Episode 406: "Blood of My Blood" (SPOILERS!)

Jamie and William in Outlander Episode 406

Here are my reactions to Episode 406 of the OUTLANDER TV series, titled "Blood of My Blood". This is a wonderful episode, a real treat for book-readers, and I enjoyed it very much!

*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***

There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.


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The opening shot, featuring Jamie removing a snake from the privy, made me laugh. Book-readers will recognize it instantly as a reference to the hilarious "Willie-in-the-privy" scene from DRUMS OF AUTUMN chapter 25, "Enter a Serpent".

Jamie is sawing wood in the yard near the cabin when Lord John Grey arrives unexpectedly. (For the second time in as many episodes, Jamie's hair is -- briefly -- back to a style similar to the way he wore it in Season 1.)

Meanwhile, Claire and Murtagh are fetching water from the stream when they hear a boy shouting for help nearby. It turns out to be William, the Ninth Earl of Ellesmere, with his legs covered with leeches. I was interested to see that the production team found a way to make the leeches reasonably lifelike and realistic in this episode, after they'd tried and failed to do that in one of the early episodes of Season 1.

The young actor who plays William, Oliver Finnegan, looks and sounds very much like an older version of Clark Butler, who played the six-year-old Willie in Episode 304, "Of Lost Things". Another excellent choice from the OUTLANDER casting team!

"He insists that we call him William now." That's not in the book, but it's totally believable to me.

David Berry is excellent as always as Lord John, and he did a wonderful job in this episode!

I love the look of shock on Claire's face when she sees Lord John for the first time, but she recovers pretty quickly.

It took me a minute to recall why Lord John knows Murtagh, but then I remembered that in the show, Murtagh was at Ardsmuir, as we saw in Episode 303 ("All Debts Paid").

William's manners are impeccable, as you'd expect from a young earl.

The dinner conversation is somewhat awkward, but I smiled when Lord John mentioned the Beefsteak, which readers of the Lord John books and stories will recognize at once as his favorite gentlemen's club in London.

So Young Ian is out hunting with the Cherokee. That's a convenient explanation for his absence in this episode, but I don't mind. With Ian gone, the focus stays firmly on Jamie and Claire's relationship with Lord John and William.

I liked John's description of Young Ian as "the young man for whom you crossed an ocean."

Murtagh definitely does not care for the idea that Governor Tryon is building himself a palace in New Bern. (Tryon Palace is a real place, by the way, and worth visiting if you happen to be in the area.) And just like that, the conversation turns to politics, and the Regulator movement.

John's description of the Regulators is succinct: "By all accounts, they're unreasonable and dangerous. A menace to the backcountry, and given to causing disruption by means of riot." Notice Murtagh glaring at him, but managing to keep his mouth shut.

"There is the backcountry, John, and there is the wilderness." This line comes straight from the book. (DRUMS OF AUTUMN chapter 25, "Enter a Serpent")

The tension between Lord John and Murtagh just crackles in this scene. Very well-acted by both Duncan Lacroix and David Berry!

So William is too spoiled, or too fastidious, to use a privy outside? It's a wonder he made it through a weeks-long ocean crossing, or the journey on horseback to Fraser's Ridge, which must have included a few days' sleeping out in the open. Still, it's an excuse for Jamie to spend a few minutes alone with the boy.

"Mac. Is your name not MacKenzie?" So William does indeed remember "Mac", unlike in the book. I think this is realistic. It's only been about four years since they last saw one another.

"Do you remember me?" I like the way Jamie smiles, responding with vast understatement, "Fondly."

When Jamie asks if he still has the little wooden snake, William says stiffly, "I'm too old for toys, sir." That's true, but it must have disappointed Jamie to hear it.

The little scene between Lord John and Claire has the air of an interrogation, with Claire, for once, in the role of the investigator asking uncomfortable questions. It reminded me of all the times in Season 1 when Claire herself was accused of being a spy.

I liked the next scene, with Jamie and Claire, very much, but it was so pitch-dark that I couldn't figure out where they were. Outside somewhere?

"When he said my name, my heart raced. I wanted to swing him through the air, as I did when he was a wee lad." Awww, that's sad.

"When the lad was near three, Lord Dunsany brought him to the stables for his first ride." I was surprised and delighted to see they included this bit from THE SCOTTISH PRISONER. It's one of my favorite scenes from that book:
Entranced, [Willie] toddled forward and hugged Philemon’s head in an access of pure love. The horse’s long-lashed eyes widened in surprise and he blew out air through his nose, ruffling the child’s clothes, but did no more than bob his head a bit, lifting Willie a few inches into the air, then setting him gently down as he resumed his eating.

