‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Stars React to Season 2's Major Reveal for Ellen and Brian

Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2, Episode 4.

Summary

• In Season 2 of 'Outlander: Blood of My Blood,' Brian grows into a reluctant leader, forging an uneasy truce with Dougal as war looms.
• Ellen becomes a fierce leader and does what she has to do to protect her home, rallying Leoch’s women to fight back.
• Ellen's pregnancy gives Brian a powerful reason to survive, strengthening their bond amid chaos.

In the second season of the Starz series Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) are having their love tested by forces beyond their control, after having had to return home to fight in the 1715 Jacobite Rising. To fulfill his obligation, Brian forms an uneasy truce with Ellen’s brother Dougal (Sam Retford) because both men know it’s better for them to be on the same side even if they don’t fully trust each other. And now that Ellen has revealed her pregnancy to Brian, he has something even more to return home for.

Collider recently got the opportunity to chat with Slater and Roy about the challenges Ellen and Brian are facing in Season 2. During the interview, they discussed handling things with the MacKenzie brothers, seeing Brian step up more as a leader, that brutal fight between Brian and Dougal, turning Ellen into an assassin on the level of John Wick, what it’s like for Brian and Dougal to find common ground, the sibling relationship between Ellen and Colum (Seamus McLean Ross), and getting to see more of Brian and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) this season.

Ellen MacKenzie Doesn’t Really Feel Threatened by Her Brothers in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"Yes, they might beat her, but she’s made of sturdy stuff and she knows she can handle that if that’s what happens."

COLLIDER: Harriet, it feels like Ellen has some brass balls to stand up to her brothers in the way that she does when she returns home. She knows that there is a very real and likely threat that they will beat her, but she challenges them anyway. Is she just over it with them? Do you think that she’s just actually terrified on the inside and doesn’t show it to them, or does she just not care how they’re going to react anymore?

HARRIET SLATER: Oh, my gosh. I know! That’s a good question. She doesn’t really feel threatened by them, if I’m honest. I think, yes, they might beat her, but she’s made of sturdy stuff and she knows she can handle that if that’s what happens, because it’s also for the greater good. That is far better than putting Brian and Murtagh’s lives at risk, which I think she realizes is going to be the case if they continue to live on the run. And also, if Brian doesn’t answer the call to arms, then it is the death penalty for him, so they would have to literally go into hiding. It’s the best of two bad options really, to go back and face them. And then, they immediately lock her up in a church in a secret chapel, which isn’t great for her, but she’d rather that than lose Brian forever.

Jamie, Brian gives quite the speech in support of his father in Episode 2, which despite what a horrible man he’s been, he is pretty effective with that speech. Not only did he win everyone over, but he even impressed his father a bit. What was it like to have Brian really come into his own as a leader, as he was giving that speech? How did it feel to have that moment?

JAMIE ROY: It was great. It’s really fun because Brian is such a different character this season. When I saw that in Episode 2, I was like, “Great, finally, Brian gets to sink his teeth into something.” It’s funny because he’s not a natural leader, I would say, as opposed to this leadership was put upon him. It was a circumstance thing, and he knew that he had to get these men to follow because otherwise, they wouldn’t have an army to fight with. And then, his chances of getting reunited with Ellen would have been significantly diminished. So, it was great to finally see that. Actually filming that scene, I was quite nervous before it because I’ve never had to do something on that scale. I think there were 70 dudes in the Castle Leathers set that day.

SLATER: That’s intimidating.

ROY: Yeah, it was. I was doing this big speech and people were heckling through it. It was pretty funny, actually.

It was a lot of fun to watch because you don’t get moments on the show very often where you have to be in front of a big group of people in that way. Ellen and Brian’s relationship has been a secret, so Brian has had many situations where he’s had to deal with so many people. It was fun to see him get more and more confident while he’s speaking.

ROY: Yeah, and his father’s like, “You’re on my side now.” And he’s like, “No, I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Ellen.” But Lovat doesn’t care because he’s got followers and that’s all he really cares about.

