Outlander: Blood of My Blood stars discuss Ellen's impossible choice: 'It's so heartbreaking to w...

The penultimate episode of season 1 brings Brian and Ellen to a terrible crossroads. Outlander: Blood of My Blood stars discuss Ellen's impossible choice: 'It's

The penultimate episode of season 1 brings Brian and Ellen to a terrible crossroads.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood stars discuss Ellen's impossible choice: 'It's so heartbreaking to watch'

The penultimate episode of season 1 brings Brian and Ellen to a terrible crossroads.

By Maureen Lee Lenker

Maureen Lee Lenker

Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at ** with over nine years of experience. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, *Ms. Magazine*, *The Hollywood Reporter*, and more.

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September 26, 2025 9:00 p.m. ET

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Jamie Roy and Harriet Slater. Credit:

Sanne Gault/Starz

- The penultimate episode of *Outlander: Blood of My Blood* season 1 pushed both of the show's central love stories to their breaking points.

- As Julia and Henry get another chance to reunite, they scramble to make an escape plan.

- Ellen, however, is presented with an ultimatum that could mean saying goodbye to Brian forever.

**This article contains spoilers about *Outlander: Blood of My Blood *season 1 episode 9, titled "Braemar."**

The MacKenzies just threw a dirk into Brian and Ellen's love story.

On penultimate episode of *Outlander: Blood of My Blood* season 1,* *Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) encountered yet another obstacle on the path to their "happy" ending.

Before the clans set off to Braemar for a tinchel, Ellen meets with Malcolm's Uncle, "Mac," (Simon Merrells), who warns her against breaking Malcolm's heart, lest she face his wrath. "They're trying to work each other out," Slater tells *. *"Neither of them really trust each other, and it's all smiles on the outside, but actually there's a lot going on underneath. In that last moment, she feels like she's won him over and convinced him that she is true. And then, he really shows his true colors. The Grants are dangerous."

Harriet Slater and Simon Merrells in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

Sanne Gault/Starz

With that weighing on her, Ellen and the other MacKenzies travel to Braemar, as do the Grants and the Frasers, including baby William. Julia (Hermione Corfield) convinces Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) to let the baby attend as the future king of Scotland, reminding him of the prophecy that has Lovat convinced of his son's regal destiny.

"It's a funny balance for Julia because she's trying to keep the child safe by making the child special, and to get Lovat to do other things that she wants, like going to see Henry at Braemar," says Corfield. "But it's a double-edged sword. She's got so little options in Castle Leathers that she's clinging to whatever things she can maneuver to get her way. But it definitely will come back to bite her."

Jeremy Irvine and Hermione Corfield in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

Sanne Gault/Starz

With all of the clans gathered at Braemar and the first Jacobite rebellion brewing, Colum (Seamus McLean Ross) discovers that Ellen had been carrying on with Brian behind his back. Colum warns her that he will have Brian killed and she makes a deal with him — he will not hurt a hair on Brian's head, and she will end things once and for all and marry Malcolm Grant (Jhon Lumsden).

In turmoil, Ellen happens upon Julia, who talks of doing whatever you must to protect the ones you love. "Losing them forever is too great a price to pay," she warns. Ellen knows then what she must do.

Hermione Corfield and Harriet Slater in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

Sanne Gault/Starz

"She leaves the tent having had that conversation with Colum and she says, 'You have my word,'" Slater says.* *"But Ellen, I'm sure, has said that before and not truly meant it. There's an option of them running away together. They could have just run away in that moment. She could have found him and said, 'We need to go now, otherwise you're going to be killed.' But they would've always been on the run."

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"When she meets with Julia in the tent and Julia talks about the sacrifices we make for love, Ellen realizes that she can't risk having his blood on her hands," Slater continues. "She realizes in that moment that she has to break his heart in order to save his life."

Meanwhile, Julia and Henry (Jeremy Irvine) are staging their own reunion, all while Seema (Lauren McQueen), the sex worker that Henry slept with, believing her to be Julia, watches on. "We should be very concerned," Irvine says of her presence. "Henry's got a tough conversation on his hands, which is something he'll need to address in season 2. Henry was mentally unwell. There's no way that he would knowingly hurt Julia and betray her. But it's a tough sell saying, 'I thought it was you.'"

Lauren McQueen in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

Sanne Gault/Starz

Holding Julia's words close, Ellen goes to meet Brian in the churchyard as promised and she does everything she can to convince him she's done with him, calling him "penniless" and the "bastard of the most vile lord in the Highlands."

Brian tries to convince her that their hearts beat for each other, but Ellen remains committed to her task. "I'm not in love with you," she tells him. "Perhaps I never was." She then storms off, breaking down in despair once she's out of his sight.

"God, it's so horrible," Slater reflects. "It's so heartbreaking to watch."

Harriet Slater in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

Sanne Gault/Starz

They made sure to really twist the knife too, opting for the more devastating version of the scene. Slater reveals that she shot the scene two very different ways. "We did a version where Ellen shows her heartbreak," she says. "She's really feeling it. She's saying these things, but you can tell she doesn't mean them.

"But Ellen is very good at hiding the way she actually feels," she continues. "That's how she's always survived. She's very good at putting these masks on and being whoever she needs to be in whatever situation she finds herself in. And it's the first time with Brian where she isn't her true self. She has to convince him that she really doesn't love him and she believes all these awful things about him. This version is so much more cutting and brutal, and so much more confusing for Brian."

Rory Alexander, Jamie Roy, and Hermione Corfield in 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood'.

Sanne Gault/Starz

**Indeed, Ellen's words are seemingly effective, prompting Brian to confront his father, Lord Lovat (Tony Curran), in anger. "He's only known Ellen to tell the truth," says Roy, "so he wouldn't expect anything other than the truth to come from her. He's going to believe anything that she says. He takes that to heart, even though he doesn't want to believe it. He's more confused than anything because this doesn't make any sense."

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*Outlander: Blood of My Blood *airs new episodes at 8 p.m. on Fridays on Starz. Episodes drop the same day to stream on the Starz app.

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