William laughed, a giggle of pure delight, and Jamie and Lord Dunsany looked at each other and smiled, then glanced aside, each embarrassed.

(From THE SCOTTISH PRISONER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 5, "Why Am Not I at Peace?". Copyright© 2011 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Actually, all of the Jamie-and-Willie scenes in THE SCOTTISH PRISONER are terrific, and I highly recommend the book if you haven't read it yet.

"As soon as our guests leave, I'll be expecting your full attention," Claire says. If you've seen the episode, this is clearly meant as foreshadowing of the final scene.

It's understandable that Murtagh is not happy about the fact that Jamie and Lord John are friends, but the business with the Regulators is only the pretext for this conversation. The real point of it becomes apparent with this exchange:

"Willie has lost two mothers. John Grey is all he has left."
"And how does that make the lad your responsibility?"
Jamie turns away without answering, and Murtagh says, "He's yours, isn't he?"

Interesting. In the books, this conversation would never take place, because the people who know William's true paternity (Jamie, Claire, and Lord John) would never under any circumstances speak of it to anyone else. But the writers of this episode need to convey the information to the TV viewers who haven't read the books (and to anyone who hasn't seen Season 3), so Murtagh is the logical person to do that.

"Don't worry about me keeping your secrets. I've kept them, each and every one."

That's true. Jamie and Claire trusted Murtagh to keep the secret of Claire's time-traveling (in Season 2 when they were in Paris), so presumably he'll keep his mouth shut on this subject as well.

The next scene, with Lord John and Jamie playing chess and drinking Jamie's homemade whisky, is based on a scene from the beginning of DRUMS chapter 26, "Plague and Pestilence". I like the pottery mugs they're drinking from very much.

It's been a long time since we've seen Jamie relaxed enough to burst out laughing, but he does that here, and it's good to see it.

The bit where John asks, "Do you feel yourself content?" and Jamie's response, comes straight from the book, with the words only slightly rearranged. It's such a pleasure to see them actually using the original dialogue!

The next morning, as Lord John and William prepare to leave, John really doesn't look at all well, and Claire has no trouble diagnosing the measles.

"I'll take the lad for a tour," Jamie says with forced cheerfulness. "Show him Fraser's Ridge." The fact that John barely reacts is a good indication of just how ill he is.

The scene with William refusing to mount his horse, and Jamie's reaction, are (once again) taken straight from the book, from DRUMS chapter 27, "Trout Fishing in America".

Jamie, telling William about the Cherokee: "They can be fierce, when provoked." Yes, indeed, as we saw with the flaming arrows in Episode 405, "Savages".

That view of the Ridge is as spectacular as always. Note how it's changing, subtly, with the seasons. It looks to me like November, with a thick layer of dead leaves underfoot and the brilliant autumn color mostly gone from the mountains.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Claire and Lord John finally have time for a private conversation. Most of the dialogue in this scene is taken verbatim from DRUMS chapter 28, "Heated Conversation".

"You cannot be at all a comfortable woman to live with." I laughed at that. So true!

"You shouldn't presume to know what I think." (Ha! Says the woman with a glass face. <g>)
"You're envious of the time Jamie and I shared together and with William." (See? It's not difficult at all to guess what she's thinking.)

As Claire tells Lord John about Brianna, I thought (not for the first time, by any means) that I am really, really looking forward to seeing Bree and Lord John interacting! Eventually.

"We were robbed of the opportunity to raise her together, because of Culloden." Good way to put it.

"If [William] did learn he's been lied to his entire life, he'd be devastated--" Yes, indeed, as we saw in great detail in WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD. "--so I can't for the life of me understand your motivation for coming here."

Good question. <g> I like the way Claire stays calm and under tight control through this whole conversation. It certainly can't have been easy for her.

"I don't believe I've ever met anyone so devastatingly straightforward, male or female."  This whole exchange, again, comes straight from the book. I love it!

Meanwhile, Jamie and William are fishing, or trying to. William's not having much luck. And then, much to my surprise, Jamie demonstrates how to "tickle" a fish, in much the same way that he once showed Claire, soon after they were married:
One finger bent slowly, so slowly it was hard to see the movement. I could tell it moved only by its changing position, relative to the other fingers. Another finger, slowly bent. And after a long, long moment, another.

I scarcely dared breathe, and my heart beat against the cold rock with a rhythm faster than the breathing of the fish. Sluggishly the fingers bent back, lying open, one by one, and the slow hypnotic wave began again, one finger, one finger, one finger more, the movement a smooth ripple like the edge of a fish’s fin.

