After what happened in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 6 “Birthright” between Harry and Seema, we need to talk about it. We understood Henry completely, and our hearts ache for him. And Seema’s reaction speaks volumes. Time to unpack it all!
What Happened in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 6 ‘Birthright’?
Looking back on Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 6 “Birthright,” Henry was more determined than ever to find Julia. He knows their child is about to be born. Arch Bug tries to stop him from continuing his search, but Henry makes it clear that he’s going to continue, no matter the consequences. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his family. Arch seems to understand this and offers to help him, so the search can accelerate.
So, they call the surrounding midwives and healers to ask if they’ve ever seen anyone like Julia. At first, the search is fruitless, and Henry begins to think Julia might not have gone into labor yet. However, one morning everything changes. A midwife claims to have delivered Julia… and reveals to Henry that both she and their child died during childbirth.
Although we later discover that Arch paid the woman to lie, it was too late. The pain of knowing he’s lost them triggers a bout of PTSD in Henry. His mind wanders to vivid memories of the end of the war and his reunion with Julia. Henry ends up in Seema’s arms, while his mind makes him believe he’s with Julia. Thus, amidst this distortion between reality and fiction, Henry sleeps with Seema.
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Henry’s Nightmare
We have nothing to hold against Henry for what happened with Seema in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 6 “Birthright.” We want to make that very clear. He had just been told that Julia, his light, his love, and his son had died. His family was gone. Forever. They were the only thing he had, the only thing that kept him waking up every day. But if they’re gone, what’s the point?
Henry’s grief triggers a bout of PTSD. Suddenly, he’s no longer in Scotland, but back there. The loss of Julia and his son had ripped away the anchor that tethered him to the present. He’s lost, searching for a safe place, searching for his anchor, searching for her, for Julia.
But Julia isn’t within his reach. Henry doesn’t know where she is. So his body takes Henry to the only safe place he knows, the only place he can pretend Julia is by his side. Seema is the only one who knows the intensity of his love, his desperation, and his need. And Seema never judged him. She simply held him without saying a word.
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Seema’s Surrender
So when Henry feels vulnerable in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 6 “Birthright,” he subconsciously knows where to go. Seema is the only one he can pretend Julia is by his side, and Henry desperately needs to believe that fantasy is real right now. That said, Seema’s reaction caught our attention. We felt that it hurt her deeply when Henry called her “Julia.” It was just a second, but it was there.
We think Seema wanted to believe that Henry was finally looking for her. And when he made it clear he wasn’t, she felt a pang in her heart. Henry isn’t like all the men she knows. He’s one of the good ones, and while everyone else only sees her as an object for their pleasure, Henry never did. He always saw her and showed her the respect and value that no one in that place had ever shown her.
Furthermore, Seema understands the sense of loss Henry is suffering. It connects them. All of this has caused her to begin to feel something for Henry, unintentionally and without realizing it. Hence the pain when she realizes that Henry only sees Julia when he looks at her.
But, despite her pain, Seema knows Henry needs her. He needs her to pretend. He needs her to be his light. So she swallows her pain, and Seema becomes who Henry needs and wants her to be. And she doesn’t do it out of pity or compassion; she does it out of surrender. She does it for him. It’s all about him. That’s what you do for someone you truly care about.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on STARZ.
