BOMB Episode 110: "Something Borrowed" (SPOILERS!)

Here are my reactions to Episode 110 of OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, titled "Something Borrowed". Diana Gabaldon and Matthew B. Roberts co-wrote the script. It's 90 minutes long.

*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***

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

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

What a great way to end the season! I have a few minor quibbles, but overall I really enjoyed it! Here are my initial impressions:

Where has this version of Brian Fraser been hiding all season?!?? FINALLY we get to see Brian as the man I always imagined he would be, strong and brave and capable, able to hold his own in a fight. I loved watching him in this episode.

The scene in the beginning where Murtagh talks Brian into going after Ellen is just wonderful! Diana Gabaldon has said Murtagh is her favorite character in BOMB, and watching him here, it's easy to see why.

I liked Ellen and Colum's scene together. Colum wants her to write to him, but we know from the books that she never did.

“And then she left,” he said abruptly, looking down at the broad hands folded on his knee. “With no asking of leave nor word of farewell. She was gone. And I heard of her from others now and then, but from herself--nothing.”

(From DRAGONFLY IN AMBER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 37, "Holyrood". Copyright © 1992 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)

I was surprised that Jocasta ended up helping Brian and Ellen, but glad she did. I liked the scene with the women plucking chickens. The tongue-twisters reminded me of Marsali at Bree and Roger's wedding celebration in Episode 501.

We've known for a long time that Dougal MacKenzie would end up marrying Maura Grant (you may remember how distraught he was at her death in OUTLANDER Season 1) but I didn't like the way it was portrayed here. The idea of substituting Maura and Dougal's wedding for Brian and Ellen's was predictable (I guessed the bride's identity before she lifted her veil), but I thought it was VERY contrived to have their wedding substituted at the last minute like that.

I do think the idea of arranging for Maura Grant to marry Dougal in lieu of Malcolm marrying Ellen is a reasonable compromise, and it makes sense to me -- EVENTUALLY, after some time has passed, giving the Grants' fury at the ruptured betrothal sufficient time to cool down so that they might be willing to consider it. Definitely not on the very same day as the planned wedding of Malcolm and Ellen!

Also, I really disliked the way they rushed through the wedding vows ("Do you take this woman? Do you take this man? Fine, I now pronounce you man and wife."), and I was surprised that the priest would go along with the impromptu wedding of these two.

I wondered at first if Maura was in on the plot to get Ellen away from the castle. When she insisted on taking Dougal upstairs to consummate the marriage right in the middle of the wedding feast (!), my thought was, maybe she's creating a diversion so they can get away. I didn't care for how aggressive Maura was with Dougal in bed, but maybe she was just really horny?

I was also VERY surprised that both Malcolms just sat there during the ceremony, not making a fuss. I'm having a hard time understanding why the Grants agreed to this arrangement. (Imagining Ned saying to them, "Ellen's gone. Sorry. Malcolm can't marry her. How about if your sister Maura marries Dougal instead? That's a fair exchange, isn't it? But they have to do it now, right away!") That's just ridiculous, if you ask me.

I certainly wasn't expecting Brian to kill young Malcolm (!), but I suppose the character has outlived his usefulness from a plot perspective. I guess the uncle will take over leadership of Clan Grant now.

And speaking of killing people, just consider how many men Brian killed in this episode. I was impressed with his skill with bow and arrow.

I liked Uncle Grant's advice to Malcolm very much: "Revenge can mend a broken heart. Find out what the lass cherishes most in all the world, and take it away from her." Yikes! I think we would do well to remember this next season! (I hear Diana Gabaldon's own voice coming through clearly in that line, echoing things she's said on the forum about storytelling techniques.)

"Yours is the kind of love ye hear about in legends, beyond the reach of any ordinary man. She's meant for you, and you for her." - Legends, indeed! (Family legends that will endure for decades to come.) I thought Murtagh was speaking for all of us who've been waiting the whole season for these two to get together!

I loved Murtagh through the whole episode. I'm delighted that they remembered the boar's-tusk bracelets, which we first saw in OUTLANDER Episode 113, "The Watch", when Jenny gave them to Claire. I would definitely recommend re-watching the scene in OUTLANDER Episode 114, "The Search", where Murtagh tells Claire the story.

I lost someone. At a MacKenzie gathering many years ago. My face had less weather on it then. And she was a sonsie lass. But she had another suitor.

So, I thought to prove myself worthy of her. Be the kind of man she'd desire. During the Tynchal Hunt, I alone killed a wounded boar using just a dagger. The MacKenzie was so impressed by the deed, he gave me the tusks. I made them into bracelets, and gave them to the lass as a wedding gift.

I was glad that we got to see MacRannoch giving Ellen the pearls, too!

It was fun to get a peek at Murtagh's wee bothy. Good idea to give them a safe place to hide out for a while.

"Dinna dare pity my affection for you, Ellen MacKenzie. [....] I'll never ask a thing of ye, except that you let me find my happiness in yours and Brian's. Tis where I find my peace."

Awwwww! I like this a lot. It reminds me of how I've always felt about Jamie and Claire. I don't want Jamie -- despite his MANY wonderful qualities. I want Jamie and Claire to have each other. I think Murtagh has come to a similar realization about Ellen and Brian. I was half-expecting him to add, "And I'd be honored to be godfather to your bairns, when the time comes."

Brian and Ellen's "wedding night" was clearly meant to echo Jamie and Claire's, with the long, slow undressing, etc. The difference, of course, being that these two have already had sex!

The appearance of multiple fiery crosses on the hillsides in the distance was very dramatic, and as Brian points out, impossible to ignore. So Brian will have to leave Ellen to go and fight in the Rising. I was half-expecting that. We'll hope that Jamie's older brother Willie was conceived in this episode.

When Ellen quotes from the Book of Ruth, "Whither thou goest, I will go...." I thought of Claire quoting the same verse to Jamie in DRUMS:

Within an hour, I had gone from anguish at the thought of losing him in Scotland, to a strong desire to bed him in the herbaceous borders, and from that to a pronounced urge to hit him on the head with an oar. Now I was back to tenderness.

At last I took one big, callused hand and slid forward so I knelt on the boards between his knees. I laid my head against his chest, and felt his breath stir my hair. I had no words, but I had made my choice.

“ ‘Whither thou goest,’ ” I said, “ ‘I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried.’ ” Be it Scottish hill or southern forest. “You do what you have to; I’ll be there.”

(From DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 13, "An Examination of Conscience". Copyright © 1997 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)

Their situations are not exactly the same, but there are parallels. The two couples are each starting a new phase of their lives, with (almost) nothing but one another to depend on. I thought it was very appropriate for Ellen to recite that particular verse.

I don't have much to say about Henry and Julia, except that I wondered how they're managing to feed the baby on that long journey to the stones. I doubt Julia is still nursing at all, since the wet nurse has been caring for him all this time.

Finally, I thought it was interesting to see Uncle Lamb in flashback. Ending with that farewell to young Claire was heartbreaking, but at least this version of Claire may remember her parents waving goodbye to her.

All in all, an excellent finale! (Yes, in case you're wondering, there WILL be a Season 2. They started filming it in June 2025.)

I hope you've enjoyed this recap! Look here for my reactions to the other BLOOD OF MY BLOOD episodes.

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.