[....]

An inch more would bring the flapping gill-covers right over the treacherous beckoning fingers. I found that I was gripping the rock with both hands, pressing my cheek hard against the granite, as though I could make myself still more inconspicuous.

There was a sudden explosion of motion. Everything happened so fast I couldn’t see what actually did take place. There was a heavy splatter of water that sluiced across the rock an inch from my face, and a flurry of plaid as Jamie rolled across the rock above me, and a heavy splat as the fish’s body sailed through the air and struck the leaf-strewn bank.

(From OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 16, "One Fine Day". Copyright© 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
Next, William tries his hand at stag-hunting. You can see from the snow on the ground that they've moved higher up into the mountains. Despite his youth, William is a surprisingly good shot with a rifle.

The gralloch scene was good, but it would have been even better if they'd included the Gaelic prayer Jamie always recites when he does that.

Later, eating their kill, Jamie makes an offhand comment about something his da used to say, and immediately he can see he's upset the boy. This, too, is pretty close to the scene in the book. I loved the bit where Jamie covers William gently with a blanket. Such a bittersweet moment, when you realize that he never got to tuck either of his children into bed when they were small, not even once.

Meanwhile, back in the cabin, Lord John is in a great deal of pain from headache and fever.

"When I heard that Isobel had died, I felt nothing." This speech is also from the book, from chapter 28.

"It's hard...watching you with him." I was a little startled by that admission, because Lord John is always so guarded about his feelings (especially his feelings for Jamie) and his private life. (On the other hand, I have said many times that the man is a "blurter". <g>)

The revelation about Jamie offering Lord John his body at Helwater occurs much earlier, in the books: VOYAGER chapter 59 ("In Which Much is Revealed"), to be exact. But I think it's good that John mentions it here. As long as they're being honest and open with one another to this extent, she needs to know about it. It's part of John and Jamie's shared history, after all. But Claire clearly doesn't want to hear it. "You should stop talking," she says. "You need your rest."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods, Jamie wakes from an apparent doze (he's sitting by the fire, not lying down) to find that William has vanished. The boy didn't go far, fortunately. Jamie manages to track him pretty easily through the woods (love the scenery, btw!) and discovers that William has found a fish impaled on a stick.

"Look what I found!" the boy says proudly. And moments later, a group of armed Cherokee burst out of the woods.

Jamie's command of the Cherokee language has definitely improved, but I was relieved to see that there was someone in that group who could translate for Jamie, and for us.

"No! The boy is my son! His blood is my blood."

I was more than a little startled that he'd blurt it out like that, but then again, it's clearly a matter of life and death. And under these circumstances, it's similar to Young Ian, in ECHO, referring to William as "Cousin". It's the literal truth, but spoken in circumstances where the person hearing it won't be inclined to take it literally.

Watching this, I never for one moment thought Jamie's life was actually in danger, but I did like Jamie's hastily muttered prayer, "May the Lord protect her, her and the children" -- just the way he prayed throughout THE SCOTTISH PRISONER.

William saves the day by shouting, "He's not my father!" and admitting that he was the one who stole the fish, and the Cherokee let him go with nothing more than a small cut on his thumb, to satisfy their desire for the drawing of blood. And as soon as the Indians have gone, William sags against Jamie in relief, and Jamie puts a fatherly arm around him.

Back at the cabin, Lord John is clearly on the mend, and feeling embarrassed at how much he revealed in his previous discussions with Claire.

"Do you know what it's like to love someone, and never be able to give them happiness? Not through any fault of yours, or theirs, but simply because you were not born the right person for them?"

I love this quote (which comes from VOYAGER chapter 59, "In Which Much is Revealed") and I was glad to see it here.

"When you said you have nothing of Jamie, you're wrong," Claire says. "You have William." Good line.

On the way back to the cabin, William is now mounted on the same horse with Jamie, and they seem much more comfortable with one another.

William asks about the day Jamie left Helwater, when he rode away without ever looking back. That scene, at the end of Episode 304 ("Of Lost Things"), is just heartwrenching, and I never get tired of watching it. It's interesting to see William's memory of it here.

"You're a good father," Jamie tells Lord John. That's high praise, under the circumstances.

I liked the idea of John giving Jamie the chess set as a farewell gift.

As William rides away with Lord John, his back straight, not looking back, the scene consciously mimics their parting at Helwater -- only this time William looks back.

Later that night, Jamie is helping Claire with her bath. (I don't quite understand why the inside of the tub is covered with a cloth, but that's a minor point.)

