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Post by matthewsee on Aug 13, 2014 23:10:29 GMT -5
Sassenach: Series opener. Enjoyable beginning to the series. Catriona Balfe makes for a very good lead as protagonist Claire Randall as she accidentally goes back in time from the 1940s to 1743. The main male character is Jamie Fraser played by Sam Heughan. In fact his character was the reason why I decided to watch Outlander as Outlander author Diana Gabaldon revealed that the character was inspired by Doctor Who’s Jamie McCrimmon and the name Jamie Fraser is an amalgamation of Jamie and a variation of Frazer, the first name of Jamie McCrimmon actor Frazer Hines. So in a way Outlander has allowed Jamie McCrimmon to return to television. Well handled on how Claire adjusted to her being in 1743 including modern (from her perspective) concepts to the people of 1743 and will be interesting to see what happens next from here.
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 15, 2014 16:45:01 GMT -5
Outlander has been renewed for a second season.
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 20, 2014 17:15:06 GMT -5
Frazer Hines will appear in the second half of Outlander season 1 (currently scheduled for 2015) playing Sir Gordon Fletcher. Hines’ casting in Outlander presents a full circle as Outlander author Diana Gabaldon had publicly stated that one of the Outlander character Jamie Fraser was named after Hines’ Doctor Who character Jamie McCrimmon. While Jamie Fraser was named after Jamie McCrimmon, Gabaldon says that the Fraser surname is coincidental to the fact of Hines’ first name saying that she didn’t even know Hines’ name until many years after writing the first Outlander book as she explains in the following article: www.doctorwhonews.net/2014/08/frazer-hines-cast-in-outlander-200814000012.html
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 20, 2014 22:48:19 GMT -5
Castle Leoch: Season 1, Episode 2. Annette Badland makes her first appearance in the series as Mrs Fitz and it looks like she is going to be a fun character. Not bad as a second episode of the series as Claire is adjusting to her new surroundings. Disturbing story that Jamie told Claire of what happened to his sister. In retrospect it should not be a surprise that the planned destination didn’t exactly go as planned for Claire at episode’s end.
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 27, 2014 23:17:47 GMT -5
The Way Out: Season 1, Episode 3. Directed by Brian Kelly. Guest stars Tim McInnerny and John Sessions. The preview for this episode had shown Mrs Fitz declaring Claire a witch after the latter told her she is from the future. Somehow I should not surprise that this turned out to be a dream. A very good episode of showing Claire’s abilities as a healer when she helped Mrs Fitz’s nephew. Some hope for Claire upon hearing the intriguing folktale about the stones. However since Outlander had recently been renewed for a second season, what it says in this episode’s title will be quite a while yet.
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Post by matthewsee on Sept 3, 2014 23:51:16 GMT -5
The Gathering: Season 1, Episode 4. Directed by Brian Kelly. Also the name of a Torchwood episode. Kelly himself was a Torchwood director but not that particular Torchwood episode as he directed the first two episodes of Torchwood instead. Not bad episode but her plan hit a snag when she tried to carry this plan through. However her plan ultimately gets stalled due to an act of kindness that she displayed when she helped out a dying man on a boar hunt. An example of how one person’s good deeds works against this very same person.
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Post by matthewsee on Sept 10, 2014 17:35:52 GMT -5
Rent: Season 1, Episode 5. Directed by Brian Kelly. Given Outlander’s setting this episode and despite its title does not have Claire looking for an apartment to rent (a thought that at least one reviewer had anticipated). It is instead has Claire travelling with Dougal. It was sure intense the moment that Claire was taken out of the company of the other women, a reminder of a time that women was still under the control of men. The Battle of Culloden gets mentioned here and I first knew about this battle when it got depicted in the Doctor Who story The Highlander, the story that introduced Jamie McCrimmon who inspired Outlander’s own Jamie. What a way to end this episode with that English soldier asked Claire whether Dougal had taken her against her will but the episode ends before she could answer the question.
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Post by matthewsee on Sept 18, 2014 17:40:52 GMT -5
The Garrison Commander: Season 1, Episode 6. Claire gets into a debate on who actually has rights in 18th century Scotland. This episode is quite timely as Scotland right now is having its independence referendum. Harrowing seeing Jamie getting a lashing. Intense the conversation between Claire and Black Jack and the way it ended.
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Post by matthewsee on Sept 25, 2014 0:07:40 GMT -5
The Wedding: Episode 7. Coincidentally I watched this episode at the same time as watching on DVD the Doctor Who season 36 closer The Wedding of River Song. As one can see the Doctor Who episode title was quite specific on who got married unlike the Outlander episode title. The episode title refers to Claire and Jamie having just got married and there were certainly jitters getting this marriage off the ground. A definite uncomfortable, but not unenjoyable, episode to watch as the newly married couple still try to get to know each other.
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Post by matthewsee on Oct 1, 2014 18:13:22 GMT -5
Both Sides Now: Mid-season 1 finale. This episode finally comes back to Frank in the present (being 1945) as he still trying to locate his missing wife Claire who we now is back in the 18th century. Painful moment was when Frank and Claire came close to being reunited when the latter got taken by soldiers at Craigh na Dun. Quite a cliffhanger by what Black Jack was about to do to Claire just as Jamie came in to save her but we have to wait until the next episode which starts the second half of this season to see how this is resolved.
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Post by matthewsee on Nov 15, 2014 18:42:12 GMT -5
The second half of Outlander season 1 will make its world debut in the US on April 4 2015.
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Post by matthewsee on Feb 12, 2015 19:40:42 GMT -5
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Post by matthewsee on Apr 5, 2015 22:01:33 GMT -5
The Reckoning: Mid-season 1 opener. Jamie saved his wife Claire from what Randall was about to do to her. By 21st century standards it was absolutely deplorable that Jamie demanded Claire apologise by what Randall was going to do to her and then punish her for it. Served him right when Claire refused to let him in their bed before really making things up at the end where Claire discovers a disturbing gift with a gun.
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Post by matthewsee on Apr 12, 2015 21:39:43 GMT -5
By The Pricking of My Thumbs: Season 1, Episode 10. Guest stars Simon Callow as the Duke of Sandringham. After the death of Geillis’ husband it sure took Geillis some time to react in horror to his death. Quite an astounding ending in which both Claire and Geillis got arrested for witchcraft.
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Post by matthewsee on Apr 19, 2015 18:40:32 GMT -5
The Devil’s Mark: Season 1, Episode 11. The episode title refers to the mark left behind on one’s skin after a vaccination. Of course such a mark could easily be construed as coming from the Devil to 18th century folks. What a gruelling trial for both Claire and Geillis. What a revelation from Geillis that she too is from the future but much further than Claire as Geillis is from 1968. It sure took a lot for Claire to tell Jamie that she comes from the future even though it was a lot for him to take in. Having finally reached the stones, it is remarkable that she ultimately decided to stay with Jamie.
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