With the end of Starz’s epic adaptation of Outlander looming, the initial expectation might not have been that there was more story to tell — but fittingly, showrunner Matthew B. Roberts has gone back to the past as a way to keep the world alive onscreen. While the eighth and final season of the original show won’t be premiering until sometime next year, that doesn’t mean there won’t be lots of romance, drama, tragedy, and a bit of time travel to tide fans over until then with the premiere of Outlander: Blood of My Blood. The history of Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) parents and their star-crossed love affair has always felt ripe for adaptation, but up until now, the only thing we knew about Claire Beauchamp Fraser’s (Caitríona Balfe) parents was that she’d lost them at a very young age. Outlander: Blood of My Blood not only recontextualizes the truth of what really happened, but it also reemphasizes the fact that the flagship show’s main romance was written in the stars long before Claire accidentally traveled through the stones at Craigh Na Dun. Given that Outlander itself has also largely migrated away from Scotland in favor of following Claire and Jamie’s fight during the American Revolutionary War, it’s an opportunity to return to comfortably familiar territory, even if we soon discover that things were no less dramatic when their parents were their age.
What Is ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ About?

Outlander: Blood of My Blood largely revolves around two love stories, each of which seems primed to persist even through impossible circumstances. In 18th-century Scotland, the death of Red Jacob (Peter Mullan), laird of the MacKenzies, leaves a crucial opening within the clan for someone to take his place, especially since he never officially acknowledged any of his children as his heir. Naturally, his sons, Colum (Séamus McLean Ross) and Dougal (Sam Retford), immediately start making moves to win the necessary support in succeeding him, but their tactics also mean that their sister, Ellen (Harriet Slater), becomes a pawn caught up in the middle of it all. Despite both of her brothers promising her hand to different suitors for their own gain, Ellen struggles to maintain her independence as an unmarried woman. Coincidentally, it’s also when she bumps into arguably the last person that any MacKenzie would want her to be caught with: Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), the bastard son of Lord Lovat (Tony Curran). Ellen and Brian’s attraction to each other is instantaneous, but even after they realize that any betrothal would be forbidden by their families, they find ways to meet in secret, unable to resist the magnetic pull they feel in one another’s presence. None of this is helped by the fact that Brian’s cousin and closest friend, Murtagh (Rory Alexander), has been kindling a crush on Ellen for years — or that Ellen’s sister, Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin), trapped in a loveless marriage to an elderly man, envies her freedom. Meanwhile, during World War I, Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine), an English soldier disillusioned by his time fighting in the trenches, writes down his thoughts in a letter addressed to no one, sending it off into the void with no expectation of a reply. Said letter is found by Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield), who is working at the censorship office monitoring mail from the front, and happens to open it literally by chance. Intrigued by Henry’s way with words, Julia immediately writes back to him, kicking off a correspondence that becomes more intense and emotional than either of them could have predicted. By the time Henry is allowed to go on leave, the two finally meet in person and realize that they’ve fallen in love with each other long before being face-to-face. Yet Henry is scarred, inwardly, by his traumatic experiences on the battlefield, and even once the couple officially weds and settles down together, his mind is fractured, resulting in nightmares and PTSD episodes. A vacation in Scotland seems like just the breather they need, but a car accident sends the couple spiraling back in time to the 18th century, where Henry and Julia are forced to fight in different ways to get back to each other — and their daughter Claire — before it’s too late.
‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Is Just as Addictively Watchable as the Original Series

Even if you haven’t been obsessively watching all seven seasons of Outlander to date, you likely won’t be all that lost during Blood of My Blood — but you will have a stronger appreciation for everything the prequel series achieves if you’re all caught up. The show’s casting department has truly outdone itself in filling the story with faces that bear striking resemblances to older characters whose endings we already know. Roy looks startlingly like his onscreen son, Heughan, in more than one scene, even if Brian Fraser is a bit more even-tempered by comparison; it’s no surprise that Jamie got his inner fire from his mother after watching Slater’s defiant, fearless performance. Brian and Ellen’s forbidden romance is easily the best storyline of the show so far across the six episodes provided for review (out of 10 total); it earns so much focus, in fact, that many other characters are pulled into its orbit, occasionally to the detriment of their individual development. While you’ll never hear me complaining about opportunities for tension-filled looks and steamy love scenes in crumbling ruins, it’s difficult to watch Alexander’s Murtagh be afforded little more than pining or mournful drinking over Ellen’s unrequited feelings. It also would’ve been nice to have been given more time with Henry and Julia’s romance before external supernatural forces conspire to force them apart, especially because Julia’s resulting storyline is a lot heavier in terms of the abuses that unmarried women of low status were subjected to during this particular period. Despite Brian and Ellen’s love story taking up most of the series’ oxygen, the delightful supporting cast is made up of actors who instantly call to mind Castle Leoch’s older inhabitants. Sally Messham plays a terrific Mrs. Fitz, still as simultaneously maternal and no-nonsense as she’s always been, while Conor MacNeill, one of my favorite Industry jerks, serves as the perfect Ned Gowan, kind but keenly observant. Ross and Retford also have to establish Colum and Dougal’s complicated relationship from the beginning, contentious and inwardly envious of each other’s strengths, but here we’re privy to just how entangled their lives will ultimately become when their father’s successor is officially declared. As Jocasta, Malin’s similarity to Maria Doyle Kennedy will catch your attention first, but her equally complex dynamic with her sister, Ellen, is what makes her scenes most riveting. Of course, the infamous Lord Lovat’s reputation precedes him thanks to his previous appearance on Outlander; as a younger version of the character, Curran is clearly delighting in being able to play someone so irredeemable, but Lovat’s belief in prophecy and foretelling could end up carrying more meaning for one of his descendants. The first two episodes are somewhat more segmented — the premiere is devoted to the 18th-century storyline and a fight for succession within the MacKenzie clan, while Episode 2 follows the height of World War I and attempts to rebuild in the aftermath. Both are thoroughly immersive viewing experiences courtesy of some excellent production design. An early and frequent reliance on flashbacks does occasionally slow the story’s pacing in ways that might make you eager to get back to what’s going on in the present day, but once the show positions its two leading couples in a place to cross over with each other, that’s when Outlander: Blood of My Blood really gets going. It’s been emphasized, over and over again, that Jamie and Claire’s romance was predestined rather than being left up to chance, and if there’s one thing this new story proves, it’s that a very specific chain of events had to happen for these two unlikely people to meet and fall in love across time, as seemingly random encounters hint at really important ripple effects for the future. It also changes everything we thought we knew about Claire’s origins, giving new weight to the truth that she tragically hasn’t discovered for herself. Outlander: Blood of My Blood unquestionably maintains the magic of the original show, a steamy, emotional, addictively watchable prequel that succeeds at everything fans have loved from the beginning: phenomenal casting and performances, twist-filled drama, and epic romances that defy the odds.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood

Outlander: Blood of My Blood maintains the same magic as the original series, addictively watchable thanks to great performances.

Showrunner

Matthew B. Roberts

Franchise(s)

Outlander

Annabelle Dowler

Ned Gowan

Ailsa Davidson

Ellen MacKenzie

Pros & Cons

The casting department has truly outdone themselves, particularly with the younger versions of characters we know from Outlander.
The show’s bold time-travel twist involving Claire’s parents gives even more predestined weight to the original series’ love story.
Whether in the trenches of World War I or the familiar halls of Castle Leoch, Blood of My Blood’s production design makes the series that much more immersive to watch.

Brian and Ellen’s forbidden romance is overall more compelling than Henry and Julia’s.
Some of the flashbacks become a little repetitive and drag down the show’s overall pacing.