"I am your husband, though ye'd never ken it," Jamie says, looking at her bare finger where his ring once was.
"I don't need a ring to know how much you love me."
"No. But it helps."

And then Jamie hands her a brand-new silver ring, done in a Highland interlace pattern (just like the book), with "Da mi basia mille" inscribed inside (just like the book), and I sighed with happiness. I'm SO glad that the writers, or the production team, came to their collective senses at long last and FINALLY gave Claire the ring she should have had in the first place!

"Da mi basia mille" -- give me a thousand kisses. And as the episode ends, Jamie kisses her repeatedly, counting, "One...two...three...." What a sweet way to end a terrific episode!
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I hope you enjoyed this recap. Look here for my recaps of all of the OUTLANDER episodes so far, and please come back next week to see my recap of Episode 407.

Looking for a place to discuss All Things OUTLANDER? Check out TheLitForum.com, formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community. You have to sign up in order to read or post on the forum, but it's free.

18 comments

Lynn Artz said...

Your recap is thoughtful and apt!! Thank you!

Vicki @ lifeinmyemptynest said...

I loved everything about this episode, especially all the book dialogue. I struggle with the show a lot, but this one - they got everything just right and I felt the pages of the book coming alive. And, the final scene with the ring - swoon. It shows that we need to be patient and the show runners may get it right in the end.

JANET A EWASKIEWICZ said...

I really enjoyed this episode, too. All the lines from "Drums" and references to "The Scottish Prisoner" were so appropriate here. Jamie's giving her the "original" ring was so welcome, too, and suggests something that the writers have said they would do. They sometimes take bits from later books and introduce them into the story, while they also have shown they will revisit something left out in the past and bring it back later on. We can be impatient when we miss something, but there is a structure to a TV episode that sometimes doesn't allow for everything we want to see, or perhaps the writers would like to include, either. That's one reason I love to read the scripts when they post them a day or two after the episode airs, because they often point out something they had to change and, even more importantly, explain why.

Now, about that towel in the tub? A wooden tub? I don't know about you, but I would prefer not to get a splinter in my butt during a bath! The toweling might help prevent that!

Thanks for the recap, Karen.

Teresa said...

I, too, enjoyed your recap and found that I experienced the show much as you did. I can make the observation that being in one place has grounded the performances of the actors. Especially Sam. He is truly a laird. I do have a question, though, about the ring. In the book, Brianna spies Frank's ring on Bonnet's finger in a tavern. That causes her to pursue him and she ends up getting raped. But she keeps Frank's ring, which she eventually gives back to Claire. It's the sudden reappearance of Frank's ring and knowing that Claire hid having it from Jame that causes so much tension between all three of them in the cabin. But now, Claire has Frank's ring. She's been given a new silver ring. So will Brianne find Claire's original ring on Bonnet and therefore pursue him? We will end up with two silver rings! Hmmm...much to contemplate in upcoming episodes.

Anonymous said...

Great recap, but please share what Jamie said to William in Gaelic when he looked back. 🤔

Mary Tormey said...

Hi Karen this was a very strong solid episode and all of the acting was very strong and it was a wonderful episode and loved seeing LOrd John and Jamie bond over the chess set and the scene with Lord John aMurtagh were tense but strong , loves seeing Willie know Jamie as "Mackenzie ' and does remember him , and liked seeing Jamie defend his friendship with Lord John to Murtagh who is so against it and tells him about his being Willie ' real father and like seeing Claire with Lord John and the measles scenes were right from the book and love seeing Jamie get to bond with his son for 6 days fishing , hunting and getting to know each other for awile , the scenes with Claire and Lord John were from the book as wel as were honest and strong , they both love Jamie so fach are jealous of each other and the time each got to be with him , like Claire telling LOrd John about Brianna , and how they were robbed out of raising her together because of Culloden , then seeing that willie has gone fishing in a dangerous and goes into father mode when the Chokee tribe threaten them and Willie saves them both by telling them he was fishing in there area , love seeing Jamie hung him afterwards , like seeing Lord John recover and a sense of peace and forgiveness between John and CLaire and like her telling him he still has a part of Jamie in William . as they come back to the cabin like William asking Jamie why he didn't look back at him the day he left Hillwater . and like Jamie's response to that , lovely reunion between Lord John and Willie and like seeing Jamie calling John a fine father , and then seeing John giving Jmaie his chess set was a real state of friendship and like seeing CLaire comfort Jmaie as they ride off and the bathing scene was romantic and very well done , beautiful and sweet when Jmaie gives Claire the ring he had Murtagh make out of his mother's candle stick , love Claire 's reaction and they finally get to have time alone . wonderful episode and hope to see more of Roger , Brianna and Young Ian in the next one and Stephen Bonnet will return , season 4 is getting better and better , will be watching more this week and weekend . please post more soon. Happy Holidays . sincerely .

