SassAndSnacks

It has taken me awhile to comment because my corneas are still burnt from the Bree/Rog sex scene that no one asked for and no one needed to see. And the soundtrack...so cringe. That song is an absolute timeless jam, but it belongs to Miami Vice and not one of the most uncomfortable and unnecessarily long love scenes I've ever seen. The moaning had me dry-heaving. 1980's Sophie doesn't bother me as much as 1770's Sophie but....blech. This isn't her best. But Buck...dah-yum. That was a feast for me, and I didn't even know I was hungry. He saved this episode for me. I felt like he was a bit of an ass in the book, but I was loving this guy. Was not expecting Show to pull the trigger on the Jemmy kidnapping plot just yet because we haven't met Mike Callahan, so I was surprised they went there so quickly. I don't feel like Show gave us time to process these new characters and set up the connection between Jem and Mandy or the reasons why Bree and Rog were comfortable letting Jem stay with Bobby. The timeline was longer in the book, so I wasn't like "WTF, you barely know these people and you're letting your kid stay with them?" when I read it like I was when I saw it. Roger finding Jem's scarf at the stones was a nice callback to Claire's shawl. Charles continues to actually make me give AF about William. He was great. Buuuuttttt...... Sorry, Show. This will always be Jamie and Claire's story, and the 5 minutes I saw of them wasn't enough. But I loved that they kept the line about the font size, bringing back Jamie's printer career. And Jamie in buckskins, yes please! I was thinking this! They got everyone else SO right (ok, maybe not Lizzie but it worked out fine), but this casting continues to be such a bad miss. YAAASSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! I completely ignore Bree and just look at the scenery - the Loch, the fab decor of the Lallybroch redux, even the caravan. 100% Agree. Without Mike Callahan, the Richardson plot doesn't go as far as it could/should. Ooooh, good point. But I still love the slow-mo shots of him. Maybe if I only watch the Jamie and Claire parts, I'd really like this episode? It would save a lot of time anyway. I was disappointed with this one. I stayed up late to watch it and felt like it was a bit of a waste. But I think the Phil Collins sex is marring my overall impression of it.

Wigs?!

Providing an update because I know everyone was waiting with bated breath! After a nice long run to this episode, I feel kinda the same. The beginning with William riding back to the fort and the rebel civilians escaping through the forest did absolutely nothing for me. This was something I didn't think they would adapt for tv, always assuming they would hop into the story at Saratoga, and I'm left a little...unmoved...by it all. I hit pause and did a quick count of the people retreating from Ticonderoga. It was a little less than 30 (hard to tell if one boat had 5 or 6 people in it). When reading, I pictured closer to 100, but maybe I was way off on that. This whole situation still feels silly to me. But everything else was really solid. Full disclosure - I'm also catching up on the final season of Succession which is so incredibly intense. By comparison now, this felt a little flippant, but that's not fair to Outlander. And in no way am I advocating for Succession-level intensity every week. There are only so many therapy dogs and butterflies in the world to help us all cope.

Yes to all of this! I'm going to watch it while I run today. If I run faster and don't notice the time going by = great episode. If I'm distracted and run slower = meh episode. This is all very scientific!

Yes - he ended up going through the stones mistakenly (ala Claire) in Scotland and then made his way to Lallybroch. 100% this. And and a quick perusal of the Show Only thread shares a lot of confusion and annoyance with how that entire plot point was conveyed. Can absolutely attest to this. I was a history major and an unabashed history nerd, and I'm always shocked by how little people know or care to know. I should be used to this by now, but my soul does die a bit each time. I feel like you're writing everything in my head! As I was watching the episode my train of thought was "Oh, we're doing that? Ok..." But it was done well, so do your thing, Show. THIS!!!!! The show has continuously done Roger dirty from Season 4 onward. His character arc is so compelling in the books, but in the show he just comes across as whiney. I loved the book thread of him having to uncomfortably shrug away the rope scar when people saw it and that he had to live through modern people thinking he'd tried to kill himself. And his journey to getting his singing voice back was so heartwarming. I adore Rik Rankin, and he could have easily carried all of this off. I need to watch this one again because I have mixed feelings. I never pictured their retreat from Ticonderoga occurring during the day, so it was jarring for me to see that and took me out of the story. When I read this section of the book, it was so tense and scary, but this didn't feel at all like that. I just seemed like Claire, Jamie, and Ian were walking around the same circle of woods, which made it seem silly to me. I did really enjoy captive Claire (for like the 50th time), and her interactions with William were so strong. I was so pleased they included the "curly wig" comment.

