Outlander: I Am Not Alone

 

"Sing me a song of a lass that is gone ..."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Ugh, we FINALLY made it.

 

Listen, I have nothing against Outlander. In fact, it's one of my absolute favourite shows, and the cast has wormed its way into my heart and lives there on a permanent basis.

 

But it's no secret that I haven't been a massive fan of season six.

 

In fact, this is a season I've loved the least of the lot, despite the fact that there's definitely been questionable choices made back in the day in previous ones.

 

The problem has to be in its relative shortness, which I know couldn't have been prevented given circumstances - however, coupled with that came what the writers and producers wanted the story to focus on, which didn't help progression any.

 

When you have books as massive as the Outlander Series, then you need to pick and choose actions and situations which will help you move forward. I'm not convinced that season six managed.

 

Let's have a quick look at the finale, I Am Not Alone.

 

Outlander: Sticks and Stones

 

"Everything that happens here is everyone's business."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So after a brief pause and a week in between that had nothing to do with time travel but - on this blog at least - everything to do with Regency, we now return to the United States pretty much almost on the verge of the Revolution.

 

And boy, as we all know, things are heating up.

 

I'm still side-eyeing this particular plot like it's no tomorrow, because to be perfectly honest with you, A Breath of Snow and Ashes has a whole lot more going on in it than just 'Who's the baby daddy?'.

 

But the producers and show runners made the executive decision to focus solely on this one plotline for the sake of perfect drama, I suppose.

 

As such, I really wonder just how they're going to push and spin the threads further by the time we see season seven come about. HOPEFULLY we get to cover some more actual history again and not just this made-up nonsense.

 

It's Outlander; there's more to it than what we got this year.

 

Outlander: The World Turned Upside Down

 

"This too shall pass."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Well, we got to that point.

 

The one readers have been dreading ever since the announcement that no one had the brains to suggest the Christie subplot should (and ostensibly COULD) have been removed from the storyline altogether.

 

This was problematic in the books already, and the books are thousand pages long behemoths.

 

A show that's boxed into eight episodes that can really only cover SO MUCH before it runs out of time should, in my opinion, focus rather on the bigger picture.

 

And this one had nothing whatsoever to add to the bigger picture.

 

Plus, I still don't even get it. Maybe someone can enlighten me a little bit? I'm genuinely not trolling, I really just don't understand.

 

Now that my little Ted Talk is out of the way, let's have a look at Outlander's latest episode, The World Turned Upside Down.

 

Outlander: Give Me Liberty

 

"The tide has turned."

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week on our favourite time-travelling show, we catch up with some familiar faces and start running neck-deep into the Revolution that's about to happen.

 

As a very helpful Claire points out: the dates that we have in our heads are for when the Declaration of Independence was signed, not for when the war actually began.

 

That stuff, the scary, shoot-people and stab the rest kind of deal?

 

That starts WAY before anything can ever be signed.

 

And it's that which worries anyone who has a modicum of knowledge when it comes to the future, among other things. But there's a lot to unpack for this episode, even though my personal favourites will be and always remain the guest stars.

 

Listen, Starz, can you just, ignore whatever prequel thing you're doing for Outlander and give us a Lord John spin-off instead?

 

Much obliged. But Give Me Liberty first.

 

Outlander: Hour of the Wolf

 

"Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone."

 

Hello everyone!

 

We're halfway through season six of Outlander after this week's episode, can you believe it?

 

It's really going by so fast with only eight installments slated for the season, though of course all of us can't wait for the extra long seventh that's coming our way (all of us are also sort of feeling that it MIGHT be the last, and that's why they're making it extra long).

 

In the meantime though, we're still slowly marching our way towards the inevitable.

 

History is as much a part of the Outlander books as the love story between Jamie and Claire, perhaps even more sometimes, and the closer we are to the end of the season, the closer we are to the inevitable Revolution.

 

But it hasn't arrived JUST yet, and so we can probably rest for a little while longer.