There’s the moment that Brian and Ellen reunite at Leoch, but first there is a brutal fist fight between Brian and Dougal. What was that like to shoot? How do you think Ellen felt? What was it like to just stand there and watch that?

SLATER: Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun. We shot that over two days, maybe even more. It was a big scene. It’s a long scene. You guys killed it. It was so much fun. As Ellen, she knows how brutal Dougal can be. The stakes were genuinely quite high there. One of them could have died, or both of them. There was also slight satisfaction at seeing her brother beaten up by the love of her life. Kind of hot.

ROY: I’m glad you liked it. I took a couple of punches in that one. We did that over two days and I was knackered by the end of it because we filmed it so many times. But it looked great. I’m glad it looked cool.

SLATER: I love Maura’s reaction in that. I had no idea she was doing that. At the time, I couldn’t see her.

ROY: What does she do?

SLATER: It’s like she’s finding it really hot. She’s loving the fact that Dougal is potentially going to kill Brian in this moment. I think Maura has her suspicions about how Malcolm died, and you can see so much in that one tiny little shot.

ROY: I’ve got to watch it back again.

Harriet Slater Had So Much Fun With Ellen Leading the Women of Leoch in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"Ellen gets to spend so much time with the women and that's so rare for her."

Image via Starz

Harriet, I also loved getting to see Ellen lead and work with the women of Leoch. It’s obviously under horrible circumstances because they’re fighting this guy trying to take their home, but at the same time, it was pretty awesome to get to see them all work together. What was it like to get to team up with them? How did you feel that Ellen not only became a little assassin, but was actually pretty good at it?

SLATER: I know! Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun. I had the best time working on Episode 3. Ellen gets to spend so much time with the women and that’s so rare for her. Most of her scenes are either with Brian or with her brothers. It was so nice to see the women come together and actually use what MacKinney and his men, and I guess society in general, assumed was their greatest weakness, which is the fact that they are women, against them and use that to defeat them. That was really cool. We had some great stunt sessions where we learned how to use a bow and arrow and how to do all the stunts, like with the tapestry coming down and when they jump on them and stop them. They’re pretty versatile, actually. I probably shouldn’t be enjoying it as much as I did.

ROY: Have you seen John Wick?

SLATER: I actually have not seen John Wick.

ROY: Oh, man it’s like Ellen is John Wick.

SLATER: Really? I should watch that. I watched Home Alone as my inspiration.

It was certainly fun to watch Ellen take charge of people who actually were listening to her, as opposed to her brothers who just typically dismiss her ideas. The women were actually paying attention.

SLATER: That’s so true. We see Ellen become a leader, as well. She is a leader at her core, but she’s never been allowed to lead before. This is the first time we actually see her leading and being listened to. It’s a shame that it’s only the women that will ever actually listen to her, but that’s the society that she’s in.

At the same time, how hard was it for her to then have to lose Janet after all of that, especially after they share such a beautiful moment together when they tell each other how much they admire each other?

SLATER: Yeah, that was a really genuinely moving scene. There wasn’t much acting required. Everything that is there is what Ailsa [Davidson] gave me as an actor. She’s incredible. I’ve always admired Ailsa. She was in the year above me at drama school, and I remember watching her perform and thinking, “God, she’s good.” She made me cry, actually, when we were at drama school. I didn’t really have to do much in that scene. It was all there in her eyes. She did such an incredible job. And watching it back was really moving for me. Sadhbh [Mailn] is brilliant in that scene too. It was genuinely quite heartbreaking.

Brian and Dougal Have a Tentative Truce in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"There's a respect between the two of them that grows."

Image via Starz

Even if it’s because they have to go to battle together, I love that Brian and Dougal strike up this temporary truce and friendship. There’s something amusing about the two of them trying to find common ground, even if it might just become disaster later. Jamie, what did you enjoy about that dynamic? What was that like to play with and explore?

