We’re back! Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ brings a moment of truth. Henry and Julia reunite, but it’s not exactly a happy moment. Meanwhile, Brian and Ellen reaffirm their fight against the world to be together… just as Brian and Lovat have a confrontation that feels final. Ready?
Here we go!
Brian and Lovat’s Feud Reaches the Point of No Return
After discovering Lovat’s true colors in Episode 3, Ellen and Grace manage to arrive in time to warn Dougal and Brian in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul.’ And that’s just the start of a domino effect we didn’t even realize was in play. But let’s start at the beginning.
As we suspected, Dougal assumed Brian knew what Lovat was planning. The fragile truce and camaraderie they had built turn to ash in an instant. And although Brian makes it clear he knew nothing, we don’t think there’s any turning back. Dougal, being as stubborn as he is, will never stop viewing him with suspicion. And Brian knows it. Which makes his father’s betrayal sting even more.
Brian knows he isn’t on Ellen’s level. She’s a Mackenzie, and he’s a bastard. Her family makes that clear at every turn. But Brian had found a way to reach them—a chance to prove he is the exact opposite of his father and that he truly loves Ellen. He may be nothing more than a bastard, but he’s an honorable man who will respect and love Ellen until his dying day.
However, as always, in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ his father ends up snatching away everything Brian has achieved. To make matters worse, Lovat proved that honor and loyalty mean nothing to him. His word is worthless. Consequently, if Brian held onto even a shred of respect for his father, that is now gone completely. His father saw to that.
Brian is a man of honor. To him, an oath is binding law. That’s why, despite despising Lovat, he agreed to follow him into battle and lead his army. He cannot fathom his father making a mockery of something so vital to him—and to any man of true worth. Moreover, he cannot believe his father is utterly indifferent to the damage and destruction he might cause.
And so, in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ the contrast between Brian and Lovat is starker than ever. Brian is honorable. He always follows his heart and is willing to sacrifice everything for the people he loves and for a just cause. Lovat is selfish. He cares only about his ego, his pride, and coming out on top—regardless of whom he tramples along the way, even his own son.
Lovat Just Proved He’s Beyond Redemption
That’s why we love that in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ Brian stops holding his tongue and shouts the hatred and shame he feels right into his father’s face. And Lovat doesn’t hold back either. He drops the mask. He never forgave Brian for choosing Ellen over him. To Lovat, that was the ultimate betrayal—choosing the enemy over his own father and clan—even though nothing could be further from the truth. So, he made him pay for it.
The truth is, from the moment Brian made his choice, Lovat stopped feigning an affection he never actually felt. As far as he was concerned, his “obligation” to Brian was over, since Brian had repaid everything he had done for him with betrayal. And yeah, Lovat is utterly delusional, but that is the mindset of a man consumed by hatred, resentment, and pure selfishness. Consequently, Lovat releases Brian and Murtagh from their oath. Officially, they’re left without a clan or a family.
But Lovat underestimates them. Brian is a leader in his own right. If he wished, the Fraser men would follow him anywhere—not Lovat, but him. And Murtagh is his second-in-command, his family. Together, they’re stronger. That said, we never imagined Lovat could stoop so low as to order his own son’s death. Yet it makes sense, because to him, Brian was always a bastard who didn’t deserve the Fraser name—bestowing it upon him had been a favor. And now, he isn’t even that. He is a nobody.
And our thoughts are entirely with Brian. We know he will be alright, but—despite himself—it will hurt to know his father ordered his murder. Still, at least he will have Ellen by his side… and that baby. Their baby. The hope for the future. We knew we’d love his reaction, but Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul’ exceeded our expectations.
Brian wants to start a family with Ellen, marry her, and keep loving each other until the end of time. This baby is a sign that they’ll make it happen. They’ll survive this and stay together. It’s like a dream come true… and we are absolutely melting!
That said, we need to see more of what Ellen thinks about this pregnancy and how she feels about it. For now, Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ focused on the joy, but there’s a lot more to consider. We’re sure Ellen is feeling a million things right now. The best part? She and Brian have each other. That baby—and what it represents—is a scary leap into the future, but if anyone can handle it, it’s them.
