magdalene

You are welcome, joelene.

joelene, I can't get into the homophobic part too much because what really set my hackles up concerns some disturbing future plot I was told about to caution me. As to the torture porn - almost every episode there has been torture, brutality, threat of rape, mixed with full-frontal female and full frontal male nudity in last weeks episode. The show strikes me as homophobic because there are only negative portrayals of homosexuality. One character is such an offensive stereotype and the other character, the villain, is a brutal sadist who is clearly coded gay. Couple this with that I find the show to be kind of boring in parts and has a heroine that is getting close to Mary Sue territory I think OUTLANDER is not for me. I was originally going to read the books after I finished the first season but I am so turned off I won't now.

Least favorite used to be Aslaug, but she has grown on me slowly. Now probably it's Floki. He's so annoying and often acts like a five year old who can't get his favorite candy. I quite liked Siggy and was sad when she died. I have a special affection for Lagertha, Bjorn and Rollo. I haven't actually "liked" Ragnar since the first season but the actor is so good in this role and the character so fascinating and important to the show. Ecbert is a fascinating bastard. This show has such strong female characters - of course Lagertha. Also Siggy. And the newer female characters: Queen Crazypants, Judith, and Gisla she of the iron balls.

Outlander, the TV series has been a huge disappointment for me. After watching the latest episode and just now reading spoilers for the rest of the season because some friends thought I would hate future plot lines I am giving up on this homophobic torture porn. I have watched a lot of violent programming over the years - hello Spartacus - but I haven't been this disgusted in a long time. I wish I could scrub out my brain.

I wasn't calling him "simply gay". Judging by how he is portrayed on this show I am calling him a homo-sexual sadist. And being homo-sexual isn't the problem, but being a sadistic torturer and attempted rapist is. I don't know why people get so defensive about the gay Jack thing. I am not insulting gay people. If anything the show is insulting to gay people because the only two gay characters are both negative stereotypes. One being a sexual predator and the other a mincing fop.

I was kind of squicked by the Tommen deflowering. He is so young. Cersei's current maneuvering is not going to bite her in the ass, no, siree.

Gay men have fathered offspring - it's quite common. And his sexuality is relevant because it's clear he is not going away and his obsession with Jamie goes beyond wanting to hurt him. Maybe the next time Jack has him at his mercy he will rape Jamie. That's what I am really fearing what with this shows rape obsession and tendency towards brutality. Shudders. This is not what I signed on for. I was expecting a historical romantic drama with sci-fi elements not some rape porn that would make the Marquis de Sade salivate.

This whole show is a cautionary tale about how a lot of folks shouldn't be having cats at all.

Shrugs. He seems closeted gay to me. He can't get it up for women and he has a clear sexual obsession with Jamie in addition to the sexual sadism. That's how it comes across to me from Tobias Menzies performance. Anyways, I am beginning to dread any time Black Jack shows up fearing more torture porn.

I don't know. I found this episode kind of boring. And the parts that I didn't find boring (all the Captain Jack parts) I found extremely uncomfortable to watch. This show has an obsession with rape that is just getting too much for me. And it rubs me the wrong way to have two gay characters and have one be an untrustworthy mincing fop, and the other a sexual sadist and all around horrible human being.

I wonder if that woman was truly consenting to being whipped by Odo. I know she wanted to have sex with him to show her "appreciation" but it came across as her getting into way deeper than she wanted.

green, during that episode when they were all getting their prophesies from the seer part of Ragnar's was that the bear would marry the princess and that would be bad for him (Ragnar). I distinctly remember that because at the time I thought the seer meant Bjorn and something he does in the future, and I was all huh?

I get where you are coming from and I don't condone Rollo and the slave girl. It just hasn't prevented me from finding Rollo interesting. And we do all have a line. For example - since Aethelwulf killed those two little Viking boys I am unable to have any sympathy for him. Back to the episode: I don't believe that Ragnar would be pleased about the Emperor and Rollo. Remember the prophesy of the seer to Ragnar that it would be bad for Ragnar if "the bear married the princess".