 

Maybe.

 

Without further ado, let's take a look at Hour of the Wolf.

 

Outlander: Temperance

 

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Much to my personal delight, despite the fact I thought I'd end up being unable to do this blog post on time, yesterday turned out to be slightly better than expected, and thus here I am after watching the latest episode.

 

And, I will admit, as someone who's read the books, I can definitely see where this is going.

 

Or, I can see some of the kernels of where this is going.

 

It doesn't make me any happier but, alas, nothing to be done about it there!

 

In any event, the cast and crew are making this another exceptional season to remember, which does in fact count for something, and more.

 

It's the cast that makes it, and the crew that makes it happen, after all. That's what matters in the end!

 

So without further ado, let's stop my blabbering about and let's have a look at Outlander's latest episode, Temperance.

 

Saturday Snippet: Outlander SEASON 6 TEASER

 

 

 IT'S ALMOST HERE!

 

XX

*video not mine

Outlander: Never My Love

"I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I? I took the one less-traveled by.

And that has made all the difference."

Hello everyone!

After roughly three months we have reached the beginning of what may be the longest Droughtlander yet, considering there's no word on when the cast and crew will be able to begin production on season 6. But never fear, we know there IS a season 6 incoming, so that should cheer us all up!

In the meantime, we have to chew our way through a rather sensitive topic for the finale itself.

Outlander has never shied away from difficult themes and handling topics and titles that would make a number of other shows balk, but the thing is, talking about it is GOOD.

It's the being quiet that hurts in the long run.

Of course I will also say that there is a certain theme of repetition to Outlander as well, and I'm kind of hoping this doesn't happen any more in the books either, because really, can we get something else, please?

Understandably, people are divided into good and bad, especially when viewed on television shows, but honestly would it be so bad to showcase some good as opposed to the bad, at that?

Never My Love, the season five finale, is up.

Outlander: Journeycake

"I hope I'm wrong, but ... I feel a storm coming."

Hello everyone!

We are back for the second to last time before Droughtlander begins again, because this coming Saturday is the finale of season five - and it's promising to be one explosive episode, judging by the one preceding it.

Why do I say that, you ask?

Well, read on.

If you thought that things couldn't get any more dramatic on a show that basically takes the word drama and reinvents it a thousand different times, you were most definitely wrong. And because sprinkles of the book itself found their way into the script, you can rest assured it was one big chunk to bite through.

All season long, Outlander has had this thing where it gained momentum specifically when book scenes were included in the show proper, and nowhere does it show more clearly than in episode eleven.

Not only do we get a very brief glance back to season three and Claire in Edinburgh, but we get to see Jamie eat peanut butter. Our lives are now pretty much complete, so let's check out Journeycake, shall we?

Outlander: Mercy Shall Follow Me

"You can't make someone love you."

Hello everyone!

With only two more episodes left in the season, it's becoming clear that there will be a bunch of plotlines jammed into them, as presented on episode ten of Outlander's season five this past Sunday.

I'm not exactly complaining - the books are vast, and while a lot of stuff has to be dropped by necessity, there are things that, also by necessity, have to be snuck in.

To be clear, however, I will say that I disliked the Bonnet storyline in the books themselves.

This has absolutely nothing to do with how the show portrayed him (brilliantly, might I add, Ed Speleers is AMAZING in the role!) or how they went about with the entire thing, but mostly just that I wasn't overly fond of the whole she-bang in the novels, which means I could have done without in the show, and not really batted an eye.

So I'm actually happy with how the episode went, in terms of its conclusion! It's just that it was a 'meh' for me, as a whole, and therefore I'll freely admit to fast-forwarding through some.

Mercy Shall Follow Me kind of allows for it.

Outlander: Monsters and Heroes

"Lord, have mercy."

Hello everyone!