And we can’t deny we’re curious about the MacKenzies’ reaction to this pregnancy… though we don’t think it’ll be pretty.
MORE: INTERVIEW: Matthew B. Roberts & Maril Davis on Blood of My Blood Season 2’s Biggest Questions
Murtagh, We Need to Talk About Jocasta
On another note, we saw something brewing between Murtagh and Grace coming a mile away. And if Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ proves anything, it’s that we were right. But we have mixed feelings about it. Murtagh deserves to find love and be happy, even if only for a short time. Yet, our hearts break for Jocasta.
She loves Murtagh, and after everything that happened between them, Jocasta thought she’d finally made it. Murtagh had set his sights on her—and not only that, they’d slept together. That had to mean something, right? Clearly, he isn’t indifferent to her. And who knows…maybe things could work out for them in the long run. Maybe Murtagh will fall for her just as she has fallen for him.
But while what happened meant everything to her, it was nothing to Murtagh. Just one night. Just something that happened… but something he has no interest in pursuing further because he doesn’t see Jocasta that way. And when Jocasta realizes this—and has to witness firsthand the connection blossoming between Murtagh and Grace—it shatters her. And us along with her.
Murtagh is acting like a jerk, to be honest. The very least he should have done was talk to Jocasta, but instead, he chose to act as if nothing happened—even flirting with someone else right under her nose and hurting her in the process. And on top of that, he didn’t even give it a second thought, he didn’t even care. So yes, right now, we want to give Murtagh a good shake. A really hard one.
MORE: INTERVIEW: Hermione Corfield & Jeremy Irvine on Henry and Julia’s Blood of My Blood Season 2 Journey
Henry and Julia’s Reunion Comes with a Heartbreaking Twist
Of all the things Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ had in store for us, we never thought we’d be grateful to Mudina Bug. But here we are. Thanks to her, Henry lives to tell the tale of another journey through the stones. And we’re happy he reunited with Julia! But the situation isn’t as happy as it was in Season 1.
After Seema’s confession, Julia is grappling with a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She tries to understand what happened between Henry and Seema. She really does. But she can’t help feeling betrayed. It’s true that she slept with Lovat, but she did it for survival, not pleasure. Julia had no other choice. Henry chose to do it… and that makes all the difference.
The point is, as Henry points out in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ what happened was anything but a choice. He wasn’t in his right mind. He was devastated, believing he had lost her and the baby forever. And his PTSD did the rest. Henry was trying to cling to something that might keep those nightmarish memories at bay. In his mind, it was Julia. It was all about her… even if, physically, it was Seema.
This helps Julia better understand what happened and why. She can even empathize with it. But the bitterness of betrayal lingers. And it stings. Only time can heal that.
As if that weren’t enough, Julia realizes in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul,’ that Henry is no longer the same man she once knew. The torture he endured changed him. And it’s not just about making him forget Claire and blurring the line between reality and dreams. Henry himself has changed. He’s different—somehow more… docile. No one emerges unscathed from that kind of torture.
So, Julia must fight to reclaim the Henry she knows—and his memories. Everything is still there, just buried beneath layers of pain and confusion. She needs him and, most importantly, Claire needs them both.
However, that isn’t the only problem Julia faces in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 4 ‘A Portion of My Soul.’ Upon returning to Leathers, she finds neither William nor Davina anywhere… though Seema is there. What did she do with the child? And why? Despite everything, we don’t think Seema kidnapped William to take revenge on Julia over Henry.
If she did something like that, someone must have ordered it. Arch Bug is a likely suspect, but he’s convinced that William is Lovat’s son and that Henry kidnapped Julia. He has no reason to suspect otherwise, and therefore no reason to kidnap the baby.
So, who did it? Lovat is the only one who comes to mind. Perhaps he grew suspicious of Julia and decided to take the child away to raise him himself—especially now that he has disowned Brian and given his firm belief in Maisri’s prophecy. Or perhaps it was someone else entirely, someone we don’t know about yet.
We need answers! Right now. So we can’t wait for the next episode!
PS: Malcolm is determined to finish off the Mackenzies. Soon, Maura will have to choose…
Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 airs on Fridays at 8:00 PM ET only on STARZ and at midnight in STARZ App.
