Fans of the epic time-traveling saga that isOutlanderhave had a lot to look forward to in recent years. It’s a love story, politically entangled in 18th-century Scotland, that made its debut in 2014 and claimed a piece of your heart by giving you enough emotional trauma to fill a Jacobite war chest. With Season 8 officially slated for release in 2026, fans are bracing themselves for the final chapter of Claire and Jamie’s journey. But before we get there,Starz has gifted us with a spin-offthat rewinds the clock even further.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood, the highly anticipated prequel toOutlander, explores the love story of Jamie Fraser’s parents, Ellen MacKenzie and Brian Fraser. It’s a tale that has been whispered about in the original series, but never fully examined. Now, with two episodes already released, the spin-off is beginning to carve out its own terrain, rich with clan politics and forbidden romance that shaped Jamie’s life long before Claire entered it.
If you’ve been left out of the sprawling world ofOutlanderand are wondering, “Can I watchBlood of My Bloodwithout bingeing all 7 seasons ofOutlander?” The answer is yes, with a little help. To truly appreciateBlood of My Blood, you don’t need every detail ofOutlander. You just need some historical, emotional, and familial context. And it’s entirely possible to get it from these 10 carefully chosen episodes ofOutlander.
10"The Wedding"
Season 1, Episode 7
ForOutlanderfans, the wedding episode is an absolute favorite because in it, two strangers become something more. Claire, forced into marriage to avoid falling into Black Jack Randall’s hands, finds herself wed to Jamie Fraser, a man she barely knows. The episode unfolds in the bridal chamber, where Jamie insists on three conditions: a proper church wedding, a ring made from his ancestral key, and a wedding dress for Claire.
The episode is particularly important to watch beforeBlood of My Bloodbecause it reveals details about the Fraser legacy. Jamie’s reverence for tradition, his vulnerability, and his poetic soul are all traits inherited from Brian Fraser, whose love story with Ellen MacKenzie is the heart of the prequel. We also witness Murtagh’s emotional connection to Ellen in the episode when Jamie gifts Ellen’s pearl necklace to Claire.
9"The Watch"
Season 1, Episode 13
When The Watch rolls in, life at Lallybroch is anything but peaceful. The rough mercenaries offer protection from the Redcoats in exchange for a price, and Jamie, posing as a cousin to avoid suspicion, is immediately wary. When a deserter from his past arrives and blackmails him, Jamie is forced to join The Watch on a raid. Meanwhile, Claire helpsJenny through a difficult labor, delivering baby Maggie in a scene that is emotional and intimate.
It’s a vital watch because it not only explores Jamie’s relationship with his home and his family, but also introduces similar themes of honor versus survival that Brian likely faced. Claire’s role as healer during childbirth also reflects the kind of women Ellen MacKenzie came from. In that hour, Jenny also gives Claire a pair of bangles made from tusks that belonged to Ellen and reveals that they came from a sacred admirer Ellen wouldn’t tell anyone about.
8"The Search"
Season 1, Episode 14
Another episode from the same season, this one is a mix of dark urgency and unexpected levity. Claire and Jenny set off to find Jamie after his capture, with Jenny tracking like a Highland bloodhound and Claire learning just how far she’ll go for love. When Jenny returns home, Murtagh joins Claire, and that’s when the search turns theatrical, because they become a traveling act, complete with Claire singing modern tunes in taverns and Murtagh performing sword dances.
But that’s not why the episode is significant. At one point, Claire lashes out at Murtagh and implies he can’t know what she’s going through because he’s never lost someone he loved. To which Murtagh responds with a story about how he once killed a boar with his dagger alone to impress the woman he loved and the MacKenzies were impressed instead. They gave him the tusk of the boar, and he fashioned them into bracelets to gift them to the same woman. Claire realizes he’s talking about Ellen.
7"Wentworth Prison"
Season 1, Episode 15
In the very next episode, we find Jamie shackled and waiting to be executed at Wentworth Prison, but instead of death, he is handed over to Black Jack Randall, who has darker intentions. His twisted obsession with dominating people plays out in excruciating detail as he burns Jamie’s petition and nails his hand to a table. Meanwhile, Claire, Murtagh, Angus, and Rupert concoct a rescue plan.
This is where Sir Marcus MacRannoch comes into the picture. MacRannoch shares history with Jamie’s parents, and it’s revealed when Claire tries to pawn her pearls off to convince him to help them rescue Jamie. MacRannoch realizes Jamie is Ellen’s son and reveals he was the one that gave Ellen the pearls as a present. This arc could be one thatBlood of My Bloodexplores in detail in the future.
