For more than three decades, readers and viewers have been enthralled with the timeless love story of Jamie and Claire Fraser of the Outlander series, both in print and the Starz television series.
On August 8, the Outlander universe expands even further into a new Starz series, Blood of My Blood, a prequel featuring Jamie and Claire’s parents.
From the moment they meet, Bryan Fraser and Ellen Mackenzie are star-crossed lovers who must overcome obstacles created by their warring Scottish clans. Their love transcends the bloody politics of the time, as does the romance of Claire’s parents, Julia Morrison and Henry Beauchamp. The latter 20th-century couple discover they are kindred spirits through the exchange of passionate letters, and engage in a whirlwind romance set against a backdrop of World War I.
Rather than being a linear love story of the two separate couples, there is an extraordinary twist that fans will adore. Julia and Henry are time travelers, and they journey through the stones to the rugged Scottish Highlands of Ellen and Bryan’s time. After all, this is Outlander and, like daughter, like parents.
And like Claire, they are unwillingly thrust into the service of the warring clans, lost to each other and praying to be reunited again. This is especially difficult for Julia and Ellen because it is a time when women are treated like chattel, under the control of families seeking to make alliances. These two feisty women are battered around like chess pieces, but, in the end, they know how to outwit the scheming men in their lives.
Throughout the series, viewers and readers are also introduced to the younger versions of fan favorites Dougal and Collum Mackensie, who fight to become laird following their father’s death. Impish Murtaugh Fitzgibbons becomes Bryan’s best friend and is torn by his unrequited love for Ellen, while roguish teens Angus and Rupert stir up trouble around the castle.
There are also plenty of hidden nuggets that will tickle the ardent fans’ fancy with insights into the backstory of the original series. No spoilers here! But even if someone has never watched Outlander, it’s easy to become swept up in the grandeur, the passion, and the exciting new cast of this historical drama. And the physical similarity between the actors playing Bryan and his son, Jamie Fraser, is uncanny.
At its heart, Blood of My Blood is an Outlander origin story about family, love and power during two ruthless times in the world’s history. And how two couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, and how their narratives unfold in surprising and unforeseen ways.
So, put on your kilt, sit back and catch two episodes on August 8 on all streaming or on-demand Starz platforms. New episodes, totaling ten, air on Fridays.
A Quartet of Questions for Matthew B. Roberts
As you’ll see from the interview with the series showrunner, producer and writer Matthew B. Roberts, he believes that Jamie and Claire were fated through time to meet each other, and perhaps, their parents were responsible for that union. With an intriguing premise like that, Blood of My Blood should be number one on your summer must-watch list.
What intrigued you about Jamie and Claire’s backstory? And what inspired you to create Blood of My Blood?
It felt so natural. As you read the books, you want to discover where they come from. At least I did. Who created these two fantastic characters, other than Diana Gabaldon? Were they destined from birth to know and be together? I think that’s really the fun part of this series, to see how we intertwine these stories, and to find out that maybe they were fated from birth.
In reading the books and watching the Outlander series, Ellen and Bryan’s stories have been more defined. Julia and Henry are mentioned in passing, along with Uncle Lamb. What challenges did this present in creating the characters for Blood of My Blood when there was little original source material?
With Claire’s parents, Henry and Julia, there is a backstory there. We tried to dig through the books and discover who Claire is and who she became. And also, there are stories in the books about Uncle Lamb. And you thread that across from the book to the series.
For example, Claire received her romantic side, her sense of passion, from Henry, not Julia. The debate goes on about that, and it is partly true. You can see that as we go through the stories. The curiosity comes from her mom, but the sense of survival and to love with all your heart comes from her father.
We learn that Claire’s parents were time travelers, which explains her ability to time travel. How did you come up with that idea?
When I was thinking about the series, just telling the stories about Bryan and Ellen would have been a linear story about one couple falling in love and their life together. But it didn’t feel Outlandery.
And while I was reading one of the Outlander scripts, Claire said something about her parents that struck me. And I asked: What if they didn’t die in a car crash? Then it also struck me that Claire’s a time traveler, and the gene carries on to her daughter. So, the magic of our world said it was a genetic trait.
Then it began to snowball. What if they were in Scotland when the car crash happened? What if they went through the stones? What if their story connected with the Bryan and Ellen story? What if they were integral to helping Jamie and Claire get together? That is how it evolved.
Did Diana Gabaldon, as an executive producer, assist with the shaping of the characters?
Diana is a consulting producer on Blood of My Blood, and she’s given input on both series. She tells us what she thinks. She receives all the scripts and sees all the dailies, so she can weigh in on anything she wants. She also wrote Episode 109 of Blood of My Blood, and we co-wrote the season finale.
