We’re back! Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ brings all the Loyalists together for a ball that gives everyone plenty to talk about. It also reveals new dangers on the horizon for Julia and young William, while the Mackenzies find themselves battling both the Redcoats and each other—tearing themselves apart in the process. Ready?
Here we go!
Lovat’s New Alliance Could Cost Julia Everything
We knew that gathering of Loyalists would be interesting, but we had no idea just how interesting! Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ left us speechless—and, to be honest, a bit unsettled. It seems that Lovat’s cruelty, lack of scruples, and boundless ambition make him attractive to Margaret Grant. Or perhaps it’s the power that comes along with all of that.
The point is, there was a spark between them from the very moment they met. Lovat even made sure to get Julia out of the way so he could spend the entire evening with Margaret. And while our only reaction is a gag reflex, it’s clear that what might have started as a casual flirtation took a dangerous and disturbing turn in Outlander: Blood of My BloodSeason 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance.’
Malcolm despises Lovat. He sees him for exactly what he is: an old fox who always aligns himself with the winning side just to line his own pockets. In Malcolm’s eyes, Lovat will never be his equal. He lacks the class, the wealth, and the true character of a gentleman, regardless of any title the King might bestow upon him. Malcolm has no respect for him. How could he respect someone whose loyalty to the Crown is based solely on the fact that it was the side most likely to win and, in turn, restore the power he had lost?
Lovat knows nothing of true loyalty. That’s a fact. That is why Malcolm looks down on him, viewing him as entirely undeserving of the honors he has received. Nevertheless, he cannot overlook the strategic ally that Lovat could prove to be in his quest for revenge against the Mackenzies. Especially now that Lovat himself, in a final act of betrayal toward his own son (he truly has no scruples), has confessed that Brian and Ellen were already married at the time she was set to wed his nephew.
Thus, in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ Malcolm’s desire for revenge intensifies a thousandfold. Lovat not only enjoys the King’s favor but is also a mortal enemy of the Mackenzies. Consequently, forming an alliance with him through Margaret is a win-win for Malcolm. However, this requires Lovat to marry Margaret, and since Julia stands in the way, Malcolm pressures Lovat to get rid of her.
And it works quite well.
MORE: Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Blood Ties Come at a Cost
Lovat Has Everything He Wanted, But Is It Enough?
In Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ Lovat is at the height of his fortunes. He has reclaimed everything he believes was taken from him, and a beautiful woman has come to him of her own free will. Yet, this doesn’t mean he intends to discard Julia. To him, women are mere objects at his disposal—playthings, or trinkets to be swapped at will. And Lovat doesn’t take kindly to having his toys taken away… nor to being told whom he cannot play with.
So, while Margaret may be a fine plaything for the moment, he’s unwilling to give up one of his favorites: Julia. At the same time, however, Lovat cannot ignore the advantages that letting her go might bring. He is no fool. He knows that Julia comes to his bed neither often nor willingly, whereas Margaret is eager to please him whenever he desires.
Moreover, in their eyes, Julia will always be a servant, and his marrying one doesn’t align with his new status. They would all look down on him for it—much like Malcolm does. But that wouldn’t happen if he had Margaret Grant on his arm. Not to mention the power that an alliance with the Grant clan would grant him and the advantages it would provide against the MacKenzies. So, although Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ leaves us wondering, we believe that Lovat is, at the very least, considering it.
After all, to Lovat, she is merely a plaything that can be replaced. The person he truly cares about is William, the future King of Scotland. And that is what worries us. Because, as Julia correctly surmised, Lovat wouldn’t simply divorce her or take Margaret as a mistress. His newfound social standing couldn’t withstand a scandal of that magnitude. But, if Julia were to die, no one could say a word. There would be no scandal, and he would still have William. Lovat is, therefore, quite capable of doing exactly that.
