Warning! Spoilers for Outlander: Blood of My Blood episode 3 ahead!
Outlander: Blood of My Blood has shown the redeeming side of one of Outlander‘s most morally complicated characters. The prequel series is set predominantly around the time that Jamie’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser, met and fell in love. Naturally, this means that we are getting a closer look at the younger versions of key Outlander characters like Colum and Dougal MacKenzie.
Back in earlier seasons of Outlander, we saw quite a bit of Jamie’s uncles. They were among Claire’s greatest obstacles when she first arrived in the 18th century, since both Dougal and Colum believed her to be an English spy. Dougal was especially dangerous, since his hot head and passion made him entirely unpredictable. This is something we have continued to see in Blood of My Blood.
Dougal MacKenzie wasn’t a traditional villain, but he was still an antagonist in Outlander. All the same, he was a fan favorite. Jamie and Claire had no choice but to kill Dougal at the end of Outlander season 2, and the character never really had a chance at real redemption. This was a significant injustice, but Outlander: Blood of My Blood has retroactively demonstrated what Dougal was capable of.
Outlander: Blood Of My Blood Reveals Dougal’s Key Redeeming Moment
For the first two episodes of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Dougal was just as chaotic and generally antagonistic as ever. Though he was the younger brother, Dougal still hoped to become Laird of Castle Leoch, citing the fact that his father had never officially named Colum his successor. He made one reckless power move after another, to the point that Colum had no choice but to play dirty, too.
Still, episode 3 of Blood of My Blood sees Dougal make a rather redeeming move. With the MacKenzie men fighting amongst themselves, it was looking likely that the family would lose the clan leadership altogether. Ellen came up with a solution that would play to her brothers’ strengths. Still, it required Dougal to swear fealty to Colum as the primary Laird—something that certainly didn’t appeal to him.
Though we knew that Colum would become Laird and Dougal would serve as War Chief, it was unclear precisely how this would come about. It’s evident in Outlander that, even years later, Dougal wasn’t wholly approving of the situation, so I thought maybe he would be tricked into stepping aside. However, Blood of My Blood sees Dougal willingly accept Colum’s leadership for the good of his clan.
The Outlander Prequel Makes Dougal’s Death Even More Tragic
Though Dougal willingly swears fealty to Colum, we know that this is something he struggles with for the rest of his life. Regardless, we see in Outlander that this character remains steadfast (though somewhat reluctant) in his loyalty, even assisting his brother in producing heirs. We didn’t know how much choice Dougal had in the matter, but Blood of My Blood demonstrates that he had stepped aside willingly.
Jamie was forced to treat the man like a villain, stabbing him with his own dirk when he attempted to murder Claire.
Of course, this ultimately makes Dougal’s death all the more tragic. Jamie was forced to treat the man like a villain, stabbing him with his own dirk when he attempted to murder Claire. Knowing that Dougal truly did try his best to do the right thing (most of the time) and that he had redeeming qualities makes this fate far more bitter. Surely, the more we see of Dougal in Blood of My Blood, the worse his ending will seem.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood
- Showrunner
-
Matthew B. Roberts
- Franchise(s)
-
Outlander
-
Annabelle Dowler
Ned Gowan
-
Ailsa Davidson
Ellen MacKenzie
-
Sally Messham
Brian Fraser
-
Adam McNamara
Julia Moriston
