RECAP: ‘Outlander: Blood Of My Blood’ Season 2 Episode 2 — “The Veil Of Time”

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2 has a formidable task: keeping its four protagonists on separate journeys while giving their stories enough time to unfold into gripping dramas. With an amnesiac Henry (Jeremy Irvine) still grasping at memories of Julia (Hermione Corfield), who’s desperate for new ways back to the 1920s, Ellen’s (Harriet Slater) quest for ownership in her clan’s fate crosses paths with Brian’s (Jamie Roy) own journey for independence.

It is Cambridge, England, 1924. Uncle Lamb (George Kemp) prepares to leave for an expedition with young Claire (Mae Roberts, Tuesday Roberts), but worries she’s in limbo, as she keeps asking where her parents are. He insists he won’t give up looking for them. Still, in the busyness of packing, he doesn’t see that day’s newspaper headline: “Information Wanted! Unknown Veteran Claims Impossible Tale,” with a photo of Henry below.

In Scotland, Mrs. Graham (Emma Hartley-Miller) visits Henry at the asylum again. The last thing Henry remembers is seeing Julia at the stones, but the memory “vanishes like smoke” when he tries to remember more. Mrs. Graham still supports the idea that Henry really did travel through the stones of Craigh na Dun. She believes the stones’ power can be harnessed with gemstones or rituals, and suggests the stones may be more susceptible to magic during Samhain, the upcoming Gaelic celebration of All Hallows’ Eve.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2 finds a way to balance four different storylines.

At Castle Leoch, Colum (Séamus McLean Ross) unconvincingly denies Ellen that he tried to have Brian killed, but is informed by Dougal (Sam Retford) that Brian is still alive. Ellen says she only returned to Clan Mackenzie to keep them from falling apart, and warns her brothers that the English will destroy the castle if the Jacobites lose the impending battle.

She suggests that she become the castle’s safekeeper, because the English will not harm her as an unmarried woman with no public history of being a traitor. Dougal, who has rallied enough men to stand behind him in battle, leaves Colum to decide whether or not to accept Ellen’s offer.

Davina (Sara Vickers) and Julia summon Maisri (Katharine O’Donnelly) to Castle Leathers while Lovat (Tony Curran) is away. Julia, still pretending that Henry had kidnapped her from the castle, asks Maisri to perform a protection ritual over the castle. The deep history of Scotland’s relationship to mystical traditions is on full display in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2, not just with Maisri’s engagement with mystical rituals, but with the emphasis on Samhain celebrations.

Lovat and Brian seek recruits for the impending battle.

Lovat and Brian tour Scotland to recruit men for Clan Fraser in the battle. Their would-be recruits don’t take the egotistical Lovat seriously, but Brian appeals to them by claiming that Lovat’s faults, like pride and recklessness, are like any other man’s faults.

After Brian successfully recruits a tavern full of men, Lovat congratulates Brian on being a great orator and leader, like himself. Brian says he’s recruiting men so there will be enough to win the battle, and so he can return to Ellen. Lovat says self-interest makes them more alike as father and son, but Brian scoffs at the idea.

Lovat splits off from the campaign to return to Castle Leathers. Julia asks Maisri about Craigh na Dun’s transportive properties work, under the guise of wanting to know what would happen if Henry returned. Maisri says she does not believe Julia possesses the power to travel between the stones. Lovat returns, surprised to find Maisri there.

Colum and Dougal argue over joining the Jacobite rebellion, but Dougal has already recruited men for the cause. Colum agrees to make Ellen the castle’s safekeeper, under the condition that Ellen does not marry while the land is under her control, because then the castle will fall to another clan’s jurisdiction.

Maisri has visions of a hopeful future for Lovat and Julia.

Ellen agrees to these terms. Later, Ellen offers her condolences to Maura (Bobby Rainsbury) over Malcolm’s (Jhon Lunsden) death. Maura coldly tells Ellen to keep her condolences to herself, and insists she now be addressed as “Mistress Dougal Mackenzie” now that she’s married to Ellen’s brother.

