SassAndSnacks

😁 YES!!!!!

She was all business and had no time for their shenanigans. It had to have been something Sam was wearing...soap, cologne, hair product?

This is one of my favorite scenes in the entire series. It is brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. I'm completely ashamed to admit that I never put the parallels between the scenes and fights together. I'm incredibly appreciative that you shared this view. It is striking how awkward the one fight feels and how natural and passionate the other is. I'm not a huge confrontation person, but I appreciate the point of an argument to resolve a conflict. When Claire and Frank fought, what was the point? Was it really even a fight, or was it just unsubstantiated accusations? When Claire and Jamie fought, genuine feelings were actually ruffled and the point was that Jamie was terrified and frustrated, and Claire just didn't understand why. They fought, it was intense, they came to a greater understanding. Can't say the same for Claire and Frank. (BOLDED words... You are awesome. I use this term at work all the time and no one ever understands what the F I'm talking about.) Gah, thank you both for this perspective! People get so hung up on this scene. While I don't condone hitting your wife ever, I think it was necessary to show that it is actually Jamie that learns a lesson and wants his marriage to be different. Me too! But then that voice could read the tax code to me and I would still be a rapt audience.

I'm looking for some! I was trying to find a local shop that carried them, but that hasn't worked out so well. For me, the sheep herding section was so funny. I grew up on a farm and whenever we'd have friends come over, they would always want to "help." It was always hilarious, and this was a similar scenario. I nearly swooned. Nearly...

Agree with everything above. A fun episode and really interesting and informative. I really wanted to learn more about every stop they made - the suits, the herbs, the Gaelic. I have complete garden envy over the stop with the herbalist. It was fascinating. The sheep herders were good sports and seemed to be having a lot of fun with it. Throughout the series, I've been obsessed with the whisky glasses they use at the end of almost every episode. I watch while I'm on the treadmill and wearing earbuds, and the sound the glasses make when they "clink" together is brilliant. I've spent probably too much time late at night learning about whisky glasses, but "the more you know", right?

I missed it the first time around, too. It was only upon a rewatch that it struck my attention and recognized the water horse reference thanks to a folklore class I took in undergrad. Amazing detail, Show!

I believe Dougal said it during the hurrahs after the foiled raid. Something about good fun with the Grants or various words to that effect.

Not a spoiler! This was the story Rupert was telling in the scene by the fire when everyone senses an attack was coming. The Grants are the clan that attacked them.

This one isn't a favorite of mine. I'm also really grumpy today, thus I'll keep my comments to a minimum so that I'm not overly critical. Too much Frank. Too much sexual assault. Hated the dramatic running to the rocks yelling Frank's name (blech, cringe...though the scenery was lovely). I love this part of the book and the adaptation was no good for me. One high note - loved the story of the water horse and the set up for the skirmish with the Grants. The rest, meh. Hear, hear!!

I read this post of yours probably no less than 6 times. Truly, it is one of the best synopses of this episode I've ever seen. I feel like you captured everything so perfectly and so astutely. It is absolutely brilliant. The Wedding is one of my favorite tv episodes of all time. If I'm having a terrible day, this is one of the episodes I'll watch (of ANY show) to bring me out of my funk. I could never fully put my finger on WHY I gravitate to it so much. I don't particularly like a lot of sexual scenes, so that can't be it. I find a few of the points in the episode a little cheesy. And yet, I continuously come back to this one over and over again. Reason #67 why I really don't like Frank. Self-centered prick. Way to make a girl feel special. And I know that so many couples did the quick, impromptu wedding in the lead up to WWII, but that isn't the sense I got with this one. It was something HE wanted to do, so they did it. This is my favorite line from any book, show, poem, anything ever. Sighhhhhhhhhh........ I'm sorry, Frank who? My favorite part of this time around is Claire wrapping Jamie's plaid around them. His family's plaid now enveloping the two of them. This is such a great observation. I can't imagine the emotions coursing through her, and there had to be such a sense of guilt, I'd think. How could she possibly be feeling this way about Jamie when just a few weeks ago she had been married to someone else? Further, I think she would be questioning just what kind of relationship she and Frank had, because it definitely wouldn't have felt like this. It's also important to remember that she met and married Frank when she was so young. She is more experienced in love than Jamie certainly, but it isn't as though she has a ton of relationship experience with various men to use as comparison. There. You said it. THAT is why I keep coming back to this one. YES!!

