After last week’s episode, I expected Outlander: Blood of My Blood to slow things down a little with a transitional chapter before heading into the final stretch of the second season. Instead, episode 6, titled “Small Mercies,” delivers one of the season’s most emotionally engaging episodes so far, balancing tragedy with a few precious moments of hope.
With the aftermath of the Battle of Sheriffmuir, episode 6 brings our characters to some difficult crossroads. Colum MacKenzie (Séamus McLean Ross) continues to let political strategy dictate his personal matters, and Lovat (Tony Curran) reveals just how far he is willing to go to secure his future (with Ellen and Julia suffering the consequences). We even find a horrible surprise at Fort William, where Brian and Murtagh rescue Dougal (Sam Retford). Yet, amid all this suffering, the episode also offers a glimmer of hope through Henry and Julia’s reunion.
Colum’s struggle with (in)action
It is a revealing statement, and not new in any way. But this time it hits differently. Ellen (Harriet Slater) is his sister and someone he presumably loves deeply. Yet Colum seems almost more preoccupied with the political consequences of the situation than he is with Ellen’s wellbeing. His priorities become even clearer when he confesses to Ned, “There is a price to be paid for the love I bear for my sister, but I can no longer afford it.”
Colum is not necessarily without feelings; rather, he has convinced himself that his responsibilities as laird must take precedence over his personal attachments. When challenged by Ned (Conor MacNeill) — who is as confused as the audience about his laird’s mind — Colum bitterly points out that it’s not for him to advise him on his feelings, and that he must think of the clan. It is the justification he returns to whenever the prospect of taking action threatens to destabilize the position he has worked so hard to maintain. But how much longer can he use that excuse? What Column has been overlooking is the fact that his family is part of that clan. How many siblings and confidants will he have lost by the time he realizes that?
The arrival of the MacKenzie men from Sheriffmuir makes Colum’s inaction even more difficult to stomach. The men return carrying the bodies of the fallen, in a heartbreaking sequence that gives the consequences of the battle a deeply personal shade. We also see Rupert’s wife and son, as well as a young Angus, a detail that will become even more heartbreaking by the end of the episode for fans of Outlander.
Dougal, however, is nowhere to be seen. John Cameron (Alastair Mackenzie) informs Colum about his brother and Angus being taken to Fort William, and Brian (Jamie Roy) and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) going after them. Once again, Colum fails to act. Ned is clearly furious that Colum will do nothing to save either Dougal or Ellen. His refusal to intervene will surely have consequences and create a serious divide between them.
Colum is a man brought to inaction by action: every decision he might make carries a potential cost, so he convinces himself that doing nothing is the wiser choice… but refusing to choose is still a choice.
A life for a life
At Leathers, Davina and Julia (Hermione Corfield) bury Seema in a field. It is a grim, emotionally raw scene that gives Julia another reason to carry the emotional weight of the events surrounding her. She admits that she will carry this with her forever, even more than the horrors she read about in accounts of World War I.
What makes her grief particularly complicated is that Seema (Lauren McQueen) was not simply an evil person who deserved her fate. She was unstable and troubled, but Julia understands that she was also a victim of her circumstances — even if she meant to hurt her.
“No one loved her in life. No one will mourn her in death,” Julia says. It is a devastating sentiment, and one that captures the tragedy of Seema’s story. Even in death, she is denied the dignity of being remembered with compassion. It’s important to point out that not even Julia, who recognizes the injustice Seema had to live through, mourns her.
Julia and Davina then lie to Lovat about Seema’s disappearance when he returns to Leathers. His suspicions are immediate, and he begins asking questions. He also tells them about taking Inverness and about Brian not fulfilling his oath. “Faith, honour — he may be dead because of it,” he sneers. It’s clear that Brian’s refusal to fight for him has scarred Lovat more than he would like to admit.
He also announces that he is expecting a guest. That guest turns out to be Ellen, whom Balloch (Chick Allan) has brought to Leathers after being ordered to follow her.
Ellen is understandably furious. She confronts Lovat over his interference in her life, reminding him that he previously tried to ruin her reputation. She even calls him “a devil in a red coat,” making it clear that she has not forgotten what he has done to her or the cause.
Lovat, however, responds with an unexpected apology. His sudden kindness feels unnatural, and that’s the first signal that, in this episode, he is up to no good. His invitation to Ellen to stay for dinner only makes the situation more suspicious.
The dinner at Leathers brings Ellen and Julia together again for the first time since season 1. It is also Ellen’s first opportunity to meet Davina (Sara Vickers). The two exchange secret smiles, despite the air of tension that surrounds the dinner. The seer Maisri also makes an appearance: her job is to tell the diners of Brian’s fate. Alongside her fortune-telling, she has also made a special spiced wine.