Back at it on Fraser's Ridge this week, we discover a great many things, such as locking doors might not have been a big thing back in the 18th century wilderness but it sure does help when your in-laws live just up the hill, babies, especially those that aren't firstborns come at a very high speed, and above all else, you need to watch where you're going.

I feel like that's a theme that's generally repeated today as well whenever you're in the woods, or at the very least it is where I live.

Granted, they usually explain you have to be wary about other little critters that could potentially give you some sort of disease. Snakes, as a rule, aren't that much of a danger here, but still ...

Meeting one in the middle of nothing would be scary even in the 21st century!

I'm trying to imagine the whole scene in my head and I'm failing miserably.

Meanwhile, you're probably wondering whether I've lost it. What's this about snakes, you say?

Well, wonder no longer, clan, though you probably already know.

On this week's Outlander, Monsters and Heroes, we get to meet a slithery kind of monster.

Outlander: Famous Last Words

"You are alive. You are whole. All is well."

Hello everyone!

This week, we are back at it in the wilderness of North Carolina, 18th century, with our favourite clan of Frasers and Mackenzies.

Starz knew what they were doing when they had a mini-break between the previous episode, The Ballad of Roger Mac, and the one that aired this weekend, because the anticipation and anxiety built and crested over the weekend we were bereft of the storyline, and I think some viewership might have even spiked.

If you recall, we were literally left hanging by the time it was all over for the Regulators and their ilk, and everyone and their mother wanted to throttle Graham McTavish's new character whenever he showed his face on screen.

You gotta love the man. He has such a talent, and adding a wig onto his bald pate was incredibly amusing given we're all so used to Dougal and the shiny orb of a head.

But I digress.

We basically all know what happened before. Now, we need to figure out what happens AFTER.

Outlander, and Famous Last Words, here we go.

Outlander: The Ballad of Roger Mac

"There is the law - and there is what is done."

Hello everyone!

Well, we're now halfway, or even more than halfway through the Outlander season, and we FINALLY got to see the big season battle, or at least one of them. I don't really remember just how it went in the books, but I think nothing that big happens again until later on in the story, though I could be wrong of course.

I'm only now re-reading The Fiery Cross so it's safe to say that the finer details escape me.

The thing is a behemoth! I honestly don't remember ALL of it.

That said, it was probably the best episode of the season, and I'm not exaggerating. If you look across the internet, fans are pretty much in agreement about that one. Season five has been pretty good throughout, but at the end of the day it's the great episodes which make the show fantastic.

It probably doesn't hurt that both Heughan and Balfe helped produce the second half of the season.

You can tell that the chemistry suddenly just clicks back on screen like someone flipped a switch, but enough about me blathering on and on. Let's dive right in, shall we?

The Ballad of Roger Mac awaits.

Outlander: Better to Marry than Burn

"Speak of the Devil and he appears."

Hello everyone!

Droughtlander might be coming closer, but it isn't THAT close yet, so we still have something to look forward to every Sunday, and escaping into 18th century North Carolina sounds like a pretty good deal, all things considered.

After all, even if we'd be dealing with locusts, wouldn't that mean we're at least outside AND communicating with other people?

With quarantine now pretty much all around us AND upon us, it's best if we leave real life to its own problems for a while, and escape three hundred years or so into the past.

After all, it's a whole lot more fun watching Jamie Fraser deal with all the problems heading his way (and the hilarities accompanying them), not to mention the fact that he just ALWAYS seems to end up in some kind of trouble.

Some people have all the luck - or no luck at all, depending on how you look at it.

Better to Marry than Burn is the sixth episode of Outlander this season, and it's absolutely worth taking a look at.

Outlander: Perpetual Adoration

"Sometimes the truth really does hurt."

Hello everyone!

I hope you're staying safe, wherever you are. A lot of people still seem to believe this is some sort of time for vacation and visiting with friends you haven't had the chance to see because of work and other family matters, but, really.

It ISN'T.