I know we're like 10 years on at this point, but I'm still annoyed with how the Show softened Frank, as well.

Agree. She doesn't command a scene, let alone a work crew.

My dad was a plant inspector. He retired in 2019 after almost 50 years at the same plant. He had a high school diploma and started out as a mechanic at the plant in 1971. I'm no Bree fan, but I think her being a plant inspector is plausible, especially then. Of all of things I have to hand-wave to comfortably watch this show, this isn't one of them! 😉

THIS!!! Book 7 has a lot of viable fat to trim, and so far, they haven't trimmed the fat that I thought they would, with the exception of the pirate attack. Their storyline feels like a separate show. As does Bree/Roger/Kids. And I know the book is this way too, but it feels all disjointed. This is really my criticism of the overall story/Book 7, and not so much the show. Echo is my least favorite. Show continues to do Roger dirty. And I love Richard Rankin. 100% agree! YES! I'm "no a fan" of Buik William, but show William...yes, please! The song has always made the season unique and helped to move the show to next stage of the story. The chorale version of Season 5...my heart... This version is so cringe. And if they wanted to go this direction with sound, tone, etc. why not choose a Scottish or an American singer? Basically my chief complaint. I want Jamie and Claire.

Richardson to William - "Are you familiar with the Dismal Swamp?" Me - "Ugh, F... Are we really doing that?" But it wasn't that bad. Show definitely condensed a really dismal Buik plot. Bah dum ching! Did they do some shots in the Southern US? I'm also really happy with Show condensing the whole pirate, three ships fiasco of the Buik, whereby even after reading it multiple times, I still have no idea who is/was who, what ship was which, who was taken, who sliced Jamie, etc. Glad we didn't have to deal with that. The reason for Jamie and Ian joining the rebellion felt much more authentic and earned in the Show than with how Jamie and Claire found themselves at Fort Ticonderoga in the Buik. Speaking of Ticonderoga...um...no Show. You didn't get it. The aerial shot of the fort was wrong. Ticonderoga is famous for its location and shape, and this wasn't right. They couldn't fly a camera over the real fort? Backing up a bit in the storyline, Claire and Tom Christie. The tea scene was so good - just how I pictured it while reading. "I shall have no peace while you live, woman!" And the scene with J & C after, also enjoyable. So much of the dialogue is right from the page, and I love it. I struggled through the 1980s scenes, though I did gasp when they showed the writing desk, and I like the more realistic portrayal of what it would take to bring Lallybroch up to modern building codes. Charles is going to make me actually care about William, I can feel it.

Some Questions - Is this season really THIS good, or is it just comparatively good because we've had a long hiatus from the show and Season 6 was pretty meh? Do you ever wish you could approach this show with a fresh perspective? Generally, I love knowing the story ahead of time and seeing how it will be adapted and portrayed, but sometimes, I kinda miss that jolt I had during the pilot episode when I knew nothing of Outlander but thought the first sights of it were so compelling that I just HAD to read the books. Watching this last night early this morning, particularly the confrontation of the Bugs, I found myself feeling that the this all escalated rather quickly! We've barely seen them and now they've stolen gold, hid it right there in a very conspicuous place, and now they're betraying the Frasers. It all seemed more plausible in the books because we see it play over time, but I felt kinda slapped with it last night, and I found myself wondering if non-book viewers got all of it and/or if it seemed abrupt to them too. Anyway, that's a lot of lead in to simply ask, do you ever wish you hadn't read the books first? Did you catch Arch's Gaelic to Jamie? So good. Did you want him to be a little more choked up over his wife's death, because I did. I always picture him so incredibly menacing and dangerous. This Arch has been passive this whole time. Was the mini ball in Jem's wooden chest the one that hits Claire in Monmouth or is it one of the golden balls that Jamie, Ian, and Claire melted down? When we see it early in the show, I immediately thought "Monmouth!" but then they show the "bullet making" so could it be that? Was that in the buik? That whole scene was wonderful. Speaking of Jem's chest, I love how they weave in these storylines. As soon as the delivery man placed the chest on the Manse's front stoop, I got a little lump in my throat. Was it accurate for Roger and Bree to feel that they changed history? Because they didn't. Bree went back to her parents because she saw the obituary claiming a fire killed them. She made the matches that helped cause the fire. They didn't change history, they helped make history. The dates are insignificant, but I guess that was just in the buik, because the show smudged the date in the original obituary. Time travel and its consequences are confusing. I love Jamie and Claire loving on Jamie and Claire, so I was all in for the entire hour. The quiet moments in this show have always been so strong. The flashback of them pounding in the property stake was so good and such a nice addition. So far, my $20 STARZ subscription was money well spent!

