We are a mere three days away from Outlander’s premiere on April 9th on Starz! The anticipation is almost unbearable! I know we all have certain scenes we are looking forward to, dialogue we can’t wait to hear, characters we want to meet, and a particular red dress we want to see at court! I’ve been wiling away the hours thinking about what the season will bring and what I HOPE it will bring.
Read the rest of the article after the jump!
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THAT PESKY TIME TRAVEL THING
No Spoilers: but, I’m definitely speaking to book readers right now. Tell the truth, how many of you began reading Dragon Fly in Amber, the second installment in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and were sure you were reading the wrong book? After googling the reading order, how many of you went into shock and then got angry. VERY angry. Throw the book across the room angry! It was a shock inducing to be sure. After the shock wears off and you move something in front of the dent you just put in the wall with one of Diana’s big heavy books, you realize you need to know what the heck happened! What the hell is Claire doing back in the future?! As devasted as I was by the beginning of that book, I find myself with a calculated lack of empathy for the people I’ve encouraged to read the books. Just like Diana ( I picture her looking a list of DIA sales on Amazon and rubbing her hands together in perverse delight),..I don’t tell them a thing and wait for the reaction I know is coming (muhawhahah)
We all wondered how Ron Moore, executive producer, and his band of merry writers was going to handle the beginning of that book. The fans I’ve talked to all felt that despite their initial discombobulation, the departure from chronological order was a powerful one. It certainly kept us turning the page because we were all asking ourselves “where the hell was Jamie?” Non readers were surprised that the Starz season 2 trailer lead with the knowledge that Claire was going back and have asked why? Good question and one I’m anxious to see answered. Would the beginning of that book translate well in a visual format? I suspect given the hints we’ve seen in the trailers for season two, we won’t be seeing like it was in the books or at least not exactly.
Whether the show takes further liberties with the order the story is told is yet to be seen. My guess is that this is one of those times adaptations had to be made for a visual medium, but I’m hoping they have retained some of that angst we experienced as readers. It’s part of the reason I fell in love with this series, Diana is good at given you the unexpected and turning things on their ear. It bodes well for angsty viewing that reviews written by folks who were privileged enough to see the first five episodes say the TV series continues to surprise. Your guess is as good as mine as to when we’ll get to met Brianna and Roger, two characters who are with us for the rest of the book series and God willing and the creek don’t rise, the rest of the TV series!
A GREAT STORY TOLD BEAUTIFULLY
In general, the reviews this year have been positive. They still tend to use “bodice ripper” as an adjective, but they then all seem to quickly dispel the idea that this story can be neatly fit into any genre box. It tickles me that some seem to be genuinely surprised that a story that sounds so “trite” on paper can be so complex. Cuz…we tried to tell them (tee hee). In fact, some recent interviews have been downright…well,….delightful! Which is a far cry from where we were last year pre-premiere. This morning, I read an article that was a great example of the types of articles I’ve been reading. They talk about the show using adjectives that continue make me seethe, but then turn it all around by explaining why this show defies description and is more than worth watching. The article proclaims that OUTLANDER’S NOT JUST SEXY IT’S IMPORTANT on the AVClub website http://www.follownews.com/tv-review-outlanders-not-just-sexyits-important-11r7d. One of my favorite lines in this article was this,
“That’s the thing about Outlander: It’s not just well-written and lovely to look at. It’s downright immersive.”
For me, this statement validated the importance and value to the story of those behind the scenes folks. In fact, it made me a bit emotional. This show is being built with the care and quality my beloved source material deserves. Immersing viewers in a story is the goal of a period production like this, but it’s no small thing to accomplish. The behind the scenes look done by the Herald Scotland sheds light on the sheer enormity of the task of creating Outlander and the creative people who lovingly clothe, arm, and house that giant endeavor. https://t.co/J14uibcR95
JAMIE’S RECOVERY
Some of the articles I’ve read reviewing the show have continued to praise the way Outlander handles sex. And, I’m happy to say that includes showing the aftermath of the sexual trauma Jamie suffered.
“It’s important to remember that Black Jack lives in this relationship whether or not he’s alive in life,” she said. “He’s very much present; he’s continuing to poison what they have, their intimacy.” Caitriona Balfe http://www.indiewire.com/article/outlander-caitriona-balfe-sam-heughan-tobias-menzies-season-2-emmy-video-20160403
Jamie is not the same man he once was. Trauma will do that to a person. Readers of the Outlander series know that what happened in the prison haunts him for the rest of his life. Claire’s actions got him on the boat to France, but he is far from over Black Jack Randall and the damage he did. I’m excited that they recognized the importance of Jamie’s struggle to recover.
Season two of the Starz hit will still explore those extremes, but in a different way. As the show becomes political, so does the sex. Jamie not only has to relearn how to have sex with his wife while she’s pregnant, but he also has to recover from major sexual trauma. http://www.eonline.com/news/753700/the-surprising-way-outlander-is-handling-sex-in-season-2
This isn’t a simple story.
IT STILL ISN’T AFRAID TO GO THERE
Some of the articles I read expressed how impressed they were that Outlander continues to not be afraid to go there. The sex advances the story and so does the violence and I was happy to hear that reviewers felt nothing seemed gratuitous. I’ve yet to see any delicate subject handled with anything but honesty on this show and I’m not expecting anything different this season.
I have to say that reading these articles made me smile. Every time I worry that some vital piece of the story has been short changed (the abby scene in To Ransom A Man’sSoul) they bring the story around to where it needs to go and earn my respect once again. This is a show all fans can be proud of. This story deserves to be told well. In the hands of a less capable showrunner and company it could have gone so wrong. But, it hasn’t and this fan is anxiously awaiting April 9th and to being immersed in the world of Jamie and Claire and the story of Outlander.
Pinned onto Outlander the Series.
“NOBODY puts Outlander in a (genre) box! ” (we wish!!)
“This show is being built with the care and quality my beloved source material deserves.” And aren’t we lucky for that! Watching the panel last night and hearing Terry, Gary, Bear and Ron discuss their creative processes and present their finished pieces left me in awe and feeling very lucky indeed to know the books are in their hands.
Rita I was so moved by that panel that I started writing about today! Two blogs from me this week! 😂
Thanks, Beth, for that great article. I feel much the same way. I, too, missed the pool scene – but the completion of the series left me verra satisfied. I hope this TV series goes on and on and on. I’ve read all the books and have reread some. There are so many more stories to tell!
Ah Beth, you did it again! Are you really not inside my head? Especially with the confusion in the beginning of DIA as a reader….SO confusing!
Truly great, thisC