Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Braemar

Blood of my Blood gathers all the major players for the penultimate episode in a celebration of messy character drama.

Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 1 Episode 9, “Braemar,” is a feast of grand settings and festering romantic tension that leads us into the final hour with its head held high.

The show does its best work in front of an audience. Each time an episode uses a communal gathering as the backdrop for Ellen and Julia’s romantic misfortunes, the storytelling shines far brighter.

The gaggle of Scottish nobles wandering about, the luxurious historical castles, and the rituals built into these annual events are a rich playground. This hunting party is just another appreciated excuse to break free from those dreadfully empty ballrooms.

Additionally, the Earl of Mar’s secret proposition to unite his fellow Scots against the British crown sweetens the pot. His political agenda provides us with another tantalizing glimpse into the beginnings of the rebellion.

The gold topper to the Jacobite flag dislodging and plummeting to the ground seconds after the Earl declares his allegiance is a chilling bout of foreshadowing. Arguably, this nod to the execution of the cause is the most brilliant moment of the show so far.

However, the show has struggled to make some of its characters feel whole.

Outlander has years of book material to draw from and makes every single ensemble player feel like a fully fleshed-out character. Blood of my Blood hasn’t quite followed in those footsteps.

It has frustratingly reduced big players like Dougal, Colin, and Murtagh to shells of the characters they are in Outlander, often just using them as tools for whatever the plot requires. Thankfully, we are finally seeing the tides change in this regard.

Colin and Dougal get some much-needed screen time to give us more context into where they land in this war between Ellen’s heart and Scotland’s call to action.

We could absolutely see more of them, but this is a start in rectifying the struggle with those beyond the show’s core four characters.

Colin and Ellen’s argument, where he tries to play her and she shuts down every twist of his words with blatant disregard, is incredibly unnerving to watch. These two are the brains of the clan, and when they go to war against each other, it is unlike any physical battle.

It’s rewarding to see Ellen set aside her pretenses for Brian and give Colin the verbal sparing she is more than capable of delivering.

It’s also lovely to see Murtagh shrug off this love-sick henchman role. His persona was one that we fell so in love with in Outlander that the show infamously ignored his death in favour of keeping him around.

So when he throws himself in the line of fire for Brian and jokes that no one else is allowed to kill Brian but him, it feels so undeniably like our Murtagh.

The penultimate falters in its handling of Ellen and Brian’s mellow-dramatic breakup — or triumph, depending on how over the top you like your breakups! It’s giving Romeo and Juliet, but make it Riverdale, in a way that you can’t quite dislike.

That said, Julia and Henry fare much better.

Bringing them back together physically doesn’t seem to slow the momentum of their inability to actually be together romantically, with Lovat always lingering nearby to ruin the fun.

They are a promising piece in this complicated puzzle of feelings and betrayal that is slowly, expertly coming together.

Here’s to hoping the season finale can capitalize on the successes of these episodes that exemplify the Scottish community and traditions. After all, they are the ones who ignite the fire at the core of Outlander’s stories.

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Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs Fridays at 8/7c on Starz and is available on Starz streaming platforms.

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