Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 4 Review: War Makes for Strange Bedfellows

Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 4, “A Portion of My Soul,” is a strong continuation of the season’s building momentum.

Despite war constantly plaguing the Outlander world season after season in its various forms, this episode manages to find space for the early days of the Jacobite rebellion to fester properly.

Battlefields and bloodshed can all blend together after a while, even with the best intentions. However, Blood of my Blood brings a youthful approach to this looming battle by forcing characters together that would otherwise be at each other’s throats.

Blood of my Blood closes ranks around the relationships the ensemble has established with each other, from good to bad to downright ugly. It leaves no stone unturned in this approach, and the result is an episode that walks and talks like so many others.

Yet, thanks to unexpected pairings, it couldn’t stand further apart in its excellence.

For instance, Henry and Arch Bug have been predictably at each other’s throats since they first crossed paths in Season 1. So when Henry is caught by Bug in the episode’s opening moments, we prepare for the character’s predictable villain act to play out once again.

Instead, Bug softens in Henry’s presence when Murdina enters the frame. He doesn’t want to act like a monster in front of his wife. And the couple reminds Henry that this might be an unforgiving place in time, but a time nonetheless where people were far more open to accepting the unexplained.

Bug, who we assume to be harsh and cruel, accepts as fact that Henry was taken by faeries through the stones. That opens up a whole new layer to his character beyond the basic villain role he was saddled with.

When he pretends to whip Henry, a giddy new kinship develops between the unlikely allies. One we never could have seen coming.

It’s reminiscent of Dougal and Jamie’s relationship. Their acceptance of each other was never cordial or anything akin to friendship, but they were allies brought together by circumstance.

It’s exciting to see a character like Arch Bug, who was once a red herring in Outlander, switch up on the audience in this series as well. Additionally, this development enriches the one-note character’s purpose, turning Mr. Bug into an unpredictable ally for Henry and Julia moving forward.

Plus, Murdina’s involvement adds to that intrigue with the tidbit that the Bugs lost their child to the faeries. These are exactly the kind of changes the series can make to the source material that enrich its larger universe without shaking the foundation it stands on.

This development for the Bugs also cleverly hints at something as simple as a common cold taking their child. But the wording could mean the child fell through the stones, and that’s a delish breadcrumb to leave within our grasp.

Speaking of unlikely bedfellows in war, we also see Brian and Dougal set aside their differences for Ellen.

It’s time Brian found a more comfortable and long-lasting place in the MacKenzie ranks as he integrates himself into Ellen’s life. The poor man cannot be on the run for the rest of his life; eventually, Leoch has to open its doors to him.

This episode is an excellent start in laying that groundwork for not only Brian Fraser but for Jamie as well.

The reveal that Lovat has turned his coat and plans to take Inverness for the British leads to a long-overdue confrontation between Brian and his father.

Kudos to Lovat for being such a detestable antagonist because it truly is a thrill to watch Brian give him the tongue-lashing he has long deserved. Brian’s choice to side with the MacKenzies and essentially renounce anything that comes with the Fraser title is a noble move that puts him exactly where he needs to be at the center of this story as our titular male hero.

If we’re being honest, the sight of Henry returning after shelving his story for a few episodes was wearisome.

Blood of my Blood has struggled to integrate Julia and Henry into this show, and it often thrives when it keeps the plot planted firmly in Ellen and Brian’s time period.

Thankfully, this storyline manages to breeze through the worst of it. That said, Julia and Henry are still the weaker aspect of this story even when the actors are giving it their all.

The rush to reunite them and address Henry’s inability to remember Claire is unnecessary. Henry’s visit to the future is resolved so quickly; it’s a wonder why we went down that path to begin with. And as suspected, the memory lapse was just a weak ploy to keep Henry from seeing Claire.

Alas, the quickness with which he remembers her after going through the stones makes it even less tasteful.

Beautiful monologues and heart-pounding declarations of love aside, these two characters deserve better excuses keeping them from traveling through the stones because there are only so many crazy exes and memory lapses the series can throw in their path.

All in all, the character development driving this episode towards the battlefield is anything but weak.

From Ellen and Brian celebrating their growing family to Murtagh experiencing young love with Grace in the shadows of camp, every addition to this army has their moment to lend something to this story.

When Blood of my Blood is good, it’s good.

If the show can continue to march at this pace and prioritize its tapestry of interwoven relationships, nothing can stop it from climbing to new heights as the relationship-heavy drama it was born to be.

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

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