In the 90's (gasp!), this is how my parents knew to pick me up from after-school activities. I would make a collect call, and when the operator would ask me to say my name, I would say "Come get me!" and then my parents knew I was ready and they wouldn't have to actually accept the charges for the call. Tricks my children will never need to know...

Truly, this happened to me at work today. I was leaving a message with a client. I completely panicked when I got to my phone number, and I frantically had to pull out my own business card to remember my office phone number. I've worked at my current job for five years. As of a few hours ago, my office phone number is now written on a Post It that is attached to my computer monitor. I'm a book reader, so I won't weigh in on the rest of this topic, but I am really enjoying everyone's practical speculation.

Yes - Donner and his pack show up for gemstones, but in the Buik, it is Ian that actually ignites the fire. I'm glad they changed that here.

PS - Born and raised in Appalachia and those were the largest "fireflies" I've ever seen. PPS - After the MacKenzies awoke from traveling through the stones, the shot of Jem's airplane in the sky with the real airplane emerging from behind it made me gasp. This show...

Amen. Watching her try to be Bree, makes me appreciate Buik Bree, so well done, Sophie...I guess. But awful with William and Lord John. That buik moment is so poignant to me. Here's this only-child who just met her sibling, and she was so excited with heart and mind racing a mile a minute. And this was all "Oh, hey." And then walking away with Lord John, gah, no good. Me too! I was surprised to dive in with Allan, and then the whole cold open was wrapping up that storyline. I'm guessing the Browns show up again. I kinda wanted to see Jamie shoot him, personally. That was my take because during his monologue they showed her throat being sliced. I don't think he flat-out said he did it, but it was heavily implied to the point of irrefutable. Was REALLY surprised they kept the ENTIRE monologue in, right down to one very graphic anatomical description. The look on Claire's face was perfection. Overall, I thought this was really well done, Sophie aside. Cait was a complete force this episode, from discovering Mandy's illness (my heart!), to saying her goodbyes, sobbing in bed with Jamie, and then the explosive ending. There was so much happening, but it felt relatively seamless. I could have done with a few more moments of breathing room between all of the emotional bits, and I wanted more out of the William reveal. I was a little disappointed by the interactions between Jem and Mandy. I wish that would have been heavier. I love their relationship and how they sense each other. I think that was probably impossible to convey at this point because Jem has been made younger than he was in the Buik. I found myself being really choked up through many of the scenes. Jamie with Mandy in the stable was heartbreaking. The firefly scene was visually lovely, even if it was unbelievable and the actors weren't well matched skill-wise. One of my favorite lines of the books - "For your sake, I will continue, though for mine alone, I would not" - was so beautifully delivered.

Ugh. It was unwatchable. Really hoping things don’t end up like that. I feel like she got a deal for a certain amount of books and was just biding her time for Book 10. Filler and rehashed storylines.

He is. Tom suspects this but he confessed to clear Claire.

