Outlander‘s prequel spinoff, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, is finally here, and the series is delivering more than a few parallels to the original show and characters, with callbacks and echoes of the personalities fans have come to know and love from the original show.
Whether it is plot similarities, moments referenced in Outlander, or elements of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) found in their parents, Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Henry (Jeremy Irvine), and Brian (Jamie Roy) and Ellen (Harriet Slater), there are endless Easter Eggs for fans to uncover.
As the 10-episode first season of the series unfolds, we’re breaking down some of the biggest parallels, callbacks, Easter eggs, and more in the gallery roundup below. While this roundup is rather extensive, it is not representative of every reference made to Outlander so far, because there are simply too many. Scroll down for a closer look at the different references and let us know your favorites in the comments section below.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Season 1, Fridays, 8/7c, Starz
StarzMrs Fitz Gets Ellen ReadyAs fans will recall, Mrs Fitz (Annette Badland) helped Claire get ready when she was staying at Castle Leoch, and that moment was mirrored as the young Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) helped Ellen get ready for the day of her father’s funeral.StarzEllen’s Chess Game With Red JacobJamie has played countless games of chess in Outlander, so it wasn’t shocking to discover that his mother was a smart player alongside his grandfather, Red Jacob MacKenzie (Peter Mullan).StarzBrian Fraser Needs to Go Incognito As fans may recall, when Outlander began, Jamie was going by the last name McTavish because he was evading authorities and laying low, and that was mirrored in Brian’s appearance at the Gathering in Episode 1 as he avoided being discovered as a Fraser, since the MacKenzies and his clan have tensions.StarzBrian Intervenes for Julia’s Safety When Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) puts a hand on Julia, Brian intervenes and essentially protects her, and that’s a quality viewers have seen in Jamie’s actions over the seasons. This small echo offers a glimpse at how the character fans know and love became the man he is.StarzMurtagh’s in Love With EllenIt was hinted in Outlander that Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) was in love with Jamie’s mother, Ellen, but we see it in action during Blood of My Blood as a young Murtagh (Rory Alexander) pines after her, unaware his cousin Brian has also fallen in love.StarzBrian & Ellen’s Stable Meet-Cute During Brian and Ellen’s meet-cute in the stable at Castle Leoch, he makes a comment about chickens being poor company, a sentiment that was relayed to Claire by Jamie in Season 1 of Outlander. Also, the stable setting is a fun callback to Jamie’s time tending to the horses at Leoch in the original show.StarzMalcolm Grant Malcolm Grant (Jhon Lumsden) was referenced in the original series as having been in love with Ellen, and we get a taste of that with his introduction in Blood of My Blood.StarzEllen’s Secret Getaway When Ellen leaves Leoch to meet Brian, she takes a secret passage that was previously teased on Outlander in Season 1’s episode, “The Gathering,” which saw Jamie lead Claire to the entrance of it.StarzMurtagh’s Boar Tusks Claire was gifted a pair of boar tusk bangles, which she later learned were fashioned by Murtagh for Ellen as a wedding gift. The tusks were the prize he got for killing the boar during a hunt, and in Blood of My Blood, viewers got to see the hunt and the tusks previously referenced.StarzJocasta’s Crush on MurtaghJocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) revealed to Murtagh in Outlander that she’d pined after him, and it’s fairly obvious in the latest storyline in Blood of My Blood. Viewers got some breadcrumbs of the future couple’s flirtation as young Murtagh offered some kind words to young Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin).StarzEllen’s Betrothal to Malcolm Grant Ellen’s betrothal to Malcolm Grant is a political move by Colum MacKenzie (Séamus McLean Ross), and it’s reminiscent of Jamie and Claire’s marriage, which was also arranged by the MacKenzies.StarzHenry & Julia’s Scotland Getaway Henry and Julia’s Scotland getaway is a near-dead ringer for Claire’s second honeymoon with her first husband Frank (Tobias Menzies), which eventually sent her through the standing stones at Craigh Na Dun, just like them. During the couple’s countryside drive, they even bring up a baby Claire and talk of picking raspberries, hinting at their daughter’s future of picking flowers and other plants for her medicines.StarzThe Car CrashThe fateful car crash that Claire believed killed her parents was depicted onscreen as Julie and Henry swerve off the road to avoid a deer and wind up flipped over in the river.StarzHenry & Julia’s Near-DrowningWhen Henry and Julia emerge from the water, their drenched embrace reminds us of Jamie and Claire’s own embrace in Season 3’s finale, “Eye of the Storm,” which saw the pair washed