RECAP: ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2 Episode 3 – “Rabbits Don’t Swim”

Rebels and redcoats battle in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3, but the action stays offscreen for another battle entirely. Ellen (Harriet Slater) rallies the Mackenzie women to protect their home from an unexpected enemy, while Julia (Hermione Corfield) deals with a new barrier to escaping Lovat’s (Tony Curran) clutches.

Brian (Jamie Roy), Murtagh (Rory Alexander), and Dougal (Sam Retford) lead men to the impending Jacobite and English battle. But it’s palpably just as ominous at Castle Leoch, where bats swarm the belfry, distressing Maura (Bobby Rainsbury). Maura and Ellen remain hostile to one another, making for an awkward dinner for everyone left at the castle. Janet (Ailsa Davidson) suggests staging a play to lift everyone’s spirits. Colum (Séamus McLean Ross) quips that they should do Macbeth, so Ellen can play “The Scottish queen that brings ruin to her house.” In response, Ellen storms off.

The remaining members of the unmerry dinner party consist of Maura, Colum, Janet, Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin), Letitia (Rebekah Lumsden), and Ned (Conor MacNeill). They’re interrupted by the arrival of James MacKinney (Ryan Fletcher), who isn’t with Dougal as expected, but sees the battle as an opportunity to take over the castle. Mackinney believes he should be the true laird of Clan Mackenzie, and has one of his henchmen kill the Mackenzies’ guard (Luke Aquilina).

An unmerry group gathers as the tension mounts in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3. 

At Castle Leathers, Lovat summons a reluctant Julia to his bedroom. Julia finds Lovat being intimate with Seema (Lauren McQueen), and Lovat wants Julia to learn from Seema’s skills, believing Julia dull and inactive in bed.

Later, Julia expresses her hopes that Lovat wasn’t too demanding, but Seema says it’s her duty to comply with Lovat’s orders. Seema notes that Julia’s kindness reminds her of Henry (Jeremy Irvine). Julia tries not to perk up when she mentions Henry.

Because Julia still tells the story that Henry kidnapped her, Seema says the Grants sent her to protect Julia if Henry ever returned. “I know how to manage him,” Seema insists, implying that she and Henry had sex (which they did, in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 1 Episode 6), much to Julia’s shock.

After learning the castle has been ambushed, Ellen heads to a secret chamber overlooking the great hall. She watches Colum beg MacKinney to lay off the women and servants, since MacKinney’s grievances lie only with him. MacKinney counters that his grievance is with how the clan has been run, because he believes that Colum’s father, before his unexpected death, would have named MacKinney laird of Clan Mackenzie. He demands to see the deed to the estate, but Colum sneers that Ellen runs the place now.

Truths are revealed and pasts explored. 

In a flashback, a young Ellen (Jules Hynd Horne) loses a game of hide-and-seek, as she always chooses the same hiding place. Her father, Red Jacob (Barry John Kinsella), consoles her. He suggests that Ellen’s predictability makes her easy to find, and that she should start climbing to hide, as her brothers would never expect a girl to climb. “Let their blindness be their downfall,” he advises.

Julia tells Lovat that Seema unsettles her, lying that Seema is a painful reminder of the “ordeal” of being taken away by Henry. Julia wants her sent away, but Lovat wants her to stay, believing Seema will ensure that Julia is faithful while he is away. Meanwhile, Seema has been secretly observing the conversation. Lovat leaves for the battle.

Seema asks Julia why she wants her to leave, and Julia repeats her lie that Seema reminds her of being taken away by Henry. Seema doesn’t want that held against her and says she’s there to protect Julia, but Julia doesn’t buy it. Poor Julia spends all of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 unsuccessfully attempting to re-escape a house she spent most of Season 1 trying to leave. Hopefully her luck changes in future episodes.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 finds Ellen leading a group of women to an unlikely battle.

As one of MacKinney’s men escorts the women to be locked up, Ellen successfully kills him with a bow and arrow. Ellen knows the exits are being watched, and the Mackenzie men have taken the rest of the castle’s weapons for battle, but she encourages the women to fight back like true Mackenzies. Maura argues she’s only a Mackenzie by marriage and has no stake in the fight. Ellen says she’s free to leave, but Maura stays.

Ellen wonders why MacKinney would bring so few men to take over the castle. She reasons that MacKinney sees women as weak and submissive and believes this can be used to their advantage. She suggests they hide in unexpected places and use unorthodox tactics to trap and kill the men.

In a quiet moment in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3, Janet and Ellen pray together. Janet prays for courage, and notes that Ellen has always been brave like their father. Ellen returns the compliment, saying that Janet is an example of forgiveness and love without restraint. Janet begs Ellen not to dismiss her as small or fragile.

Bloodshed leads to loss in “Rabbits Don’t Swim.”

While arguing with MacKinney, Colum rises to confront him physically, but his cane snaps as he stands, sending him to the ground. MacKinney taunts Colum, saying that Lovat is secretly allied with the English. Colum doubts this, as Lovat’s men left beside Dougal, but MacKinney says that is precisely why he came to the castle now. “Your warriors march to their death,” MacKinney sneers.

