Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Welcome to the Castle, Pal!

Just when we thought we knew what kind of show we were watching, Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 3, “Rabbits Don’t Swim,” said, “Oh yeah? Hold my ale!”

So imagine our delight, watching a group of MacKenzies go about their dysfunctional family dinner when — bam! — a treacherous MacKinney enters the dining room and declares this is a hostile takeover.

In a ballsy and delightful blindside, the episode turns the tables on the format we have come to expect and embraces the stakes of a modern-day action film.

Not just any action film, though. It’s clear from the first shocking surge of violence that Blood of my Blood is running the gamut with one of the all-time greatest action films — Die Hard.

Now why, you ask, would a historical drama set in the Outlander universe be so bold as to craft its very own Scottish Die Hard? It’s confusing; it’s nonsensical. Yet, the concept is executed beautifully within this old world of brutality and territorial battles.

Castle Leoch is an excellent re-imagining of Nakatomi Tower with its maze of stone passageways and faceless goons patrolling the dank corridors. It’s a dream battleground for Ellen MacKenzie, who uses her bow and an array of booby-traps to pick off MacKinney’s henchmen one by one.

It’s entertaining to watch, and the episode establishes real stakes by ensuring MacKinney’s scorned Hans Gruber impression leads to developments beyond a few faceless casualties.

The close-quarters action is a triumph for the historical drama. And it’s enhanced by the episode’s larger mission to showcase the women of Leoch as anything but damsels in distress.

That’s perhaps what endears this episode to us the most.

Where MacKinney sees a castle of weak women prime for the taking, this outing sees importance in immortalizing Ellen as the rightful heir to the MacKenzie name with a rampage worthy of John McClane.

She’s a killer force, whipping around the castle and weaponizing that electrifying tenacity the show has teased for so long. Harriet Slater thrives in the performance, cracking jokes in Gaelic and leaping down from rafters like a righteous assassin who has been training her whole life for this day.

Never has the desire to root for Ellen been so palpable, and including the other women in her crusade is even better.

Despite their hesitancy to break gender norms, once the women do, there’s no stopping this runaway train of delight. Watching Jocasta dodge Ellen’s arrow through a peephole and Mrs. Fitzgibbons stab a man until he’s Swiss cheese is absolutely iconic TV.

Even Maura gets in on the action as a Harry Ellis-coded scapegoat. She may not have the strongest survival skills, but her surprise loyalty to the clan is a fun twist.

While Janet dying is a little predictable (she’s never said more than two words before this episode), her death while attempting to save the other women is far more badass and memorable than dying off-screen from a fever. Her loss amplifies the intensity of the coming episodes rather effectively too.

Ultimately, that’s what the action does for these women; it gives them renewed agency.

We have always respected Ellen as one of the main protagonists, but now, there’s no denying she is memorable. Her performance throughout this episode will surely be remembered as the character’s magnum opus for years to come, even when the events of the series fade from memory.

Frankly, the men should go off to war more often, because Ellen is a fantastic hostess.

This episode is just such a stellar use of setting, characters, and conflict to create a perfect storm of plot.

Forcing the remaining men, Colum and Ned, to lie helpless on the floor while the women storm the castle is thrilling. Even more so, it forces Colum and Ellen onto even ground. Not only is her brother forced to acknowledge that Ellen is the superior soldier and strategist in that moment, but he is also faced with appreciation for her lover.

Colum is the unlikely character to deliver the revelation that Ellen is to Brian as John McClean is to Holly McClean. Yet, Séamus McLean Ross’ haunting monologue is downright chilling as he describes Brian as a force of unconstrained willpower that will scorch the very earth MacKinney stands on to get to Ellen.

Throw in some truly well-timed flashbacks to Red Jacob teaching Ellen how to defend herself, and it cracks open the MacKenzie dynamics in ways we have been begging to see for a long time.

It’s always refreshing to be surprised by a show, and from the first casualty, this episode does nothing but surprise us in the best ways.

It throws all the careful world-building and cordial societal caution to the wind in search of true entertainment. For that, this series has our full attention.

The reveal that Lovat is secretly working for the Red Coats and marching the MacKenzies to their death instantly charges the stakes for this season. We go from questioning if the Jacobite cause will have enough gumption to keep us enthralled to panting at the boots of these men for updates.

“Rabbits Don’t Swim” isn’t just an incredible episode of TV. It’s the start of new momentum for the show as Ellen races towards an exciting new frontier.

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What did you think of this episode of Outlander: Blood of my Blood? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

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Outlander: Blood of my Blood airs Fridays on the Starz app and streaming platforms.

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