As Outlander: Blood of My Blood season 2 moves faster toward the height of the 1715 Jacobite rising, episode 4, titled “A Portion of My Soul,” serves as a pivotal bridge, separating loved ones once again and brewing future political rifts between the clans.
In season 2, episode 3, we saw the MacKenzie women taking center stage at Castle Leoch, defending their home against the aggressive MacKinney takeover. Episode 4 picks up immediately in the aftermath, adding Henry (who was not seen in episode 3) back into the 18th-century fray.
Henry is back in the 18th century
At the start of the episode, we find Henry (Jeremy Irvine) back in 1715, wandering the moors. He’s taken by Arch Bug (Terence Rae), who returns him to the Grants and his position as bladier. Henry meets Arch’s wife, Murdina (Sorcha Groundsell), a returning character from Outlander. She convinces Arch not to kill him because she believes Henry is a fairy man. To make a point, he shows them the sutures on the back of his head and the wounds from the electroshock therapy.
Henry is brought to the new laird of clan Grant, the uncle of the late Malcolm. He deems Henry to still be useful, so he only punishes him with 20 lashes. However, having promised his wife not to hurt him, Arch Bug only pretends to hit him. Are we witnessing the start of a… friendship? In a roundtable attended by Winter is Coming, Jeremy Irvine did tease a partnership between the two — “a rather strange, complicated bromance,” as he called it.
Julia and Henry reunite
Julia (Hermione Corfield) finds out Henry is back in the 18th century almost right away: a messenger gives her a letter from the Grants, signed by their bladier. Davina (Sara Vickers) helps Julia dress like a man so she can infiltrate Bowmont House, the Grant estate; she even gives her Brian’s dagger from when he was younger, in case she has to defend herself. Unfortunately, this dagger will reappear at the end of the episode, and not in Julia’s hand.
At Bowmont House, we see Henry writing Julia a letter, a heartwarming reminder of the very first letter he ever wrote to her. Just as he raises his eyes, he sees Julia across the yard. Four episodes in, they finally have their passionate reunion, but soon their time apart starts creating a rift.
He tells her he was able to travel back to 1924, but that he was captured and locked in the Inverness asylum. Julia desperately wants him to give her news of Claire, but Henry quickly realizes he had lost his memories of their daughter during his treatment. “The worst pain I’ve ever known was not holding my daughter, not hearing her laugh, not hearing her say ‘dad’ — I let them burn her out of me,” Henry tells her.
Julia seems to understand the gravity of the situation and how much Henry suffered inside the asylum. But he adds something that makes her visibly recoil: “Sometimes, I’m not even sure what’s real anymore,” Henry says. At this point, Julia can’t do anything but tell Henry that she knows that he slept with Seema (Lauren McQueen). He tries to explain how that came to be, how he wasn’t himself. The scene subtly suggests that Henry was sexually assaulted, but Julia does not interpret what happened in that way.
She isn’t mad about the fact that he “cheated” on her; what throws her off is that he didn’t tell her sooner, when he had plenty of opportunities to do so. She tells him it’ll take some time for her to forget, but that she will forgive him. What he can do is find the old Henry again and bring him back: “Then we’ll forget, together,” she says.
It does not bode well: how can Henry possibly be his old self again? It’s not possible, at least not in the way that Julia wants.
Julia recounts the memory of their first time together and about how he immediately proposed to her. Is there where Henry will be able to find himself — in the memories they share together? I did say in my review of episode 1, accurately titled “Remembrance Day,” that for Julia and Henry this season will be all about memory and the loss of it.
But before Henry can find his way back to Julia, he has to leave for war again. Julia wavers and spends the night with Henry. Once again, they plan their escape and discuss what they know about time travel. Julia tells Henry that she’s not sure she can travel again, but somehow he’s certain she can. Would that it were that simple…
“A lost cause”
Ellen (Harriet Slater) and Grace (Ruby Fubara) reach the camp just in time to inform Brian (Jamie Roy) about his father’s true intentions: taking Inverness for the British and fighting against the Jacobite army, all for the restoration of his lands and title. They immediately ride toward Dougal's marching men and are able to stop him before he reaches Inverness. Brian proposes an immediate pivot: head south to Perth, where the broader Jacobite forces are gathering. Dougal (Sam Retford) hesitates, being still wary of Brian’s true allegiance, until Ellen tells him of MacKinney’s betrayal and their sister Janet’s death. Overcome by the news, Dougal presses Ellen for any word of Maura, his defensive edge softening into grief before he finally agrees to the change of plan.
