Outlander: Blood of My Blood Needs to Leave the Weakest Aspect Behind in Season 2

Creating prequels of popular shows can be like navigating a minefield.

Will the existing audience connect with the story? Are you risking interfering with canon by inventing new scenarios, especially when there is no source material to fall back on? Can the new cast steal the hearts of the fandom?

These are some of the concerns I had about Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the prequel to the epic time travel romantasy, Outlander.

I was also concerned that Starz was trying to capitalize on the massive Outlander fandom by creating a new show. They are, but does that matter if the new show is good?

Outlander: Blood of My Blood has been a joy to watch. Everything about it feels polished, from the characters to the setting to the opening theme song.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Has a Stellar Theme Song

I never thought anything could beat “The Skye Boat Song”, but “For My Love That’s Lost” is a perfect earworm that you can’t skip.

The show tugs all the right strings with its drama, impossible romances, enigmatic characters, and, of course, time travel.

The story takes us way back in time by introducing Claire and Jamie’s parents, revealing that the iconic couple’s history goes further than anyone knew.

And to do this, the show brings the two couples from different eras to the same era, dumping one into the middle of an unknown world.

We follow two timelines as the series introduces Julia and Henry, Claire’s parents. They have an atypical meeting during World War I, and their love story blossoms.

However, their relationship is tested when they travel to 18th-century Scotland under strange circumstances.

The Outlander universe works best when it’s about Scotland, especially a few centuries prior. The location and time period elevate the story, serving as an essential element of the show’s events.

It allows viewers to enjoy the beautiful Scottish landscape, customs (some not so beautiful), and history.

Can the Series Leave the Worst Aspect Behind?

The problem – possibly the only one – with Blood of My Blood is that it has to balance two timelines, which can disrupt the viewing experience.

Granted that there’s a war going on, nothing in the 20th century is as enjoyable as events in the 18th century.

It becomes jarring when the show cuts from a really engaging sequence in Scotland and takes viewers to England.

While filling in the viewer on what happened in England is essential, it doesn’t feel that important when it detracts from the most interesting story.

These scenes feel like a nuisance when they suddenly appear in the middle of the episode. For some reason, they don’t feel as distracting when used to open the episode, but they are not that interesting either.

Going into Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2, it’s essential that the writers figure out how to fix this. They could have the England scenes at the beginning and Scotland for the rest of the episode after the opening theme.

Or they can find a way to eliminate them.

One of my least favorite seasons of the flagship series is Outlander Season 2, which finds Claire back in the 20th century.

The reason is the same one that led the season to fail to focus on the most interesting century and place. I felt as miserable as Claire felt having to spend twenty years in the 20th century.

Moving away from the events preceding their arrival in Scotland would make Outlander: Blood of My Blood a perfect show.

But given the events of the season finale, this might remain a pipe dream. That is, unless the show decides to focus on whoever’s left in Scotland and dedicate one episode to filling in the gaps of the other party once they return – if they return.

What did you think of Blood of My Blood? Did you enjoy this chapter of the story?

Are the alternating timelines a distraction for you? Chime in on the comments section.

Meanwhile, TV Fanatic has more opinion pieces, editorials, and reviews you can check out about Outlander or any other show.

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