After what happened in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 8 “A Virtuous Woman,” the episode ends on a shocking note: the death of Isaac Grant. And his death changes the rules of the game. But what does his death mean for Henry and Julia?
A Golden Cage
Isaac Grant kept Henry in a golden cage. He was seemingly free, but if he considered running away and leaving the clan, he wouldn’t hesitate to send his men after him. In fact, he already did so when Henry tried to cross the stones to return to Claire. So, Henry is still alive because he’s too valuable to Isaac to kill, but his head was going to end up on a spike sooner rather than later. And Henry couldn’t allow that. Not with Claire waiting for him beyond the stones. That’s why he was planning his escape.
However, Isaac’s death in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 8 “A Virtuous Woman,” changes everything. Malcolm is the clan chief now, and the balance of power is…somewhat different. What does that mean for Henry and Julia? Well, as Henry tells Ned in the episode, Malcolm is different from his father. He’s a good man, without the lack of compassion and cruelty that characterized his father. And Henry has earned his trust. While Isaac grew increasingly distrustful of Henry, Malcolm leans on him, almost as if he were his right-hand man.
The two understand each other in a similar way to how Isaac understood Arch Bug. And that’s quite promising for Henry because Malcolm is much more likely to let him go without putting his head on a spike, as Isaac would. Maybe Henry and Julia won’t have to vanish in the middle of the night. Maybe Malcolm will help Henry reach her and let them go.
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Being Laird Changes Everything
That said, everything is different for Malcolm now as well.
He’s no longer the laird’s heir; he’s the laird. That means he has to think of the clan first. We think Malcolm genuinely cares for Henry—something that is reciprocated— and that he has a good heart and trusts him. But Malcolm isn’t stupid, and he knows Henry is too valuable to lose. And now, as laird, the clan is the most important thing. Perhaps if Henry had asked Malcolm for help before Isaac’s death, he would have helped him; now, we don’t think that’s the case. The clan needs Henry, so we think Malcolm won’t be the ally Henry thinks he will be.
On the other hand, what does Isaac’s death mean for the clan? Perhaps this is the simplest answer. Malcolm was raised to be the future laird. The men trust him and follow his leadership, so it will be natural for them to follow Malcolm as their laird. However, every laird must have a right-hand man. Isaac’s was Arch Bug, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be Malcolm’s. Malcolm doesn’t trust Arch. He’s too cruel for him to do that. But he does trust Henry.
So we think that not only will Malcolm not allow Henry to leave, but he’ll make him his right-hand man. In that case, Henry would be back in a gilded cage, with more space and slightly thinner bars, but a cage nonetheless. Although we’re clear that they’ll both have a common enemy: Arch Bug.
Will Arch conspire even more to bring Henry down? Everything points to that, given that he’ll do everything he can to become Malcolm’s right-hand man and earn his trust, just as he did with his father all those years ago.
NEXT: INTERVIEW: Tony Curran On What to Expect From Lord Lovat in Blood of My Blood
Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Fridays on STARZ.
