For those who love their historical drama steeped in sweeping romance with more than a splash of the fantastical, Outlander has proven itself to be unmissable streamed entertainment. Over seven seasons, this epic adaptation of the Diana Gabaldon book series has deftly mixed action, ripped bodices and convoluted plot machinations aplenty.
It stars Caitríona Balfe, most recently seen opposite Riz Ahmed in The Amateur, as Claire Randall, an English former World War II military nurse in Scotland who, in 1945, was transported back in time through a portal in the stone circle at Craigh na Dun, near Inverness, to the year 1743.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood - Season 1
She is first catapulted back in time just after the festival of Beltane, the Gaelic May Day festival which falls between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Claire doesn’t know how or why, but she has embraced her new temporal time-travelling address. She also embraced the dashing form of a Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan, who is a tacksman of Clan Fraser of Lovat.
Before you can say, “There can be only one”, Claire becomes embroiled in the Jacobite rising, determined to restore the Stuart dynasty to the British throne. As swords clash and passions rise, she must navigate the complexities of her new time-jumping existence, torn between her life in war-torn post-WWII Scotland and her passionate love for her clansman in the 18th century. And it’s this juggle between her two lives that makes Outlander such an emotional and engaging watch. Yes, it plays like a big-budget version of the BBC’s twee Nicolas Lyndhurst-starring sci-fi sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart, with more than a nod to the Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour romance Somewhere in Time, but Outlander has more than enough yearning heartache to sate the most ardent of romantic historical drama buffs.
The most important part of any time-travelling yarn is the rules. The standards set to ensure that Marty McFly can head back to the future. These foundations were all important to the success of Outlander. “The fundamental concept that Diana established is that when Claire goes into the past and spends two years there, when she returns to the 20th century, two years have also passed,” producer Ron Moore has explained to IGN. “One of the conceits of this show is that when you’re travelling through and spending time, that much time elapses on the other side.”
We have also learned through the ages that time travel in the Outlander world is only possible a limited number of times and the traveller must be in possession of a precious gemstone that acts as both a catalyst and protection to make the jump, an ability that is inherited. Which brings us to Outlander: Blood of My Blood.
The prequel introduces us to the parents of both lustful protagonists from the original series, as we learn how the parents of Jamie Fraser came together in 18th-century Scotland and how the parents of Claire Beauchamp met during World War I in England. Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy play the 18th-century pair, with Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine the early 20th-century (eventual) parents.
As with any prequel or sequel that spans different eras of the same character, casting is all-important. As is the actors’ approach in playing someone related to an existing character. Harriet Slater explained during a virtual press conference to promote the new show, “I didn’t consciously take any of his mannerisms or anything like that, but I think watching Outlander did really help me prepare in that I saw the fieriness, I think, of Jamie and also of Brianna, because I think there’s both of them in Ellen. I think they get a lot of their strength and determination from Ellen and from that Mackenzie side. Although Brian has a fair amount of that, too.”
Roy took a similar approach playing Jamie’s father, Brian. “For me, it wasn’t so much that I watched Sam’s performance to try and get mannerisms, but what’s really funny—and this has become more prevalent recently, because just at Comic-Con we released a small clip of the bridge scene. And the manner of comments, people are saying, like, ‘Oh, Jamie’s really nailed the mannerisms of Sam. He must’ve studied really hard and worked really hard for that.’ I’m like, ‘I honestly didn’t.’”
As we prepare for a time clash involving Claire’s parents that appears to intersect with the 18th-century timeline, these shows aren’t just about the minutiae of time travel—they’re about the relationships formed across the space-time continuum. Something Jamie discovered to his heartbreaking detriment in Outlander and something we will no doubt explore further when we step back in time again with Blood of My Blood.
During the press conference, executive producer Maril Davis explained the intricacies of the intertwining love stories and the promises of the prequel. “It’s a way to experience two unique love stories. One is a thunderclap moment and love at first sight and one is a slow-growing one that turns into a great love. So, I think it’s just wholly its own. You do not have to have watched Outlander to watch this series,” before adding in a promotional flourish. “And if anything, if you haven’t seen Outlander, I would suggest starting with Blood of My Blood and then you can go all the way through to Outlander.”
