S03.E12: The Bakra

[unlfan03]

On 12/5/2017 at 11:19 AM, DittyDotDot said:

There is a Archie Hays who is in command of the Highland troops that show up at the gathering at the start of the never-ending day, but that wasn't on The Ridge either. He was some kid Jamie knew from the uprising and they spend some time catching up. If I remember right, Hayes was one of the youngest boys on the battlefield at Culloden.

 

 

Actually, Archie Hayes was Gavin Hayes' son (I am assuming that is who the current Hayes is supposed to be so he might do something that gets him hangit early next season). In Voyager Gavin Hayes was mentioned as asking every new prisoner if they had known what had happened to his son Archie. Then during the never-ending day Jamie realizes who Archie Hayes was and says that he and Innes need to meet with Archie to at least tell him about his dad. That is why Jamie spends time with him even though he is on the mountain to find out about regulators. Another one of those coincidences that our dear author loves to have.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Is it Hot in here?????!!!!

[nachomama]

Every time they say "young Ian" I hear "Jungian" and I think Freud so I call him Freudian. :D

[LadyBrochTuarach]

I’ve FINALLY watched his episode... yes yes I know. I’m behind, whatever. 

 

I actually liked this episode a lot! Maybe it’s because I finished my Voyageur re-read two weeks ago, and I’m watching the show without any book info immediately running through my brain. I tend to find I get quite grumpy at the changes during my initial watch. 

But, saying that, so much has changed in this episode from book, but I feel that’s largely because of the changes they made much earlier on. And I liked it. The Willie reveal being one of them. I initially didn’t like that they did it early, but now I’m happy they did, because I think this episode would have been overkill on the drama and shenanigans going down. Geillis bathing in blood (it’s all good though because it’s only goats blood, not human blood — the first thought that ran through my head when I say that scene was “oh shit! Oh, shiiit. I hope that’s not he blood of all the virgin boys she murdered...OMG WEE IAN IS IN THE ROOM AND WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO WITH THIS SCENE, HE IS NOT  SUPPOSED TO DIE!” YES, it was only goats blood. Whatever Geillis. Do your witchy stuff but don’t push it on the rest of us,—Wee Ian trying so hard not to give anything away but then she gives him Truth Serum -ahem, cough cough- drugged tea so that he doesn’t lie, then she wants to have sex with him, watching the slave market scene and just being appalled at history for it, The Campbells, Lord John popping up, the “you’re Claire?! You’re alive?! Wtf, Jamie is mine!”, The blue sapphire, the awkwardness between the love triangle, the godawful wigs, the “I’m-still-in-love-with-your-husband-and-wear-the-jewel-he-gave-me-like-you-wear-the-wedding-ring-he-gave-you,” Geillis being revealed to Claire, we find out how she survived her burning, the fortune telling scene, and most of all, Willoughby and Margaret on their first date. And Temeraire (so glad that section of the book was hurried along, because I had to read it twice the first time around to figure out what Claire had, and a lot of people probably wouldn’t have been able to figure it out on screen), and the Captain Leonard -total asshole, I can’t wait for the end of this season, MUAHAHA!- , and of course Jamie and Claire being split again. I have had enough of the latter for a lifetime, holy jeez writers. 

Can you imagine the audiences reaction when Claire finds out about Willie the way she did in the books, on top of that whole episode? My goodness. I was worried how they would fit so much plot into the last two episodes. But if this is anything to go on, I think they’ll do just fine next week for the finale. 

#WeAllHateDroughtlander

#BringRogerBackOnceMore

#TeamSmolderyScotsman

#PleaseDontBringBackFrank

 

Can I just say how much I love where they are going with the Margaret and Willoughby plot line? I love it! I think they’ve done an amazing job, taking such a pitiful writing job of a character in the books, and transforming it into a really beautiful, and meaning role. Buik!Willoughby was horrendous, TV!Willoughby makes me sigh with happiness. Whoever came up with that, well, kudos to you, because I like you. 

I second whoever ever asked if we’ll ever hear from Murtagh again. Ditto. I want to know as well.

Side note about the 100 page day. Dear god, I hated that portion of the 5th book. I nearly stopped reading the series because of it. I hope they can translate that much better to screen and dump half of it. Grr. 

 Overall I really liked this episode a lot! One of the best for me this season. Marsali and Fergus were just MEH this episode. Necessary pawns to move across the board, is all. Sad. I like their characters. Also love LJG, I was so excited for Claire and Jamie to see him. I think he shined in this episode, as did Sam, and Lotte did an excellent job. But my biggest confession is thus: I preferred this episode to the way it was written in the book! I think it was much better done.