Henry and Julia’s Desperate Plan Raises a Terrible Question
Julia and William are now in danger. They cannot remain near Lovat for much longer, yet they cannot leave, not now that they know Julia is unable to travel. Where would she go? Thus, at the end of Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ Julia finds herself with no way out. Perhaps Arch could lend a hand and hide Julia and the baby at his home. However, Lovat will never stop searching for them. And he would immediately grow suspicious of Henry if Julia manage to slip away again. They are, therefore, in a precarious position.
Furthermore, how long could they possibly sustain such a situation? It wouldn’t take long for the Grants to uncover the alliance between Henry and Arch—and, consequently, discover the whereabouts of Julia and the baby. Their options are running out… and this is hardly the ideal time to have a new child.
Speaking of which, their plan to make it through the stones left us completely stunned—and, quite frankly, rather indignant. Having a child solely to gain passage through those stones is a selfish decision. The child would be little more than a means to an end—no matter how much Henry might try to sugarcoat it. And, if they were certain the child would also be a time traveler, we will understand it but there are too many variables at play.
There is no guarantee that the child would be able to travel. If they cannot, the couple would find themselves in the same situation—with the added complication of a child growing up with their biological parents separated, and likely unaware of their true identities. Not to mention the grave danger that giving birth in that era poses to both Julia and the child.
So yes, we know that Henry and Julia are facing a desperate and impossible situation in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’—they can’t abandon Claire, but they also can’t abandon each other—yet this “baby” option is truly the worst of all the bad choices they have before them.
The only silver lining to the imminent danger Julia is currently in is that they won’t have time to carry out this plan. We said what we said.
MORE: Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2, Episode 6 Review: Lovat’s Cruelest Act Changes Everything
Colum and Dougal Make the Same Mistake With Ellen
Meanwhile, the MacKenzies are dealing with their own issues in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance.’ And they’re stumbling over the same stone yet again. We can’t deny that we were disappointed by how Colum and Dougal treated Ellen. We thought they had moved past this, but no. The moment the slightest opportunity arises, instead of trusting her, they choose to assume the worst, insult her, and treat her like trash.
After everything that happened, they still haven’t learned their lesson. Let’s talk about Dougal. His own stubbornness and pride led all his men to their deaths and landed him in a Redcoat prison, where he was being tortured. Only Brian and Murtagh risked their lives for him and pulled off his rescue. And yet, this ungrateful man has the nerve to look down on Brian and call him a “bastard”—when he should be kissing the ground Brian walks on! Not content with that, he treats Ellen like a common slut and the ultimate traitor.
Then again, we can’t say we’re surprised. Dougal has always had his head too far up his own a**. He continues to blame Ellen for being their father’s favorite, taking out all the resentment he feels toward his father on her. However, Colum truly disappointed us in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance.’ For several episodes, he has been expressing regret over his past decisions—decisions that ultimately cost him his sister.
He realized he had been wrong about Ellen—or so it seemed. In Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ he had a chance to make amends: to trust her, to show her he had changed, to prove he deserved another chance and truly wanted to be a part of her life. Yet, Colum reverted to the very behavior that caused him to lose her in the first place: distrusting her and treating her as an enemy. One would assume that, after everything that happened, he would have learned his lesson—but he didn’t.
We expected more from him. We hoped he would trust her and reflect on the countless ways Ellen had already proven where her loyalties lay. But he failed to do so. This effectively destroyed any remaining possibility for reconciliation—and rightly so. Colum can claim to be remorseful all he wants, but if, when it truly counts, he keeps repeating the same mistakes, is he genuinely sorry? Has he truly grasped just how wrong he has been?
And so, however painful it may be for us, we understand why Ellen forcibly took that piece of land to build her future and why she made him swear never put a feet on it. Ellen claimed what was rightfully hers—something Colum would never have given her willingly—and Colum had his chance. He squandered it. Now, he is left to regret his failure and the loss of his sister. And, while we cannot deny that we were moved when his voice broke upon realizing that she was truly, definitively gone, it’s too late. And it’s entirely his own fault.
That’s what will haunt Colum: knowing that he lost her—twice—because of his own actions. And so, even though we are deeply disappointed in him, we still hold a sliver of hope that things might be mended between them. It breaks our hearts to see them like this, even though we stand firmly with Ellen.
