Glaze Crazy

They go through a circle on Ocracoke Island, make their way to a road/highway and hitch a ride to town, make a collect call to Joe Abernathy who then wires them money to get to Boston. Curious why you say this. Brianna has an engineering degree from MIT (in the book) and some consulting experience after they get back to the present. I also have an engineering degree (not MIT, LOL) and experience in my field. I was an inspector/quality assurance person for years.

I also feel like a non-book reader with a bunch of familiar characters and slightly familiar individual scenes, LOL. I vote for Roger and Bree dropping into a Ren Faire or the NC Highland Games/Gathering in the present (1974ish?). Might be easier to pass off their period attire. In the book Brianna sewed up some nondescript shirts and pants for them to wear going back to the future. Or they are right next to the Blue Ridge Highway. I liked all the beats they hit with this one. It sure looks like a bunch of stuff is getting gathered together to move the story right into the American Revolution. I might be worried about William though, he should be a little older than that miniature portrait shows him as, if he's going to come back with the army next season. I'm also wondering which of Claire's kidnappings this is. There is the first (book) one, from the whiskey still, that results in the rape, and the second one, and after Bree and Roger are gone, I think, where the Committee of Safety, headed by the older Brown (the creepy one is dead after the first kidnapping) are taking Claire to be tried for murder of the creepy brother and/or Malva, Jamie goes along to protect her and Brown abducts her on the road, while his men hold Jamie off. He dumps her at a city on the coast, where the new Governor, Martin, is at to get her tried for murder. I think it's going to go this way, since the previews show Claire in a paneled room, crying or something. No murder is involved, so I guess it will have to do with dispensing birth control information, if that was actually an outlawed practice back then. Or it's some other reason yet to be revealed. Again, fun that it could go anywhere at this point, for this book reader. Oh and we saw Wendigo Donner. He's the guy with the long curly black hair that was with the Browns. He had a line and there was an extended shot of Young Ian looking at him, specifically, as he walked away. The name was in the credits. I'm guessing we are going to see some version of his story next season. The window sill scene and the microscope scene/convo are some of my favorite book scenes. I'm glad Diana Gabaldon was able to write those for this episode.

I thought it was pretty good, for what the writers had to work with. In fact I think the writers have been doing a good job overall for this season. The last couple episodes have been better than average, IMO. To me, the 3 middle books (what I call books 5, 6 and most of 7) are pretty convoluted and drawn out. Lots of bits of story from different perspectives and providing different information to feed the run up to the American revolution. I've read through them a few times and only now can appreciate them for what they do. (Wait until they get to the book with several different timelines for different characters, in different places, omg! I suspect they will be smoothing that one out considerably.) Glad they chose to wrap up Bonnet's story now and didn't try to bring it back into the story next season/book when he finally gets his due, in the book timeline. I was also glad they were able to bring out Bonnet's fear or nightmare of drowning since, for me, that added even more to his final fate (book and show) until Bree goes out and shoots him. Yes, she did give him mercy, even if she didn't want to say it on the show. I know that the Forbes character, in the next book, is the one who actually kidnaps Brianna and gives her to Bonnet, so I'm good with that character being the one Ulysses kills, instead of the character from the book who really hasn't played a notable role in the show anyway. Other than that I don't think taking out Forbes right now really affects the future story lines. I guess we will miss the funny scene with Jamie, the tar pot and the broom vs. the mob in Hillsboro or wherever. I think this episode really condensed a lot of plot points over two books and still managed to get the show to a realistic place to go forward to the end of the season. And to clear out some fluff from what might have been pushed to next season.