Maisri begins the protection ritual, and her visions lead Lovat to believe a Catholic will soon be king, confirming his hope that the future king is baby William, whom he still believes is his son. Lovat commends Julia for the wisdom of seeking protection over the castle, but orders her not to have guests without his permission again. As Maisri leaves, she tells Julia that she can feel that Claire has a father figure watching over her, but is “in a land you cannot reach.”

Arch Bug (Terence Rae) visits Seema (Lauren McQueen) at the brothel where she had met Henry in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1. He asks if Henry has returned, and that he was last seen carrying off Julia to Craigh na Dun. Seema recognizes Julia’s name from Henry’s stories about her. Arch tells Seema he’s bought her bonds from the brothel, and intends to place her elsewhere as a spy for the Grants.

On Samhain, Mrs. Graham returns to the asylum, giving Henry a gemstone-clad brooch and a bag of Reverend Wakefield’s (Tom Ashley) spare clothes. Henry dresses as the reverend to escape the asylum. This is the last we see of Henry in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2, as he steals away in search of a way back to Julia.

Castle Leoch’s celebration begins as Colum announces that his wife Letitia (Rebekah Lumsden) is pregnant with the first child in the new generation of Mackenzies. A group of young boys tries to join Dougal in the Jacobite cause, but he gently tells them their role is to protect the women in the castle. The feast is interrupted when Brian and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) get into a brawl with Dougal. Brian says he has a hundred men ready to pledge themselves to Clan Mackenzie, including himself, and a bewildered Dougal calls off the fight. Maura, impressed with Dougal’s leadership, is warmer to him than she’s been in weeks, and they sneak away to have sex.

With Murtagh sustaining some minor injuries in the fight, Jocasta’s (Sadhbh Malin) new maid Grace (Ruby Fubara) keeps an eye on him as he recovers. They have a sweet, flirtatious exchange about tending wounds. Jocasta, overhearing this, reminds Murtagh that wounds need to be tended properly or will never heal.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2 sets up an interesting wrinkle for a pivotal character.

Later, as Murtagh prepares to leave, Grace hands him a basket of goods. She tells Murtagh that she’s only been in Scotland for six months, having lived in London before that, and feels like she’s landed in an entirely different country. “Well, you have,” Murtagh smiles. Grace tells him to keep his head down during the battle, and Murtagh promises to return the basket if he ever passes through Castle Leoch again.

At Castle Leathers, Julia hopes Henry has found Claire, but wonders if she’ll never return to them. Davina suggests the stones may open for Julia one day, or that Henry and Claire might come back to find her. Julia mournfully says she would not want to rip them away from any peace they might have in the 1920s just for her sake. Lovat tells Julia that the Grants have sent a peace offering: a new scullery maid, which happens to be Seema. 

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2 sets up an interesting wrinkle for Julia here, as Seema knows who Julia is through Henry’s stories about her, but one wrong word in Lovat’s direction could endanger Julia’s latest efforts to get back to Henry.

Each character gets a moment to shine, but Ellen stands out.

Outside Castle Leoch, Ellen finds Brian, and tells him they can’t marry until the rebellion is over. She tosses two chestnuts into a fire per Samhain tradition, and says that if they burn side-by-side, their marriage will be blessed. Brian asks what would happen if the chestnuts split apart instead. Ellen says that means their love will not hold, but insists the chestnuts will not split, and orders him to return to her as soon as he can.

Keeping four protagonists apart is a weighty task for any series. Still, Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2 finds ample room for Henry, Julia, Brian, and Ellen to find their footing. Margot Ye’s deftly written script allows the series’ characters to navigate old and new challenges while still deepening the supporting roles (more screen time for Murtagh and Grace, please) and bringing back old faces, like Seema.

Ellen comes into her own as safekeeper of Castle Leoch, exhibiting a strength that makes Slater the standout of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2. With the stakes raised, Outlander: Blood of My Blood comes into its own as a worthy, gripping prequel to Outlander‘s expansive lore.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 2 airs September 25 on Starz.

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