In fact, a part of us even wished she had been the villain her brothers accused her of being, and that she had left them to their fate because they deserved it. But that is not who Ellen is. She remains loyal to them, even though they do not deserve it—even though they do not deserve her.
MORE: Outlander: Blood of My Blood: Matthew B. Roberts on Ellen’s Kidnapping and Henry’s Defining Choice
Murtagh and Grace Are Being Forced to Give Up Their Future
What happens to Murtagh and Grace in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ is truly painful, especially for her. Grace has never been free to make her own life choices. As an enslaved person, she is the property of Hector Cameron—as outrageous as that sounds. She’s compelled to obey his every command. She has no right to refuse. Uf she tries to do so, the law would side with Cameron, and she would face brutal punishment.
Murtagh—and the feelings she harbors for him—came as a breath of fresh air. For the very first time, she was the one who made the choice. She gave herself willingly, body and soul. Yet, cruel as it may be, deep down Grace knew it wouldn’t last—that it was merely an illusion, a dream.
She knew that, just as fleetingly as it had begun, it would come to an end. For this reason, she tried to crush any hope that things might turn out differently. But, despite her best efforts, that hope refused to fade. Consequently, the decision Hector makes—forcing her to leave with him—tears her apart and jolts her back to reality.
There is no future for what she and Murtagh share. No matter how hard they fight against it, that’s the cold, hard truth. They would become outlaws. If discovered, they would be killed, and Hector would never stop hunting them. He would never let her slip through his fingers—he would eventually track them down.
And in the meantime, how would they survive? Where would they go? Above all, how long could they possibly endure such conditions? Furthermore, Grace knows how much Brian means to Murtagh. Murtagh could never forgive himself if he weren’t by Brian’s side, watching his back. Grace would never do that to him, she loves him far too much.
So, while Murtagh refuses to face reality in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ Grace has already resigned herself to it—as she has been forced to do her entire life.
That said, this situation is also painful because of Murtagh. He deserves to be happy, and it’s profoundly unfair that, just as they had found that happiness together, they’re now forced apart. Deep down, he knows Grace is right—that there is nothing they can do—but he cannot bear to watch his happiness slip away, just when it was within his grasp. It seems that whenever he loves someone, life has a twisted way of tearing them from him—first Ellen, and now Grace. And he is not wrong to feel that way.
The third person for whom our hearts ache in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8 ‘The Dance,’ is Jocasta. She doesn’t love Hector, and his absence brings her no sadness. However, it’s a clear humiliation that he casts her aside—leaving her there, alone and forgotten—while ordering Grace to accompany him. Again and again, Jocasta must witness how neither the man she loves nor the man with whom she is bound to spend the rest of her life chooses her. In fact, they both choose the same woman over her. And that hurts.
MORE: Outlander: Blood of My Blood Director on Julia’s Breaking Point and Colum’s Regrets
Other Thoughts About Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 8
- We’re so proud of Ellen! She absolutely schooled Gerard Grey—it was masterful.
- As much as we love his descendant, we cannot stand Gerard. He is cruel. What was the point of continuing to pursue Dougal and killing defenseless people who were begging for mercy?
- The transition between Grey unleashing his cruelty and the King bestowing medals and honors upon the men who committed those very acts is chilling. History is truly written by the victors.
- If only Colum and Dougal would defend and protect Ellen half as much as they do each other!
- Lallybroch is taking shape, and it’s making us so emotional!
- Brellen for the win!!!
- The scene between Ned and Ellen is one of our favorites. We need more of them!
- Henry and Julia’s dance is so cute! We love getting to know them better through these flashbacks.
- Brian telling Murtagh about Ellen’s miscarriage—we just want to give him a hug!
- Finally, Brian acknowledged the pain he had caused Murtagh and apologized for not telling him about his feelings for Ellen and it was a d**** time! This meant everything to Murtagh because, even though he had moved on, that wound had never truly healed. Until now.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 airs on Fridays at 8:00 PM ET only on STARZ and at midnight in STARZ App.