The atmosphere soon becomes unsettling. Ellen is visibly unwell, and Julia is also clearly suffering. More wine is served, and Maisri delivers a cryptic warning to Ellen: “Life’s promise holds fast but death’s call must be answered.” Or, more simply put, a life for a life.
The words hang over the dinner like a threat, and the meaning becomes horrifyingly clear when Ellen’s condition deteriorates. She begins losing blood and eventually reveals to Davina and Julia that she is pregnant.
Julia eventually confronts Lovat and discovers the truth: he arranged for Maisri to poison the wine, intending to make both Julia and Ellen barren. His actions are tied to the prophecy surrounding his bloodline and the belief that Simon (baby William) must be the last of his line.
Lovat’s scheme targets the women’s bodies and their ability to determine their own futures. He is so consumed by the need to control his family’s destiny that he is willing to sacrifice the lives and reproductive autonomy of the women around him.
Thankfully, Davina is able to take Ellen back to Leoch, where she is carried to her bedchamber and left to rest. Colum wants to know what has happened, but Mrs. Fitzgibbons wisely tells him that Ellen is the one who must tell him when she is ready: after everything Ellen has been through, she deserves the opportunity to tell her own story rather than have it interpreted and controlled by others.
The episode leaves the full emotional consequences of Lovat’s actions hanging over Leoch, but the damage has already been done. His attempt to control the future may have permanently changed the lives of the women who had the misfortune of being close to him.
A race against the rising tide
While the women at Leathers face Lovat’s treachery, Dougal is enduring a different kind of nightmare at Fort William, where he is being tortured by Captain Lord Gerard Grey and a young Black Jack Randall. The latter is already displaying the cruelty that will become so infamous in Outlander, even if he is still young enough to be reprimanded for going too far. There is something particularly unsettling about seeing the beginnings of the man viewers already know, with his sadism emerging before he has fully grown into the monster he will become.
It also raises an interesting question about the show’s timeline. Is Randall's presence at Fort William in 1715 consistent with what we know from the original series? From the books, we know that he bought his commission in 1735, becoming captain; he got promoted to commanding officer of Fort William in 1739. It is plausible, even if not entirely canon, that he was already serving at the fort in 1715.
Dougal and Angus are eventually imprisoned in the “vault,” a cell below ground and connected to the sea. Their situation becomes increasingly desperate as the tide comes in and water begins to fill the space, turning the cell into a death trap. Angus, facing the possibility that he will not survive, tells Dougal that Rupert and his son will at least have each other, words that hit different after watching Outlander.
Brian and Murtagh are able to cut through the guards and break the cell bars just in time. Despite their efforts, Angus drowns before they can save him. During their escape, Dougal finds himself with an opportunity to kill Black Jack Randall. But Brian intervenes, pointing out that Randall is only a boy, and Dougal ultimately spares him.
This is one of the episode’s most meaningful examples of a small mercy. Dougal has every reason to give in to his anger, yet he chooses not to kill someone who is still young. But there is also a painful irony to the decision: by sparing Randall, Dougal allows a future version of the man who will become one of the most dangerous figures in Outlander to live. Just like Julia’s compassion for Seema’s injustice, the Randall we see in this episode might have deserved this one small mercy.
Closing on a hopeful note
After so much suffering, the episode closes on a more hopeful note, this time giving the audience a small mercy.
Henry (Jeremy Irvine) begs Arch Bug to turn a blind eye and allow him to leave. Arch initially has every reason to refuse, but he ultimately agrees because Henry saved his life at Sheriffmuir. Their arrangement creates an unexpected bond between two men who might otherwise have remained enemies.
The two men make their way to Leathers, where Henry and Julia finally reunite. After everything that has happened, their meeting is a welcome moment of relief. They cannot simply return to the life they had before, and their future remains uncertain, but they have found a way to stay connected: they agree to exchange letters, hiding them in a broken wall, and that Arch will serve as their messenger.
Henry and Julia find a small way to reclaim some agency for themselves. Their letters will allow them to maintain their relationship even when their impossible circumstances keep them apart.
Verdict
After last week’s episode, I expected “Small Mercies” to be a transitional chapter leading into the final stretch of the season. I was wrong. This is a highly entertaining and emotionally engaging episode that gives its major storylines momentum while delivering some truly heartbreaking moments.
The episode title perfectly encapsulates what it was trying to say: the plot successfully balanced its darker developments with moments of compassion: while Ellen miscarries, Seema is buried, and Angus dies, Dougal decides to spare a life instead of killing, Arch agrees to help Henry, and Henry and Julia find a way to remain connected despite the circumstances. These gestures do not undo the damage that has been done, but this episode makes it clear that hope and tragedy can coexist.
And as a bonus, even after watching the episode several times, I keep thinking of Séamus McLean Ross and Harriet Slater’s top-tier performances, particularly Slater’s in the dinner scenes, which give her a tremendous opportunity to shine. I truly can’t wait to see more of their acting skills in the upcoming episodes of season 2.
Grade: A-
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