RECAP: ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ Season 2 Episode 8 – “The Dance”

In Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8, Ellen (Harriet Slater) faces off against Lord Grey (Digby Egley) over Castle Leoch’s future, while Henry (Jeremy Irvine) and Julia (Hermione Corfield) consider an unconventional idea for returning to the 1920s.

At Merlewood, the Duke of Sandringham’s (Jacob Dudman) estate, King George I (Guido Renner) assembles a group of English sympathizers for an investiture. The king honors Lovat (Tony Curran) for his efforts to claim Inverness for the English, and restores his title and land. Uncle Mac (Simon Merrells) is honored with a medal for aligning Clan Grant with the English cause ahead of the Battle of Sheriffmuir. Henry and Julia exchange smiles across the room.

Brian (Jamie Roy) tells Murtagh (Rory Alexander) that Ellen miscarried after Lovat poisoned her. Brian says that if it weren’t for endangering his chance at a future with Ellen, he would have killed Lovat, and that he only let Lovat live in exchange for the Broch Morda land. Brian laments that Ellen cannot marry him while she is still mistress of Clan Mackenzie, but if he has to wait for her to be free forever, he will.

Forbidden love is at the heart of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8.

Ellen and Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) walk on the Castle Leoch grounds, where Ellen doubles over in pain, but composes herself. It’s an odd moment in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8, as Ellen’s pain is never revisited, nor is it specifically suggested to be an aftereffect of the poison, which occurred two episodes earlier. As they walk the grounds, they see a group of redcoats arrive at the castle.

At the investiture, Uncle Mac and Lovat stiffly congratulate one another on their honors, while Henry, Julia, and Margaret (Erin Shanagher) look on. Lovat hints that he has not forgiven Uncle Mac for Henry’s perceived abduction of Julia in Season 1, because, though Uncle Mac had given Seema (Lauren McQueen) as an apology, Seema has supposedly run away.

Julia killed Seema in self-defense in Outlander Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 5 and told Lovat that Seema ran away. Henry gets defensive over his actions towards Julia, but Julia stares him down, silently urging him to compose himself. Henry apologizes to Lovat. Uncle Mac and Lovat agree to let bygones be bygones.

Margaret persuades the king to kick off the dancing portion of the festivities. Lovat says Julia has a headache and will not dance. Julia, briefly puzzled, plays along. She’s quick on her feet, a skill she has sharpened from months of lying to Lovat, but can’t fathom why he would say she has a headache. Lovat invites Margaret to dance instead. Julia tells Henry they need to speak alone.

Lord Grey arrives at Castle Leoch in search of Dougal (Sam Retford) after his escape from Fort William. Maura (Bobby Rainsbury) slips away to fetch Dougal, who is hiding in a nearby cottage. Lord Grey accuses Colum (Séamus McLean Ross) of committing treason by staying silent on the Jacobite rebellion and not endorsing the English cause. Lord Grey tries to seize the castle, but Ned (Conor MacNeill) tells him that Ellen holds the deed to the castle.

Murtagh sneaks over to John (Alasdair Mackenzie) and Jocasta’s (Sadhbh Malin) estate in search of Grace (Ruby Fubara). Grace says Murtagh’s a dead man if he gets caught, and suggests they meet at the threshing shed in the woods the next day. As Murtagh leaves, he tells her he loves her. Jocasta finds Grace and says John has an announcement to make.

The price of loyalty resurfaces not just between lovers but among friends and family.

Colum justifies his neutrality by saying he couldn’t take a side as laird of Clan Mackenzie or else would risk the safety of the people protected by the clan. Lord Grey has him arrested, but Dougal barges in before the army can take Colum away. Dougal tries to take Colum’s place, but Lord Grey wants them both killed for treason. Ellen asks for her brothers to have a moment to pray in the castle’s chapel, and invites Lord Grey to the study to see proof of “the price of loyalty.” Ned privately asks Ellen what she means, and she tells him she’s trying to buy herself time.

Henry and Julia find an empty room at Merlewood. Julia tells him she can’t pass through the standing stones, and could only do it the first time because she’d been pregnant with William, who can travel. She urges Henry to take William and go back to the 1920s without her, but Henry refuses to leave Julia behind. He suggests they can take William and either go on the run or fight Lovat, but Julia dismisses the idea.

In the Castle Leoch chapel, Ellen scolds Dougal for endangering Clan Mackenzie and Colum for letting Dougal get away with it. She sets two conditions for signing the deed back over to Colum. First, Colum will handle the clan’s decision-making entirely, making Dougal’s “War Chief” title useless. Second, she wants the deed to land bordering Brian’s land at Broch Morda. Colum reluctantly agrees to the terms.

Lovat tries to convince Margaret to take a private tour of Merlewood with him. Margaret says it will invite scandal if they’re seen alone, since Lovat is married. Lovat cheekily suggests it will give the courtiers something to talk about. Lovat’s wandering eye is old news in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8, but his interest in Margaret is different. Unlike Julia or Seema, Margaret is from an affluent family and can offer connections the others cannot.

Henry, trying to work out a plan to save Julia, suggests they conceive another child and go back the way they came. Even though they had planned to have more children together, Julia feels guilty entertaining the idea. Hearing music playing in a distant room, the two dance, enjoying a moment that makes them feel like their old selves again.

There’s an artful moment here in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 as the camera moves from 1700s Henry and Julia to focusing on a mirror in the room. When it moves to the mirror, the reflection shows Henry and Julia, but dressed in their 1920s clothing.

