Outlander: Blood Of My Blood Finale: A Surprising Wedding, An Intense Cliffhanger And A Couple Of Verra Fun Easter Eggs — Read Recap
There's a MacKenzie-Grant wedding in the Season 1 finale of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, just... not the one you might've expected. And someone/someones? from our core four maybe goes through the stones! (Note to self: Pace yerself, Roots. We've got a lot of ground to cover.)
The series first season ends with the event we've heard of often in Outlander and its source material: the moment that Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie bucked societal — and familial — expectations and ran off together, despite Ellen's imminent marriage to Malcolm Grant. Though I can recall Jamie referencing his family's history a few times in the books and the series, I don't remember his ever mentioning the fact that his dad KILLED A GUY in the process?
Henry and Julia have an equally dramatic, though less bloody, time in the hour, which finds them galloping to Craigh na Dun with little William in Julia's arms and Arch Bug on their heels. Can they get back to their time, and their daughter, before even more trauma befalls them in the 18th century?
This episode is LONG but it's also GOOD, so settle in with a wee dram and a cozy wool blanket as I recap the highlights of "Something Borrowed."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE! | We're in 1920s London at the start of the episode. Julia, Henry and Quentin (aka Uncle Lamb) have gathered in the flat to celebrate Claire's second birthday, and OH WHAT A LITTLE MUFFIN TODDLER CLAIRE IS. I want to nibble her. Q gives a toast to his little niece. "Mark my words," he says, "she has the spirit of an explorer." Everyone is having a grand time, and it's quite nice to see this family just enjoying each other, no battlefields or severe mental-health crises in the mix. (Side note: If you can get a good look at the cake, you'll see that the strawberries on top are arranged to look like Craigh na Dun.)
In Ye Olden Times Scotland, Lovat sits at his supper table, still spiraling about how he was mocked and humiliated at the tynchal. She bucks him up by reminding him that someday their son will be king "and all will bow to you, my lord." When she sees that her flattery is working, she really butters the muffin. "Your strength and wisdom will guide us through these challenges," she says. Perhaps her ego-soothing works too well: As he stands to leave, he commands her to come to his bedchamber that evening. Mrs. Porter, grind up more of those penisberries, stat!
Actually, nevermind! Little does Simon know, Julia is planning to meet Henry and run away. She asks Davina to wait a few minutes and then yell for Balloch, telling him that Julia and William have been kidnapped. If she's been taken, Julia reasons, Lovat can't blame Davina for letting her slip away. (I'd argue that this man routinely takes his wrath out on people who do not deserve it, but sure!)
The two women hug; Davina sincerely wishes Julia well. Then Julia takes off, and the house mistress cries for Balloch a few moments later. Julia makes it to Henry outside in just enough time to say "follow my lead." He ducks behind a tree, and when Balloch appears, Julia pretends to be grateful to see him just long enough for Henry to brain him with a rock. Henry wants to kill him, but Julia stops him: The thug has to be alive to back up Davina's story, she explains. So they (and William) hop on Henry's horse and take off.
When Lovat gets home, he's livid. And he happens to be standing in the dooryard when Arch Bug and some other Grant men come looking for Henry. Simon assumes that the man they're searching for is the same one who took his wife and child, and he wants to go with them, but Bug says no — he and his men will handle it. They ride off, following the Beauchamps' tracks.
COLUM'S VILLAINY REVEALED | Let's leave the Beauchamps there for the moment and nip over to Castle Leoch, where a large crowd is seated in the great hall. They all stand when bagpipes start playing and a veiled bride appears. She walks down the aisle past all the characters we know... and then the action flashes back to a day earlier. Brian and Murtagh are still in the woods, where Brian paces as he laments that Ellen no longer wants him, and Murtagh tries mightily to get his friend to understand that that's sad and all but PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO KILL HIM. But all Brian can think about is how "her words said one thing, but her eyes another. I canna makes sense of it."
Murtagh engages him, albeit grudgingly, and Brian comes out of his lovelorn fog a bit to realize that there's someone else around. "I am sorry, Murtagh," he says softly. "I am." But Murtagh is ready to give a little bit, too. "I've seen the way she looks at you. She loves you," he says, calling their bond the kind of thing you hear about in legends. "She's meant for you, and you for her." Unfortunately, that launches Brian right back into his melancholy. He suspects there's a hidden reason for Ellen's dumping him, and he needs to hear it from her. Since Murtagh isn't McKenzie Enemy No. 1 at the moment, Brian asks him to help him sneak into the castle and get to the redhead. Murty agrees.