Ellen C said...

Great recap, thanks!
Would like to add that perhaps Willie sensed Jamie was familiar and he became more certain when Jamie spoke Gaelic to the horses while walking to the privy.

I also got a sense that Willie was not only very sad about Mac having left him, but by Mac not looking back perhaps Willie felt unworthy or unlovable. After all, we know he was sensitive about people thinking he was a bastard. Mac was his best friend as well as a father figure. I love Willie's expression when Jamie explains that he did not want to give Willie false hope. Yes, Willie, you are lovable and Willie's changed expression is priceless.

This was an awesome episode. I have already watched it 5 times and could easily watch it again tonight!

Karon J said...

A cloth is placed in the bottom of a wooden tub to prevent splinters in th^e bather's fundament. (Butt)

Susan said...

Another great recap! This has become a favorite episode of mine, one of many. I was really glad to see Murtagh still there, it does feel more like home with him there. I thought everyone's performance was outstanding, such a mixture of emotions! My heart broke when Jaime asked William if he still had the snake he had carved for him and William told him that he was too old to play with toys. I suspect he still has it.

I always have faith that the writers will pick up an iconic piece from the books and fit it in somewhere. Looking back i really like how they worked both of Jaime's rings into the show. I think by Jaime giving Claire this ring now, it had a much stronger, deeper impact. Who knows, perhaps if Brianna gets Claire's ring back, she will lay Frank's ring to rest and wear both of Jaime's??

I too have watched it many times already and am eager to watch it again!

Jeanie said...

Wonderful episode & great recap. Now I have to go watch it again as I missed Jamie saying the her & the child thing.. but did notice the look of absolute horror on his face - looked like he thought he’d see a replay of when Ferguson lost his hand. I liked that William remembered Mac, as always thought it odd that he wouldn’t. & agree there was enough going on without Ian being there, although I loved the snake reference at the beginning. & I agree on the Ring- what a nice nod to the book & the readers to finally have that lovely ring! (& I loved that they ended with a blackout - imagination is often better than graphic (my husband still thinks Outlander has too much violence & soft porn in it, but this episode was lovely!). Thanks you as always for the lovely review!

Marley'sMummy said...

I agree, that's what I was hoping to find on this site.. Can anyone answer?

jamawag said...

I too came here to find out what Jamie said to Willie in Gaelic as he left Fraser's Ridge. Sounded like something with Laird, but I can't find reference to it anywhere. Back to the book to see if it's from the book.

Stacia said...

Can anyone translate what the Indian said to Willie after he cut his thumb?

Christy said...

Me too. I’ve looked everywhere with no luck

Unknown said...

I too would like to know what the Indian said & what Jamie said when William looked back.

Lisa Rhode said...

It seems to me that in this episode, Willie would have figured out that Jamie was his father.

First, as Lord John had said long before, anyone with one eye could see the resemblance, and that was even more true when Willie was older.

Second, obviously, in the scene with the Cherokees, Jamie actually said that he was Willie's father. Of course, Willie might have simply assumed that this was a ruse to protect him, but it's harder to imagine a clearer way to plant the idea in his head that Jamie might in fact be his father.

Despite all this, there's no indication that Willie figured it out or even that he suspected. Did other people find this as overwhelmingly strange as I did?!

Alison S said...

Hi Karen,
I’m new to your blog and so happy to have found it. It’s a wonderful dissection of the TV series with references to the books. You clearly know the books really well and you align them critically with the show, while obviously enjoying the latter as well.
I think the diamond windows in the cabin are appropriate; big panes of glass for windows weren’t common at this time and clearly Jamie is very skilled at carpentry to have created such a lovely cottage.
David Berry is great in this episode and looks (and sounds) so sick. It’s a shame the comprehensive conversation with Claire didn’t occur at the Governor’s Ball back in Jamaica but some of the important things are at least said here.
I too found it hard to believe that Willie wouldn’t have remembered Mac in the books and didn’t mind the change here. What will be harder to understand later is his inability to remember and connect this and his early experience when he is finally meets Jamie in book 7.
Thanks again,
Alison S

Loretta M Lopez said...

Please…does anyone know what it was the Cherokee warrior said, after cutting William at the river, for fishing on their land?

Many, many thanks!

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