6"The Fox’s Lair"
Season 2, Episode 8
Back in Scotland, Jamie and Claire return to Lallybroch and discover that Jamie’s name has been forged on a Jacobite muster roll. To avoid being branded a traitor, he seeks the support of his grandfather, Lord Lovat. What follows is a tense negotiation filled with the revelation of many family secrets. Claire learns that Jamie’s father, Brian, was born out of wedlock and Jamie fears it will change the way she sees him. Colum MacKenzie arrives with his own agenda and Laoghaire also brings old resentments.
This episode is a must-watch beforeBlood of My Bloodbecause it introduces Lord Lovat, Jamie’s grandfather, whose legacy looms large over the Fraser family. It also reveals his deep hatred for Clan MacKenzie and how he once attempted to kidnap Ellen. If the prequel is planned to be just as melodramatic asOutlander, thenthis is a feud it will definitely explore.
5"The Hail Mary"
Season 2, Episode 12
This is the episode that reveals a few things about Ellen MacKenzie’s brothers, Dougal and Colum, and ends with an inevitable loss. But first, Jamie and Claire are in Inverness, trying desperately to stop the Battle of Culloden. The Jacobite army is exhausted, and Prince Charles is marching towards disaster. Meanwhile, Claire finds Mary Hawkins caring for a dying Alex Randall.
Alex’s last wish is for Mary to marry his brother, Black Jack Randall. Claire is horrified but agrees to help. Colum MacKenzie also arrives, asking Claire to help him die peacefully. His deathbed scene with Dougal is raw and heartbreaking and filled with memories of their childhood. It’s also clear that there is animosity between Dougal and Callum. In the end, Colum chooses to take his own life by consuming a vial of poison Claire provided him.
4"All Debts Paid"
Season 3, Episode 3
The episodehits hard in two timelines. In 1755, Jamie is imprisoned at Ardsmuir, where he is reunited and meets his new warden, Major John Grey, who is the same boy Jamie spared during the Rising. Their dynamic shifts after Jamie shares the story of the “white witch,” hoping it might be Claire. Meanwhile, in 1950s Boston, Claire and Frank’s marriage is falling apart, and her graduation party is filled with passive-aggressive jabs at one another.
It’s essential to watch thisOutlanderepisode beforeBlood of My Bloodbecause it explores how Jamie’s bond with Lord John Grey is rooted in honor. Jamie also speaks to a sickly man who mentions Colum, Dougal and Ellen in conversation, and it raises the question of whether Jamie’s family members were cursed by the Jacobite gold. The prequel will definitely have answers.
3"If Not For Hope"
Season 4, Episode 11
Rich with emotional tension and character depth, this one finds Brianna still reeling from her assault and Roger’s disappearance. She’s stuck at River Run with Aunt Jocasta, who is determined to marry her off. The dinner party Jocasta throws is a compilation of awkward matchmaking moments, with Brianna forced to entertain suitors.
But the real heart of the episode lies in all the things Jocasta reveals about Briannna’s grandmother, Ellen. She tells Brianna that Ellen was also an artist like her, that she was her father’s favorite daughter, and how he wouldn’t pressure her to get married even after she passed the acceptable age. But once he died, Ellen eloped with Brian Fraser, and she was also pregnant before they got married. It’s a relevant episode becauseBlood of My Bloodwill delve into Ellen MacKenzie’s life, who was known for her defiance of Highland norms.
2"The Fiery Cross"
Season 5, Episode 1
This one kicks off with a wedding, and it’s not just any wedding,it’s Roger and Brianna’s weddingand the entire Fraser clan is gathered at Fraser’s Ridge to celebrate. The episode is heartwarming and full of small, intimate moments, like Jamie helping Roger shave with a cutthroat razor and Claire stitching Bree’s dress. But underneath the joy, there’s a demand from Governor Tryon, who corners Jamie and gets him to hunt town Murtagh, who’s not a fugitive.
Speaking of Murtagh and Jamie, the season’s opening moments also offer a glimpse into the past by showing Murtagh and a young Jamie moments after Ellen’s death. The former promises Jamie that he will be with him always and support his every decision. There is a fair chance that we’ll get to see the original vow Murtagh made to Ellen in this regard in the prequel.
1"Written in My Own Heart’s Blood"
Season 7, Episode 15
This episode ofOutlander’sseventh seasonopens with a quiet storm brewing as Jamie, sleepless before the Battle of Monmouth, reflects on mortality and love, while Claire, ever the anchor, tries to soothe his fears. As Jamie thinks about the past, he also reveals that he’s been thinking a lot about his mother lately. About her death and how she was prepared for her coffin; her hair braided, and how his father undid her red hair to let them spread out on the pillow.
Jamie also recalls how, upon closer look, he also saw his little brother, who had perished during the birth and was covered in Ellen’s hair. Jamie’s reflections on his mother’s death give us a timeframe and mirror the themes of parental love and duty thatBlood of My Bloodwill adopt. Watching Jamie hold Claire and whisper, “The stars will not burn out and nor will we,” and it sounds like a generational promise.