I don't think Jamie's Edinburgh printing press shows up in America until he arranges for it to come back with the man (something Bell?) who got shanghai'd out of the colonies, away from his family, and was living in Edinburgh with his brother. The brother (Andy Bell?) was the person that Jamie left it with when he and Claire went looking for Ian, in book 3. The first press Fergus has is one that comes with a business in one of the bigger towns in NC (it might even have belonged to the shanghai'd Bell?) that he and Jamie acquire to give Fergus something substantial to do, since he's at loose ends on the Ridge after the birth of his 4th child. The next press Fergus runs is in Philadelphia and I don't remember if it was the same one as NC or one that they acquired in Philly when they landed there. As of WiMOHB the Edinburgh press was in storage outside of Charleston, SC. eta: This is the book timeline of Jamie's press. On the show I think it burned up in the fire, but I haven't watched that episode for a while.

William Buchleigh MacKenzie, "Buck", Dougal's son with Gellis, Morag's husband that fought with Roger and had him dragged off. Lots of shaggy curls and a full beard.

I liked this episode, even with the dark and emotional beats. Maybe that's why? Not everything is bright and rosy and "Little House on the Prairie" good times. I think this one brought the dire circumstances all these people are going to face going forward. Choices, alliances, enemies, challenges. I think the choice of the title was appropriate. What better story to tell and embellish than the man who survives a hanging? The morning scene and conversation with Jamie and Claire was much more organic and smooth than that stable scene last week, which was less so, even though both are in the book. I had to let book Roger Mac grow on me, but I like the character very much now. I'm looking forward to see where Richard Rankin takes this. He's definitely been an excellent fit for the character. Sad for the loss of Murtagh but it was clear that the character didn't have anywhere else to go. It still brings Jamie's loss of his godfather to the story, in the end. Glad to see they gave the character the book comment about dying that Jamie remembers from finding Murtagh at Culloden. Totally missed that it was Graham McTavish under all the hair and what not. Good job, makeup dept. I did think he looked familiar though and was wondering who the actor was. LOL.

This episode was a better set up for the season. It seems last week was more of a recap and fan service, showing almost every major character at the wedding, with a little bit of set up. I did like how this episode really emphasized the way Jamie is treading a difficult line between Gov Tryon (and the King he represents), who has provided Jamie and his family the means and property to make a new start in North Carolina, and the men and principles that Jamie also knows (thanks to his time travelers) will eventually prevail against the Crown in a few years. In the book it's mused about, but I never got the sense that it was all that big of a deal, ultimately, since we only saw Jamie's perspective with no close ties to anyone involved. With Murtagh now in the mix it has definitely made the stakes higher, personally. I was torn at first about keeping Murtagh alive on the screen, but I can see it was another great plot point for the show. Moving Marsali into the surgeon's assistant role with Claire was also a great change and I approve. So glad the character and actress will be getting a more complex story line with this change. If they skip the whole Malva Christie and brother characters, and their incest ick that's another bonus. Glad to see Roger found support from Claire about eventually returning to the future. Also that they are waiting to find out if Jemmy can pass through the stones at some point. I was afraid they were going to skip past that whole concern and that it's a big reason Roger and Brianna are still in the past up to this point. I know at some point in the books they choose to stay until other circumstances happen, but at least it's clear that Roger, at least at this point, has plans or desires to return to the future. Nice to see they kind of kept Brianna's shooting skills in the story but I wish they had touched on how Frank had made a point of teaching her these skills when she was growing up, yet Brianna didn't know why he did, at the time. It just would have been a fun little tidbit to drop on the audience, especially those who are not book readers. Things I knew happened via book characters telling them to either Jamie or Claire but that I didn't really want to see: The tarring and feathering of the townsmen by the regulators. Bonnet blinding the man in the sword fight.

Starz.com opened for me yesterday when I was scrambling to get re-signed up for the early release. I re-signed up again directly with Starz.com and not through Amazon Prime so that my Starz App stands alone on all my devices instead of having to open Amazon Prime, which was how it was the first time I got Starz (season 3 time frame) without a cable/satellite service.

