Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 5 was the best episode of the show so far! It developed the characters in a way that helped us connect with them more, while also allowing them to grow. And we loved every step of the way! We sit down to talk with executive producer Matthew B. Roberts about what Ellen’s kidnapping means for her relationship with Colum, why Henry couldn’t leave Arch behind, and everything that awaits them the rest of the season. Ready?
Here we go!
Will Ellen’s Kidnapping Finally Bring Her and Colum Closer?
Colum has started to feel bad about how he has handled things with Ellen, but will her kidnapping finally push him to act on those feelings? When we asked Roberts about what this development means for their relationship, he explained that the show intends to keep exploring their dynamic, particularly by bringing them together more often.
“As the story goes, we want to continue playing their relationship, and the key is putting them in the same place, and we will do that,” Roberts told us. He wasn’t ready to reveal what happens after Ellen’s kidnapping, but he confirmed that “she and Colum will definitely have more scenes together.”
There is still a lot Colum has to work through, and Roberts explained that much of his struggle happens internally. “It’s more internal for Colum because he knows that he has things he has to do, and then what he wants to do are two totally different things.” As Roberts explained, “he wants his sister, he wants to hold her and say, ‘I love you, I care about you,’ but he can’t. In his world, he can’t do that.”
That divide between what Colum feels and what he believes he can express is an important part of their relationship. His feelings for Ellen are there, but acting on them isn’t as simple as he might wish. And Ellen doesn’t always make things easier for him, either. As Roberts pointed out, “sometimes Ellen doesn’t act the way Colum wants her to, to make his life easier.” The reason is that her experiences have changed her, especially since meeting Brian. That “opened up a whole new world to her.”
So Ellen has discovered possibilities beyond the life Colum might have imagined for her, and that makes their relationship more complicated. Colum can’t simply expect her to make choices that suit him, particularly when her own experiences have changed how she sees the world. The best part? Roberts confirmed that “over the course of this season, we’ll see them play out the relationship even more.” And there’s potentially more ahead beyond Season 2, too. “And again, in season three, if we get season three, there’s even more to come,” he confessed.
How Saving Henry Could Change Arch for Good
Henry’s decision to save Arch instead of taking his chance to escape is another significant moment in Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 5. His goal has always been to get back to his family, to Julia and William, but when he has the opportunity to save a man who has fought beside him, he can’t simply walk away.
When we asked Roberts why it was important for Henry to make that choice now, despite how much he wants to reunite with his family, he pointed to what it reveals about Henry’s character and the bond the two men have formed.
“I think it shows what kind of character Henry is,” Roberts explained. “Henry was on the battlefield, Arch was next to him. It’s his brother in arms. And I think over the course of this season, he’s bonded with him.” Their relationship isn’t one-sided, either. Arch has also protected Henry, which makes Henry’s decision even more meaningful.
As Roberts explained, “Henry loves his family more than anything in the world, but he wasn’t gonna let a man die so he could be with them.” For Henry, getting home can’t come at that cost. Roberts emphasized that Henry “couldn’t live with that. He couldn’t live… and that shows character. It shows who Henry really is.”
But Henry’s choice doesn’t only tell us something about him. It also has the potential to change Arch, and Roberts sees that as one of the most important consequences of the moment, because Henry saving his life is “what flips Arch completely.” In his words, “Arch is a different kind of man [from Season 1]. And we know in the Outlander series that Arch is a different kind of man too. So he was something before Henry got there.”
That raises an intriguing question: “was it Henry that changed who Arch really is?” He commented that “we’ll see that” because this is something the show will continue to explore. Also, Roberts was particularly enthusiastic about how the scene came together. For him, “it’s a really great moment.” And shared that “it was talked about—how to shoot and play it—and it works so great.”
The conversation that follows Henry’s decision is also important to Roberts. He singled out the exchange in which Arch acknowledges that Henry could have escaped instead of saving him. For him, it’s a powerful moment because shows that Henry’s decision isn’t just about choosing one person over another. He has a family he desperately wants to see again, yet he cannot accept a future in which he survives by abandoning someone who has fought alongside him. And Arch will never forget that—a neither will we.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 airs on Fridays at 8:00 PM ET only on STARZ and at midnight in STARZ App.
