Providence – Outlander: Blood of My Blood Ep 1 Review
Wow, Colum MacKenzie is a devious little cripple, ain’t he? I should have known something was up and that he’d try something underhanded based on how Letitia was talking at Red Jacob’s funeral, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and now I lowkey kind of regret it.
Outlander Blood of My Blood Episode 1 Review
Colum must have felt very guilty after Ellen’s death in childbirth. I can see now why Colum secretly seemed to want Jamie to become Clan MacKenzie’s Laird – despite Dougal openly being willing to kill his nephew for the role. This also explains why Colum was obsessed with that caged bird in his study in Outlander – it reminded him of his late father, and his late sister who he wronged – Ellen.
Also, shout out to Lord Lovat and Colum both for foreshadowing Dougal’s later downfall and death. Lord Lovat said Dougal thinking with his cock would get him killed, and Colum told Dougal that one day he would bring the clan shame. And, he did.
Dougal MacKenzie’s relationship with Geillis Duncan was ultimately his downfall. Plotting the deaths of their spouses to be together got Dougal excommunicated from the clan, which enabled Jamie to kill Dougal in France with no real consequence because technically, Dougal was no longer under the clan’s protection.
I do wonder though why Ellen waited to use the name “James” for her second son, rather than her first. Especially since it was to be Ellen’s name had she been born male, it seems like one of great importance to her. Unless, it was a situation where Ellen had promised Brian she would name their son something else, like how Brianna would have been “Brian” had she been born a male.
I know I’m skipping around a lot, but while I’m on the topic of sons – Julia was pregnant with her second child when she and Henry went through the stones? We don’t know their fates yet, or if Julia miscarried in the past or had someone try to take the child (like Lord Lovat believing it to be his if he has his way with her) away from her and now Claire is living amongst family she doesn’t even know about in the past. Like Fergus, allegedly.
Okay, pivoting back to Ellen and Colum, it’s wild how Ellen pledged her support to Colum, only for Colum to betray Ellen and engineer a situation where Dougal loses standing within the clan, as well.
This is also why I think Ellen sought out Brian, because despite their mutual attractions, Ellen knows that things have changed in the clan and everybody acknowledges her loss in status and power with her father’s protection gone. Colum then threatening Ellen into submission after manipulating that situation in his favor only made matters worse.
If Ellen had been born a man, she would have been James MacKenzie – Laird of Castle Leoch. Since the title could never be hers, why wouldn’t she decide on a favorable marriage for herself? Especially when Colum is scheming to quite literally sell Ellen off like livestock to Malcolm Grant because: Malcolm likes Ellen, the union would strengthen the Clan MacKenzie and give it more soldiers if the banners were raised, and because Ellen intimidates Colum and with that marriage, he’d have gotten both Ellen and Dougal out of his way for the lairdship.
Wow, I didn’t know Colum was so manipulative and weak. A great strategic mind, but without a study leg to stand on. Wild. Honestly, if he didn’t do this, I couldn’t imagine how the Highlanders would choose a cripple as their laird. If the men would accept a woman, then Ellen could have had it all and been set for life. As for Dougal, he’s far too quick-tempered and dumb to hold the title of Laird.
But, tell me your thoughts: did you also kind of enjoy how unexpectedly suave Henry Beauchamp was? Or catch that Ned Gowan only went along with Colum’s plan after promising Ned he could keep his job?
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Until next time ~
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