Determined to settle matters once and for all, Brian confronts his father. Calling out Lovat’s (Tony Curran) calculated betrayal, Brian stands firm and denounces him. Lovat releases him from his oath, rendering him — and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) as well — effectively clanless. After Brian’s departure, Lovat says to Balloch: “Love will be his ruin — I won’t let it be mine.”
This shifts Dougal’s perspective and eases the friction between them. Brian even tells him point blank, “I chose your sister over my clan.” We can see the weight of that sacrifice register on Dougal’s face as he offers a quiet nod of truce, promising they will settle whatever remained between them once the war is over.
Later that evening, inside the quiet sanctuary of his tent, Ellen and Brian sit together. He asks Ellen to talk about Janet. “She would have liked you,” Ellen tells him softly, adding “She had a weakness for lost causes,” referring to Brian. Because, if not a “lost cause,” what else would Brian be? As Ellen describes him, he is “a man who gives up everything for promises not yet kept, for a family not-yet made.” Brian simply tells her, “Yours.” This melts away Ellen’s doubts and leads her to reveal her pregnancy to Brian.
Catching up with history
In this episode, we meet again Jocasta’s husband, John Cameron (Alastair Mackenzie). He conspires with his cousin to deflect the Crown’s wrath from their clan, should the rising fail. Wary of the risks, the cousin decides he will secretly side with the British forces. This scene can easily be overlooked in the intense narrative of this episode, but it’s actually a nod to a storyline better explored in Outlander.
Fans of the series will remember that Jocasta was married to three different Cameron men — the first being John, who’s her husband in the current timeline of Outlander: Blood of My Blood, and the third being Hector, whom we see in a flashback scene in Outlander season 5. But who was the second?
In the books, his name is Hugh (also known as “Black Hugh”). It could very well be the cousin John Cameron is plotting with. While we’re certain that Hector was a Jacobite (he died trying to protect the French gold meant for Bonnie Prince Charlie), apparently, Hugh is not. That could make for additional friction between the MacKenzie siblings, with Dougal being a die-hard Jacobite.
Meanwhile, Lord Lovat is able to reach Inverness and take the fortified town. This is a swift, decisive victory that underscores just how rapidly the war is sweeping across the Highlands. While this might seem rushed in the narrative, it’s actually close to the historical inspiration. The Jacobite rising of 1715 only lasted a few months, from fall 1715 to February of the next year. And from what we know, episode 5 will bring on the first big battle of the season.
Mixed signals
Before leaving the tent, Mr. Cameron asserts his authority, demanding Grace’s compliance and taking advantage of her position as maid. Shaken but keeping her composure, Grace finds Murtagh by the fire. A gentle, romantic moment unfolds between them, but because of her lingering distress, Grace steps away from Murtagh. He worries he has misread her signals or that he has pushed his luck.
The next day, Grace quickly puts his doubts to rest. Wanting him to carry something with him into the coming war, she presents Murtagh with a token to wear into battle: a flower made of textile scraps, stitched to his shirt. It is a promise of her affections and a shield against what lay ahead.
All our couples have to part once more and say their goodbyes. Julia leaves Henry with a letter to carry with him in battle. She returns to Leathers to find Seema — dagger in hand — waiting for her, and William and Davina missing.
Verdict
Overall, I did enjoy watching this episode, even if I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it as a whole. There are some genuinely strong scenes here, particularly Brian’s confrontation with his father and his quiet conversation with Ellen about “lost causes.”
At the same time, the episode feels somewhat uneven. There is a lot happening across its different storylines, from Henry and Julia’s reunion to the Jacobite preparations, the Cameron subplot, and Grace and Murtagh’s burgeoning romance. The episode clearly has important things to set up, particularly with the war approaching and the various couples once again being separated, but I’m not sure all of those pieces come together into a satisfying whole.
I especially find Henry and Julia’s storyline less compelling, now that they’re both back in the 18th century. I fear this is where it’s evident that the writers do not have a source to base their adaptation on. In the books, we know absolutely nothing of what happened to the Beauchamps; we only know for certain that they never saw Claire again (but never say never: Diana Gabaldon is still working on the 10th book of the series, A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out). I’m both curious and worried about what Blood of My Blood has in store for Julia and Henry. After all, they both deserve their happiness.
So, I’m left without a clear opinion of the episode itself. There’s plenty to like here, and I’m certainly interested to see where these storylines go next, but for now, “A Portion of My Soul” feels more like a transitional episode (which is not a bad thing at all!) than one that leaves a strong impression on its own.
Grade: B
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