Though the time traveling of Julia and Henry Beauchamp is the focus of the Outlander spinoff Blood of My Blood, the second episode of Season 2 starts with a check-in on the OG time traveler — Claire. The six-year-old is hanging in her time of 1924 with Uncle Lamb (George Kemp), who’s worried that by continuing his search for Henry and Julia, he’s hurting Claire. In a scene that’s a nod to Claire’s book backstory, he decides to move on and bring her to the Middle East with him. Unfortunately, Uncle Lamb calls off his search for his brother a moment too soon and misses the newspaper article about Henry in the Inverness lunatic asylum. For an academic, he sure gives up on his research easily!

At the asylum, Henry’s (Jeremy Irvine) mind is much clearer with no additional ECT treatments, and he recalls time traveling to Mrs. Graham (Emma Hartley-Miller). Mrs. Graham provides what info she knows of the Craigh na Dun stones — think of his love for Julia; travel when the veil is thin, like the upcoming Samhain (a.k.a., All Hallows’ Eve); and provide a blood sacrifice, carry a gemstone, or do a ritualistic dance. But for now, he’s stuck in the asylum.

In the past, Ellen (Harriet Slater) is also locked away in Castle Leoch’s chapel. When Colum (Seamus McLean Ross) pays a visit, she confronts him about sending the Gallowglass to kill Brian. Dougal (Sam Retford) enters and goes to beat her, but when Ellen raises a candlestick to fight back, Colum and Ned Gowan (Conor MacNeill) break the siblings up. Ellen then presents her brothers and the MacKenzie bladier with her real reason for returning — to save their home. If they lose the Jacobite rebellion to the British, the Crown will seize the MacKenzie land. But if Castle Leoch is in her name, as an unwed woman with no treasonous claim, it’ll be safe. Ned agrees it’s a sound plan, and Colum later agrees to sign over Leoch to Ellen under one condition — she swears not to wed during the war; otherwise, the land returns to him. She agrees despite being handfasted to Brian.

On the road, Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) attempts to recruit a Jacobite army, but he rather sucks at it, as no one respects him for what he did to Lady Amelia. (His rape of Lady Amelia for the Lord Lovat title is true to the historical figure of Simon Fraser.) But Brian (Jamie Roy) steps in and gives a rousing speech that gets all the men to join the fight. Simon is impressed, but Brian didn’t do it for his dad — he did it to ensure he’d see Ellen’s face again. Lord Lovat leaves Brian and Murtagh (Rory Alexander) to recruit the rest of the men (Murtagh will do this again 30 years from now with Dougal and Jamie), as he heads back home to Castle Leathers.

At Leathers, Julia (Hermione Corfield) has summoned the seer Maisri (Katharine O’Donnelly)  under the guise of asking her to cast a protection on the house after she and baby William/Simon were abducted to Craigh na Dun. Julia digs for info on the stones, but Maisri says she doesn’t need to worry about them since she doesn’t have the gift to move between the veil. Julia is surprised, but can’t ask more questions since Simon returns. Though he’s irked that she summoned the seer without his consent, he’s happy Maisri is there to give an update on whether his baby with Julia will be king. She delivers this prophecy: “A rose, red as embers, and one white as snow. One will bear the brighter crown for a babe in arms with two mothers and fathers three.” Maisri also foretells: “If he stands the last of your line, he shall one day be a king.” But since baby William/Simon isn’t the Old Fox’s child, which one of his heirs is the prophecy about? Looking at you, Jamie’s kids. 

Maisri isn’t done dropping supernatural knowledge. She gives Julia a ward to protect William on Samhain and brings up the “wee lass with the dark curls” and tells Julia she’s in a “land you cannot reach” but being watched over by a “father’s heart.” If Maisri is to be believed, it seems baby William is the time traveler, so Julia could only travel when she was pregnant with him. And the father’s heart with Claire means Uncle Lamb, not Henry.

It’s Samhain in 1924 as well, and Mrs. Graham visits Henry in the asylum again… this time, with the intent to bust him out. She gives him a bag of costumes and a gemstone with a pointy end. She tells him to think of Julia when he gets to the stones and cut himself with the gemstone pin. He dons Reverend Wakefield’s clothes and simply strolls out of the asylum onto the moors. Henry is destined to return to 1715.

As for Julia, she’s nervous she’ll never get back to her time, but she can make peace with it if it means Henry is with Claire. Unfortunately, Claire will never be reunited with her father. To make matters worse, Lord Lovat interrupts with a gift from the Grants — a new scullerymaid, Seema (Lauren McQueen). The sex worker — you know, the one Henry accidentally slept with last season during a PTSD episode — is now the spy of Arch Bug (Terence Rae) and tasked with getting information about Henry. Maybe it’s best if Henry stays in the 20th century.

Brian and Murtagh take a break from recruiting to head to Leoch during the Samhain feast where Colum’s wife Letitia (Rebekah Lumsden) has just revealed she’s pregnant. (Outlander fans know how that will turn out.) Unsurprisingly, the Frasers’ appearance is not welcomed, and they get into a fight with the MacKenzie clansmen as the rest of the party looks on. Maura (Bobby Rainsbury) is particularly pleased to see her new hubby Dougal go at it with Brian, which leads to an awkward encounter for poor Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham) later on. But Brian didn’t come to Leoch just to check on Ellen; he has an offer — 100 men willing to pledge themselves to Dougal to fight for the Jacobites. Looks like Brian will be fighting alongside his brother-in-law in the upcoming war.

Murtagh needs some tending to after the skirmish, and new character Grace (Ruby Fubara) steps in. She is from London and a servant to Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin), who’s predictably jealous to see Murtagh and Grace flirting after Murtagh and her shared a kiss last season and he accidentally called her Ellen.

Speaking of smooches, Ellen and Brian sneak a moment outside in the stables with some help from Alec (who will be buds with Jamie in the future). Ellen tells Brian that they can’t marry until the Jacobite uprising is over. Brian is, of course, willing to wait.

Ellen puts two chestnuts into a fire to see if their marriage will be blessed or full of strife. The chestnuts burn together and she tells Brian, “Come back to me.” So just as Julia and Henry are poised to reunite through time travel, Ellen and Brian are bound to be separated by war.

Caitlin Gallagher is a New Jersey-raised, NYC-based entertainment writer. When not writing about or watching TV, she can be found planning her next Halloween costume, crying over rescue animals, or praising Season 2 of The Leftovers.