So true. But LOL, Bruce's new album is titled "Western Stars," all the promo shots I've seen he's rockin' the cowboy hat, and on his narration of the trailer for the film he sounds like an old grizzled cowpoke. I'll still buy the record and see the film though. Bruce is also very American music, as are many more. I think the one theme of the series, of how all music seems to cross over and be adapted by other genres, is the best observation of it's strengths. I also commiserate with those folks a couple of pages back on the complete dissing of John Denver by the Nashville crowd. I really saw him as more of a folk singer, and an environmentalist, but sheesh, look at everyone else not strictly country that they were willing to embrace, both before JD and after. This series overall was exceptional. I learned so much about the backstories of entertainers I had very little knowledge of, beyond musical glimpses of many of them on Johnny Cash's show and "Hee Haw" when I was a kid. My Dad liked Johnny Cash a lot and both his and Glen Campbell's variety shows were watched most weeks. I had a smallish dabble in the 1990's to early 2000's eras and still like to listen to some of Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Dwight Yokum, and even Garth Brooks. Our local summer fair has live music acts and we take full advantage of the "Grandstands free with fair admission" option. We get to experience some great music that way. This year we saw both Travis Tritt and Charlie Daniels on one night and Big and Rich another night. The Big and Rich show started off with a DJ doing a bunch of song sampling and wrapped up with a mash up of hip-hop acts, dancers and the same DJ bouncing around the stage. It was such a fun and unexpected show, for something billed as "country." A few years ago we were even treated to Willie Nelson. One of my favorite songs, which is still on my "faves" playlist on the ol' iPod in the car, is Willie and Merle's version of "Pancho and Lefty." I had no idea of it's history or of it's author. That was so true about several of the heritage type songs that get re-recorded over the generations.

I took a bit longer, 6 days in all. I liked it and am looking forward to seeing where this story goes in the future. I really liked the Victorian/Industrial/Steampunk look and feel to this. I also caught (or think I caught) that the Fae/fairies had distinct Irish accents, while the Fauns had a bit different accent, maybe Scottish or Welsh? The working class humans were more Midlands/Mining/Industrial England sounding, while the upper class had more posh/BBC accents. This is how my US born ears hear them, anyway. Also, in that vein, Agreus seemed to be using a more refined accent, which I took as an attempt to mirror the upper class he was trying to be accepted by. Good layers for that character. I definitely got the Nazi Germany vibe, especially when the Fae were being herded into the "ghetto," aka Carnival Row, at the end of this episode. I'm not overly bothered by any similarities between this particular show and any possible comparisons to real life current events though. I won't let that cause me to skip a good fiction. YMMV here. Besides, at least in fiction the downtrodden and the good guys eventually prevail in the end, right? Right? Good work by all the actors. Good to see Orlando Bloom on the screen again in a lead role. I was hoping Jared Harris would survive the season, but since he is a hot commodity right now I understand why he would choose a part that was one and done. I respectfully disagree on the based on books idea though I do agree that the showrunners did let the world reveal itself organically, for the most part. I think this makes it more interesting to see where this world goes in future seasons. I'm kind of glad that a potentially compelling show like this won't have a whole "but the books are better" or "the books sucked, I hope the show is better" section. This being said from someone who is also an avid watcher of a couple other series based on book series I really liked and which were/are probably better overall than what ended up on the screen. And nobody is spoiled unless they are set stalkers or something.

Just saw the first episode without knowing a thing about it. At the end I was also saying "What happens now?!!?" So I guess I'll be back to find out. Russell Tovey is such a great actor. I do watch a lot of UK shows so I think I recognize some of the other actors but, thankfully, don't know exactly what characters I've seen them as so nothing is taking me out of this grouping. I only hope this pays off in overall world sociopolitical commentary through these characters and doesn't descend into a one-sided screaming fit from the creators' POVs.

