Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Finale Review: What Really Happened to Julia at the Stones

The Season 1 finale of Outlander: Blood of My Blood doesn’t so much tie things up as rip them open. The episode is called 'Something Borrowed,' and yeah, it borrows plenty from the parent series: heartbreak, moral gut punches, and one heck of a cliffhanger. It’s sharp, unforgiving, and I couldn’t look away.

No neat bows here. This finale plays rough, lets the quiet moments linger, and leaves you with that cold, excellent feeling that the show knows exactly what it’s doing.

Ellen finally chooses herself

Ellen’s wedding day hangs over the episode like a storm cloud, and Harriet Slater absolutely owns the hour. After a season of being maneuvered by her brothers, she makes the call: she walks away from Malcolm and runs with Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy). Not for a swoony romance beat, but because she’s done being managed and lied to. The show keeps their reunion grounded and intimate instead of syrupy, and it works.

Malcolm’s death lands hard. His drunken, furious clash with Brian has been telegraphed for a while, and when it finally erupts, the series doesn’t dress it up. It’s messy, it’s tragic, and it stings.

Colum and Dougal make a mess, each in their own way

Colum’s been the season’s quiet tyrant, and he drops the mask completely here: he hires mercenaries to take out Brian. That’s a line-crossing move even by 18th-century clan politics, and it’s the final shove Ellen needs to cut herself free. Sometimes family isn’t who you’re born to; it’s who you run toward.

Meanwhile, Dougal gets a twist of fate I did not see coming: a surprise marriage to Maura. It’s sharp, ironic payback for a guy who’s been policing Ellen’s choices all season. Maura’s a live wire, and their scenes bring a dark little crackle of humor to an episode that otherwise runs on tension and grief.

Jocasta and Murtagh, finally in focus

I’ve been side-eyeing Jocasta all season, but credit where it’s due: she steps up here. No big, saintly pivot—just a quiet shift from competitive sibling to someone who actually protects. That restraint makes it land. And Murtagh? He’s the show’s secret weapon. He’s steady, loyal, and evolving in the background until suddenly he’s Ellen’s fiercest ally. It’s the kind of slow-burn character work that sneaks up on you.

Henry and Julia hit the stones and leave us hanging

While Ellen and Brian take center stage, Henry and Julia’s arc mirrors it with a slower, nervier rhythm: two people on the run, pressing forward because stopping isn’t an option. It all builds to that image at the stones—breathless, hunted, a heartbeat away from the unknown—and then the cut to black. Did she cross? Did he make it with her? The show leaves it ambiguous on purpose, which I respect. Not every thread needs a tidy knot.

So, is the finale worth it?

Absolutely. The hour balances historical drama with emotional precision. Performances hit, pacing is tight, and the show knows when to squeeze and when to let silence do the work. It’s a hard watch in places, but the payoff’s legit.

• Unanswered questions that will eat at you: Did Julia cross the stones, and did Henry follow? How far can Ellen and Brian outrun the fallout? And does Colum have any bottom to hit, or is this it?

Where I land: Ellen’s arc is the season’s backbone, and the finale pays it off without turning it into a fairytale. Henry and Julia’s last-shot ambiguity is exactly the kind of ending that gets people talking, and yes—Colum’s definitely in the Worst TV Brother conversation.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 is now streaming on STARZ. Season 2 is expected in late 2026, with the exact date still under wraps. Until then, I’ll be over here replaying that stones scene and trying to unclench.