Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 brings back a familiar face with a sinister legacy

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 introduced the franchise's most hated and sadistic antagonist in Episode 6, titled Small Mercies.

The latest episode of the Outlander prequel series followed the aftermath of Dougal's (Sam Retford) capture by the Redcoats. As seen in the previous episode, Dougal was not satisfied with the tie at the Battle of Sheriffmuir and took a detour to Argyll, which resulted in his capture by the Redcoats. Determined to fulfill Ellen's (Harriet Slater) promise of delivering Maura's husband to Castle Leoch, Brian (Jamie Roy) and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) planned Dougal's grand escape from Fort William, which brought them face-to-face with a young Black Jack Randall (Finley Glasgow), the character later played as an adult by Tobias Menzies.

The 14-year-old Jack might be just another redcoat torturing Dougal with a piece of coal in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 6. But seasoned fans stopped in their tracks when Jack was referred to by his surname, Randall, which holds great weight in the Outlander universe.

The reveal of a younger Black Jack Randall was the biggest Easter egg for seasoned Outlander fans and Retford. Speaking with Elle Magazine, the actor recalled how the reveal of Jack's surname was 'beautifully subtle.'

Jack Randall is a great villain-in-making in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2

Blood of My Blood has a unique way of connecting the past with the present, and the latest link came in the form of the franchise's cruelest villain, Black Jack Randall. Who would have thought the 14-year-old Jack Randall would grow up to become the sadistic Black Jack Randall, who would publicly flog Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) at the very spot he tortured Dougal, decades earlier?

Speaking with TV Line, Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 6 director Azhur Saleem revealed that Black Jack's introduction is not just an easter egg for seasoned fans but also an origin story for the character. While a 14-year-old Jack does not yet understand the darkness inside him or why he takes immense pleasure in torturing Dougal, fans would recognize that he is Outlander's great villain-in-making, who later wreaked havoc in the lives of Jamie and Claire (Caitríona Balfe).

"We played it... where there's something kind of growing inside him, but even he doesn't yet understand what it is. He's finding himself, in a dark way."

Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 6 - Brian comes face-to-face with his son's future tormentor

After the big reveal, Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 6 followed Brian and Murtagh as they bravely rescued Dougal from his flooding cell, just before he was about to drown in the rising tide. Just like that, Outlander added another great escape from Fort William.

After this segment, the trio came across Jack Randall, adding urgency to the situation. While Dougal's natural impulse was to kill the young redcoat who brutally tortured him for information, Brian asked him to show mercy. Jamie's father refused to hand over Dougal's dagger, saying:

"He's only a boy."

Brian's words in Outlander: Blood of My Blood Season 2 Episode 6 certainly stung seasoned Outlander fans, who witnessed Jamie's brutal flogging at Fort William at Black Jack Randall's hands in the first season of the original series. Brian, painfully unaware of how this 'boy' would eventually bring great suffering to his son, unintentionally spared his son's future tormentor.

In an interview with Collider, Retford even jokingly apologized to Sam Heughan's Jamie Fraser for listening to Brian's advice and sparing the sadistic villain.

Trending

Now that Blood of My Blood Season 2 has introduced Black Jack Randall, it remains to be seen how his actions will affect the ongoing narrative.

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback