‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Star Hints at What’s Next After That Shocking Cliffhanger

Editor's note: The following contains major spoilers for Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2, Episode 8.

Summary

• In Season 2 of 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood,' Murtagh finds tender, unexpected romance with Grace and finally feels truly wanted.
• Their intimacy is sweetly awkward, but their love for each other is genuine.
• Grace's sudden transfer to the West Indies leaves this new relationship in jeopardy, but Murtagh vows to fight for them.

In Episode 8 of Season 2 of the Starz series Outlander: Blood of My Blood, entitled “The Dance,” Murtagh (Rory Alexander) takes his new relationship with Grace (Ruby Fubara) to the next level when he tells her that he loves her. After returning from battle, their relationship progressed quickly, only to have a very large obstacle thrown their way when Grace is informed that she’ll be accompanying John Cameron to the West Indies. This sends Murtagh into a bit of a panic without many options, and the new couple wondering if it’s all over before they really have any time together.

Collider recently got the opportunity to chat with Alexander about Murtagh’s chance at romance and mending fences with best friend Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy). During the interview, he discussed how things never go well for very long in the world of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, what it means to Murtagh to have Grace want him back, the awkwardness of shooting intimate scenes, getting Murtagh and Brian’s buddy comedy energy back, Murtagh’s desperation to find a way not to lose Grace, and what’s next for them.

Rory Alexander Was Delighted for Murtagh To Have His Own Romance in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"It’s a poisoned chalice because you know that if anything looks like it might go well, that might not last for very long."

Image via Starz

COLLIDER: Murtagh clearly had a rough go of love last season. When you found out about Grace and what their journey would be this season, what was your reaction to that? How did you feel about what that experience would be like for him?

RORY ALEXANDER: It’s a poisoned chalice because you know that if anything looks like it might go well, that might not last for very long. But I was delighted for him, especially when I then got to meet Ruby [Fubara] and work with her. I wanted that storyline to keep developing and for us to get to spend as much time together as characters as possible. It’s not just him in love. He’s having a pretty rough time. He goes off to war and then off to Fort William. Him having the opportunity to get back and just be with someone that he’s been thinking about so consistently in such difficult times, it’s Murtagh time. Give it to him.

In Episode 7, Murtaugh stops Grace from taking off her clothes, saying he doesn’t want to take her virtue, and she explains that it was taken from her long ago and that she just wants to know what it’s like to give herself freely. Does that make it more meaningful for him to know that she’s actually chosen him when he hasn’t really had that before?

ALEXANDER: Yeah, absolutely. In Season 1, he says, “I just want to be wanted,” and that’s something that’s so integral to the issues that he has in his life. The first time that they’re really intimate, he’s so aware of not wanting to cross any boundaries and making sure that everything is incredibly gentle and trusting and consensual. He doesn’t want to get that wrong because he doesn’t want to put himself in the lineage of other people who have hurt Grace. And so, when she really chooses to give herself freely to him, that’s just the most loving gesture that he could ever imagine. He’d be a fool not to reciprocate.

You also joke, in that moment, about how hard it is to get her clothes off.

ALEXANDER: It’s impossible. I wanted him to be a real smooth criminal, but Murtagh does not know how to take off a corset so why not play into that? [The costumes] are beautiful but they’re complicated. It was a real problem. I don’t think it was scripted. I just threw it in. (Director) Emer [Conroy] said, “Be free with it and enjoy yourselves.” You just play with the material you’ve got in front of you. Unfortunately, I had a very complicated corset to wrestle with. But Murtagh and I found it pretty complicated.

Obviously, the scenes look beautiful when we watch them because we only see the finished product. But I kept thinking about you guys having to lie in piles of hay, since that can’t be overly comfortable. Was that uncomfortable? Did they do anything to make it less uncomfortable?

ALEXANDER: Generally speaking, doing intimacy scenes, you don’t feel at your most relaxed and comfortable. But I do think that it plays into their relationship, which is paradoxically innocent. They should be rolling around in the hay and getting it stuck in their hair, with all of that being a bit giggly and awkward. It’s less about perfect lust. Murtagh is a clumsy guy. He’s a bit of a clown and unfortunately, that doesn’t stop at the bedroom. But it’s not particularly comfortable.

In Episode 8, Brian finally tells Murtaugh that Ellen lost their baby and that it was the fault of Brian’s father. How hard is that for Murtagh to hear from his best friend and not be able to do anything to help?

