Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Men at War

Outlander: Blood of my Blood continues to find purchase on and off the battlefield.

Outlander covered a lot of ground in the war department, so it’s exhilarating to see Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 5, “Forgive Me, Father,” still turning over new stones in the early days of the Jacobite cause.

Once again, it focuses on the characters’ experiences rather than the historical significance of the war itself. In turn, the Battle of Sheriffmuir is all the more formidable in its arrival.

The action on the battlefield highlights some of the best choreography and cinematography the series has to offer.

You can feel the intensity in every new face-off, with characters on both sides of the battle getting their moment to add to the vibrant collage of violence. It’s a dynamic smorgasbord of brutality and bloodshed that is impossible to look away from.

Brian and Henry’s brief nod from opposite sides of the battlefield is an excellent way to acknowledge their shared history. Plus, the show continues to stoke the unusual friendship brewing between Henry and Arch Bug.

And don’t get us started with that cameo from Lord Gerard Grey of Melton!

It’s exciting to reunite with a younger version of John’s father, and Blood of my Blood does not miss the opportunity to drop this reveal with full dramatics.

Off the battlefield, the women of this ensemble hold down the fort with incredible performances. The concept that they can finally let their guard down and swap their own war stories while the men are away is fantastic.

Jocasta and Mrs. Fitzgibbons have an especially poignant chat by the fire at Castle Leoch.

Jocasta openly admitting she chose the wrong man and now she pays the price every day is a heartbreaking revelation. Listening to her speak with that trademark honesty and bravado as she admits she hopes her husband perishes at war is captivating.

And Mrs. Fitzgibbons is the perfect shoulder to lean on with her warm but stern motherly persona. 

Sally Messham and Sadhbh Malin embody these two iconic Outlander characters with such striking familiarity. Seeing them get a quiet moment together to speak candidly about the choices that will shape their stories is beyond valuable to fans.

The face-off between Julia and Seema has its issues in the larger plot, but there’s no denying their performances are also standouts.

Hermione Corfield imbues Julia with an increasing intensity that becomes downright chilling by the final frames. She absolutely nails the look of resolve when it becomes clear it’s either going to be her or Seema that leaves the bedroom alive.

Not to mention, she just reamed Henry out for losing himself in his madness. Only for her to now face the same consequences after killing Seema.

Julia is a fascinating character in her own right, but this intensity is something Claire has demonstrated for years as a nurse, and it’s about time her mother showed us where she got that resiliency from.

It is lovely to see these different pairings of women interact, especially Grace, who we get to know a little bit more through Ellen’s curiosity. 

However, it seems these women are pushed into versions of the same hostage situation because the story doesn’t know what to do with them otherwise.

It would be one thing to scold Julia’s story for struggling to find a place for her in this world without Lovat or Henry, but Ellen finding herself shelved for the same reason in the same outing is a problematic pattern.

It very much feels like Blood of my Blood is holding these characters in place until other characters come back from war, rather than attempting to create meaningful storylines for them.

Additionally, the intensity of both kidnappings forces each scene to fight for space in the limited screen time they have to work with.

At least Ellen’s run-in with McKinney bleeds into larger conflict in the coming episodes.

Julia’s face-off with Seema once again feels like a way to stall her from going back through the stones, and there can’t be a new villain with a knife to keep her and Henry away from Claire for the next forty years.

Eventually, Julia has to find her own reasons for staying in this time, and it can’t involve a knife or a scorned lover.

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

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