Outlander: Blood of My Bloodshowrunner Matthew B. Roberts and executive producer Maril Davis explain why the prequel changes a fan-favorite original character. Instead of focusing on Claire Beauchamp (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), this series revolves around their parents.
Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) are Claire’s parents, while Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) are Jamie’s parents. The series utilizies a World War I and 18th century Scotland timeline, and the latter features a younger version of theOutlanderfan-favorite character, Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser.
During an interview withScreenRantforOutlander: Blood of My Blood, Davis and Roberts explain why the prequel’s Murtagh (Rory Alexander) feels so different from the version played by Duncan Lacroix in the original show. They emphasize that the key difference is that the younger Murtagh has not had his heart broken yet. Check out their comments below:
Maril Davis: I mean, for me, it was Murtagh, only because, I don’t know why, I went into this thinking, “Oh, we’re casting grizzled, curmudgeony Duncan Lacroix in a younger version.” And it wasn’t until Matt had a conversation about when we were talking about the character, and it suddenly became clear thatthis is the Murtagh before he’s had his heart broken. This is the hopeful wingman, and Rory has just stepped into this role, and he’s so charming. Murtagh is so likable, and Murtagh was always likable. I mean, everyone loved Murtagh, but he’s likable in such a different way that people are like, “Oh my God, this is optimistic Murtagh, who wants to fall in love.” And I also love how we play the bromance with Brian. I think that’s been really beautiful and surprising in some ways.
Matthew B. Roberts: And I think people, you get locked into that Murtaugh always loved Ellen, and in the books, he dies so early on. He dies really at the beginning of book 3, and book 2 takes place in so many different places that you don’t spend a lot of time with him. So, in that, there’s not a ton of Murtagh’s story. All we know is that he loved Ellen, and for me, looking back on it is maybe that love for Ellen actually flowed more through Brian. And I mean that in a very brotherly-cousin way, that he was really dedicated to that friendship so much that it kind of spilled over. But I think he obviously had eyes for her in the beginning.
What This Means For Outlander: Blood Of My Blood
One of the greatest opportunities in any prequel is to explore new facets of a familiar character, and this is exactly whatOutlander: Blood of My Blooddoes with Murtagh. Since Murtagh has not had his heart broken yet, he is optimistic and still has a romantic view of the world.
Despite these significant differences, his likable charm and loyalty ensure that the fundamental traits of the character that fans know and love are still present. With Brian, there is also an element of bromance that fits well with this younger version of Murtagh and his more optimistic and romantic outlook on life.
As explained by Roberts, how the younger Murtagh is different also ties back to changes the original show made from theOutlanderbooks. Murtagh lives much longer in the show than he does in the novels. This allowed the original series to explore him further, which set a precedent for the prequel to do the same despite a lack of source material.
Our Take On Maril Davis & Matthew B. Roberts' Comments
Even thoughBlood of My Blood’s Murtagh may initially feel jarring, the depiction makes sense at this point in his character’s life. Lacroix’s portrayal throughoutOutlander’s seasonsis now even richer after getting to see Murtagh’s relationship with Brian and what he was like before Ellen broke his heart.
Murtagh dies inOutlanderseason 5.
Murtagh’s arc now feels more complete than it ever did before, and that feeling will likely only be further heightened as his story continues inOutlander: Blood of My Bloodseasons 1 and 2.