13 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Is it Hot in here?????!!!!

YES. Yes it is ?

Edited December 8, 2017 by LadyBrochTuarach
Reworded a sentence so that it makes sense.

[MedievalGirl]

I can live with the 100 page day if they skip the Dismal Swamp. (How I hate the Dismal Swamp.)

The white hair for women was only popular for a short time in the 18th century. If you look at portraits, natural colors hair predominated. 

I didn't mind Jamie's wig. I expected he'd wear one last season at least once in Paris. It, uh, worked well with the planes of his face. 

I expect some of the finery they needed for the ball may have come from the captain of the ship who had died. 

So, the blood scene. I found myself looking up natural anti-coagulants that Gellis might have used to keep it all liquid. How that would have smelled in a tropical environment, and the bugs. 

Who brings soldiers with bayonets into a governor's ball without talking with the governor first?

All this said, I found I enjoyed the episode. Lots of character moments to go with the compressed plot. 

[WatchrTina]

5 hours ago, MedievalGirl said:

Who brings soldiers with bayonets into a governor's ball without talking with the governor first?

A wanker.  That's who. 

[millahnna]

This one was weird for me; there are parts I loathed and parts I loved.  I'm really uncomfortable with how Diana and the show try to deal with race and we're far enough past where I stopped reading the books that I don't know how different it is. 

 

But I kind of loved Gellis's complete over the top introduction, even if it didn't really make a lot of sense for me. 

[FnkyChkn34]

14 hours ago, millahnna said:

This one was weird for me; there are parts I loathed and parts I loved.  I'm really uncomfortable with how Diana and the show try to deal with race and we're far enough past where I stopped reading the books that I don't know how different it is. 

 

But I kind of loved Gellis's complete over the top introduction, even if it didn't really make a lot of sense for me. 

IMO, the show handled it much, much better.  DG's depiction of Willoughby was only ever questionable at best, and often much worse.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

IMO, the show handled it much, much better.  DG's depiction of Willoughby was only ever questionable at best, and often much worse.

Gabaldon was horrible with it. As her use of Hindus, spelled in a way to convey the derogatory meaning. And it wasn't coming from the mouth of Geillis, but from the author, describing the people. Which I side-eyed and vented my spleen in the buik thread. I'm just glad it was left out here.

[toolazy]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Gabaldon was horrible with it. As her use of Hindus, spelled in a way to convey the derogatory meaning. And it wasn't coming from the mouth of Geillis, but from the author, describing the people. Which I side-eyed and vented my spleen in the buik thread. I'm just glad it was left out here.

Hindus?  Where? I have completely forgotten this, apparently.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just now, toolazy said:

Hindus?  Where? I have completely forgotten this, apparently.

It was when Claire discovered that Geillis was alive, and she was shocked that Geillis had slaves, I think? Then DG went into that POV where it's information dumping, and referred to Hindus as "Hindoos."

[toolazy]

11 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It was when Claire discovered that Geillis was alive, and she was shocked that Geillis had slaves, I think? Then DG went into that POV where it's information dumping, and referred to Hindus as "Hindoos."

Yeesh.  

[FnkyChkn34]

12 minutes ago, toolazy said:

Hindus?  Where? I have completely forgotten this, apparently.

 

10 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It was when Claire discovered that Geillis was alive, and she was shocked that Geillis had slaves, I think? Then DG went into that POV where it's information dumping, and referred to Hindus as "Hindoos."

I don't remember this either, and I'm surprised that any of the characters or the author would talk about Hindus?  I don't recall them in the story, unless that is someone's religion that I totally don't remember.

[toolazy]

24 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

 

I don't remember this either, and I'm surprised that any of the characters or the author would talk about Hindus?  I don't recall them in the story, unless that is someone's religion that I totally don't remember.

 

I searched the Kindle version and the word "Hindoo" appears once, spoken by Geillis:

"I learned about the stones from an Indian - not a red Indian, a Hindoo from Calcutta," she explained. "He came to me, looking for thornapple and he hold me how to make medicines from gemstones."

 

So, not as agregious as it could have been. 

[millahnna]

13 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

IMO, the show handled it much, much better.  DG's depiction of Willoughby was only ever questionable at best, and often much worse.

I definitely remember enough about Voyager to know that much; I left off just before Claire's jump from the plague ship.  The slave auction stuff is what I'm wondering about.  In the show it felt very "white savior" and I'm wondering if the book was able to avoid that or was worse, as well.