The action then flashes back to Henry and Julia in 1920s London, practicing for a dance competition. Henry laments that he’s a bad dancer, but Julia assures him they’ll win with practice. Henry jokes that they conceived Claire with lots of practice, and suggests they try for another baby.

Henry and Julia keep trying to find a way back to the 1920s, but Lovat looms large.

As Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 returns to the 1700s, Henry argues that a child conceived in hopes of bringing Julia home is still a child conceived out of love. He knows their conversation must end there, and they count the wins they currently have. They’re both safe for now, and Henry has amethysts stashed away for passage through the stones.

In the Castle Leoch study, Ellen flatters Lord Grey, calling him “courageous” and “merciful,” but says that her brothers’ execution would stain his reputation. Lord Grey is confused, and Ellen points out that kings only reward victory, not scandal.

For Dougal to have escaped Fort William, killed multiple redcoats, and “walked free long enough to choose his death,” Ellen argues, would be scandalous. She says that if Lord Grey kills Dougal now, his death would echo throughout the Jacobites for generations as the tale of a chieftain who outwitted a royal officer and died defending his people.

But if Dougal goes free, Ellen says her brother won’t become a legend. He and Colum would just be “two broken men fading into obscurity,” and Lord Grey’s reputation can remain pristine. She suggests he report to the king that he kept Dougal and Colum for questioning, so Lord Grey can “appear judicious, not merciful.”

She points out parallels in their situations–he did not choose to be English but is loyal to the English king anyway; she did not choose her family but is loyal to them anyway. Lord Grey agrees to Ellen’s terms “for now.” She throws in a bag of coins, which he determines must be the price of mercy. “A tithe to peace,” she corrects him, smiling.

At the Cameron estate, John announces that he has acquired a sugarcane plantation in the West Indies. He plans to leave Jocasta in Scotland, but will take Grace with him. Grace is horrified and tries to appeal to Jocasta, but Jocasta says no one can change John’s mind once it’s made up.

Uncle Mac discovers Lovat and Margaret mid-trist, but does not stop them. Margaret, taken with Lovat, tells him she doesn’t want to be treated like a mistress, but with the respect that being a member of Clan Grant commands. She admires Lovat for knowing what he wants, but will not have sex with him without the promise that he’ll marry her.

Lovat continues to be the absolute worst, taking liberties wherever he can now that his power is at its peak.

As Lovat rejoins the festivities, Uncle Mac says that Margaret would make a good wife, but that it’s a shame Lovat is already married to Julia. Lovat recounts that Henry VIII had six wives, and the men joke that perhaps it takes multiple marriages to get it right. Lovat says Malcolm (Jhon Lumsden) must have died of a broken heart when he heard Ellen had been handfasted to someone else. The handfasting is news to Uncle Mac, who asks for more details. “My bastard,” Lovat says, referring to Brian.

Ellen signs Castle Leoch back over to Colum. Dougal scoffs that Ellen is now free to marry Brian. Ellen tells Colum he is not welcome at Broch Morda. Colum tries to make amends by telling her she can come to Castle Leoch anytime, but Ellen leaves without a goodbye. Ned says he half expected Colum to hand Dougal to the English, but Colum says he would never do that. “You are a good laird,” Ned assures Colum.

At the threshing shed, Murtagh is devastated by Grace’s news of leaving for the West Indies. He sorts through ways they could be together, like running away, marrying, or buying her bond from the Camerons. Grace tells Murtagh she loves him, but that John would never agree to let her go. She reminds Murtagh that all they ever wanted together was time, and that it’s run out.

Ned sees Ellen off, and Ellen thanks Ned for all he’s ever done for her. They reminisce about growing up together, and Ned tearfully implores Ellen to call on him if she ever needs legal advice. Ellen tells him he is worth more to her than his job with Clan Mackenzie. Before she leaves, Ned hands her a letter “from your brother,” but we don’t learn what it contains in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8.

Julia sees Lovat and Margaret giggling, and is haunted by memories of how Lovat has continually devalued her, from taunting her about Seema joining him in bed, to scolding her for her disobedience, to pretending she had a headache to get out of dancing with her. “He’s going to get rid of me,” she tells Henry. Henry says a divorce would be too scandalous for Lovat’s reputation, but it would at least free Julia from his clutches.

Julia reminds him that even if Lovat got rid of her, he’d still keep William, believing William to be his son and “the next king” per Maisri’s (Katharine O’Donnelly) prophecy. “You know what isn’t a scandal? When your wife dies,” Julia says. Julia and Henry stare at Lovat in horror, as they realize Lovat could easily have Julia killed so he can marry Margaret. Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 closes here, adding another layer of difficulty to Henry and Julia’s hopes of escaping Lovat’s clutches.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 asks its characters to stay at the top of their game.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 proves this Outlander prequel only gets better with time. While Brian’s left on the sidelines for almost the entire episode, Slater’s Ellen is determined and steely while walking a merciful line as Clan Mackenzie’s leader. It’s an episode that demands its characters and actors stay at the top of their game under pressure while remaining composed.

Henry and Julia continue their balancing act, planning their escape while Lovat’s agenda threatens their happiness and their lives. Irvine and Corfield deliver strong performances, playing Henry and Julia as both a reuniting couple and near-strangers.

Longtime Outlander veterans Toni Graphia and Danielle Berrow create one of the series’ best hours with Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8. Its violence comes not in bloodshed but in deep cuts between Ellen and her brothers, the heartbreak between Henry and Julia as they realize Lovat still has the upper hand, and the devastation as Grace and Murtagh can’t be together. Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 is proof that words can be as destructive as weapons, and just as gripping to watch.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 is streaming now on Starz.

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