I watched the first season and to me Rollo isn't anything worse than a flawed guy capable of both great bravery and loyality and generosity, and also capable of pretty shitty stuff on occasion. By the moral standards of his time and his society I think he is actually a pretty decent guy all things considered. If this was a contemporary drama I would find Rollo's behavior in season 1 unforgivable but this is a historical drama about Vikings and their society. And that society had both free men and women and slaves. And those slaves didn't have any rights that we take for granted. That included the right to sexually refuse a free Viking man. That's awful but callously using a female slave for sex is IMO hardly more awful than the other brutality and savagery done on this show since it began. Like the human sacrifice. And the blood eagling of enemies. And the slaughter of defenseless monks. All of those savage acts endorsed by our hero Ragnar. So, I do judge Rollo by the standards of his time and by those standards I can't condemn Rollo for one callous act. About the finale - I think maybe part of the reason the Emperor was so quick to sell out his daughter to Rollo was that she had constantly shown him up in bravery and maybe he resented that on some level. For Lagertha and Rollo it had to smart badly that Ragnar left them out of the loop. This also probably gave Rollo more incentive for accepting the hospitality and gifts of the Franks at the end. Kalf and Horik's son lived through the season. I certainly never expected that.

In comparison to Odo and his vintage sadism Rollo is Prince Charming. But of course Gisla doesn't know this.

Hello to you too, Rollo. I figured Ragnar had faked his death but not that only Bjorn was in on it. Cold, Ragnar, cold.

Poor pastor Tim. It was nice knowing you. Poor Oleg. Still disliking Stan, he weasels out of everything. Philip and Sandra have chemistry. Hmm. Martha lives through another season. I am ready for Elizabeth and Philip to get caught and for their spy games to end. During the first season I was okay with calling them anti-heroes and I was sort of rooting for them but all these innocent people they have ruthlessly murdered. They need to end. I just don't want Stan to catch them because I loathe him.

I do think Jaime is conflicted about Tyrion. Jaime is often conflicted about things and people - it's like his superpower.

The good thing is after Jamie learns from Claire how Leery behaved towards Claire Jamie won't ever give her the time of day again. And a good thing too, I hate that character about as much as I do Black Jack. If somehow Geillis lives maybe she can use her poisoning skills on her. That would be awesome.

Well, I liked that so much better than last week. I was genuinely riveted and excited throughout. Brienne! What a warrior. Jaime getting something interesting to do.. Welcome back, non-Jaqen/Tom Wlashiha.

So historical Ecbert - very influential king of Britain, ruled and lived a long time (going by the live expectancy back then 70 was ancient). After him his son Ethelwulf ruled, and after him the grandson Alfred the Great. One important thing that Ecbert started was that only male issue could inherit land, not females - thanks a lot, Ecbert. This ensured that land stayed in the family. Maybe this is the "entail" they are always going on about on DOWNTON ABBEY. Also, things don't look good for Queen Crazypants if "our" Ecbert also conquers Mercia.

Historical Ecbert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egbert_of_Wessex Putting my thoughts on historical Ecbert into historical spec thread.

From watching lots of TV dramas over the years I am of the school if I don't see somebody actually die and be dead my default is to assume they didn't die. I didn't see Geillis burn at the stake so maybe she cheated death somehow. Jamie came back very suddenly and conveniently, and he was with Dougal when he left - so maybe Dougal came back too and he could somehow rescue Geillis. Hey, that's not anymore far-fetched than time traveling through some weird stones.

Yeah, I wouldn't have stayed. No matter how lovely Jamie is and how hot the sex is with him. I am too much of a pragmatist and a realist. But it's clear we are supposed to believe that this is a one of a kind grand passion where you throw everything over for it. I wonder what the criteria is as to who can travel through the stones. Obviously not everybody can do it. Is it only women who can. Or can some men do it too. I bet you though that Jamie can't because that makes it more dramatic.

OMG. So many shocks. Geillis is from the future too. She tried to protect Claire. Dare I hope that because her burning to death wasn't shown it didn't happen? But how could she have been saved? And Claire told Jamie the truth and he gave her the choice to return to her time. Now that she has chosen to stay in the past with Jamie I can root for them and invest in them emotionally as a couple. How I loathe that bug-eyed bitch Leery.