It's the time to practice social distancing, washing your hands often (for 20 seconds if at all possible), using hand sanitizer when you can (as often as possible) and just keeping to yourselves so everyone can stay safe.

Please, PLEASE listen to the guidelines given by health care providers and officials! They're there for a reason, not to wave your hand at and say 'eh, I'm healthy as a horse'. It doesn't work that way. What if you just become the carrier, and pass it on to someone elderly, or someone with an autoimmune disease?

Think about it. And stay at home.

While you're there, a good way to pass the time is Outlander; if you've caught up with all the old seasons, check out the newest episode, Perpetual Adoration.

Outlander: The Company We Keep

"Actions have consequences, Sassenach."

Hello everyone!

So last week, we were keeping company with our favourite Fraser couple as they dealt with their house of horrors and ended up with one dead adult, one missing adult, and one baby on their hands.

It's really only the two of them who manage to get themselves into these kind of conundrums, honestly.

Meanwhile, if you'll recall, Himself, aka Jamie Fraser, tasked Roger and Fergus to take the militia on to Brownsville and start conscripting there while they waited for their colonel to catch up.

In this particular episode, we get to see exactly what happens with the mice when the cats are away, aka what goes on with the kids while their parents are occupied elsewhere?

Jamie and Claire might not be the biological parents of either Roger or Fergus, but they're definitely their parents by marriage to the both of them, and they expect a certain kind of result from them, at that. Meanwhile Roger and Fergus are ... well.

Let's see The Company We Keep and discover what they are, shall we?

Outlander: Free Will

"Stephen Bonnet is alive."

Hello everyone!

We're checking in with the Frasers again this week, and by that I mean we are ACTUALLY tagging along with the main Fraser couple.

If you've been watching Outlander for at least a little while, you've seen there's a lot of characters to go around, and not always enough room to make everyone shine, which means that certain episodes are focused a bit more on this person or that, and then others on the rest.

It's understandable, given the sheer scope and size of the show at this point in time, not to mention the storyline which takes us into 18th century America right before the Revolution.

There's lots of room to fill, and boy, do these producers fill it!

But it's always a treat when we get to spend the majority of any episode with our very favourite couple who started it all. Claire and Jamie might work fantastically when doing their own independent tasks, but together, they're a force to be reckoned with.

It's a good thing, too, because in season 5 episode 3, Free Will, they need all that combined strength that they can get.

Outlander: Between Two Fires

"Isn't this playing God?"

Hello everyone!

Our favourite Sassenach was back in full force this week, so of course we're going to be checking out exactly what she's been up to.

The problem with shows like Outlander is that they only air once a week, which means that you then need to wait ONE FULL WEEK before you can get to the next episode and see what happens after whatever sort of cliffhanger they decide to throw in your direction at the end of the current one.

Naturally, patience is a virtue, but also naturally, it doesn't necessarily come easy.

Still, the wait between episodes one and two is over, because this week, it was all about trying to find our footing in a world that's becoming more and more unsure, and definitely dangerous.

You'll recall that the book, The Fiery Cross, deals with the beginnings of the American Revolution.

Between Two Fires begins to set the stage for just that, so let's take a look at just what happened to all our favourite Frasers and Mackenzies, shall we?

Outlander: The Fiery Cross

"The Frasers of the Ridge are here!"

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another serial on my blog. I wasn't sure if I'd be doing this or not, at least initially, but then I decided why not? This is one of my favourite shows ever, and while I've done random posts connected to it in the past, I'd never really written it episode by episode.

The only show I've ever done it for was Game of Thrones, and I have to admit that it's kind of interesting.

I watch a BUNCH of shows every show season, and somehow the only one who got this coveted spot was HBO's. The others, I've either not done at all or I've covered in one massive post.

The adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's work, however, is much too big and too complex to squeeze into just the one blog post.

Between all the intrigue, history, romance, and hilarity that abounds, Outlander delivers on just about every front you can imagine. So let's see what season 5 has in store for us, shall we?