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Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 “Blessed are the Merciful” on Starz reunites us with Young Ian Murray (John Bell) and his wife Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) in New York. The couple have traveled there to learn the fates of Ian’s first wife, Wahionhaweh (Morgan Holmstrom), aka Emily, and his son, Swiftest of Lizards (Nikosis Saginaw Kingfisher) after the Mohawk village Shadow Lake was razed to the ground. What the couple and their yet unnamed baby boy discover, however, will change their family forever.
**Spoilers for Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 “Blessed are the Merciful,” now streaming on Starz**
Once Ian and Rachel arrive in New York, they learn that they will have to deal with real-life historic figures Joseph Brant (Meegwun Fairbrother), aka Thayendanegea, and his equally formidable wife Catherine (Océane Kimura Bohémier-Tootoo), or Ahdohwahgeson, to learn whether or not Emily and Swiftest of Lizards survived the grisly Mohawk massacres. Initially Joseph Brant denies help, but Catherine is moved enough by Rachel’s role in the search for Ian’s first wife to reveal that both Wahionhaweh and her son survived. Rachel then privately appeals to Brant to let Ian see his former wife and son one more time.
When Emily finally does meet with Ian and Rachel, she asks an immense favor. She’s been having prophetic dreams about Swiftest of Lizards future death and believes that her biracial son will be safer growing up with Ian. Ian and Rachel immediately agree to adopt Swiftest of Lizards — and Rollo’s puppy grandson! — and then Emily offers them one more surprise. She names their baby Hunter, wholly unaware that it’s Rachel’s maiden name.
DECIDER caught up with Outlander stars John Bell and Izzy Meikle-Small earlier this week over Zoom to discuss this momentous episode for Young Ian and Rachel…
DECIDER: I think my first question is for you, Izzy. I was so moved and struck by how often Rachel was able to be really honest and open and articulate about her feelings this week, how she burned with this jealousy she didn’t know she could have, how she wasn’t perfect. How much of her ability to actually conquer and face down those darker feelings comes from her faith?
IZZY MEIKLE-SMALL: Yeah, I think she was definitely having to make herself be maybe more forgiving and taking the high road more than she might naturally have done if she wasn’t a woman of faith. I think everything in her faith points to turning the other cheek, being merciful, as the name of the episode is. Her, as a woman, was very jealous and then her, as like a Quaker, were really coming up against each other. But I think that there was a good balance to be had where she was honest about how she felt, but also was able to move through those with feelings with the help of her faith, I think.
Yeah, John, there’s a real interesting moment where Rachel admits that if both she and Emily were there and in peril, she has no idea who Ian would instinctively go to. I’m wondering, do you have any idea who Ian would go for at this point in the story?
JOHN BELL: Oh, I don’t know!
IM-S: Remember who your witness is right now.
[Both laughing]
JB: I mean, you know, Ian always finds a way to save everybody, it seems. But if he had to choose — that’s crazy. That’s a crazy question, Meghan! [Laughing] So I think he’s really happy with his situation now. I think he had to work some stuff out before he could fully move on. Maybe the start of this episode, he’s not too sure, but by the end I’m pretty sure he knows who it is.
IM-S: I’m taking that so personally. [Laughing]
The big twist at the end of the episode is that Emily wants Ian and Rachel to adopt Swiftest of Lizards. It’s a big ask and it comes together really quick. (That kid seems gung-ho about it. I was like, “That’s a very well-adjusted child.”) Do you think that either of your characters have any trepidation about what this means, or are they just really happy to see this family reunion?
JB: Well, in the script and the performance really it was kind of seen as like a moment of like, “Of course!” Young Ian’s experience being brought up — Jamie and Claire have fathered and mothered children that not necessarily are theirs. This is something that runs in the Fraser family. It’s basically the more the merrier. “Blood of my blood” doesn’t necessarily have to be your own blood. So I think for them it was, yeah, no questions. It was decided pretty quickly that if someone’s in need of help, if he’s in danger, then we can do it.
IM-S: Yeah, I think for Rachel, she sees how deep the wound is with Ian from having to leave this child behind and everything that happened at Shadow Lake. Initially, she was really scared of that and it maybe made her feel a bit jealous. But they’ve definitely moved past a lot of that together and had a lot of really honest conversations. So I think when they get to the point of actually meeting Wahionhaweh, I think that Rachel has moved through a lot of the negative feelings. At this point she, yeah, as John said, is very much like, “Of course, if there’s a child who needs help and it’s his child that’s like no questions asked.” But I don’t know if she would have felt that way at the beginning of the episode. She moves through a lot of feelings and they move through that together. I think that it’s a really lovely moment when you kind of see the three of them stood together like that. You’re like, “Oh, you can kind of see the future and it’s going to be okay.
Photo: StarzYeah. It’s a really beautiful moment when Emily names the baby Hunter. Izzy, what does it mean like that Ian’s first wife chooses this name that has such resonance with your character’s history? It’s like, almost like, miraculous in a weird way.
IM-S: I think she sees it as kind of divine. You know, she says, “You must be led by the spirit.” I think she really sees Emily as being kind of all-knowing in that moment. She’s like, “How can you know that? That should be the right name?” I think that also helps tell Rachel that taking Swiftest of Lizards on is all part of God’s plan in that moment.
Yeah. I was really stoked we got to meet Rollo’s grandson. That was an adorable, adorable moment. I’ve missed Rollo so much. What is it like having a little puppy on set? And will we be seeing more of Rollo’s grandson?
IM-S: So distracting.
JB: Well, I mean, we had a child actor —who was great, don’t get me wrong, but, you know, comes with their own obstacles to navigate — a baby and a puppy. When they say never work with children or animals, they were like, “Have them all!” [Laughing] But I mean, he was so cute.
IM-S: So cute. Me and John were genuinely like, “Shall we co-parent this puppy and adopt it?” Because the real puppy was like available to buy.
JB: There was like a brood of five of them and this is the one that they picked [to play Rollo’s grandson]. But there was one in the brood that they were like, “Oh, yeah, she’s up for adoption.” And I saw her face and you were like, “Do it, do it, do it.“
IM-S: I was like, “I’ll take care of him when you go on holiday.”
JB: But it was just too much of a tie. But, oh my, it was so lovely to have the puppy. I’ve got some cute photos of us all together that I just can’t wait to post for the fandom.
IM-S: I’ve thought about that puppy many times since we finished filming. Like every now and then I’ll look at the photos on my phone and be like, “Oh, I wonder where he is now.”
JB: Yeah.
Totally shifting gears, but has it hit you guys how close you guys are to the finale? We’ve been through this long journey. How are we doing in the home stretch?
JB: Yeah, it’s kind of crazy. A mix of emotions for me. Obviously ten years of my life this has been and I miss everybody dearly. It’s just me and Richard [Rankin] left in Glasgow now, so we’re kind of holding on to each other quite a bit. But I think mostly I’m just feeling incredibly grateful for it all and and just so proud of the huge journey that it’s been. And maybe secretly hoping that — you never know — there might be more to tell. Who knows?
IM-S: Yeah, I just really miss everyone. I think that being all together in New York was so amazing. But then, you know, as John says, we’re kind of all spread out across the globe at this point. You know, we’ve got people in Australia, Canada, England, Scotland. So I think that whenever we get to see each other, we’re just so happy. And yeah, feeling very grateful, proud. And I just miss everyone, honestly. That’s the main thing.
The Outlander Season 8 finale will come out on Friday, May 15 on Starz.
This interview has been edited and formatted for clarity.
English (US)