First, though, more assassins come for them. There's a bit of bloody, hand-to-hand battle and some killing, though thankfully not of our boys. One of the Gallowglass men lands an arrow in Murtagh's leg, but Brian manages to shoot a fatal arrow in to that guy. By the end, only one of the assassins is alive; Brian ties him to a tree and slaps him around a bit, demanding to know who hired him. The man eventually coughs up a name: Colum MacKenzie. "Christ, I ken they didn't like you, but to spend coin to murder you?" Murtah says incredulously.
Brian apologizes to the man, explaining that they can't leave anyone behind, then kills him. Murtagh's injured leg means he can't accompany his bud to Leoch, but he encourages Brian to go, and he does.
QUEEN OR CAPTIVE? | Meanwhile, Ellen and Mrs. Fitz are walking through the final preparations for Ellen's wedding to Malcolm, and I imagine a man going to the gallows would have more joy on his face than Ellen does on hers. "Am I to be queen or captive?" she wonders aloud. "A bit of both, perhaps," Glenna says, not bothering to sugarcoat anything. MacRannoch approaches them to give Ellen a gift before her nuptials; it's clear he, too, is enamored of her and is sad that she's marrying someone else. (Out in the forest somewhere, a lightly bleeding Murtagh yells, "Get in line, man!")
Elsewhere in the castle, Malcolm's sister, Maura Grant, comes across Dougal shtupping one of her maids up against a wall. She doesn't care. Unfazed, Maura identifies herself to him — they haven't seen each other in a long time, it seems — and it's clear that he's intrigued by her extremely unbothered (and unimpressed) manner.
THERE WERE NEVER SUCH (RECENTLY) DEVOTED SISTERS | In light of everything that's happened, and everything that's about to happen, Ellen apologizes to Jocasta for not involving her when Jacob made her marriage match to John Cameron. Jocasta is affected by her sister's words, and wonders what made her change her mind. "A shift in my perspective," Ellen says. "Recent events didn't unfold as I expected." Then she also says sorry to Janet, who says dinna fash: She finds herself "quite content" in her union. Then she holds up some booze and announces that "the hens for Ellen's wedding feast wilna pluck themselves!" It's a literal hen do!
The girls, Mrs. Fitz, Maura and a few other women gather by the river to denude the birds everyone will eat the next day. They also drink, talk about sex and share bawdy verses. But Maura takes offense at the rhyme Ellen recites, which mentions an "unsightly simple spouse" and thinks she's making fun of Malcolm. "I hope you want this as much as my brother does," she says unkindly, and Jocasta leaps to her sister's defense in a sweet — albeit rare — moment for the two. Maura stalks off.
THE LOVERS REUNITE | Brian makes his way to Leoch, knocks out a Grant man while he's peeing near a tree, then steals the man's plaid. Then he breaks into one of the castle's storerooms, covers an empty box with a cloth and some lavender, then attempts to pretend that he's delivering a pre-wedding gift to Ellen from Malcolm. Jocasta intercepts him and narrows her eyes at his cover story. "I saw you at Beltane, with Murtagh, in Fraser tartan," she says. BUSTED! He susses out that she's one of Ellen's sisters, so he admits who he really is. "If you promise to take me to her chamber, I'll share the reason for my presence," he offers.
In Ellen's bedroom, Mrs. Fitz has begun getting her dressed for the ceremony. Ellen opens MacRannoch's gift and it's a string of pearls — no wait, it's THE string of pearls that Jamie will later give Claire and Claire will even later give Brianna. Aw, I love a nice little Fraser heirloom Easter Egg.
By the time Jocasta brings Brian into the room, Elle is all ready to go and looking like a Disney princess, albeit one who's going to the gallows. She can't believe he's there, but her shock gets even greater when Jocasta blurts out that their brother, Colum, hired the Gallowglasses. (Side note: I also love how she makes a point of saying that Murtagh is hurt, as well. She cares about him!)
"He promised me that no harm would befall you," Ellen says, bewildered. "I love you, Ellen MacKenzie, and I'm yours, always and forever, whatever that means to ye," Brian vows. And c'mon, how is ANYONE with a pulse going to stand strong against THAT? She rushes to him and they wrap their arms around each other. "You have my heart, my body and my soul," she says. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fitz is nearly turning herself inside out with worry: Colum and the Grants are going to do very bad things to the pair of 'em once they find out. But Ellen is resolute: Colum broke his promise, she reasons, "and that frees me of mine."
Ellen goes alone to see Colum, giving him one more chance to share anything with her, because "after today, such moments may be scarce." But he's all, "Nope! Everything's great! Here's a letter-writing kit so we can K.I.T. after you're hitched!" He's way less scowly than normal, but I suppose when you think that your threat is dead and your family is secure, there's less to fret about.