People! We're back! I'm an optimistic person, but I had the bar set pretty low for this episode. This was a solid start to the season. Good Stuff - - Condensing the whole jail plotline, which runs for-ev-ver in the Buik. And no random birthings, which is a bonus. - The ship scenes in the fog were gorgeous, which added to the overall mystery and tension of who was coming and going. What is happening? Are the rebels coming? How will Claire get off of the ship? - Oh, there you are Donald, son of Donald. Ya wee shite. Shut your freaking gob! Truly though, I like how (with limited exceptions) the story doesn't forget anything. MacDonald stuck his neck out for Jamie, brought him weapons, vouched for him as the Indian Agent, and then Jamie does the bait and switch. I'm happy he did because well, American here and that's my team, but MacDonald has every right to be a little pissy. - "This is not permitted!" Outlander humor just hits differently, ye ken? - Rik Rankin with his own hair. <chef's kiss> GREAT STUFF - - TOM CHRISTIE!!!!! Absolutely choked up during his monologue to Claire, and I wasn't expecting that. I remember reading this part in the buik and kinda being like "Ok, let's move on." But I was captivated here. His scenes with both Claire and Jamie were so so good. His speech to Jamie about not having a name of substance, no clan, nothing to give but he could do this thing was wonderful. Sometimes, the show takes a meh character and makes them so substantial and meaningful (see Murtaugh, Marsali, Rupert, Angus et al) - Nobody puts Jamie in a corner, but damn, he should go sit in a corner more often. JAMMF is back, JHRC!!!!!! "I'm also a violent man." "Any goodness in me is due to my wife." Fuck the Browns! Will this serve as a replacement for when Jamie hunts down Claire's actual assaulter in the buik, since they unnecessarily changed that story? The intensity in Sam's face was something we haven't seen in a long time. Welcome back to the party, Heughan! And not to quote Taylor Swift - "Oh, damn, never seen that color blue." I'm guessing the black jacket really set off those eyes. Blah Stuff - - The song. I can't. I watched with my earbuds in, and I winced at points. It was actually painful to hear, and she sounded like she was in pain singing it. You know in the buiks after Roger is hung, his voice is described as the ripping of paper when he sings. This was like that but worse. I'll be hitting "Skip Intro" for the rest of the season. - Ok, the whole time traveler thing was comical but not in a good way. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." "Ali!!" This was like when random alumni from my university see each other and yell "We Are!" and then respond "Penn State!" and suddenly we are best friends swapping stories about Cafe 210 or football games. You know, the good ole days. Neither Roger nor Wendigo hesitates for a moment to try to feel out the situation - they just dive right in and it felt odd to me. Aren't these supposed to be somewhat guarded conversations? Which kinda brings me to my next few points... - Wendigo. We need him to blow up the Big House, I know. But everything with Bree and Roger revolved around him in this episode and it felt like a bunch of exposition that was pointless. Or maybe I just don't like Bree and Roger. (Especially since the show does Roger no favors.) The dialogue through all of these scenes felt poorly done and the plotline very thin. Can we just skip this and focus on J&C? - Rumors. Everyone has seemingly heard about the murderess except for Bree and Rog? Some of the most gossipy people I know are the old ladies in church. - The wigs. FFS. Sophie's was horrific and pasted to her head. It looked like something from a summer camp play. And Cait's...I get it...she's jailed and disheveled. But if we can have Sam looking hotter this season, I need some hot Cait too. I am equal opportunity shallow. - We need more of Ian killing people. There, I said it. Other Thoughts - "Any goodness I have in my is due to my wife." Is that true? Jamie was living basically as a vagabond before Claire slipped through the stones. She gave him stability, love, belief. But a lot of the double-dealing, lying, scheming, and killing came into his life because she did too. Or would he have still gone down that path or worse had she never been there. If she hadn't come back after being gone for 20 years, would he have continued smuggling and lying? Would he have been doing that in the first place if she had never been there? I'm so happy we're back, and I can't wait for next week!

And make sure you post your thoughts on the episodes so we can all get back into the show! No pressure! 😁

Same for Bree's baby, right?! 😁

Ok, I gave this one a second chance, and it was mildly better the second time around. Just before the battle of King's Mountain, Jamie tells Claire about his conversation with Mandy and how she (Mandy) and Jem can hear the animals, how Jamie's color is water, and that wee Davy's color is water, too. This entire passage is so compelling, I sat up a little straighter in my chair. Freaking fascinating. So Jem and Mandy have super powers because they got a genetic double-dose, but poor Davy inherited nada. Genes are a crazy thing. I wish DG would spend more time on this and less time on the beetles on William's waistcoat or what Elspeth Cunningham looks like naked, etc. And even after reading Jamie's "death" scene for a second time, I don't think it was any better. How can an author write the most mundane things in such minute detail and then leave something like Claire using her "powers" to save her husband after he's been shot 4 times and bitten by a snake so vague. I read it twice through last night, and it was still so abstract to me. Was there a blue light? How bright was it? Did Jamie feel her healing him? Was he truly dead and she really did bring him back? All we got was a throw away line from Roger a chapter or so later when he's casually like "Oh yeah...there was some faint blue." Overall, frustrating, but there were some gems along the way.

I'm feeling petty, so I'm going to take this moment to remind the world that I loathe Frank Randall. That is all.

The Iroquois included many converts among its population. I'm not going to get into the details because a lot of this knowledge is fuzzy and in the deepest recesses of my brain, but Jesuit priests regularly lived among the various Iroquois nations and did convert people to Christianity.

I concur. He deserves more.