ashore in America after a shipwreck.StarzHenry Searching for Julia When Julia goes through the standing stones, sending her back in time, Henry is quick to run after her, but is sent through time at a different point, leading to a separation. While Jamie has certainly had his fair share of searching for Claire in Outlander, Henry’s experience reminds us of Frank’s worried search for Claire after she disappeared.StarzJulia Is a Woman Before Her Time It becomes apparent quite quickly that Claire got her spunk and feminist approach from her mother, Julia, who believes in women’s rights, higher education, and jobs for women, and goes against the grain when it comes to gender norms for her time.StarzHenry’s Warfront Experience & Trauma As fans will recall, Claire served as a World War II combat nurse, which eventually led her to become a surgeon, and this was paralleled in Henry’s warfront experiences. It was also teased that he goes through PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) after his time in the World War I trenches, mirroring Claire’s experience with War-related trauma, which surfaced in Outlander‘s Season 2 episode, “Je Suis Prest.”StarzJulia & Henry’s First Meeting Despite not exactly knowing what the other looks like, having only exchanged letters in their road to romance, Henry and Julia’s first meeting is reminiscent of Claire and Jamie’s reintroduction to one another in Season 3’s episode, “A. Malcolm,” as they catch sight of one another and instantly know it’s their soulmate. While Jamie and Claire did know each other, Henry and Julia’s innate recognition of one another in public only proves their bond is magical.StarzJulia’s HobbiesJulia is seen painting at an easel and tinkering with a watch, both reminiscent of pastimes her future granddaughter, Brianna (Sophie Skelton), has been seen dabbling in. As fans know, Brianna has a mind for engineering and a skill for drawing, both talents she could have picked up through her lineage, it would seem.StarzHenry & Julia’s Wedding Henry and Julia’s wedding is rather casual, and the only evidence viewers see of their nuptials is Julia’s ring and the happy couple walking into their apartment with Henry carrying her over the threshold. The wedding is quite similar to the one between Claire and her first husband, Frank, in Outlander.StarzJulia’s Trip Through the Stones Julia’s time-traveling trip through the stones included some glaring similarities to Claire’s experience, particularly when Claire traveled back to her original time in Season 2 amid the Battle of Culloden. Like Claire, Julia is pregnant, like she’d been with Brianna, and the gemstone used to travel, in both cases, came from a ring.StarzJulia’s Servitude at Leathers Castle When Julia finds herself in the 1700s, she is told she is to serve at Castle Leathers and is forced to clean and wait on those living there. This is sort of similar to Claire’s experience of working at Castle Leoch.StarzBrian Takes a Beating Brian steps in to take a beating for Julia after Lord Lovat gets angry over her escape attempt. This moment is very similar to when Jamie took on the lashes of the whip, meant for Laoghaire (Nell Hudson), in Outlander‘s first season, allowing for the young woman to evade injury, and Brian does the same thing here for Julia.StarzEllen’s DreamBy now, fans know that the Outlander universe is filled with various dream sequences, so it’s not surprising to see that Ellen MacKenzie’s love for Brian Fraser conjured up a rather vivid one in Episode 3. Similarly, Ellen’s imagined tryst with her would-be lover is certainly reminiscent of some of Claire and Jamie’s own Highland-set encounters in earlier seasonsStarzDougal’s Allegiance to the Jacobite CauseDougal’s devotion to the Jacobite cause was one of his defining characteristics in Outlander, so it’s not surprising it influenced his actions in Blood of My Blood. Before he became Clan MacKenzie’s war chieftain, Dougal attempted to cut his own deal with Marcus MacRannoch (Dominic Fraser), as he promised Ellen to the man in exchange for loyalty and support to become laird. MacRannoch also appeared in Outlander and revealed he was the one who gifted Ellen pearls for her wedding, which were later given to Claire by Jamie.StarzEllen’s BroochEllen’s MacKenzie brooch brings to mind Jamie’s Fraser brooch, which is adorned with the clan’s motto “Je suis prest,” which translates to, “I am ready.” In this instance, the Clan MacKenzie motto reads, “Luceo non uro,” which means, “I shine, not burn.”StarzColum’s InjuryIn Season 2 of Outlander, it is revealed that Colum’s bad legs were exacerbated by an event from his youth in which he was thrown from a stallion. This event came to pass in Outlander: Blood of My Blood, but there were clearly some tweaks that had to be made as in Outlander, it was hinted the event took place when Colum was 10, whereas in Blood of My Blood he appeared to be older, as his father Red Jacob watched on in horror upon his arrival at Castle Leoch.StarzNed’s Listening to WomenNed Gowan may serve as the Clan MacKenzie lawyer, but he’s also a world-class listener, particularly to women. As fans may recall, he was often a