We’re back! Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart’ delves into the relationship between Julia and Henry and the meaning of the bond they share. Meanwhile, Brian and Ellen manage to find each other, and Ellen begins to struggle to escape the marriage her brothers have put her in. Ready?
Here we go!
Friendships in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart’
We knew the friendship between Brian and Julia was going to provide some good moments. And Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart’ is living proof of that. Brian isn’t an idiot, and he knows Julia is lying to buy time. He doesn’t know why, but he’s not particularly interested either. Brian is aware that Julia wants to escape from his home and, above all, from his father.
He’s not going to stop her. He wishes he could have helped other women in her situation escape from his father. Plus, he needs her to talk to Ellen. They both need each other. And the pact they make is going to be a big thing, we’re sure. We can only hope that Julia finally finds Henry at Beltane and that Brian manages to help them escape. We already have our fingers crossed! But the first step is to talk to Ellen. And that gives us one of the most anticipated scenes of the show.
Jamie’s mother and Claire’s mother are finally together. They’re more alike than they think, starting with their personalities and ending with their own love stories. They’re both separated from the man they love, and they both feel like they have little hope of getting him back. But while Julia has no idea where Henry is, Ellen has him right there, within reach. She can see him, she can touch him, she can kiss him, she can choose him. Ellen can choose to be with him and send everything else to h**ell.
So Julia understands. She understands Ellen’s pain at feeling like she’s lost the love of her life. That’s why she knows that if Ellen doesn’t answer his call, if she doesn’t choose him, choose them, above all else, she’ll regret it. Julia would die for that same chance. And that’s why, because of this silent understanding between them, because of this connection, this is our favorite scene from Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart.’ We only hope Julia and Ellen give us moments like these again throughout the season.
Brian and Ellen’s reunion in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart’ is brief but intense. It’s everything we want to see with them. Brian couldn’t stand another minute without knowing if Ellen agreed to marry Grant. He just wanted to look into her eyes and have her tell him the truth. And her eyes do. No words are necessary.
When he looks into her eyes, Brian knows that this oath was made against her will, and that he’ll fight to break it, even if it’s the last thing he does. And Ellen does the same. She sees in Brian’s eyes that she’s not alone in this, that what they feel for each other is real. And so, holding hands, they vow to find a way out of all this. Together. And we love them for this!
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Golden Cage
But fighting won’t be so easy for Ellen. From what we saw in Outlander: Blood of My BloodSeason 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart,’ she finds herself a prisoner in her own home. Dougal treats her with contempt, as if he hates her, as if she were more his servant than his sister. He doesn’t hesitate to humiliate her, wanting to reduce her to nothing, making it clear that she will never be able to decide her own life. Not now, not when she’s married.
It’s curious, but the more Dougal tries to make her look bad, the more Ellen grows. She won’t be defeated so easily. And that infuriates Dougal even more. The resentment he felt toward Ellen because she was his father’s favorite is now compounded by a sense of betrayal because she supported Colum to become laird. He also feels that, no matter how hard he tries, he can’t defeat her, subdue her, or dominate her. No matter how hard he tries, Ellen always ends up better than him.
Colum isn’t much different from Dougal, at least at the beginning of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart.’ Colum also tries to bend her to his will, but he realizes he can’t. Ellen won’t respond to something like that. She’ll rebel, she’ll fight, she’ll scream, and she’ll kick. But she’ll never stop fighting. So, Colum decides it’s time to tell her the truth, even if it means shattering that image of perfection she has of their father.
And we sense this is the first time any of her siblings has treated Ellen as an equal. Ellen is aware of all the flaws Red Jacob had as a father. She witnessed the way he treated Colum and Dougal, but she didn’t expect what Colum said to her. She didn’t expect her father to have left them practically in ruins, not when the clan was his pride and most cherished achievement. But that’s the reality.
Her marriage to Grant would plug all the holes and give the clan a chance to prosper. But Ellen knows there’s another way…and she’s going to find it. She’s just smart enough to know better than to tell Colum. She’s tired of arguing with Colum about their marriage. Those arguments lead nowhere because Colum won’t budge. So she’ll force him to do it. She just doesn’t know how yet.
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A Lie to Save a Life
Julia had a very clear plan when she allowed Lord Lovat to do whatever he wanted with her. And in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart,’ she’s carrying it out. Brian grew up safe in that house simply because he was the laird’s son. And Julia made sure that, in case she can’t find Henry and run away with him, her son has the same opportunity. However, we think there are two things Julia isn’t counting on.
One is the fact that Brian grew up in that house with Davina, yes, but she couldn’t behave like his mother unless it was in secret. In everyone’s eyes, Brian is the lord and Davina is just another servant. Although their true relationship is an open secret, Lord Lovat always imposed a distance between them. While we recognize that this is better than not being close to his son at all, it would be very painful for Julia. So we hope she manages to reach Henry before that happens.
The other thing Julia forgets is that Davina, even though she’s covered for her now, knows better. She knows that the baby isn’t Lord Lovat’s. She seems like a good woman, but what guarantees Julia that Davina will stay silent? After all, Julia doesn’t know her well enough to trust her. We just hope Julia doesn’t regret it, because she’s playing with fire right now. Although we completely understand why she’s doing it. And we’re with her in this.
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Other Stuff in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ‘A Soldier’s Heart’
- Julia and Henry’s flashbacks help us connect more with their story, though we still feel like something’s missing.
- We were a little thrown by Ellen’s story about the stones. She mentioned there’s a 100-year gap between the ages. But in Outlander, if we remember correctly, it was mentioned as 202.
- In any case, Julia already found out more about what happened…and how to get back.
- We liked how Henry managed to handle the rent issue. But it’s clear he’s made an enemy in Arch Bug. One with a long memory.
- And his relationship with the laird isn’t on the best of terms either. He’s increasingly distrustful of Henry. So Henry is playing a very dangerous game here.
- We understand why Henry is venting to his new friend. But we think that closeness is too dangerous.
- This show has been brave in giving Henry’s PTSD the importance it deserves. This is something Outlander didn’t do, as we only had one episode dealing with Claire’s suffering, and it ended as quickly as it began, with no follow-up.
- Now we know where Claire’s name came from! And its meaning is beautiful.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on STARZ.
