Outlander: Blood of My Blood Recap: Rip Your Heart Out

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Life in the Scottish Highlands is a whirlwind of social events! Just after the chaotic Beltane gathering – complete with a Jacobite raid and a rather embarrassing incident – everyone is now traveling to Braemar. All this activity means the horses are being pushed to their limits with the demanding *Blood of My Blood*. Surely someone should be concerned about their well-being?

So, what’s going on at Braemar? The Earl of Mar is holding a gathering – supposedly a sporting event called the tynchal. But it quickly becomes clear he’s actually brought all the clans together to decide whether or not to support the Jacobite cause and he wants to put it to a vote. He even invites Rob Roy MacGregor to give a powerful speech basically warning everyone that the English will definitely betray them. It’s surprisingly effective! While many readers are likely enjoying the romantic storylines in *Blood of My Blood*, this meeting has real consequences for several characters we’ve come to care about.

It’s no surprise that Dougal gets excited whenever he senses Jacobite activity. His brother, Colum, however, is constantly stressed and becomes particularly furious when Rob Roy appears. Colum is desperate for an alliance with the Grants to succeed – the MacKenzies are nearly bankrupt, and he enjoys being in control – but the Grants are loyal to the crown. He’s especially angered when Rob Roy identifies Dougal as the one who previously donated a large sum of money to their cause before they were stopped. Colum is absolutely furious.

He dragged his brother into their tent and angrily confronted him for betraying both him and their clan. Dougal’s actions could have serious consequences for everyone. He accused him of being selfish and reminded him of his loyalty. He then, as brothers often do, threatened to silence Dougal permanently if he ever lied or kept secrets again. Despite being the MacKenzies’ strongman, Dougal was clearly frightened by the threat. This is particularly bad news for Ellen, because the secret Dougal has been hiding-his knowledge of her and Brian Fraser being close-is now at risk of being revealed.

Ellen is in danger again this episode! We meet Malcolm McKinnon Grant, Isaac Grant’s brother and Malcolm’s uncle-let’s just call him Uncle Grant. He’s instantly unlikeable, but fascinating. He arrives at Castle Leoch demanding to meet Malcolm’s beloved, Ellen, and essentially forces Colum and Dougal out of their home to do so. He then has a surprisingly gentle conversation with Ellen about why Malcolm loves her, before questioning her about the accusations against her. She explains they came from someone who wants to harm the MacKenzies, which seems to satisfy him. However, he admits he’s wary of Ellen’s intelligence and persuasive abilities, traits she apparently inherited from her father. He delivers a chilling message to his future niece-in-law: if she hurts Malcolm, he’ll retaliate with extreme force-and then *smiles*. He’s a delightfully wicked villain, and exactly what the show needs.

Uncle Grant is far more intimidating than Lord Lovat, and the show really highlights that contrast. During a meeting hosted by the Earl of Mar, Lovat gets visibly upset about the discussion of a Scottish king, realizing it brings the prophecy about the Fraser family line closer to reality. He even brought someone he believes is his son, hoping to gain support for the prophecy – though he’s being manipulated by Julia and Brian so Julia can go to Braemar to see Henry. Lovat, thrilled by this development, tries to tell the Earl he has information about his heir, promising to share it once they’re away from clans he deems unworthy, like the MacKenzies. But then Uncle Grant steps in. Knowing that insulting the MacKenzies is now the same as insulting the Grants, he refuses to let Lovat get away with it. In front of all the lairds, Grant publicly scolds Lovat, calling him a liar and a scoundrel and dismissing the idea of his heir as nonsense. He delivers a particularly cutting insult, calling Lovat a “detestable nodcock,” which is definitely my favorite moment. It’s clear Uncle Grant was a great addition to the story!

Lord Lovat is deeply embarrassed, and this creates a serious issue for Brian. Feeling powerless himself, Lovat lashes out at the one person he *can* control: Brian. He angrily blames Brian for bringing disgrace to his family and cruelly mocks his intimacy with Ellen, now that she’s lost her virginity. Lovat then physically assaults and disowns Brian. Unfortunately, this isn’t even the worst thing that happens to Brian at Braemar.

Colum was furious to discover Ellen’s involvement with Brian, and he threatened to harm Brian if it meant Ellen would stay away from him. Ellen responded by warning him that after she married Malcolm, she’d influence him to end the alliance between their families, the Grants and the MacKenzies. They eventually reached a deal: Colum would agree not to hurt Brian, and Ellen would break things off with Brian and proceed with her marriage to Malcolm. It was a perfectly normal relationship between brother and sister, of course.

It absolutely breaks my heart, but Ellen realizes she has to end things with Brian to keep him safe. After a conversation with Julia, it really hit me – sometimes love means making incredibly difficult choices. So, she meets Brian and just… rips off the band-aid. She tells him straight up that she doesn’t love him, that it was never meant to be, and that they’re finished. He’s completely shocked and doesn’t want to believe her, but she stands firm. It’s brutal, but she knows it’s for the best.

Brian suspects she’s hiding something, and he’s deeply upset after a recent breakup and being rejected by his father. Instead of participating in the hunt as a Fraser, he’s relegated to a menial task, and even his drumming reflects his despair. Just when things seem as bad as they can get, he finds himself targeted by dangerous assassins known as the Gallowglass while everyone else is focused on a boar hunt. This might actually be the most difficult situation Brian faces at Braemar.

Luckily, Murtagh arrives just in time to save Brian from a potentially deadly attack. Even though he’s still jealous of Brian’s relationship with Claire, Murtagh makes it clear he’s the one who should be allowed to fight him – almost playfully. It’s a surprisingly heartwarming scene, even with the two of them needing to escape on horseback.

Things really escalated at Braemar! Brian and Murtagh have disappeared, presumably to join the Jacobite rising, and it seems like the clans are fully committed to the cause now. On a happier note, Malcolm Grant got to say goodbye to Ellen, knowing their wedding day is just around the corner. It looks like we’re going to be busy with Highland events right up to the very end!

Clan Business

Julia and Henry finally spend some quality time together at Braemar, and Henry gets to meet his son, but the reunion feels somewhat disappointing. The awkwardness might be because Julia isn’t able to explain the situation with Castle Leathers to Henry herself-Lord Lovat speaks about it first. Both Julia and Henry look incredibly uncomfortable as Lovat describes the woman who seduced him.

Once Brian explains the situation to Henry, Henry is determined to rescue his wife and son immediately. Ned suggests waiting for the right opportunity, which he calls a ‘tyncahl,’ but Henry and Julia’s conversation is interrupted – they’re being watched by Balloch and the nurse caring for William and Simon. Julia tells Henry to meet her at Castle Leathers, where she’ll leave a signal indicating where he should wait; she has a plan to escape.

• Seema’s lurking around Braemar, too. Is she going to ruin things for Henry and Julia?!

The clans decided to fight for the Stuart king, largely because of Uncle Grant, who unexpectedly became a strong advocate for the cause. He also made it clear that he was the one truly in charge of Clan Grant.

When the Earl of Mar began the uprising to support the Stuarts, the very top of the flagpole actually broke off. Given how superstitious the Scots are, that’s probably not a good omen and likely worried a lot of people.

Did anyone notice Murtagh watching those dancers? It’s clear now where he picked up the dance moves he showed off while he and Claire were looking for Jamie in the first season.

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2025-09-26 15:56