ROY: I find working with Sam [Retford] really quite great. We are really pally, and then when it gets to action, there is this tension and friction between these two. I don’t want to say they’re meatheads, but he definitely brings out that side of Brian. Brian’s obviously quite soft and thoughtful, but with Dougal, he has to almost meet his energy with the same energy, if that makes sense, because that’s what Dougal respects. As the season progresses, there’s a truce, but there’s a respect between the two of them that grows. They’re definitely not friends, but there’s definitely something there. Dougal now sees that this Brian kid might be all right, actually.

It feels like Brian would genuinely find a way to respect Dougal and be his friend much easier than Dougal would. It wouldn’t be as easy in the reverse.

ROY: Yeah, that’s correct.

SLATER: Dougal’s got that MacKenzie stubbornness, for sure.

ROY: Very stubborn. There’s a scene in Episode 4 when we’re at the campsite and Dougal comes over. Brian looks at Ellen as he walks away like, “That guy.” I remember thinking on the day that Dougal was giving it all this and Brian was like, “Well, whatever, dude.”

SLATER: Ellen and Brian have probably had so many chats about that. She’s probably vented to Brian about her brothers so many times.

It’s the same thing with Colum. Even though he just continues to beg me to hate him, it’s funny that you almost feel some sympathy for him actually being honest this season. He is admitting to horrible things that he’s done, but he’s finally being honest about them.

SLATER: I completely agree. I think Colum is an incredible character. He’s so complex and Seamus [McLean Ross] plays him wonderfully. I think that’s testament, as well, to Seamus’ performance and the writing that you do sympathize with him. On paper, he’s kind of a villain when you think about what he’s done. But actually, I’m with you, I really sympathize with him as well. Because we’ve seen his past and his past relationship with Ellen and how close they were, that’s also why you’re rooting for him, in a way, to repair it, even though, I don’t know, I feel like it’s maybe beyond repairing. When he realizes that Ellen is actually done with him and that she’s not going to forgive him any time soon, he realizes the mistakes he’s made and tries desperately to win her back, but with not so much success.

Ellen’s Pregnancy Gives Brian Something Even Greater To Stay Alive for in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2

"It's not an easy season for Brian and Ellen. They go through a lot."

Image via Starz

Knowing that Brian and Ellen have forged a bond now that will last forever because she’s pregnant and she has told him that news, how will the fact that she is pregnant guide things for them this season? How big of a part of their decisions will that be?

SLATER: When she tells him that she’s pregnant, she tells him in that moment because he’s going off to battle and it gives him something even greater to stay alive for. That’s a really important and really beautiful moment between them. It’s not an easy season for Brian and Ellen. They go through a lot. To be honest, I think that just strengthens their bond even more. I think their relationship develops so much throughout Season 2. It’s completely different to how it was in Season 1. They very much feel like a family unit now and that does definitely influence the decisions that they make. They make them together.

ROY: Yeah, definitely.

I was happy to see Brian confront his father, frankly, because I’m happy any time he stands up to his father. Jamie, do you feel like Brian and Murtaugh being released from their oath and really making them clanless is actually a relief at this point? Is Brian just happy to get that off of his back?

ROY: I think so, yeah. Anything that he can do to distance himself from his father, I think. If someone said to Brian today, “Today is the last day you’ll ever see your father,” I think he would be very delighted at that news. We saw him stand up to him in Episode 6 when he says, “That will be the last time that he does that.” At that time, he makes the choice that he’s going to stand up to his father from that point on, and he does. It was great to have those confrontation scenes with Tony [Curran]. He’s great.

It’s also nice to see Brian and Murtaugh on the same side and not fighting each other this season, but we also don’t get to see as much of their friendship, at least in the first few episodes. Will we see more of them together as the season goes on?

ROY: Yeah. Murtagh’s got his own interesting storyline that goes on. There is a beautiful scene coming up in Episode 5, pre-war, where Brian and Murtagh have a really open and honest conversation with each other. I was so glad that they had that because I think it was needed after everything they went through in the first season, and then they’re about to go into war. It’s great seeing that progress as well. Working with Rory [Alexander] is always such a laugh anyway. Anytime I see a Murtagh-Brian conversation, I’m pretty happy.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood airs on Starz.