A FATEFUL DECISION | In another snapshot of the Beauchamps Before the Stones Seriously Screwed Up Their Lives, Julia and Henry watch Claire and her uncle play. Henry says he's going to Scotland for a solicitor's conference, and he wants her to come. "I've arranged a little holiday for us," he says, explaining that Claire will stay with Quentin while they're gone. Julia is delighted. "I've been perusing some travel brochures," he adds. "They suggest it's rather like stepping back in time." OK, simmer down there, Outlander: Blood of My Blood writers. We see you.
Then Julia has happy news of her own: She's just found out that she's pregnant again. Henry is SO happy, and it's really nice to have two full scenes in this episode where Henry and Julia are just incredibly happy, full stop. He kisses her, they laugh. It's sweet.
IN WHICH MALCOLM STARTS TO LOSE HIS MIND | Let's go back to the great hall, where everyone is seated and the torches are burning: It's time for the wedding! Except, as we learn when we see Malcolm pacing behind the scenes, Ellen is gone. "She has made a mockery of our agreement, of our clans," he spits, adding that Colum will pay for this "dearly." Everyone is very angry, and Uncle Mac decides to put a fine point on it: "If it's not a wedding that binds our clans, then it will be a price paid in blood," he demands. "We are not leaving Castle Leoch without a head or a hand." Colum, who looks like he could use some Tums, instructs Ned to summon Dougal. "We cannot go to war with the Grants," the lawyer warns, but Colum insists he fetch him.
Which brings us back to the scene from the start of the episode... except when the bride reaches the altar and removes her veil, we see that it's Maura Grant! And when the clergyman asks the groom to step forward, Dougal (!) comes to stand next to her, raising an audible gasp from the crowd. The pair are wed in a quick and unfussy ceremony, followed by polite if confused applause while the newlyweds fidget and look everywhere but at each other.
We then see that, hours earlier, Jocasta and Glenna slipped down to the root cellar where Ellen and Brian were hiding to inform them of Colum's new save-the-clan plan. Ellen is dressed as a maid, her hair covered by a cap; Jocasta says they'll come back when the reception gets going, so the lovers can slip away unnoticed.
'YE KEN WHAT TO DO' | We then return to the post-ceremony feast, where Maura and Dougal look profoundly uncomfortable at the head table. Immediately after Colum gives a toast, Maura suggests they consummate the union to make it official. "Take me to your bedchamber," she says flatly, and even though it's hardly a romantic declaration, Dougal doesn't need to be told twice.
Everyone cheers as the newlyweds step away from the table. Once they're in Dougal's room, though, he's a little discomfited. "I've seen ye," Maura says. "Ye ken what to do." I cannot convey to you enough how incredibly bored she seems with the whole affair, as though it were on her to-do list between "sweep hearth" and "empty chamber pot."
Eventually they get to it, and when Maura has a very apparent orgasm while she's on top of Dougal, he's stunned. APPARENTLY, THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO HIM BEFORE. She's frank and forthright and does not give a flying Highland fling about what anyone thinks about anything; as they carry on with the proceedings, methinks Dougal gets a kick out of his new wife.
BRIAN DOES WHAT MUST BE DONE | With everyone otherwise distracted and/or occupied, Jocasta and Glenna go downstairs to let Ellen and Brian know they're cleared to leave. There are lots of tears and sweet words exchanged but in my brain I'm like "You guys have to GOOOOOOOOOO." Eventually, they do.
Meanwhile, Malcolm is only getting drunker and more sullen as the reception progresses. When he yells at Uncle Mac, the older man suggests that Malcolm get revenge on his former fianceé in order to break the spell she holds over him. "Find out what the last cherishes most in all the world, and take it away from her," he advises. "Wound her like she's wounded you." But, like, do it tomorrow, he adds, because it's Maura's wedding day and we've got the Cupid Shuffle to do.
Malcom is mooning around in the hallway when he runs into Ellen and Brian (oh no) as they make their escape. At first, Malcolm completely misreads the situation and thinks that she's returned to him; that assumption dies an ugly death as he watches Brian take her hand. She apologizes, but he won't hear it. "You lying, two-faced jezebel," he starts in, berating her in a way that really makes me question his purportedly undying devotion of just a few days back. Ellen tries to be kind, saying that she's fond of him "but my heart belongs to Brian." After a little more belittling of Brian and his station in life, Malcolm drunkenly pulls his sword from his scabbard and starts slashing wildly. He gets Brian on the shoulder.
