Speaking of standing one’s ground, the trailer also features a shot of Ellen brandishing a bow, an arrow, and a determined look on her face. We won’t spoil you with how that situation comes to pass, but we can say that you won’t have to wait too long in the season to see it for yourself. And when you do, please take a moment for the extra prep Harriet Slater had to put into that episode.
“I was aching so much, and I fully didn’t appreciate how much strength is required in order to fire a bow and arrow. It’s hard!” she tells us. “The stunts and weapons department gave me some training, which was so much fun, because I’d never done it before. It was something I’d always wanted to do, because I loved ‘The Hunger Games’ growing up.”
In addition, it allowed the show to thread one more throughline into the “Outlander”-verse. “Ellen having Young Ian as her grandson, obviously, he’s so amazing with the bow and arrow,” Slater notes — and he had to get the talent somewhere! (A little behind-the-scenes trivia: Though it’s not the one that you’ll see on camera, Slater trained on one of John Bell’s old bows from the original series. “I wasn’t a natural,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a lot harder than people think!”)
Both Jamie Roy and Slater preview that the second half of the season will challenge Mr. and Mrs. Fraser in agonizing ways. Episodes 6 and 7, in particular, “were probably the hardest, physically and emotionally,” she says. “They’re really heavy.” Roy echoes his co-star, saying that the hours are “very emotional, for many, many reasons… and yeah, I think that’s all I can say about that.”
“Outlander: Blood of My Blood” returns for Season 2 on Friday, September 18, at 8/7c. You also can watch via the Starz app, starting at 12 a.m. ET on Fridays. Until then, read more about the show’s return in our Fall Preview 2026, make sure to catch all of our pre-season coverage, and then hit the comments with your predictions for the season ahead!