sounding board for Claire in Outlander‘s earlier seasons, and this is echoed in his Blood of My Blood exchanges with Ellen, who steered him in a particular direction to have her brothers reach a compromise for the clan.StarzDavina’s Medical AdviceWhen Davina suspected that Julia’s pregnant, she urged her to drink a brew that could help rid her of the child, as she hinted at the punishments she could receive if Lord Lovat were to find out. While the context of this exchange isn’t similar, Davina’s savvy ways with medical treatment brings to mind Claire’s know-how when it comes to cures and helpful concoctions.StarzJulia’s Plan to Save Her BabyAs Julia worried about the fate of her baby, she decided to take extreme measures by sleeping with Lord Lovat to hide her pregnancy by husband Henry. Julia’s decision echoed Claire’s devastating departure from the 18th century in Season 2 of Outlander, when she had to leave Jamie behind to save their baby amid the Battle of Culloden. Similarly as well, Claire slept with King Louis XV to help free Jamie from imprisonment in France after he was convicted for dueling with Black Jack Randall.StarzNed’s Madam ConnectionsWhen Henry asked Ned for help finding his wife, he revealed his connection to a local Madam, Una Hay, and promised she’d keep an eye out for Julia. This moment is a little callback to Ned’s previous brothel-based service, in which he hunted down a wedding dress for Claire in Outlander.StarzBrian & Ellen’s FriendshipWhile they may not have a romantic relationship, Brian and Julia’s friendship echoes the bond between their children, Jamie and Claire in the future. Along with their eerily on-point looks, the ease with which Julia and Brian communicate feels like a perfect precursor to the Jamie-Claire connection.StarzHenry Collects RentAs viewers will recall, in Outlander‘s first season, Claire travels with the MacKenzies as they collect rent from tenants, and she sees how they use Jamie’s woes with the red coats to gain some extra coin and support for the Jacobite rebellion. This somewhat mirrors Henry’s unconventional approach to collecting rent for the Grants in this show.StarzMaisri’s VisionMaisri (Katharine O’Donnelly) is introduced as Lord Lovat’s seer in the prequel, and she mentions the prophecy which foresees a Scottish king on the throne. Fans may recall that Maisri also appears in Season 2 of the flagship series but older.StarzBrian & Ellen’s VowBrian and Ellen are handfast in Season 1’s fifth installment, which somewhat mirrors the handfast we see done between Brianna and Roger in Season 4 of Outlander. But the couple’s castle setting is also reminiscent of Jamie and Claire’s nuptials in Season 1 of the flagship series.StarzMurtagh & Jocasta’s KissMurtagh and Jocasta share a kiss in the episode, “Needfire,” which is undercut when he drunkenly utters Ellen’s name, but it’s a small taste of what their future holds as viewers of the other series will recall their pair’s future romance.StarzBrian & Ellen’s DanceBrian and Ellen share a sweet dance while at Beltane, and we can’t help but be reminded of Brianna and Roger’s dancing at the Scottish festival in 1960s North Carolina during their trip together in Season 4.StarzHenry & Julia Meet ClaireNot exactly a parallel, but this moment introduces Henry and Julia to their daughter Claire, and it’s our first glimpse into the existence of Outlander‘s leading lady.StarzJulia’s Traumatic BirthWhen Julia gives birth to her son, it’s a rather traumatic experience due in part because Davina had invited several of the townswomen over to essentially heckle her. In the end, Davina sends the women away, but it is a moment that definitely brings to mind Claire’s traumatic birth of Faith, as well as the scary trial she faced when she was accused of being a witch.StarzHenry’s ProjectionWhen Henry believes that his wife is dead, he finds comfort in the arms of brothel worker Seema (Lauren McQueen), and his mind goes so far as to envision Seema as Julia. The scene is eerily similar to a moment in which Jamie found comfort with one of Lallybroch’s workers after Claire returned to the 1940s through the standing stones. The echoes of grief and need to cope make them somewhat mirrors of one another.StarzJulia’s Potion for EllenWhen Ellen is forced to participate in a virginity test, Julia assists her by mixing up a potion that helps her pass it. The assist is extremely on-brand for something Claire might do, especially with her medical knowledge. It really is like mother-like daughter.StarzHenry & Julia’s ReunionMost of the season, Julia and Henry are separated after they traveled through the standing stones at Craigh Na Dun separately. Their separation and ultimate reunion can be compared to many of Claire and Jamie’s emotional reunions, as they’ve been separated against their will on more than one occasion. It’s no less sweet here for Henry and Julia.StarzBrian & Ellen’s HeartbreakIn Season 1’s penultimate episode, Ellen breaks things off with Brian in order to protect him from her brothers. While she doesn’t explain this, their mutual heartbreak feels palpable and akin to several other moments of heartbreak across the franchise.
