The expansion of time travel is almost upon us as the prequel series, Outlander: Blood of my Blood, arrives on Starz on August 8. While the flagship series follows one epic love story, the spin-off will go one further, chronicling the parallel love stories of Jamie’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie (played by Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), and Claire’s folks, Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine). The upcoming series’ most recent trailer reveals an unexpected plot twist to the story. We find out that although Julia and Henry begin their story in their time with World War I raging, they somehow both end up in 18th-century Scotland. Basically, they find themselves in the time period of the Scots, Ellen and Brian.
In the original series, Julia and Henry’s daughter, Claire Beauchamp (Caitríona Balfe), finds herself traveling back through time and arriving in 18th-century Scotland. There she meets and falls in love with Scotsman, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and through their interactions we understand that Claire always thought her parents died in an accident when she was a young girl. Could it be that Claire’s parents have always been close by during her early years in Scotland? Speaking to TV Line in an interview, Corfield discusses what that twist means for Claire’s overall journey in the Outlander universe.
“The reveal being in the time period that she — I mean, it’s earlier, obviously — the fact that they were there, I think, makes the whole thing more tragic. Because she always thought she was an orphan, when in actual fact, her parents were alive and probably closer than she thought.”
Ellen MacKenzie Is Well Equpped For The Challenges Coming in ‘Outlander: Blood of my Blood’
When Outlander: Blood of my Blood premieres, there will be a ton of high-stakes drama to sink our teeth into. Raunchy and sexy fun won’t be far behind, with the same being said for clan intrigue. The union between Brian and Ellen will provide the needed spark for clan politics to kick off. With the passing of her father, Ellen will have to navigate the opinions of the other men in her family as she seeks to find her way. Brian is the bastard son of Simon Fraser, a.k.a. Lord Lovat (Tony Curran), a calculating local landholder. Brian’s status and standing in society will make his union with Ellen tricky. However, with clan politics and intrigue, Ellen “plays the game very well,” and Slater reveals her character will navigate these tricky waters well.
“There are certain things she can’t do and that she can’t say because she is a woman, and she finds other ways to engineer situations to her advantage — but also to the advantage of the clan, because ultimately, that’s what she wants: She wants to protect the clan. She’s very clever about it, because at that time, women couldn’t speak their minds.”
In the original Outlander series, we saw just how powerful the love shared between Jamie and Claire was able to withstand any and all obstacles to its survival. Slater reveals that once Ellen comes into contact with Brian, the audience for Outlander: Blood of my Blood will see a different side of her. “It’s really lovely that when she meets Brian, she is able to be her true self,” Slater continues. “I really liked our scenes for that reason: There was an ease about them and a youthful freedom. They felt different from Ellen’s other scenes, where she was more constrained.”
Mark your calendars. Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres August 8. Stay with Collider for the latest updates.
Source: collider.com