23 ‘Outlander’ Parallels, Easter Eggs & Callbacks in ‘Blood of My Blood’ So Far
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Season 1.]
Outlander‘s prequel spinoff, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, has arrived, and the series is revealing more than a few parallels to the original show and characters with callbacks and echoes of the characters fans have come to know and love from the original show.
Whether it is plot similarities, moments referenced in Outlander, or elements of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) found in their parents, Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Henry (Jeremy Irvine), and Brian (Jamie Roy) and Ellen (Harriet Slater), there are endless Easter Eggs for fans to uncover.
As the 10-episode first season of the series unfolds, we’re breaking down some of the biggest parallels, callbacks, Easter eggs, and more in the gallery roundup below. While this roundup is rather extensive, it is not representative of every reference made to Outlander so far, because there are simply too many. Scroll down for a closer look at the different references and let us know your favorites in the comments section below.
Mrs Fitz Gets Ellen Ready
As fans will recall, Mrs Fitz (Annette Badland) helped Claire get ready when she was staying at Castle Leoch, and that moment was mirrored as the young Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) helped Ellen get ready for the day of her father’s funeral.
Ellen's Chess Game With Red Jacob
Jamie has played countless games of chess in Outlander, so it wasn’t shocking to discover that his mother was a smart player alongside his grandfather, Red Jacob MacKenzie (Peter Mullan).
Brian Fraser Needs to Go Incognito
As fans may recall, when Outlander began, Jamie was going by the last name McTavish because he was evading authorities and laying low, and that was mirrored in Brian’s appearance at the Gathering in Episode 1 as he avoided being discovered as a Fraser, since the MacKenzies and his clan have tensions.
Brian Intervenes for Julia's Safety
When Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) puts a hand on Julia, Brian intervenes and essentially protects her, and that’s a quality viewers have seen in Jamie’s actions over the seasons. This small echo offers a glimpse at how the character fans know and love became the man he is.
Murtagh's in Love With Ellen
It was hinted in Outlander that Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) was in love with Jamie’s mother, Ellen, but we see it in action during Blood of My Blood as a young Murtagh (Rory Alexander) pines after her, unaware his cousin Brian has also fallen in love.
Brian & Ellen's Stable Meet-Cute
During Brian and Ellen’s meet-cute in the stable at Castle Leoch, he makes a comment about chickens being poor company, a sentiment that was relayed to Claire by Jamie in Season 1 of Outlander. Also, the stable setting is a fun callback to Jamie’s time tending to the horses at Leoch in the original show.
Malcolm Grant
Malcolm Grant (Jhon Lumsden) was referenced in the original series as having been in love with Ellen, and we get a taste of that with his introduction in Blood of My Blood.
Ellen's Secret Getaway
When Ellen leaves Leoch to meet Brian, she takes a secret passage that was previously teased on Outlander in Season 1’s episode, “The Gathering,” which saw Jamie lead Claire to the entrance of it.
Murtagh's Boar Tusks
Claire was gifted a pair of boar tusk bangles, which she later learned were fashioned by Murtagh for Ellen as a wedding gift. The tusks were the prize he got for killing the boar during a hunt, and in Blood of My Blood, viewers got to see the hunt and the tusks previously referenced.
Jocasta's Crush on Murtagh
Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) revealed to Murtagh in Outlander that she’d pined after him, and it’s fairly obvious in the latest storyline in Blood of My Blood. Viewers got some breadcrumbs of the future couple’s flirtation as young Murtagh offered some kind words to young Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin).
Ellen's Betrothal to Malcolm Grant
Ellen’s betrothal to Malcolm Grant is a political move by Colum MacKenzie (Séamus McLean Ross), and it’s reminiscent of Jamie and Claire’s marriage, which was also arranged by the MacKenzies.
Henry & Julia's Scotland Getaway
Henry and Julia’s Scotland getaway is a near-dead ringer for Claire’s second honeymoon with her first husband Frank (Tobias Menzies), which eventually sent her through the standing stones at Craigh Na Dun, just like them. During the couple’s countryside drive, they even bring up a baby Claire and talk of picking raspberries, hinting at their daughter’s future of picking flowers and other plants for her medicines.
The Car Crash
The fateful car crash that Claire believed killed her parents was depicted onscreen as Julie and Henry swerve off the road to avoid a deer and wind up flipped over in the river.
Henry & Julia's Near-Drowning
When Henry and Julia emerge from the water, their drenched embrace reminds us of Jamie and Claire’s own embrace in Season 3’s finale, “Eye of the Storm,” which saw the pair washed ashore in America after a shipwreck.
Henry Searching for Julia
When Julia goes through the standing stones, sending her back in time, Henry is quick to run after her, but is sent through time at a different point, leading to a separation. While Jamie has certainly had his fair share of searching for Claire in Outlander, Henry’s experience reminds us of Frank’s worried search for Claire after she disappeared.
Julia Is a Woman Before Her Time
It becomes apparent quite quickly that Claire got her spunk and feminist approach from her mother, Julia, who believes in women’s rights, higher education, and jobs for women, and goes against the grain when it comes to gender norms for her time.
Henry's Warfront Experience & Trauma
As fans will recall, Claire served as a World War II combat nurse, which eventually led her to become a surgeon, and this was paralleled in Henry’s warfront experiences. It was also teased that he goes through PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) after his time in the World War I trenches, mirroring Claire’s experience with War-related trauma, which surfaced in Outlander‘s Season 2 episode, “Je Suis Prest.”
Julia & Henry's First Meeting
Despite not exactly knowing what the other looks like, having only exchanged letters in their road to romance, Henry and Julia’s first meeting is reminiscent of Claire and Jamie’s reintroduction to one another in Season 3’s episode, “A. Malcolm,” as they catch sight of one another and instantly know it’s their soulmate. While Jamie and Claire did know each other, Henry and Julia’s innate recognition of one another in public only proves their bond is magical.
Julia's Hobbies
Julia is seen painting at an easel and tinkering with a watch, both reminiscent of pastimes her future granddaughter, Brianna (Sophie Skelton), has been seen dabbling in. As fans know, Brianna has a mind for engineering and a skill for drawing, both talents she could have picked up through her lineage, it would seem.
Henry & Julia's Wedding
Henry and Julia’s wedding is rather casual, and the only evidence viewers see of their nuptials is Julia’s ring and the happy couple walking into their apartment with Henry carrying her over the threshold. The wedding is quite similar to the one between Claire and her first husband, Frank, in Outlander.
Julia's Trip Through the Stones
Julia’s time-traveling trip through the stones included some glaring similarities to Claire’s experience, particularly when Claire traveled back to her original time in Season 2 amid the Battle of Culloden. Like Claire, Julia is pregnant, like she’d been with Brianna, and the gemstone used to travel, in both cases, came from a ring.
Julia's Servitude at Leathers Castle
When Julia finds herself in the 1700s, she is told she is to serve at Castle Leathers and is forced to clean and wait on those living there. This is sort of similar to Claire’s experience of working at Castle Leoch.
Brian Takes a Beating
Brian steps in to take a beating for Julia after Lord Lovat gets angry over her escape attempt. This moment is very similar to when Jamie took on the lashes of the whip, meant for Laoghaire (Nell Hudson), in Outlander‘s first season, allowing for the young woman to evade injury, and Brian does the same thing here for Julia.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Season 1, Fridays, 8/7c, Starz
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services