I liked it for what is was. To me it was a lot more epilogue and potential for this fictional world going forward vs. continuation of the story. Sad and melancholy for most of the characters, no real victor or champion, just the business of picking up the pieces of what's left. Liked Brienne filling out Jaime's page in the Knights book. Like most cultural stories it's carefully worded to give him the hero's edit for future generations. Yay for Ser Podrick! Tyrion once again landing on his feet after making yet more bad moves while overthinking the whole game. I want to believe the character is good at heart but I continue to wonder if he's meant to be more Littlefinger than Varys in intent, if the books ever get finished. Poor Jon, it all fell on his shoulders to make it right by offing Mad Queen Danerys after last week's rampage. I think it's always fallen to him over the course of the series to take the moral route when others he's responsible for go astray from the straight path. I think this one finally broke him completely, even more than a knife to the heart. Glad he got to go back to Ghost after all. I see his going back to the north and forsaking his Targaryan blood (that he had no knowledge or conscious connection to, as of a few months ago) like a parallel to Maester Aemon's choices back when he was the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Who needs all that bother anyway? Glad to see Drogon just melt the Iron Throne down so no one ever sits on it again. I guess that's fitting in the sense that it was created by the Targaryans in the first place. No need to keep that symbol around anymore since, if Jon doesn't have kids in the future, the Targaryan line is finished. Glad that Arya is off on further adventures West of Westeros. I hope she comes back eventually to add to the world of what their maps currently show. They left a lot of possibilities on the table for the future of this world. A bunch of trained Unsullied and Dothraki hordes who just lost their chosen queen and are now probably still pissed off and headed back to their homes in the east. I can see that coming back to bite Westeros some time in the future. Where did Drogon go and what happened to Danerys' body? Could she get deposited with a Lord of Light/red woman in the east who could bring her back to life so she can rain fiery destruction at a later date?

I get Danerys' anger and frustration. She's risked everything she's been working towards for so many years to support the North in the Long Night. She's lost Jorah, who would and did die for her and would have supported her before any other contender for the Iron Throne. She's lost a lot of her army and now it's taking whats left of them a couple weeks to march south to the final battle for the Iron Throne, the reason she's even in Westeros after all. She's sitting at a post-battle celebration and all the cheers, back-slapping and such is going to Jon and the Starks, with a bit of Lannister celebration going on at a table in her full view. I saw a person basically left out of the bonding and acknowledgements of her contributions and what it cost her. Plus now she knows that someone else has the (assumed) right to waltz in and take the throne from her, based on birthright and blood. Now her two remaining advisors are aware of that fact and are, in the least, contemplating an alternative to her reign, whether they will move ahead with that or not. Then she loses another dragon and Missandei to Cersei's forces. I don't see her as a mad queen or even unhinged. At this point she's pretty much isolated and vulnerable. At the least she probably should have done Cersei in first before heading north for the Night King so that Cersei wouldn't have had time to build all those crossbow weapons that now ring King's Landing. I don't see how Danerys will easily fly into KL now and take out the Red Keep with dragonfire. I also get Sansa's desire to put the North first because it's her home, traditions and ancestry. She's also not wrong or conniving in the bigger picture, just focused on different concerns for the people she feels responsible for. She also knows Cersei so she should be a little more accommodating to Danerys in her task of getting rid of that viper once and for all. I do think that spilling Jon's "secret" to Tyrion might come back to bite her once this is over. I don't think he wants the Iron Throne and won't be pressured into it either. I could see it driving him away from his family in the end. Brienne and Jaime together makes sense and should have been what goes towards healing him from his effed up sister and family. But now he's also headed south. I hope it's to end Cersei but I don't see her easily letting him get close to her now that he's been to fight the Night King. I want Arya to kill Cersei in the end and I would love it if she does it wearing Jaime's face, if he has to die before the end of this series. Jon should have at least patted Ghost on the head before leaving. So much else. I'm still in for the end of this tale. It won't be happy or easy but that's OK with me.

I'm ready to burn KL down just to get rid of the evil that in Cersci. RIP Missandei, you deserved your retirement to the beaches of Naath.

Yeah, who gets to clean up that big ol' mess? All the women warriors for the win. I also had to practically sit on top of my TV with the lights off to try and follow what was going on in the dark. I was glad that some of the fighters got to use fiery swords to cast light on some of the scenes. Great episode. I guess we find out next week the total death toll? RIP to the characters we did lose this episode though.