‘Outlander: Blood Of My Blood’ Episode 9 Recap: “Braemar”

True love sometimes requires the ultimate sacrifice. And in the penultimate episode of Blood of My Blood Season 1 (written by none other than Outlander author Diana Gabaldon), Ellen has to break Brian’s heart in an attempt to save his life.

The big event of the episode is the Earl of Mar’s tynchal, a.k.a. hunt, at Braemar. Everybody who’s anybody is going to be there, including Clan Grant. So Brian and Julia trick Lord Lovat into letting King Baby Simon, a.k.a. William Beauchamp, and Julia come too, so that she can see Henry again.

A new character enters the scene — Malcolm’s uncle, Malcolm MacKinnon Grant, who has come to check on how his nephew is handling being laird now that Isaac is dead. Uncle Mac has a good head on his shoulders, but he’s also got a cruel streak. He asks to meet Malcolm’s betrothed and casually tells Ellen that if she breaks Malcolm’s heart, he’ll rip her heart out of her chest. Cool, cool, cool. Mrs. Fitz warns her not to look at anyone but Malcolm Grant at Braemar, or Ellen or Brian will be killed.

Ellen starts by doing her duty at Braemar with Malcolm at her side, where the two of them bond over their recently deceased fathers. And now that Malcolm is in charge of the Clan Grant, he’s ready to get married to her as soon as possible. Ellen’s brothers, Colum and Dougal, will be happy to hear that. And while the constantly feuding MacKenzie Bros. tour the grounds with Ned Gowan, they spot Gallowglass — Irish mercenaries — and wonder who has hired these assassins.

Brian and Julia arrive at Braemar, where they spot Ellen. Murtagh interrupts and is still smarting from Brian’s betrayal, so he takes pleasure in Brian’s pain at watching Lady Ellen with Malcolm. Mrs. Fitz told her nephew about Ellen’s test (weird), and Murtagh proclaims, “At least she’s safe with Malcolm.” Ouch.

Henry’s also there and spots Julia across the tent with their baby. He finally gets to meet his son, but only for a moment, since Simon rolls up and interrupts the sweet family gathering. Henry is understandably a bit confused when Lord Lovat, in his usual disgusting tone, drives home the fact that 1. He’s married to Julia and 2. He thinks the baby is his.

Arch Bug uses this moment to slander the Grant bladier to Uncle Mac (get a life, Arch!), pointing out he’s always sneaking off to the brothel. Uncle Mac doesn’t bite, but it’s worth noting that Seema, the prostitute Henry slept with in PTSD-fueled grief, is at the brothel tent at the event and spots Henry. Eee could this mean more uncomfortable revelations for Claire’s parents?

Pausing from the romantic drama, clan politics and Jacobite intrigue take center stage with some Grant followers criticizing the Clan MacKenzie’s dual leadership. That’s interrupted by the Earl of Mar, who introduces Rob Roy MacGregor. The Jacobite rebel gives a rousing speech against the British for the Stuart cause, and it’s revealed that this is the real reason for this clan gathering.

Since Simon delusionally thinks his “son” is the rightful Scottish ruler, he tries to cozy up to the Earl about it. But Lord Lovat, who somehow didn’t get the memo that Ellen passed her test, gets his ass handed to him by newcomer Uncle Mac, who calls him out for being a lying scumbag. (“Putrid loins” and “detetable nodcock” are just two of the highlights.) So Simon’s master plan to be in the good graces of the powerful Highlander leaders is thwarted once again.

Rob Roy remembers Dougal from the meeting at the House of Nairn and asks him where the money he pledged to the Jacobite cause has gone. Colum freaks out that Dougal has been promising money to support the Jacobites behind his back, especially while Ellen is engaged to a Loyalist. Colum vows that he’ll hire the Gallowglass to cut his tongue out if Dougal lies to him again. So Dougal caves and tells Colum that Ellen is in a relationship with Brian Fraser.

Speaking of Ellen’s secret love, she defies Mrs. Fitz’s advice and gets handsy with Brian when they reunite in the tent. He tells her he loves her, and she makes a date for them to meet later at the old kirk on the castle grounds. Even with the threat of death, these two love each other too much to be discreet.

Ellen gets called to her brothers, where Colum lambasts her for being involved with the bastards of their father’s sworn enemy. He vows he’ll have Brian killed if she doesn’t end it. Ellen counters, saying if Brian is hurt, she’ll turn the Grants against the MacKenzies after she marries Malcolm. The siblings make a pact:  Ellen will stay away from Brian for good if Colum promises he won’t harm him or (an important caveat Ellen made sure to add) hire anyone else to harm him. 

Before Brian can get his heart broken, he helps the other lovebirds of Blood of My Blood and explains to Henry how Julia ended up married to his dad. Meanwhile, Julia and Ellen reconnect, where Julia explains how she had to betray Henry to keep their child safe. The sentiment of making a “great sacrifice,” even if it causes your own suffering to protect a loved one, resonates deeply with Ellen.

Emboldened by her conversation with Julia, Ellen goes to meet with Brian, where she ends things. Rather than say she’s doing it to protect his life, she lies and says he’s a penniless bastard whom she doesn’t love.

If that wasn’t enough, Simon then goes and kicks Brian while he’s down (literally), accusing Brian of not successfully taking Ellen’s maidenhead, which would have disgraced the MacKenzies. Simon says Murtagh will represent him in the tynchal instead of Brian since Brian is no son of his. Brian is finally set free of his tyrannical father and gains some sympathy from his old pal Murtagh.

And good thing Murtagh softened on his friend since, during the tynchal, Brian is attacked by the Gallowglass. Murtagh helps him escape (for now), but who ordered the hit isn’t revealed. Could it be the Grants? Simon? Colum? Seems Ellen’s breaking his heart still couldn’t protect him from attempts on his life.

As for the other lovers, Henry enlists the help of Ned to help his family flee, revealing that the Grants had lied to him about Julia and his baby being dead. Claire’s parents meet again, where they plan to meet at Castle Leathers to make their escape.

Back to the festivities where the vote for the Stuart king happens. The clans are in agreement to fight against England, and when the Earl of Mar erects a flag in honor of the decision, the sphere at the top of the flagpole falls in a rather symbolic moment foreshadowing the fate of the Jacobite cause. Since they aren’t time travelers and don’t know the future, Uncle Mac has also switched the allegiance of Clan Grant. Poor Malcolm might technically be laird, but Uncle Mac is calling the shots.

Yet, Malcolm can be happy knowing the next time he sees Ellen, it’ll be their wedding day. Except even his farewell to Ellen is foreboding as she enters the carriage with her brother Colum, unaware that her true love Brian has been attacked. Brian may be the one who’s on the run, but it’s Malcolm who is inevitably going to have a runaway bride on his hands in the Season 1 finale.

Caitlin Gallagher is a New Jersey-raised, NYC-based entertainment writer. When not writing about or watching TV, she can be found planning her next Halloween costume, crying over rescue animals, or praising Season 2 of The Leftovers.