The villains have come out in full force in Blood of My Blood Season 2, Episode 6, “Small Mercies.” From Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) targeting both Ellen (Harriet Slater) and Julia (Hermione Corfield) to the origins of the ultimate Outlander nemesis.
But first, Julia and Davina Porter (Sara Vickers) are burying another Blood of My Blood foe — Seema (Lauren McQueen). Despite Seema planning to kill Julia and take William and Henry as her own, Julia has pity for the woman and reckons this death will stay with her all her life.
At Leoch, Grace (Ruby Fubara) reports to Colum (Seamus McLean Ross) and Ned (Conor MacNeill) that Ellen was abducted, but she doesn’t know by whom. Despite his contemplation last episode, Colum is more concerned that Ellen’s death would mean the British could seize Leoch than in his sister’s actual well-being. Ned is horrified that Colum doesn’t even consider sending anyone to look for her.
If he even bothered looking, Colum would find Ellen at Leathers, where Lord Lovat is back from taking Inverness and not super convinced by Julia and Davina’s story that Seema ran away. He orders them to get ready for his guest, and Maisri (Katharine O’Donnelly) is also there to celebrate the occasion with a reading and some spiced wine.
Simon sits down with his daughter-in-law Ellen and claims that Balloch didn’t capture her — he rescued her from MacKinney. Sure, Jan. Ellen says he’s a traitor and calls him out for trying to ruin her last season with the purity test. Simon digs her spunk and even apologizes, asking her to stay for a meal. Uh-oh. As evidenced by Episode 203, when the Fox is playing nice, he’s got a nasty trick up his sleeve.
One bonus of this forced meal is that Ellen and Julia are reunited, though they try to play it cool and act as if they are only acquaintances from Braemar. Julia also ensures Ellen meets Davina, as she is her mother-in-law. It’s a touching moment, except Lord Lovat keeps yapping about how everything he does, he does for his children. What is he up to? He pushes Maisri’s spiced wine and makes a toast comparing the Frasers and MacKenzies to the Montagues and Capulets.
Over at the Capulets — err, MacKenzies — the survivors and the dead from the Battle of Sheriffmuir return home. Rupert’s wife and Wee Rupert (Louis O’Rourke) mourn his death while Wee Angus (Marlow Walters) asks where his dad is. John Cameron (Alastair Mackenzie) returns (managing to creep out both Jocasta and Grace in one fell swoop) and delivers the news that Dougal and Angus were captured by the Redcoats.
Dougal (Sam Retford) is being tortured and interrogated by Captain Lord Gerard Grey (Digby Edgley) at Fort William. He refuses to give any intel… until a new Redcoat recruit gets creative by holding a burning coal to his face and groin. The new kid on the block is none other than Black Jack Randall (Finley Glasgow), who Outlander fans know all too well from his time torturing Jamie. Lord John Grey’s dad orders the sadist-in-training to stop and sends Dougal to the vault.
Despite his brother being tortured, Colum is yet again not interested in saving his sibling, saying he’s protecting the clan by not going after Dougal. Ned looks disgusted by his laird.
Ellen could really use some saving right about now as she’s pale and sweaty, but continues to down the wine at Lovat’s suggestion. Maisri comes in and does a reading and delivers this message to Ellen: “Life’s promise holds fast, but death’s call must be answered.” Brian might be alive, but as Ellen cramps, it seems their unborn child may no longer be.
Locked in the vault with Angus (Ross Mann), Dougal and he talk about Rupert’s death, and Angus says their sons will have each other… which is particularly sweet considering that wee Rupert and Angus are portrayed by the real-life sons of the original Rupert and Angus actors from Outlander. Dougal regrets not having sons of his own, but there’s no more time for chit-chat since the vault is tide-dependent, and the tide is coming in. Lucky for them, Brian (Jamie Roy) and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) have snuck into Fort William and are a couple of badasses when it comes to killing Redcoats.
Ellen is still slugging that wine as she continues to feel worse. Julia’s not looking so hot herself, and Davina asks if Maisri cursed them. Julia realizes it’s the wine that’s causing their symptoms. But it’s too late; Ellen starts bleeding and reveals that she’s pregnant. Julia confronts Simon, who admits that he had Maisri give them a potion to destroy both of their wombs. For the prophecy about young Simon/William becoming king to be true, he reasons there can be no more bairns in the Lovat line. Julia breaks the horrific news to Ellen, who is convinced she’s miscarried and insists she be taken home to Leoch.
Dougal and Angus are close to drowning when Brian and Murtagh find them. The only problem is there’s no key to unlock the vault, so Brian and Murtagh get creative with a wall torch. Angus helps boost Dougal to push the grate, and while Dougal gets out in time, Angus drowns. But they can’t stay and mourn as they must escape Fort William, where they encounter young Black Jack again. Dougal is poised to kill him, but when he pees himself in fear, Brian stops him by saying he’s only a boy. They let Black Jack live… a decision that will haunt Brian until his dying day.
Thanks to her mother-in-law, Ellen makes it back to Leoch where Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) and Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin) bathe the broken Ellen and put her to bed. Colum tries to see her, but Mrs. Fitz insists he leave her be, though she does reveal that Ellen was at Castle Leathers. Uh-oh. Brian may have saved Dougal, but will Colum blame him for his father’s actions?
The episode ends on an uplifting note with Arch Bug (Terence Rae) helping Henry (Jeremy Irvine) and his “faerie wife” Julia to connect by the stone fence at Leathers. They promise to write letters to one another and hide them in their stone “postbox” until Henry can acquire enough gemstones for them to travel back to their time.
So while Claire’s parents have found a sliver of hope, Jamie’s parents are about to experience some major heartbreak. Thankfully, viewers know that Lovat’s dastardly plan won’t work. And with Ellen losing the baby, the theory that Ellen and Brian will adopt Julia and Henry’s William as their own son is looking slightly more likely.
Caitlin Gallagher is a New Jersey-raised, NYC-based entertainment writer. When not writing about or watching TV, she can be found planning her next Halloween costume, crying over rescue animals, or praising Season 2 of The Leftovers.