Outlander 305’s Sunday-on-Saturday Seven

Last week’s post mentioned the ever-increasing fabulousness of each Outlander episode would likely come to an end.  It did.   But we can still count and discuss…

Freedom and Whiskey, Episode 305

1.  It was better than expected

Faint praise for sure.  After all, it featured my least favorite character, while my most favorite character was nowhere to be seen.  (Well, he was likely at Helwater with his new wife and adopted child.)  But this episode sufficiently held my attention upon first viewing so as not to seem to drag.  Nonetheless, I have little desire to watch it again or  listen to any of its podcasts, and no desire to discuss it on message boards.

2.  Clever tie-in

So Paul Revere gets all the credit for the midnight ride simply because he had a better publisher.  Hmm, could that be a nod to Jamie’s new profession?

3.  Roger Wakefield, researcher extraordinaire

Speaking of Jamie’s new profession as a printer and publisher, it’s Roger Wakefield who continues to research the past and finds the connection that will lead Claire back to 18th century Scotland.  Thanks for never giving up, Roger.

4. Brianna has a mechanical mind

Ok, I get it now.  Last week I bitched about Brianna’s ability to fix a car. It was just a harbinger of what we learned this week—Brianna would make a much better builder than historian.  Pause for remembrance:

Many years ago I took a business trip to Italy with my boss, a Navy engineering officer (part of the famous Navy’s Construction Battalion, or CB, also Sea-Bee)  We had some free time to see some sites, including Pisa, Florence, and Rome.  Having lived in Italy, I had seen these sites before, but he gave me a new appreciation for them.  He looked at them from a construction perspective, explaining why the leaning tower of Pisa leans, and how keystones work to ensure a building stays upright.  Bree’s discussion with Roger about the arches reminded me of that trip and gave me an insight into how her brain works.  (Hey!  The picture for my avatar above was taken during that trip!)

5.  Nod to the late ’60s

Dark Shadows!  The Batman theme!  How campy were the ’60s?  Pretty damn campy.

6.  Suspend your belief

What mother would leave her child not knowing if she could ever return?  Regardless of how much the said child encouraged her?  None that I know of.  But then, how many people can touch a mini-Stonehenge stone and end up 200+ years in the past?  Is it right to quibble about one highly improbable event in a story whose main premise is time travel?  Nope.

7.  Thank you, Toni Graphia

Thank you for not ending the episode with Claire at the threshold of A. Malcolm, Publisher.  Thank you for not making Sam Heughan a “credit only” credit.  I feared we’d be subjected to another Jamie-less episode, as we were back in season 1 with “The Search.”   It proves a little Jamie is better than no Jamie at all.

Two things struck me in those last few minutes.  First was how radiant Claire looked as she stepped out of the carriage.  It was as if all the years of yearning and heartache had fallen away.  (Or it could have been makeup and lighting.)  And then I was surprised at how my heart started beating faster as she walked along the streets of Edinburgh.  I’d been so moved by Jamie’s story so far, I wasn’t expecting to be so excited for a Claire and Jamie reunion.

And now, a new section, for Natalie:

Book vs. Television

I’ve read Voyager only once, and that was over a year or so ago, but here’s what I remember.  In the book, Claire buys an 18th century style dress (with a post-18th century zipper).  It makes for a cute undressing scene in the next chapter.  But here she makes her caped ensemble out of old trench coats, because Scottish weather = rainy weather.

As for the last episode, Claire never gives up on the search for Jamie, but does return to Boston to tie up lose ends and tender her resignation to the hospital.  Brianna and Roger accompany Claire to the stones at Craigh na Dun (Brianna also in a ’60s version of 18th century dress, for some weird reason).  Claire’s trip through the stones this time is so physically difficult, she fears another attempt to return to the 20th century will kill her.   (Apparently the stones were not available for filming this time around  [perhaps they had another gig? 😉 ] so the producers skipped them altogether with a monologue about puddles—which is, apparently, the forward to Voyager.  Like I said, it’s been a long time since I read it).

There is no Outlander next (this) week, but I’ll try to pull up something keep the “Sunday Seven on Saturday” streak going.