ALEXANDER: It’s heartbreaking. There’s a resolve with Brian that he’s going to stand on his own two feet and really remove himself from Lovat, which Murtagh has wanted for him for a long, long time. It’s just so rough that that’s the incident that incites it. He cares so deeply for both of them and has already taken on the mantle that, if anything happened to Brian, then Murtagh would be there every step of the way with Ellen and the bairn. It’s a huge loss at that point. We’ve always known that Lovat is capable of proper evil. Brian and Ellen are now so solid that hopefully they will have more chances that it’s not the end of that journey yet. But yeah, it’s heartbreaking.

I love that Brian and Murtagh have smoothed things over because they had a rough go of it last season. It was good to hear Brian apologize for not telling Murtagh about how he really felt about Ellen, and I enjoyed Murtagh keeping it light by telling him that he enjoyed hitting him. What’s it like to have a lighter moment like that between them again? Is it nice to have them back on the same side, instead of at odds with each other, and to get to be a little more playful with that relationship?

ALEXANDER: Yeah, big time. It’s fun being grumpy with him, but at the same time, that buddy comedy energy is a lot more fun. They’ve literally been to war together. They have gone through hell and back. So, if they can’t sit and have a drink by the river and have a laugh, then where’s the sunshine? It’s great to have them back teasing each other and having big, hard emotional conversations, as they should.

Grace Is Different Than Ellen for Murtagh in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"They're interested in each other, just on a relational level."

Image via Starz

Murtagh thought he was in love with Ellen. How is it different with Grace? Aside from the fact that Grace obviously isn’t interested in Brian, what is it about her that Murtagh feels so drawn in by?

ALEXANDER: I think from the moment they meet, she tells him off and tells him a little bit about herself, and they ask each other questions. They’re interested in each other, just on a relational level. He’s like, “Wow, this person wants to know who I am and what I’m about, and I want to do the same thing.” They’re both outsiders, and they recognize that in one another. The symbolism of her giving him the flower so that he’ll think about her carries him through those war scenes. By the time he gets back and they can finally see each other again, this whole almost imaginary relationship has flashed before his eyes so many times. He sat thinking about her. By the time they can finally make it real, they’ve gone on such a long emotional journey, but from a distance, that it can be trusted.

I love the little human moments that can happen in a show, and I just was so delighted by when Murtagh shows up to see Grace in Episode 8 and he’s a bit clumsy coming in the door. Was that scripted or did you just hit whatever that was coming in?

ALEXANDER: There was a log basket and it was in the way. I said to (director) Azhur [Saleem], “Can we put it more in the way so that there’s this slightly clowny moment. It was really fun. That’s one of the great things about doing it with Az, the writers, and Matt [B. Roberts]. If someone has a little bit of an idea on the day, it’s always, “Yeah, give that a try. That might be kind of fun.” You start to know the characters so much better. You go, “I think he would run into that lamppost,” or “He wouldn’t fluff this kiss up.” We can go with it.

It’s fun to get to see Murtagh be romantic. It feels like romance is new for him.

ALEXANDER: Yeah, he’s finding his way with it. He’s not quite there yet. And he’ll do it in his own special flavor, too.

At the end of the episode, Grace tells Murtagh that she’s being taken away to the West Indies, and he goes into a bit of a panic, which is understandable. How hard is it for him to be faced with losing her so soon?

ALEXANDER: It’s so tough. The problem is, like I said, if you ever see something going Murtagh’s way, you think, “Oh, no. Does this have to happen?” He’s in a huge panic, and he’s throwing all these options out of which he has no means to fulfill. He’s like, “I’ll buy your bond. We’ll get married.” But the love of his life is about to be taken away from him. What else would you do? You throw it all at the wall and hope that something sticks?

Rory Alexander and Ruby Fubara Found Murtagh and Grace’s Relationship Together in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"You'll watch someone make a fun decision and then you go with them."

What has it been like to find that dynamic with Ruby Fubara? What has been the most fun about working with her for this relationship?

ALEXANDER: It’s great. We were super lucky. Ruby is phenomenal. You just get to play around a lot in the scenes and slowly start to trust each other. You’ll watch someone make a fun decision and then you go with them. That translates to being on set together, and then to the camera, and now into the episodes. I remember after we did the intimacy stuff, we sat around in our dressing gowns, dancing and drinking hot chocolate. It’s a very strange thing that you have to do, but we did it as a team. It’s been fun.

It’s truly the worst place to just leave things for the two of them. What can you say to tease what’s to come for Murtagh, and for his relationship with Grace?

ALEXANDER: They’re left in this jeopardy, and I think you’d be wrong to assume that Murtagh will just lie down and take it. That’s all I’ll say.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Starz.