What do you get when you mix a little Shakespeare, a lot of Outlander, throw in a dash of Arthurian imagery, and lean heavily into the romance, confusion, and fantasy of time travel? Well, my friends, you get Blood of My Blood. And I think it’s going to be great.
Warning- Contains spoilers from Blood of My Blood Episode 1.1: Providence
Let’s imagine, for a moment, that Romeo and Juliet had lived. If confusion and miscommunication had befuddled those around them but they themselves managed to escape Verona and find happiness, if only for a little while. They might have left the Montagues and Capulets behind them and bested them all. If only.
The Shakespearean imagery was obvious in the opening episode: Romeo (Brian) reluctantly accompanies his cousin Benvolio (Murtaugh) to the home of his family’s sworn enemies and almost instantly falls in love with the beautiful but star-crossed Juliet (Ellen). Truly, this episode does little to conceal the references. But at some point during my first viewing of this episode, as I watched Brian and Ellen fall in love with a symbolic and literal bridge between them, I thought, Oh this is going to be good. This is going to be really smart, and fun, and good.
I’m in.
I don’t envy the writers of prequels. They are relying on an established fandom, but the stories need to be good enough to stand on their own (looking at you, The Phantom Menace). It’s fun to throw in a few Easter eggs (boar’s tusks, bath tubs), but too many and the episode risks feeling on-the-nose. And while Diana Gabaldon has provided more than sufficient backstory and a framework for this series, the source material is largely unwritten and fans are understandably protective of these characters.
Still, I think Blood of My Blood manages to pull it off. These two opening episodes give the series a strong start. We are all time travelers with this new series, and that’s what makes it fun. We’ve seen the futures for these characters and we are watching their pasts come to life.
Admittedly, I was thrown a bit with the title of this pilot episode, as we already had an Outlander episode of the same name (Episode 412). And while both episodes do indeed explore the idea of providence—defined as the protective care of God—thematically the two episodes seem very different. While Outlander’s “Providence” explored themes of forgiveness and absolution, Blood of My Blood’s “Providence” looks at the protection of a father figure as something far more complicated.
Indeed, each MacKenzie child in this episode seems to have had a different childhood and relationship with their father. While Ellen was favored and held in esteem (but not in line of succession) by Jacob MacKenzie, Colum appears to have been deliberately dismissed and overlooked. Dougal, we learn, was physically beat into becoming the war chieftain he would later become. Jacosta’s almost total lack of grief, combined with the way she brightens to even small amounts of kindness from Murtagh, tells us all we need to know about her relationship (or lack thereof) with her father. Janet, as a middle child (and a middle daughter at that) appears forgotten.
But this episode, understandably, focuses on Ellen. And while she held beloved position in her father’s household, she is far less protected as her brothers scramble for power. Quite a bit of exposition is provided at the start of this hour, as we learn that Jacob MacKenzie’s death has left a vacuum of leadership. As her two brothers each aim to take control of Clan MacKenzie (Dougal is strong but impulsive while Colum is physically weak but alarmingly shrewd) Ellen mourns not only her father’s death but also the death of what was promised: independence.
Murtagh and Brian Fraser, meanwhile, ponder plans to crash the MacKenzie Gathering. Murtagh is smitten with Ellen herself and keen to make her acquaintance. Brian, having been raised by an obviously abusive man, is inclined to not draw attention to himself. But off they go after Simon Fraser demands it of both of them…he, too, is hungry for power in the wake of Jacob MacKenzie’s death.
Note the stories being told with set design and costuming theses two episodes. While Simon Fraser’s Castle Leathers is as cold and decrepit as the man who runs it, Castle Leoch is filled with bustling life of family (however flawed that family may be). In stark contrast to both, Clan Grant’s Bowmont House is decidedly more modern, as is the dress of the family that lives there. In comparison to the MacKenzies, whose clothing and customs are arguably unchanged for several generations and almost medieval, Isaac and Malcolm Grant’s clothes are immediately recognizable as eighteenth century. It is perhaps why they were both drawn to Henry Beauchamp—a man who exudes modernity. More on that later.
Cue the meet-cute. I must say, the chemistry between Jamie Roy (Brian) and Harriet Slater (Ellen) is really fantastic. Their meeting in the animal stalls is brief but memorable, and they make plans to meet later.
Brian and Murtagh aren’t the only ones vying for Ellen’s attention. Indeed, she is overwhelmed by prospective suitors, including Malcom Grant (who, for now, seems like a mostly decent person). In Shakespearean fashion, chaos ensues when a misunderstanding causes Dougal and Colum to assume the Grants have abducted Ellen. Dougal’s raid on the Grants’ traveling party is thwarted when Henry Beauchamp achieves the upper hand on behalf of the Grants. But retribution is promised on both sides, and I have a feeling much the season will focus on these two families.
More on costuming. Even without eventually learning Henry’s true identity, his styling immediately identifies him as twentieth century. From his haircut to his clean-shaven face and the ever-so-slightly modern cut of his coat (colored and worn to resemble a WWI army jacket), this is a man who we are meant to assume is not of this time.
While Dougal is busy essentially writing himself out of lairdship, Ellen and Brian are meeting as planned at a bridge on the road to Inverness. So much fate happens for these characters on the roads to Inverness, doesn’t it? In any case, they manage to be more adorable and more smitten upon their second clandestine meeting.
But Ellen’s delight in new love is short-lived upon returning to Castle Leoch. Dougal and Colum have essentially sealed her fate—Dougal’s actions mean a price is to be paid and Ellen is that price. Each of the MacKenzie children are strategic chess players, and here we learn the lengths they will go to gain control of the board and topple kings.
As a side note, I encourage you to go rewatch Outlander Episode 102: Castle Leoch after watching this episode. Notice how different Colum’s study is decorated in that episode compared to this one. Under Colum’s lordship this room is vibrantly textured and filled with the birds that Jacob chose to ignore. By the time Claire meets him thirty years later he is a man who has grown into this room and into his power.
And speaking of birds. After witnessing Colum and Dougal’s machinations, Ellen realizes that her castle has become a gilded cage. A bird freed by Colum and perched on Ellen’s windowsill is likely her inspiration to fly free.
Fast forward two hundred years to a different pair of young lovers. Wait a minute…isn’t that the new servant at Castle Leathers and the new bladier at Bowmont House? Yes, yes it is. And so the series immediately puts to rest a conspiracy theory that has long circulated the fandom: Claire’s parents were time travelers and they didn’t actually die in a car accident. Is Julia pregnant with a future Beauchamp…one that may have a child (cough *Fergus* cough) someday with Comte St. Germain? Well, those are conspiracies for a different day.
So where is the providence in this episode? The providence—the protection—exists in the promise of love. For Ellen, marrying a man outside of the control of her brothers may be the best checkmate of all. For Henry and Julia, it may be providence that sees them through.
Recap for Episode 1.2 will be up shortly. Until then,
Slàinte.
(p.s. casting, as always, is chef’s kiss)
Outcandour 