'Outlander' Season 8, Episode 6 Exclusive Interview: John Bell and Izzy Meikle-Small on the Moment That Changes Ian and Rachel Forever

Ian Murray and Rachel Hunter's relationship in Outlander has always been quieter than the grand romance of Jamie and Claire at the show's center, but in Season 8 Episode 6, "Blessed Are the Merciful," it earns its own kind of thunder.

New parents, uncertain futures, and the ghost of a woman Ian once loved — Emily, his former Mohawk wife — follow the couple north to Shadow Lake, where a brutal raid has left devastation in its wake. What unfolds is less a plot episode than a reckoning: Who are these two people to each other? What does it mean to truly know your partner? And what happens when the past refuses to stay there?

Men's Journal sat down exclusively with John Bell (Young Ian) and Izzy Meikle-Small (Rachel Murray) ahead of the episode's premiere on STARZ to talk through those questions and the answers they found on set.

Exclusive Interview with John Bell and Izzy Meikle-Small

MJ: This episode feels really personal for Ian and Rachel. What stood out most to you about where they are emotionally right now?

JB: I think for me the thing that stood out the most is probably like how consumed Ian can get in doing what is right and that he can be so tunnel visioned that he potentially — well, he absolutely — kind of forgets about the the ensemble behind him — the people that are supporting him — and I think he learns a lesson about taking people for granted. And yes, Rachel could have 100% been on board, but she could have been on board and be made to feel like an equal. I think he goes through a bit of a journey of realization with that. And I think for me as well, the kind of emotional point of the conversation over the campfire really stands out to me because it feels very modern and something like that couples would go through even now because it's about them learning something more even though they're married about each other and how they communicate, so I think there was a lot for for Ian and Rachel's relationship to go through and be tested by.

IMS: I think it's a very human story — very modern themes. Everybody gets jealous of an ex at some point, or has to go through something difficult with their partner. But it's learning how to navigate those difficult moments that makes a couple stronger, and I think that's what we see with Ian and Rachel. They close out the episode united, and I think as viewers we're confident moving forward that they will be happy and on the same page. But they had to go through a lot to get there.

MJ: Ian is being pulled back toward his past while Rachel is building a future with him. How did you each approach that from your character's perspective?

JB: Learned the lines! I ended up on the day working with the directors to find those emotional beats. We were super happy to get to do something that wasn't just uncomplicated and happy. Those days on set where we got to block through things, to rehearse — it was a gift as actors to get to play some more of the layers. For me, Young Ian's journey even before Rachel's arrival into his life — this is the combination of so much of that. There was a lot of looking back at his whole journey, picking out the moments I wanted flashing through my head in the scenes. What echoes of past Ian are you going to see? Is it that forthright "I've got to do good"? Is it the love for and how he misses his time with the Mohawk Nation, and the struggle for identity he's always gone through? So there was a bit of looking back on it all.

IMS: I really didn't want Rachel to feel like a bit of a victim — very sorry for herself, sad and moping around. I wanted her to feel like she was really taking a stand and being very strong. In her suffering, she's still being strong, and she's allowing all of this to happen for the greater good because she sees how wounded Young Ian is emotionally and how he needs to do this. Even though it's really hard for her, she's really digging deep to make that emotional space for him. I didn't want it to feel like, "oh, poor Rachel, she's being walked over." It's not just like Young Ian is trailblazing ahead and leaving her in the dust — she also hasn't been honest about how she's been feeling, and maybe that's wrong of her. She's feeling very jealous, and that's not a very healthy thing. I wanted her to feel like she had her own stuff going on, her own very real, separate experience of what was going on.

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MJ: Did those moments shift how Rachel sees their future together?

IMS: I think there are a couple of points in this episode where she's like, "OK, he might choose her over me. And what would that mean?" And I think that's a very scary thing. But in the end, I think they are actually stronger for it. She has a lot of respect for Ian — that he can love two people and it be very different. She sees him in a different way, in a positive way, because of how loyal he is and what he's managed to achieve. And even though his loyalty has upset her up until this point, in the end she actually sees it as a real strength of his.

MJ: And for Ian — how does becoming a father change the way he sees himself?

JB: He probably drops the "Young Ian" part after this. I think it's also everything he's wanted for a while. It's been so close to him that he feels such a sense of relief, and pride, that it's finally worked out for him at the right time. Going through his whole journey with the Mohawk Nation was just so tough on his little soul. I think he's just really ready for it — and just very, incredibly happy.

Outlander Season 8 streams weekly on Fridays on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming platforms. Episode 806, "Blessed Are the Merciful," is available to stream now.