Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Black Jack, Betrayal, and the British

Outlander: Blood of my Blood Season 2 Episode 6, “Small Mercies,” is proof that an incredible show was hidden all along in Claire and Jamie’s lineage.

If this is a show at its full potential, it’s difficult to reckon with it getting even better.

After a rocky start, this episode solidifies itself as one of many that have been firing on all cylinders this season. From shocking name drops to wicked antagonists, there’s excitement at every heart-pounding turn.

First of all, we have to give it to Lovat for catapulting himself to wicked and vile new heights.

It’s not that Blood of my Blood had us underestimating the wanna-be lord up until this point. Part of Lovat’s unappealing nature was his inability to rise to the occasion, ever. He never had quite the right words to weasel his way out of situations, and he often turned to others to do the grunt work.

After watching Julia best him over and over, we had written him off as more of a side-villain than the main big bad of the series.

However, slowly, Lovat has slimed his way into positions of power this season and used that leverage to surprise us with his turn to the Red Coats.

Little did we know he was biding his time to knock the wind out of us with a grand villain reveal.

The most devastating part about his injustice towards Ellen is how expected it should be. Even with the clues in front of us, there’s nothing that suggests Lovat has the guts or the brains to think up something so diabolical.

That turning point where Julia confronts him and unknowingly takes a step back in fear is chilling. This is Lovat stepping out of the shadows as the proper antagonist of this series.

Taking Ellen’s unborn baby from her as punishment for Brian’s insubordination is so devastating. There are tinges of respect towards the writing for crafting such a swift and cruel execution of Ellen’s spirit.

While Blood of my Blood is playing with fire in regards to Outlander lore and Ellen’s ability to conceive future children, this development sees Lovat finally become the evil we didn’t see coming.

Speaking of villains, it would be insanely ballsy to reintroduce Outlander’s most notorious villain in the same outing Lovat accepts a promotion. And yet, just as we are picking our jaws off the floor from one unspeakable evil, the episode slaps us across the face with a chilling name drop.

Whispering Black Jack’s name is the equivalent of saying the devil’s name, and Blood of my Blood has all the power as it delivers his introduction without warning.

Everything about the reveal that Randall is walking this earth once again is escalated by haunting nostalgia.

It’s no mistake Dougal is taken to the familiar grounds of Fort William and propped on a whipping post we know all too well. Randall’s true identity is revealed just as he settles comfortably into his role of tormenting a rogue Jacobite.

Sometimes foreshadowing doesn’t have to be subtle; the implications of Randall’s run-in with Brian and Dougal say it all.

Ellen’s time at the Fraser dwelling is devastating and the equivalent of pouring lighter fluid on the simmering conflict of this season. We will personally burn it all down to see Lovat get what he has coming to him for this.

Harriet Slater has played Ellen as an immovable force who stands tall in the face of danger.

Which makes her broken spirit so heartbreaking to watch in the closing moments of the episode. It’s a whole new wheelhouse for Slater to explore as Ellen faces a horrific nightmare of a situation.

A situation that could also unite Colum and Dougal in Ellen’s name for the first time, and that is something to root for.

Henry and Julia have struggled to find their place in this story.

Unlike their rival Scots, who thrive in this time period of violence and power struggles. Murtagh and Brian don’t even try to hide their excitement as they stab their way through Fort William.

So it’s joyous to see Henry and Julia finally get their breakthrough with the help of Mr. Bug (who is basically besties with Henry now).

The full-circle callback to their letter writing during the war is especially a nice touch as the time travelers cling to a form of communication that has become their love language.

Plus, Henry’s quest to find gems for all three of them to travel through the stones sets the couple on a clear path forward for this back half of the season.

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

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