Talkie Tuesday: Outlander Final Season

 

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

 

Hello everyone!

 

Well, we did it.

 

Twelve years ago, Starz decided to premiere a time-travelling show that was a big risk at the time, because it would have to compete with titans like Game of Thrones, and yet somehow, somewhere, someone decided that this was a great idea.

 

And it paid off.

 

Because since then, for eight seasons, fans around the globe have watched the unfolding drama around Jamie and Claire Fraser with baited breath, willing them to succeed in their endeavours, and supporting all the other characters around them in some way or fashion.

 

That all came to an end this past weekend, with the airing of the very final episode.

 

If you've been a long-time fan, or if you only came into the show (binging it, really) recently, then I bid you welcome all the same. Because we'll be taking a look at the final season tonight, saying goodbye to our beloved characters.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, one last time: Outlander.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Blood of My Blood

 

"I will stand with you, whatever comes. We are one."

 

Hello everyone!

 

While I'm still not completely out of the woods yet - this stupid cold is taking absolutely FOREVER, and it probably doesn't help that I have to work in retail every single day, either - I'm feeling okay-ish enough to finally get back to blogging.

 

To a point.

 

It's going to be a much shorter post tonight unfortunately because I'm mostly just super tired all the time, and had to drag myself out of bed just now, BUT.

 

I CANNOT just stay sleeping anymore. It'll ruin my rhythm altogether!

 

So it's time we hop back in time a little bit, and check out the Scottish Highlands yet again.

 

Because nothing says 'welcome back, baby' as an Outlander-related prequel.

 

Blood of My Blood, here we come!

 

Tome Thursday: The Land the Gods Forgot

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to another book review.

 

Tonight's choice makes a whole lot of sense if you remember that I'm a big fan of Outlander and Vikings, which is basically what this is a mash-up of.

 

The fact remains that there's been a BIG resurgence of time travel books and books that feature characters just randomly popping through time since Diana Gabaldon's works have been adapted by Starz (and this is ending with the eighth season, so, SOBS GALORE).

 

Which isn't a bad thing, honestly, because there's sooo many places you could time travel to!

 

Now, if only we could find authors that wrote about someone dropping into Ancient Greece or the like.

 

Anyway, without further ado, let's get right into Sarah Beth's book, alright?

 

The ravens are gathering and the battle draws near in The Land the Gods Forgot.

 

Tome Thursday: Hearts & Crowns Trilogy

 

Hello everyone!

 

I hope your week has been great thus far and hopefully you won't mind that my first words in this blog post are directed to all my friends across the pond.

 

Hurricane Ian was never going to take prisoners, but honestly it sounds as though it might have HOPEFULLY been a little less bad than projected and predicted? Or was it even worse? Either way, my thoughts and prayers go to you out there, who prepped and now need to deal with the fallout.

 

I sadly have nothing truly substantial to give as far as that goes, but at the very least good vibes help, or they should somewhat!

 

For us though, it's time to circle back around to the book we'll be reviewing tonight, or well, books really as it's a full trilogy.

 

I'm always excited when I see the word OMNIBUS stamped on a cover anywhere, so this was no exception. I'd never read anything by Natalie Murray before so I was also just excited to find another author I could potentially really enjoy.

 

So without further ado, let's have a look at the Hearts & Crowns trilogy omnibus, shall we? Don't forget to hold tight to that precious gem as we travel through time.

 

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.

 

Outlander: Allegiance

 

"Come what may." 

Hello everyone!

I'm actually on time this week, which is a massive shock to just about anyone really. Or should be.

But I finally seem to have found a rhythm so let's hope that everything will now run like clockwork and there'll be no switching up for Saturday posts anymore.

... famous last words.

Anyway, we return for the second week in a row to the world of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, if you haven't figured it out yet from the title or the poster image here on the side.

And boy, is it an episode!

There's a lot of things going on at once on Fraser's Ridge, and they'll probably keep on adding on to it in the next six weeks while this short season lasts.

But without further ado, let's jump right into Allegiance, shall we?

Outlander: Echoes

 

"If you are to stay, then my word at Fraser's Ridge is law." 

Hello everyone!

Firstly, let me apologise for the fact that this post didn't go up on Tuesday as I'd originally planned. Unfortunately, life got in the way - as it often does - and I was SO exhausted over the weekend and on Monday that it just ... wasn't going to work out.

So in the end, I did what I promised to do at the start of 2022, took it easy, and decided to bump it to a Saturday post.

And here we are!

Of course, I'll hopefully be covering the rest of the season since it's only eight episodes (the horror!), but is anyone else getting the feeling we may be drawing towards the end here? I know a season seven has already been confirmed, and it looks as if they'll be covering ALL the books, but I don't know.

It feels like an ending, sort of.

Anyway, enough of my maudlin, time to head back to Fraser's Ridge and see our beloved people of Outlander!

Saturday Snippet: Outlander SEASON 6 TEASER

 

 

 IT'S ALMOST HERE!

 

XX

*video not mine

Saturday Snippet: Clementine

 

THEY ADDED THIS TO THE SOUNDTRACK.