This is such a good point. You're right. "Plotting" isn't the right word. He absolutely reads the room and can filter his words better.

I loved the juxtaposition of this in the episode. Claire knows that the MacKenzies, at the very least, are cultured and more educated than many a British soldier. That whole dialogue and exchange with BJR had to have been a total Mind-F for Claire. This guy looks like Frank, he has Frank's razor...but he isn't Frank. I felt like she was trying to separate her past (future?) with the reality of her current situation. Also, maybe she was seeing a little bit of Frank in this guy, and maybe she was remembering that possibly Frank DOES have a little bit of this guy in him. Claire doesn't plot out her moves like...oh lets say...Jamie. She's a feeler and goes with her gut always. She just unintentionally chose sides. Truth! I think the show takes great pains to show her skill and knowledge, showing that she is an asset and valuable in her own right but that no one respects it. (Not even Frank, I might add.) She's just a woman, her knowledge and experiences can be easily dismissed by those around her. It highlights the people that actually DO respect her and value her and how they treat her differently than others. Ooooh, this is such a good observation! Very interesting.

Full disclosure - I am a BookClaire fangirl. I usually rise to her defense in almost everything. I also have regular quibbles regarding how her character is portrayed in the show. I totally get how she annoys the crap out of people with her inability to shut her trap. I have a similar problem... I think the main point about Claire is that she stands up, almost viciously and occasionally irrationality, for what she believes to be right. No matter what the circumstances are, no matter who else is around her, no matter if she will get hurt or someone else will, she calls it out. It is most often to her detriment. I think its great that Jamie seems to be the one person that can actually speak to her in a way that she fully comprehends, whether she likes what is he saying to her or not. But also, I was pissed at her here that she wouldn't at least mend Jamie's shirt AND that she told Ned their cause was hopeless. Overall, I think she is still desperately trying to make mental amends to the fact that she is actually in the past and WTF happened. Her brain must constantly be going a mile a minute assessing not only what is currently happening right before her but also analyzing how she got here, how can she get back, can she get away, is she safe, what is going to happen tomorrow and on and on and on. For me, I liked this one more after seeing other episodes. Yes! He's the Claire whisperer. Oh, goodness. This is so perfectly said. Even now, my natural inclination would be to trust a fellow American, but in reality some of us are freaking awful. I think the fact that she actually served and fought and watched other die for her country only compounds her English-ness. Ahh! This is SO good. She also came from a higher class, and so she is used to certain privileges that go along with that deference. Sure, she can sleep in the dirt, eat a fresh kill, and go for days without bathing no problem. But she is also used to a certain level of respect and having people respond to what she says. The adjustment has to be mind-boggling. I also really like that Claire isn't perfect and that her flaws are pretty freaking visible and annoying.

I'm just sitting here, drinking my coffee, and smiling at this. One of my favorite things about the source material is that the author doesn't say things that don't mean something down the road. There aren't many throw away lines or even characters. She plants a lot of nuggets here and there, and then a few books later, they pop up again. I think you are already seeing this with the content of the show so far. The three of you have inspired me to go back through all of these episodes with you, but I'll try to keep my commentary as superficial as possible to ensure that you all remain unsullied. I'm thoroughly enjoying your fresh perspective.

Wait, is that what is happening here?! Did I finally cave?! Agreed. We all know where they're from. And even if you didn't during the first episode, you do now. It reminds me of a sit-com that has been running for a long time and then they do the reminiscing episode that is just a bunch of clips from prior episodes.

TRUTH!!!! (I wish I could make this font bigger, but please know that I actually yelled this out loud. Good thing I'm still working from home.) A lot of people analyze the time travel aspect of this show. That's not why I'm here, so I tend to gloss over it. But, is the bard's song really about Claire? Is time a continuous loop? Was it the ghost in the square from Episode 1 that called her back in time? Oh, hell yes. (Again, yelling...probably unnecessarily, but eh?) They do have a close bond, and more than anyone else at Leoch, he truly cares about Jamie as though Jamie is his son. I think his comment was one out of concern because he knows Jamie's history, particularly his most recent history of being a wanted man. He knows that Jamie cannot pair with some flighty young girl, because it is likely to get them both killed. Further, he would know about Jamie's upbringing and the various political currents in which Jamie is operating. The match for Jamie has implications around more than just love.