Brian begs for him to stop, but Malcolm won't, so they both grapple for the blade. It gets to the point that the sword is between them, and one of them is surely going to die. Then Brian forces it down and away from himself, which makes it slice into Malcolm's belly, killing him. "I'm sorry," Brian says, simply but heartfelt, and then he and his lady get on their horses and ride away.
THE BRACELETS MAKE THEIR APPEARANCE | They wind up at the bothy — or basic stone shelter — where Murtagh is hanging out. They recap the day's events, with Ellen making sure Murty knows that Brian was forced to kill Malcolm. "He forced me, but I'd do it again," Brian interjects. "I'd do anything for ye."
Ellen tends to Brian's hurt arm while he's shirtless, a fire blazing in the hearth behind him. Hmm, where ever in the world have we seen something like this before? "With you is where I'm meant to be," she says, her face a full representation of the heart-eyes emoji.
The next morning, Murtagh wakes in pain, but lies and says he's fine when Ellen asks. Brian is out scouting, so the two are there alone. She thanks him for saving Brian's life, but he counters that she did, too: "You gave him a reason to truly live." He shyly gifts her a pair of bracelets he made from a boar's tusks; those of us who've been in this book/show fandom for a while now recognize them, aye? She's touched, but says she can't accept them. "Dinna dare pity my affection for you, Ellen MacKenzie," he says. She promises him "this will be between us, and I will cherish them always, as I will cherish our friendship." In turn, he says he'll never ask her for anything "except that you let me find my happiness in yours and Brian's. It's where I find my peace." Which is lovely and all, but Murtagh you deserve some happiness of your own, you future silver fox you!
FIERY CROSSES IN THE DISTANCE | When Brian returns, Murtagh tells him he's going hunting. Then he pointedly adds that he won't return until the morning "at the very earliest," gives Brian a knowing look as he claps him on the shoulder and leaves.
"Off with that shirt, Brian Fraser," Ellen says upon hearing the news. "I need to look at your wee scratch." Now that's a euphemism I haven't heard before — oh, wait, she actually wants to see his cut. No, wait again, I was right the first time: They both just want to get naked, and now. As they undress each other, I marvel at how Brian removes her bodice and skirt and she's somehow LESS naked than she was before. Eventually she's just in her shift, and he's only wearing his kilt. "We have all the riches we need right here: time and each other," she coos. (In my notes, I write: "They are so deep in it, these gorgeous little love-stupid babies.")
In all seriousness, this love scene is so sweet and slow, and really nicely done. Ellen reaches under his kilt, slowly unraveling it until he's completely bare in front of her. He removes her shift, and they trade "I love you"s, and then it ignites. At one point, she rolls them so she's driving the train, and everyone seems happy about this turn of events.
Afterward, they sit outside with Brian's plaid draped around them. They recite their bloody vows (what? there's a lot of blood in this poetry), then he draws his dirk and cuts a shallow line in her palm. He does the same to himself, and they clasp hands, kiss and giggle while my 21st-century brain worries about how dirty his hand looks.
Brian sobers when he notices a light in the distance: fiery crosses. "A call to the men of the clans, a Jacobite rebellion," she exposits. "To seize their arms and gather to their laird, ready for battle," he adds, as though both of them haven't lived with this knowledge literally all of their lives. She wonders what he'll do. "I must go," he says. "That, or leave Scotland altogether, forever. To ignore the call is to face certain death. But to answer it..." He trails off.
"I will stand with you, whatever comes. I'm your wife," she says resolutely "And we are one." And that's where we leave the handfasted Mr. and Mrs. Fraser, clasping each other close as they look out at the smoke gathering over the hills.
WHO GOES THROUGH THE STONES?! | Henry, Julia and William make it to Craigh na Dun, the stones buzzing in the background. He's about to touch the rock when Julia worries aloud: What if the baby can't time-travel? So they make a plan for one to try with the baby, and if William can't pass, the other will stay behind with William until the one who did go through can come back.
Just then, Arch Bug and his men approach. Julia pushes her husband toward the stones, because she'll be protected — by way of her position as Simon's wife — if she's brought back. Henry, though, will have no such shield. They kiss. "My heart is with you forever. You, William and Claire," he says, handing her their son and guiding her palm toward the stones.
But what happens next... we'll have to wait until Season 2 to find out. The episode ends with a flashback to when Henry and Julia left for their fateful trip to Inverness. Claire hangs out with Uncle Lamb at the station, and they wave to her parents as the train pulls aways. "See you soon!" little Claire calls as her parents get farther and farther away. MY HEART.
Now it's your turn. Grade the season finale — and Season 1 as a whole — via the poll below, then hit the comments with your thoughts!