The Outlander-verse has expanded with a new spin-off series, Blood of My Blood, that will thrill fans of the original show and frustrate them in equal measure.
While the steamy Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe-starring original series, based on Diana Gabaldon’s historical fantasy novels, focused on the love story between Highlander Jamie Fraser and time-travelling nurse Claire Randall, Blood of My Blood is a 10 episode prequel that reveals how Claire’s parents found each other in England during World War I, and how Jamie’s parents came together in 18th century Scotland.
The story of Jamie’s father, Brian Fraser, and mother, Ellen MacKenzie, (played by the excellent Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater) has already been touched on, with Jamie relating to Claire on their wedding night how his mother fled her castle home under the noses of her protective brothers to be with the man she loved. The first episode of Blood of My Blood starts the chain of events that will one day lead to that nighttime escape, by introducing us to Ellen, her ageing father Red, and her two fiery brothers, Dougal and Colum.
Dougal and Colum are both in line to be Laird of Castle Leoch after their father dies, but a Gathering of local clans will decide who will be crowned the new chief. Among those who arrive for this days-long feast is Brian, the bastard son of the lecherous Lord Lovat, and Brian’s cousin and best friend, Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser.
Sanne Gault//STARZ
The MacKenzie/Fraser origin story encapsulates all that is great about Outlander — there is fighting, simmering rivalries, fascinating clan rituals and, of course, some steamy moments — and it also offers something even better for devoted fans. As well as seeing Ellen for the first time and a young Brian, Murtagh, Dougal and Colum, whom we know from Outlander, we are introduced to a young Ned Gowan (the MacKenzie’s lawyer), Ellen’s sister Jocasta, and even teen versions of beloved characters Angus and Rupert, played by the sons of the original actors.
There are numerous fun bits of Outlander lore, too, including the origin of Claire’s boar tusk bracelets and the reappearance of the symbolic meadowlark bird, as well as the potential for some juicy twists and turns that even those who know the books inside out won’t be expecting.
Unfortunately, just before the end of the first episode, it all goes a bit pear shaped. We are pulled away from the Leoch clan action and suddenly thrust into the 20th century where Claire’s holidaying parents Julia and Henry Beauchamp (Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine) are enjoying the Scottish countryside (and as it is Outlander, you know what that means). The amorous pair then find themselves at Craigh na Dun, the time travelling stone circle their daughter will go through a couple of decades later. Uh oh.
Sanne Gault//STARZ
The second episode, released with the first, does let us know how Julia and Henry met during World War I. Despite Corfield and Irvine’s sweet performances, it’s just not that interesting, but thankfully, after about 25 minutes of war cliches and stiff upper lips, we get back to Craigh na Dun only to discover that the couple have separately travelled through the stones and ended up in the time and location of Jamie’s parents. Wait, what?
In a disturbing sort of Back to the Future-style family twist, this change to Julia and Henry’s origin story (Claire believed they died in a car crash on their Scottish trip) means they could somehow be involved Brian and Ellen’s romance, thus even having some input into Jamie’s future existence. And even worse, it could mean that at least one of Claire’s parents is still alive when Claire travels back a couple of decades later. Which just feels wrong.
There are enough potential timey-wimey problems with this to make Doctor Who’s head spin, and while Outlander viewers have become used to swallowing unbelievable coincidences, the choice to link the Frasers’ and Beauchamps’ love stories seems like one fantastical moment too far. It doesn’t help that Julia’s story mirrors her daughter’s just a bit too much, or that Julia and Henry’s initial romance isn’t exciting enough for us to care whether they are reunited or not.
When Blood of My Blood was first announced, it was reported that it would be the story of Jamie’s parents and would be partly based on author Diana Gabaldon’s own plans for prequel novels about the couple.
With eight more episodes of this season to go, and another season already filming in Scotland, we can only hope that in future episodes more time will be spent on their story — or that spending some time in the windswept Scottish highlands will help the bland Beauchamps become even half as interesting as those fascinating and feisty Frasers.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on 8 August with episodes one and two. Outlander airs on Starz in the US, and streams via MGM+ on Prime Video Channels in the UK.
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Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.