This is such a great point! I don't think I'm prudish (I KNOW I'm not...I watch Outlander), but it's ok to keep your shirt on your bod sometimes. It seemed a little gratuitous, particularly the part where he was dripping oil or alcohol on himself.

Just quoting you to say that I'm really enjoying your comments. You are so on top of the various undercurrents happening in the show. There are so many things that you mention here (and in your Episode 1 post) that I want to respond to, but I can't do it without being spoilery. But anyway, just keep on doing your thing, because it is so great! I love LOVE your bolded comments above. His temperament perfectly complements Claire's, which I think is a stark contrast to what we saw in the previous episode and we can begin to understand the inner conflict that Claire is surely to have over these two men and these two time-periods. My husband is very Jamie like in his outlook, temperament, and his confidence. He just has this assuredness that is so freaking attractive. I think it is one of the reasons that I immediately keyed in on Jamie when reading and watching - I KNOW that guy. Finally, I really appreciate this last bolded assessment. He has a way of communicating with her that she actually hears and trusts. I think it is a comfort to her, and I wonder if she has ever had that person in her life before.

I love a classic dresser, sigh. And well, side parts, you know?! Episode was definitely underwhelming. Obviously, I love me some Outlander, but I think they call back on it too much. It's almost as though they are relying on it too much to drive the content of their own show, even though there should be ample original content out there for them to use. I don't know if that was their doing or STARZ pushing that issue. Also, I thought the editing was kinda meh. Each stop was not fully fleshed out as a story in itself. This. The first time was funny. The second time was ok. The third...we get it already. It actually made me want to hang out with Graham rather than Sam, to whom I think I would have had to say STFU.

Eeek! I've never had the first comment before. Ok, no pressure... Deep breath. . . . . I don't really have anything to say about this one other than it seemed shorter than the others. I feel like Graham is always the guinea pig, poor fella. Also, as an American who was a teen in the 90's, the gold standard in swoon-worthy male apparel for me is a pair of Levi's and a white t-shirt. However, Sam in a black t-shirt and jeans is making me rethink all of my previous comments in other threads where I confessed that he doesn't really do much for me when he isn't in character as JAMMF. To Sam, the world, and my usually spot-on judgment, I apologize.

Being a combat nurse at the front during the war was of course very regimented, but Claire had her own agency. I think it would be incredibly difficult to return (really, it was difficult for everyone to return after what they had seen), but difficult for Claire to return to a situation where she wouldn't have that authority over her own life, that excitement, and most importantly that feeling of impact. She would be playing a secondary character in her own life, with Frank's needs, wants, interests, and intentions at the forefront. Claire has not led a traditional life, and now she's trying to fit into this traditional role. It doesn't suit her. She doesn't buy the vase. I've always believed that Frank's questioning Claire about the Scottish men in her care during the war, insinuating that she had been unfaithful to him, and "assuring" her that he would be fine with it if something happened, was really his own admission of guilt because he had been unfaithful to her. He wanted her to have been unfaithful, so that he could have something over her. There's something so tightly wound about him, so controlled, and to me, so condescending that I feel he could blow up at any moment. Which, if we look at his lineage dating back to Black Jack makes a lot of sense. A lot of people have different takes on that scene, but I'm holding fast to mine. Frank stifles Claire.

I was late to the party, too. But, I'm here now...5 seasons and 8 books (read three times each) later. Also, I love fresh takes on the story. I like to live vicariously through the "first-timers" because I wish I could go back and watch/read it again for the first time, too!

Absolutely LOVE this description of their marriage. Spot on, particularly your assessment that Frank talks about himself a lot.

That's so great! I think my main issue with Episode 1 was that the show format was not what I had been expecting, so it was a little jarring for me. I could go back and watch it with a fresh perspective...I suppose...if I HAVE to.

This was my favorite episode so far. I thought it was the funniest of the three and everything felt more natural (aside from the final scene with the two of them leaning against the camper van). Also, since Sam's hair is seemingly always a talking point, I really liked it here when they visited Castle Doune. Sorry, Gen Z. Side parts forever! Even on men! And especially on men that look that good!