Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS are forward for Episode 5 of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1, referred to as “Needfire” and accessible streaming now by way of Starz with a Hulu subscription and the Starz app.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood formally hit the midway level with “Needfire” within the 2025 TV schedule, and the story goes quite a bit higher for some characters than others. In reality, a part of the episode felt like Ellen and Brian’s story was in a unique present from Julia and Henry’s, and never simply because Blood of My Blood made it to Ellen and Brian’s first steamy scene whereas Julia and Henry’s star-crossed love story is simply getting grimmer and grimmer.
In reality, if I didn’t know that Starz already renewed Blood of My Blood for Season 2, I’d in all probability suspect that there was no hope for Claire’s mother and father. They’re caught in an unimaginable place on the finish of “Needfire,” and the preview for Episode 6 means that they could be doomed at the least via the top of the primary season.
However let’s begin with the positives!
Brian And Ellen Go The Level Of No Return
Beltane lastly arrived in “Needfire,” and I’d be mendacity if I stated I haven’t been trying ahead to this episode ever for the reason that shot of Brian and Ellen dancing at what regarded like a celebration made it into the opening titles of Outlander: Blood of My Blood. What can I say? When a pair has chemistry in only a temporary shot of their palms, I’m invested of their story.
However they positive didn’t cease at touching palms and stealing a second through the dance! After Ellen managed to shake off Malcolm and Brian evaded Murtagh’s all-too-trusting presence, the 2 met up and went to an deserted church to make Ellen’s dream come true… after which some.
After they began getting extremely popular and heavy, Brian stopped and made positive they went via a handfast ceremony in order that they might be kinda sorta married earlier than he would “break” her. Whereas she was clearly all-in on sleeping with him, I’m glad that he raised the priority of ruining her, if just for her to get to say “Damage me” to him.
I believe we discovered Outlander: Blood of My Blood’s model of Bridgerton’s “I burn for you” on this episode! I additionally discovered it to be a pleasant contact that the pair couldn’t simply shrug off their garments and get to it, as a result of they had been each carrying numerous layers of their 18th century garb. They did not even shed all of them ultimately, however the kilt did not actually trigger any issues.
All in all, it was a candy and steamy encounter stolen away whereas all people else was celebrating Beltane. I actually appreciated that it was filmed equally to how Outlander handles its intercourse scenes: romantic fairly than gratuitous, with out lingering photographs of nudity for the sake of nudity. (Blood of My Blood has the similar intimacy coordinator that Outlander did.)
In fact, no person can know that Brian and Ellen handfasted after which consummated in the course of Beltane, and the episode ended their story with Ellen receiving a kiss from Malcolm Grant, who continues to be publicly her meant. There’s no going again for Brian and Ellen, and I suppose the large hope now could be that the Beltane fairies weren’t truly serving to with any fertility, as a result of now could be a nasty time for a bun within the oven.
Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater’s performances had been positively the spotlight of the Scottish facet of the story, though I’ve to provide a shout out to Rory Alexander, who performs Murtagh. Having seen each episode of Outlander, I knew completely nicely that Murtagh by no means had a shot with Ellen. Heck, seeing a single episode of Blood of My Blood with Murtagh craving from very distant was sufficient to show that he by no means had a shot with Ellen.
However Rory Alexander nonetheless made me really feel terrible for Murtagh when he noticed Brian kissing Ellen. Apparently, I’ve a smooth spot for Murtagh regardless of who’s taking part in him! (Factors taken away for his therapy of Jocasta, nonetheless.)
Are Julia And Henry Doomed?
The star-crossed English lovers from the twentieth century are beginning to really feel much more crossed than starry, with Henry seeming on the verge of falling aside the longer he goes with out discovering his spouse. As for Julia… nicely, Ellen could also be in a troublesome place together with her brothers, her meant, and her secret handfasted kinda sorta husband, however Julia’s scenario appears all however hopeless.
In “Needfire,” Davina ruined her plan to go to Beltane with Brian to hopefully attain the stones and reunite together with her husband, and Brian’s facet of the story proved that the plan in all probability would have labored. It had in some way by no means occurred to me after Brian and Julia’s dialog within the earlier episode about her husband that Brian would not see proper via Davina’s declare that Simon was the daddy, however I used to be sadly unsuitable on that depend.
Whereas all people was off at Beltane, Julia had to stick with Simon Fraser after he introduced a fortune teller into Fortress Leathers to do a studying about “his” son… as one does, I assume? The fortune teller promised a son who would have a key function in “uniting clans for hundreds of years to come back” and can play his half when “the face of our nation is in peril.”
Simon assumed that meant a Scotsman from his bloodline will make it to the throne. Having seen Outlander, nonetheless, that fortune is unsuitable until Julia provides beginning to her son and he in some way leads to the English line of succession.
I’m curious to know if Julia and/or Henry is nicely sufficient versed in historical past to know that not one of the Jacobite risings of the 18th century ended with a Scottish king. Claire had the advantages of Frank’s lectures to know her historical past earlier than she went again in time on Outlander; neither Julia nor Henry appears to be a Scottish historical past buff.
Regardless of the case, the episode ended on a observe that indicated Lord Lovat positively wouldn’t be letting Julia very far out of his sight after the prophecy, to the purpose that he threatened Davina’s life when she tried to trace to him that Julia was pregnant with one other man’s son.
It Will get Worse In The Subsequent Episode
Based mostly on the promo for the upcoming sixth episode, Simon Fraser is about to grow to be just about all people’s downside. There’s sufficient of a time soar between the top of “Needfire” and starting of the following {that a} closely pregnant Julia’s water breaks, with Simon saying that he and Julia had been “to be married earlier than the beginning.” Apparently, the lord places an entire lot of inventory within the prophecies of a fortune teller! Have a look:
Watch On
The individual going through probably the most imminent issues is definitely Julia, as she’ll be going through childbirth within the 1700s in addition to being compelled into a wedding with Lord Lovat. I believe there isn’t any method Henry goes to take any of the reveals aside from Julia’s survival nicely, primarily based on the look on his face when he hears that the midwife doesn’t have excellent news for him. As for Brian, his father marrying Julia earlier than she provides beginning would imply that his – so far as he is aware of – half-sibling would grow to be his father’s professional son and inheritor.
And contemplating that there’s no sign up Outlander of a Scottish claimant to the throne aside from Bonnie Prince Charlie, it appears that evidently nothing goes in response to plan for the infant both. No matter occurs subsequent, it’s exhausting to think about the story getting any higher for Julia and Henry earlier than it will get a lot, a lot worse. They appear doomed to heartache, on the very least, and I’d be fearful about Julia’s life if we weren’t simply 5 episodes right into a present during which she’s one of many 4 leads.
However hey, at the least Brian and Ellen lived as much as each interval romance expectation in “Needfire” earlier than the preview that exposed how dangerous issues are going to get! Hold tuning in to Starz on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET for the most recent episodes of Outlander: Blood of My Blood.