My life is complete.

 

xx

*video not mine

Tome Thursday: Clanlands

 

Hello everyone!

 

So before I bid adieu to Scotland entirely for some time (because naturally I could never do it forever!) I wanted to touch base with a book that I think might be one of the funniest I've read in a while.

 

And also educational considering it teaches you a lot of useful little tidbits about the country, too.

 

Plus, I mean, it's written by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish. Need I say more?

 

If you thought Men in Kilts was something to laugh at and something to enjoy, you're going to LOVE this adventure into writing that the two of them went through together, because there is nothing funnier than reading about the by-play these two men have with one another just on a general kind of basis, not even on screen.

 

Yes, the show was scripted and filmed, and you learn more about that in this particular book, but we all knew that! It's no secret.

 

The secret is how these two didn't end up mortal enemies, or more specifically, how Graham didn't murder Sam along the way.

 

So kilt up one more time - a quick look at Clanlands is up next.

 

Men in Kilts: Battle of Culloden

 

"Oh sons of dogs, oh dogs of the breed,

Come, come here, on flesh to feed!"

 

Hello everyone!

 

And that's a wrap. 

 

We made it all the way through what is hopefully only season ONE of this show, because I'm pretty sure that every single one of us would love nothing more than to watch McTavish and Heughan traipse across some sort of landscape and give us the details as they go along.

 

I've seen commentary online that they could be giving a guided tour of the local Target or Tesco and people would still watch.

 

I mean, same, I totally would too!

 

All signs seem to point to a season two based on social media posts, but alas, for the time being, there hasn't really been any news of it, so we bid adieu to our two Scots who've done all the roadtripping.

 

And so, for one last time, it's hold on to your kilts, everybody.

The finale to Men in Kilts is up next.

Tome Thursday: Lord John and the Haunted Soldier

 

Hello everyone!

 

So alright, I'm fudging a little this week since this isn't a full book that I'm adding into my collection.

 

HOWEVER, considering the way Diana Gabaldon herself looks at her second, off-shot series, it's still better than an actual novella would be, you know?

 

Every once in a while I'll go back and read some of the shorter stories the author's written, because while I do thoroughly enjoy her longer novels (and by longer I mean, as long as the day you're going through is with their thousands of pages), sometimes it's nice to be able to read through something in an afternoon.

 

No way this happens with, say, Voyager!

 

And I've been on an Outlander, or more specifically Scotland kick lately, thanks for Sam and Graham, so I mean.

 

If you're like me and you want to have a look at some other adventures that are just as fun but don't take as much out of the reader - read no further!

 

Lord John Grey is back. And he has a Haunted Solider to deal with.

 

Men in Kilts: Clans & Tartans

 

"Here's to long memories and friendship."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Despite the fact that the finale of Men of Kilts aired over this weekend, I'm an episode behind with it all because I took a bit of a break in between, which means that this week and the next will still be Scottish-coloured on the blog.

 

But when has that ever been a bad thing, am I right?

 

Our two favourite Scotsmen get themselves into even more trouble and hilarious situations just by existing, and it's one of those things that you really need to watch for yourself to believe. 

 

I mean, sure it's for the show and most of it is scripted, but these two manage to make it look as natural as it comes, which certainly amps up the appeal if you ask me.

 

I do, however, digress.

 

Right before the finale, we dived in to have a better look at just what even started this desire to learn more about Scotland and its history - the clans.

 

Clans & Tartans is up for debate next.

 

Men in Kilts: Scotland By Land, Air, and Sea

 

"What can go wrong?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

Our two Scotsmen return this week to take a bit of an additional trip across their homeland because, well, that's just the title of the episode.

 

And also because they love traipsing about.

 

Honestly though, even if this show were eight hours of Sam and Graham sitting in the camper van driving across the country, with the camera on their faces from the dashboard, I would've watched it, because that alone is priceless.

 

If you haven't heard Graham do a deep south fake American accent, now's your chance.

 

For one night, and one night only! LOL

 

But that aside, the lads do in fact show us some more beauty that is Scotland, and it's absolutely lovely to watch on screen, especially right now when travel is inhibited, if not forbidden.

 

Men in Kilts by Land, Air, and Sea, here we go!

 

Men in Kilts: Witchcraft & Superstition

 

"Ghosts and ghouls."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So we're about halfway through this season of Men in Kilts, and I have to say, you have to be tone deaf not to be enjoying this show immensely.

 

Sam and Graham take us through various aspects of Scotland (and then some!) not to mention the callbacks to Outlander are by far incredibly numerous. And on top of that, the guys are just hysterical most of the time.

 

By this point we've rolled up to what Claire experienced upon her second honeymoon with Frank back in the day, which is that the people of Scotland are as superstitious as they come.

 

Probably more so.

 

Given the fact that three quarters of their lives are spent in the bog and fog, or were at least, I'd say it's a fairly accurate description.

 

Without further ado, let's have a look at Witchcraft & Superstition in Scotland - and don't worry, we aren't getting burned at the stake.