Ellen and the others kill two of MacKinney’s henchmen using resources they have on hand, from unleashing the clan’s dogs on them to pooling oil on the ground and stabbing the men as they slip. MacKinney, impatient that Ellen has yet to be captured, threatens to have Ellen whipped. Colum says that if MacKinney harms Ellen, Brian will stop at nothing to come for her.

With four of MacKinney’s men left, the women capture and kill two more, but Janet is mortally wounded in the struggle. Ellen tells a dying Janet that she’s pregnant, and will name her child after Janet if it’s a girl. Janet, in her final moments, requests that they all pray together, and dies surrounded by the Mackenzie women praying with her.

Quick thinking and patience pave a path of triumph for Ellen.

Struck by grief, Ellen heads to the belfry to compose herself. She recalls when her father taught her archery. Young Ellen angrily misses a shot, and her father reminds her that the best archers are patient and still. Young Ellen relaxes, and hits the target. Jumping back to 1715, Ellen has a revelation and pulls herself together.

Maura abandons the women and heads to the great hall. She introduces herself to MacKinney as a Grant by birth and a Mackenzie by marriage. She suggests that MacKinney leave quietly, and in return, she won’t say anything to the Grants about what has just transpired at Castle Leoch. MacKinney has Maura tied up, and tells Colum only a weak clan leader would have so many insubordinate women on their hands.

Ellen leads the two remaining henchmen to the belfry. She bangs on the bell, loud enough for the whole castle to hear. The bats that terrified Maura at the beginning of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 scatter about, distracting the men, whom Ellen kills. Ellen, carrying a bow and arrow, leads the remaining women back to the grand hall where MacKinney threatens to kill Maura.

Strange allies form as the battle continues. 

During MacKinney’s showdown with Ellen, Ned nudges one half of the broken cane towards Colum. Colum takes the cane and stabs MacKinney in the side, loosening MacKinney’s grip on Maura. Ellen fatally shoots MacKinney with an arrow. 

Colum wants Ellen to know that Lovat has joined the English. Ellen thinks this is a lie, and that’s why MacKinney brought so few men, because his other men are with Lovat. MacKinney knew Lovat had planned a slaughter, and that only a few men would be needed to take over Castle Leoch.

The battle ends, with the remaining Redcoats retreating. Lovat forcefully convinces Dougal to split up their respective forces, so the Redcoats won’t know who to track down first. Brian disagrees with the plan, but Lovat won’t hear any objections. Dougal tells Brian he’ll “save some English blood” for him, and Murtagh quips that war makes strange allies out of everyone.

Harriet Slater and Bobby Rainsbury deliver stirring performances.

Lovat believes Brian is swayed too easily by the Mackenzies, since Brian agreed with Dougal’s objections to splitting up the group. Brian counters that the only Mackenzie he cares about is Ellen. Lovat says love makes men weak, and that war’s casualties aren’t always on the battlefield. He orders Brian to ride beside him on the road, but Brian insists he’ll ride alongside Murtagh. Lovat reminds Brian that loyalty is costly, and sarcastically hopes Brian and Ellen can afford the loyalty they have to one another.

As Janet prepares for burial, Ellen chastises Maura for her selfishness, feeling Maura abandoned the Mackenzie women. Maura worries about Dougal’s fate on the battlefield. Ellen resolves to find Brian, and Jocasta sends Grace (Ruby Fubara) with her for protection. Maura urges her to bring Dougal home safely. Slater and Rainsbury’s performances shine in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3, with their characters’ vulnerability exposed in their grief despite their outward disdain for each other.

As Ellen readies to leave, Colum admits he tried to have Brian killed, but claims he did it in the name of Clan Mackenzie and that he has to do what he must, even if it costs him everything. Colum understands now that Brian will choose Ellen over Lovat every time.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 focuses on the crusade to protect Castle Leoch.

masterfully done

Ellen sneers that Colum chose Clan Mackenzie over her. Colum says that Castle Leoch will always be Ellen’s home, but Ellen says her home is now “with the man you couldn’t kill.” Colum wants to make it right between them, but Ellen tells him that is now his curse: he’ll never stop trying to make amends, and she’ll never stop saying no. She and Grace leave on horseback in search of Brian.

Women take center stage in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 as a traditional battle episode is swapped for the Mackenzie women’s crusade to protect Castle Leoch. Harriet Slater is once again the standout as Ellen takes her place as the castle’s safekeeper and defender with steely resolve.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 allows Ellen to come into her own as a leading figure of Clan Mackenzie, not just as Castle Leoch’s safekeeper, but confirms that she is a force to be reckoned with as a leader. Centering almost an entire episode around her crusade to protect her childhood home, just as she grapples with the end of considering it her home, demonstrates the worlds Ellen is caught between. It shows how much her family and clan have underestimated her, and the resourcefulness she commands when no one’s watching.

You almost forget that the stakes are technically higher on the battlefield, with more potential for bloodshed. Longtime Outlander-verse writer Toni Graphia’s script ensures the stakes are just as palpable, even in the much smaller, less bloody battle waged between the Mackenzie women and MacKinney’s men. It’s a masterfully-done episode that cements Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 as proof that each installment of this Outlander prequel only gets better as it goes on.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 3 airs October 2 on Starz.

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