Starz’s prequel series “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” introduced a new love interest for fan-favorite character Murtagh in the show’s Season 2 premiere episode, “The Veil of Time,” now streaming on the network.
In the episode, Murtagh (played by Rory Alexander) and Brian (Jamie Roy) travel to Castle Leoch to inform Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) that he has rallied troops for the Jacobite cause. After a scuffle with Dougal (Sam Retford) and his companions leaves Murtagh injured, his aunt Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) leaves him in the care of Jocasta Cameron’s (Sadhbh Malin) new maid, Grace Cameron, played by Ruby Fubara. An immediate connection forms between the two characters, which Jocasta notices.
Grace Cameron is a new character created specifically for “Blood of My Blood” and does not appear in the original “Outlander” series. She has an English accent, similar to Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Claire’s parents in the show, though her backstory has not yet been revealed.
Executive producers Matthew B. Roberts and Maril Davis discussed the decision to give Murtagh a new romance in an interview with Decider.
“As soon as we broke his heart last year Rory [Alexander] just felt like a puppy that needed a home,” Matthew B. Roberts said. “So we thought about it, and putting [Grace] in Jocasta’s world also felt very organic to creating more and more story.”
Roberts added that the relationship between Murtagh and Grace will develop over the course of the season. “They have a lovely relationship. It blossoms, I think, over the season. It’s going to be really cool to watch them develop this. It was fun writing it and breaking the story for it.”
Davis explained that the storyline is meant to explore how Murtagh became the more hardened character seen in the original “Outlander” series.
“Everyone forgets that Murtagh became that way, curmudgeonly, as we saw in Outlander. What led to that?” Davis said. “Matt has always said this: we were keen to see young, hopeful Murtagh, which Rory has portrayed now, but what led to him becoming that way? And we’re seeing some of that. He was in love and there was a time when he was hopeful. So it’s fun to see that for him.”
Because Grace does not exist in the original “Outlander” canon, her romance with Murtagh is widely expected to end unhappily, though the show has not confirmed how the storyline will resolve.
Roberts praised actress Ruby Fubara’s performance in the role, saying she “hit the ground running” on the series. “She just embodied exactly what we wanted in Grace, and I think it’s going to be a great addition to the love stories on Outlander,” he said. Fubara has previously appeared in a similarly named role on the series “Breeders” and does not appear to maintain a public social media account.
“Outlander: Blood of My Blood” Season 2, Episode 2 is now streaming on Starz.
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