Note: This story contains spoilers from “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” Episode 8.
“Outlander: Blood of My Blood” put Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) through the ringer in its latest episode, and also featured the long-awaited reunion of Henry and Julia — albeit for just a quick minute.
Episode 8, titled “A Virtuous Woman, followed as Ellen underwent a series of tests to determine her virginity. The results of the test would determine if her betrothal to Malcolm Grant (Jhon Lumsden) could move forward and save her life. A guilt-ridden Brian (Jamie Roy) — after sleeping with Ellen and then accidentally setting off the chain of events leading to the test — was set on helping Ellen get through this by any means necessary, which lead Julia (Hermione Corfield) to use skills she’d picked up in an old book to make a remedy to ensure Ellen would pass the test.
And as Malcolm stood by to await answers on his future wife’s virtue, the circumstances meant his begrudging advisor Henry (Jeremy Irvine) was in the same place as his wife Julia for the first time since separately traveling in time from the aftermath of World War I to 18th Century Scotland.
“We finally got them all in the same place, and that’s why I think this one’s going to be really rewarding for the people who’ve waited all this time, who’d hoped for it and now they get it,” showrunner Matthew B. Roberts told TheWrap.
The virtue tests involved Ellen drinking a special liquid and then publicly urinating, as a doctor examined if “her water” was clear enough to signal her virtue was intact. It also involved an intimate examination — also in public.
Roberts said conversations with Slater and Azhur Saleem — who directed Episodes 8-10 — ensured filming would be handled with care. But “Harriet was 100% on board. She knew that we had to put the character through this.” With Julia’s help, Ellen passes her test and dodges a big bullet, which also means that her wedding to Malcolm can proceed as planned and any hope of being with Brian is all but lost — at least for now.
And before Julia begins to quietly leave Ellen’s home, she stumbles into Henry in the corridor and the star-crossed lovers finally reunite. The emotional scene left many who watched early cuts of the episode in tears, including those heavily involved in editing.
The twists didn’t stop there though, as the episode ended with the reveal that Malcolm’s father, leader of the Grant family, had died earlier that day. The twist signals big changes ahead for the already fractured relationships among the Scottish clans, only two episodes left this season.
Look below for more from Roberts about all that went down in Episode 8, and his thoughts on all those theories about Julia’s new baby:
TheWrap: Episode 8 is a big one, with Ellen MacKenzie enduring an invasive virginity test to preserve her betrothal to Malcolm Grant. How did you go about cracking how this storyline would go down in the writers room?
Early days, we knew we wanted to get to this moment where the characters question her virtue and put her life on the line. It was an element of, “How do we add stakes to the story?” And what could be higher than if she fails a test she could die.
And we wanted to get Brian involved in that story as well, because in the books, they just kind of meet and run off together and that’s it. We wanted to delay that element of their story, the gratification of that, and put more and more pressure on the couples and the characters.
This was also a way of getting all four characters in the same room too, which we wanted to do desperately, but it was very hard. We finally got them all in the same place, and that’s why I think this one’s going to be really rewarding for the people who’ve waited all this time, who’d hoped for it and now they get it.
Brian and Julia come into the fold and help Ellen in this mission. It’s fun to see how both couples and their storylines have been diverging all season. How was it to interweave those storylines this season?
To get all four of them in the same place was one of the most challenging story points.
In a weird way, Julia using her modern ability to read is what helps Ellen. But the knowledge that came out of the book that she’s quoting is from the time they’re in, which is funny, because most people couldn’t read. I thought that was the fun part of it, that that was her superpower
There’s also a great moment where Julia is very selfless, where Brian says, “You can go, you can go that way, and that’s the way out.” And she’s like, “I couldn’t live my life not knowing.” And these are those little beats, those little moments, if you pay attention as you’re watching this story is, if she goes to Henry, who knows what happens to Ellen, who knows what happens to Brian and Jamie Frazier, doesn’t get to be born anymore.
Harriet Slater gives an incredibly vulnerable performance. How were those conversations with her and the director to bring this sequence to life?
We knew it was going to be very tough, the subject matter and what was happening to her, both in an 18th century context and a 21st century context. But Harriet was 100% on board. She knew that we had to put the character through this.
What’s so fantastic about Harriet is that she plays with Brian this vulnerability. She opens up, her heart is on her sleeve. But man, when she needs to be tough. You get out of her way, you move aside. And there’s a great moment after she passes the test that she just stares down her brothers. There’s something burning.
I think all of our actors are really just amazing in their ranges.
By the end of the episode, Ellen’s virtue has been confirmed. Her marriage is on, and we do get this small but very earned Julia and Henry reunion for the first time in the past. How was it to get to that moment and craft that reunion?
I’ll tell you when we were cutting that, everybody who saw it was crying … When you have people who work on the show and they’ve seen cuts and watched it and are still responding emotionally, you know you have something. And that was happening across the board.
There were people just in tears and grabbing at Kleenexes and I’m like “that’s going to work.”
Henry’s PTSD has been acting up in recent episodes, and it seemed like he wasn’t entirely sure if seeing Julia was real or not. Where’s his head after that chance encounter?
I think he knows. He was murky until he touched her. He had to feel that she was real and knew it was really her. I think that (encounter) gave him new life, and we’ll see where that takes him in the next two episodes.
Then Brian and Julia are running away, and we know that Mrs. Fitzgibbons now knows about Brian and Ellen. She gives him a very clear warning to stay away from her in these final moments. How does that impact things moving forward?
Well, let me ask you a question. Do you think he’ll stay away? We know he doesn’t, because Jamie Fraser lives so …
Storywise, what’s nice about overcoming Harriet’s hurdle is that in passing the test, the wedding can go forward. That’s a double-edged sword. Obviously you don’t want her to die, but by passing the test it’s a win-win and a lose-lose at the same time.
The win is she stays alive, but the loss is she’s not with Brian and there’s no hope really at this moment. She has to marry Malcolm because of the betrothal and the contract between the two families. So let’s see where that goes. We got Episode 9 and 10 to work that out.
The Grants get one final hit before the episode ends when they learn that the laird has died, signaling big shifts ahead. The next episode was written by Diana Gabaldon so that tells me it’s going to be huge. What can you tease about what’s coming?
I could tease that this is one of those great moments where we get everybody in the same spot. In Episode 9 everybody gets in the mix together. There’s one event at Braemar, — the location that is also the title of the episode — a lot happens at Braemar.
A lingering mystery that we’re all wondering about, and that’s Julia’s baby and how he fits into the larger “Outlander” world, since we haven’t really heard about him before. Will we get answers this season?
No … OK, we’re going to give them answers, but they’re not going to be for the questions you guys are asking. I’ll tell you this: The idea of where baby William — or Simon, whatever name you’re using — is, I have a little plan for it.
I know there’s a ton of theories out there, which I’d love to hear about, but I think at the end of the day, I’ll say it might subvert some expectations.
Have any of the theories you’ve seen come close yet?
Partially. They might start in the right spot, but I don’t know if they’re ending in the right spot.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“Outlander: Blood of my Blood” releases new episodes Fridays on Starz.
