Outlander: Blood of My Blood star Rory Alexander clarifies why Murtagh Fitzgibbon Fraser’s romantic feelings for Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) are so strong. Even though Ellen is in love with Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), and they will go on to be the parents of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), Murtagh has his own feelings for Ellen at this point in the Outlander timeline.

Blood of My Blood‘s executive producer Maril Davis previously explained that the Outlander prequel changes Murtagh by depicting a more optimistic and romantic version of the character who has not had his heart broken yet by Ellen.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender, Alexander was now asked to break down why Murtagh’s heart is set on Ellen in the first place. He explains that Ellen is “an important fantasy” for Murtagh and that the character confuses this with authentic love. Check out Alexander’s comments below:

ScreenRant: Speaking of the incomparable Ellen, far be it for me to disparage Murtagh’s feelings, but can you tell me from whence they emerged? Why are his feelings for Ellen so strong?

Rory Alexander: I think she’s kind of something of an important fantasy for him. She’s unobtainable – which, for someone who doesn’t quite know what his station is in the world, gives him something to hope for and cling to and push towards.

I think that if she were a maid servant who worked in a nearby barn, he wouldn’t have the same feelings. But because she’s kind of aspirational, he confuses those feelings with a genuine love. And then later on, the love changes into something much more real, largely because it changes color. It does become completely authentic, but not in the way that he thinks it will at the beginning.

What This Means For Outlander: Blood Of My Blood

Alexander’s comments clarify that Murtagh is initially more in love with the idea of Ellen than who she actually is. He is largely fixated on her because of her high social standing, which makes her “unobtainable” and gives him something to strive for as he figures out his own place in the world.

Without this social standing, Alexander admits that Murtagh wouldn’t have such intense feelings for her. While he is originally only in love with Ellen due to the idea of her, Alexander does tease that Murtagh’s feelings will become more genuine as he sees Ellen in a different light in future episodes.

This hints at the character development Murtagh will undergo as the prequel continues. He will become more mature and wiser, which will influence the love he has for Ellen, although this will not have a happy ending for him and is doomed to end in heartbreak.

Our Take On Rory Alexander’s Comments

Given how fundamental Ellen is to developing the Murtagh who appears in Outlander‘s earlier seasons, it is a relief to hear how his feelings for her will become more nuanced in the prequel. It would be disappointing if the heartbreak that heavily shapes him was based on a romance where he was only in love with the idea of her.

There is also the additional complexity of how Murtagh’s feelings impact his relationship with Brian in Outlander: Blood of My Blood, along with the important role that Murtagh plays in the life of Brian and Ellen’s son years later. These complexities are a large part of what has made the prequel compelling on its own and in how it further enhances the original series.