to see that, because all the publicity photos and bits of video we've seen lately have focused only on the romances and the parallels between the two storylines. I wanted to see a little of what else this series has to offer, and this trailer certainly delivered that!
I was struck by how much Julia sounds like Claire.
I'm not surprised by the time-travel angle (I suspected that, from the day they first announced that the show would feature dual storylines in different centuries!), but I hope we see a fresh take on it, not just repeating Claire's early days at Leoch.
I still don't quite know how I feel about this show, but I will certainly be watching, and trying to keep an open mind. In case you're wondering, yes, I'll be sharing my reactions to each episode as the season progresses, but at this point I'm not planning to do the sort of in-depth episode recaps that I've done for OUTLANDER.
What about the rest of you? What did you think of this trailer? Are you planning to watch the show? Please leave a comment here or on my Outlandish Observations Facebook page.
For those of you who don't know, OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD will air on STARZ on Fridays at 8pm ET/PT, beginning August 8th. The season will be 10 episodes long.
STARZ announced yesterday that the upcoming prequel TV series, OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, has been renewed for a second season! Production on Season 2 officially began on Monday, June 23.
From the press release:
“The passion and talent our cast and crew have poured into Outlander: Blood of my Blood has been extraordinary and we’re thrilled to continue these epic love stories in Season Two,” shared Matthew B. Roberts, showrunner and executive producer of the new series, “Just as audiences fell in love with Jamie and Claire, we hope viewers will be enamored by these new couples when they meet them this summer.”
Aside from that, we have very few details; the press release doesn't even mention how many episodes there will be in Season 2.
This news caught many fans by surprise, including me. Approving a second season before any viewers have seen the first one?!? (For those of you who don't know, OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD will premiere on STARZ on Friday, August 8, at 8pm ET/PT.)
I think STARZ must be really confident that the show will be a success. Presumably they had to start preparing quite some time ago in order for production to start this week. They are gambling that the show will be a big enough hit to justify a second season. If it does turn out to be a success, then it's in their interest to get the second season done as quickly as possible.
Think about it this way. The longer they wait to start production, the more time there will be between Seasons 1 and 2. As it is, it will likely take the better part of a year to film Season 2, counting post-production.
That's all I know right now about Season 2. When we learn more details, I'll post another update.
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