S03.E13: Eye of the Storm

[Clawdette]

I know Lotte has a dance background but don’t know if she was a ballet devotee.  Some ballerinas tend to have sparse hair around their hairlines from years of pulling their hair severely back into buns. I’ve always thought of this when looking at Lotte. 

[ferjy]

11 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

Okay, I’m pretty sure that when Jamie looks around the deck after that giant wave hits them broadside and then looks over the side, one is not supposed to laugh.  But I did.  Repeatedly.  Jamie finding Claire in that storm-tossed ocean, diving down into those dark waters with the skills of a Polynesian pearl-diver and the unerring targeting ability of  -- oh hell I can’t even come up with an apt simile for his ability to locate Claire underwater.  At any rate, that whole scene is ridiculous.  In fairness, it was probably ridiculous in the book but somehow I didn’t scoff so hard at it.  I guess I assumed that Book!Jamie saw Claire knocked into the water (when the mast broke), went in immediately afterward, and thrashed around quite a bit looking for her, perhaps following her down by using the ropes of the wreckage she was tangled in as a guide.  TV!Jamie, on the other hand, is Aquaman. You have to laugh.

Yeah, a lot of laughable moments there. Like when he stops to kiss her before swimming up. lol And you could hear the rope being cut with his knife, ha ha! In the deeps! But it was good drama. Great imagery and music during the storm.

3 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

They said in the podcast for the previous episode that they used some subtle prosthetics on Lotte's face to age her slightly but I don't know what was going on with her forehead.  They definitely put her in a wig -- they talked about learning how red-heads tend to fade as they age rather than go grey.  I think the bottom line is that Lotte has what Tyra Banks calls a "five finger forehead" (Tyra has one too) and we just noticed it more in this ep due to the wig.

ETA:  I googled images of Lotte and yep, she just has a big forehead.  Something about the wig must have made it seem more so than usual.

She does seem to have a high forehead in the pictures, doesn’t she? I think in the past seasons they had her hair over forehead so it wasn’t noticeable. 

Edited December 11, 2017 by ferjy

[LadyBrochTuarach]

I’ll come back and read comments, and I’ll comment more thoroughly later. But I’ve just finished and all I have to say is... 

 

YAAAAAAASSS!!!!! ????????????????

 

Thank goodness for this episode! 

 

I also have have to say that they did an excellent job wrapping up the plot and stitching up little holes that were left open throughout the season, and things that were changed from the book. 

 

Geillis ???

SO happy about the Willoughby change! 

Marsali and Fergus ???

Jamie and Claire ???

And of course, Wee Ian! Oh how adorable he is! Love that lad! Okay, I’ll be back after another watch! 

 

Side note: sorry to the producers and directors that I snarked throughout most of the season about changes from the buik and weird incohesive things that happened throughout the season. I forgive you after this episode ?

 

Does it not feel like season 3 has lasted a lifetime? I try thinking back to the beginning of the season and I feel I’ll need to rewatch. It seems like years ago already. 

Edited December 11, 2017 by LadyBrochTuarach

[Petunia846]

2 hours ago, ferjy said:

Yeah, a lot of laughable moments there. Like when he stops to kiss her before swimming up. 

I thought it wasn't so much a kiss as it was him blowing some air into her mouth. I don't know if that's a real thing you can do for a drowning person, though.

[morgan]

I guess I am one of the few who liked the boat sex scene.  And I was good with how all the Jamaica stuff wrapped up.  I was not looking for any longer there.  It felt like once they were on the boat it was a reset, the start of their new life together and I liked that pause.

Thought the changes to Margaret/Y Tien Cho were great.  Her reading of Jamie/Claire/Bree channeling really worked for me!  And dear god, give Lord John a spin off already! 

I whistle past a ton but I do wish they showed Claire take a breath while floating on the wood.  I see a lot of people comparing that to Jack and Rose but I saw Christ imagery and thought it was a nice nod to the religious stuff they mostly leave out from the books.  Loved the eye of the storm shot too.

my husband was traveling last week so I binged the season over a couple of days and find it to be so strong overall.  Part of me wishes they would release it all at once, like Netflix does.  Can’t wait for next season!!!

(Side note, is GOT really not back till 2019???)

[Haleth]

1 hour ago, morgan said:

(Side note, is GOT really not back till 2019???)

Correct.  They didn't start filming the last 6 episodes until recently.  They wanted to wait for colder weather and a bleak landscape, so it won't be ready in time for the fall premiers.

Ok, on topic.  That was a whirlwind to fit everything into 50some minutes.  I loved juxtaposing the African dancers with the Scottish ones, showing the similarities.  Nice detail.  I am also thankful the whole sequence at the plantation was simplified, with some of the supernatural elements discarded.  

Like everyone else, I loved Lord John's dismissal of Lieut. Capt. Leonard even though I feel sorry for the kid.  He thought he was doing the right thing, performing his duty.  Can't fault him for that.

Yeah, the whole hurricane/overboard/rescue/stranding sequence was pretty silly.  Jamie swimming like Michael Phelps.  Riding out the back half of the hurricane on a piece of wood (not that we saw it).  The family that found Claire and Jamie just kind of walking away like they find shipwrecked people on the beach every day.  

3 hours ago, LadyBrochTuarach said:

Does it not feel like season 3 has lasted a lifetime?

YES!  All those episodes when Claire and Jamie were separated seem like years ago!

Is it September (October?) yet?

[Ziggy]

8 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

I googled images of Lotte and yep, she just has a big forehead.  Something about the wig must have made it seem more so than usual.

4 hours ago, ferjy said:

She does seem to have a high forehead in the pictures, doesn’t she? I think in the past seasons they had her hair over forehead so it wasn’t noticeable. 

Wow, I really hadn't noticed this before at all.  I was honestly taken aback when I saw her in "The Backra," but, yep, that's just her forehead.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Ziggy

[morgan]

Thanks Haleth.  Guess I can cross GOT off my summer list.  Sniff.

Back to the episode, I forgot to add how much I loved Claire seeing the similarity with the dancers in Scotland that she and Frank watched to the Jamaican one she and Jamie watched.  Interesting that she was with both husbands!  Thinking back to LJG and Capt/Lt Leonard, part of me also went to Jamie’s handling of LJG back in the first season.  Another young boy who learned an invaluable lesson from an older and wiser man!  

LOVED the fife and drums final credits.  Woot! Bring on season 4!!!!

[jqdeco]

I don't have anything new to add that hasn't already been said. But I just wanted to say loved this episode. Loved LJG giving Lt Leonard that smack down, loved Claire taking Gellis head off (mostly), loved the love scene. Of course I enjoy every love scene between Jamie and Claire. I even liked the whole Claire drowning and Jamie saving her. It was totally unbelievable and I knew Claire wasn't going to actually died, but it still had me on my feet pacing while I watched (my go to way of watching stressful scenes).  I will have to watch again tonight. Can't wait for season four.

[WatchrTina]

5 hours ago, LadyBrochTuarach said:

Does it not feel like season 3 has lasted a lifetime?

Well it lasted 20 years.  But yes, I find it hard to believe that this season started with Jamie lying near death on the Culloden battle-field.  That seems AGES ago.  I barely recollect that Claire had another husband somewhere along the way.  "Fred" was it?

 

2 hours ago, morgan said:

I whistle past a ton but I do wish they showed Claire take a breath while floating on the wood.

Yup.  If it had been Claire dong the rescuing she would have at least checked Jamie's pulse but Jamie just yells at Claire's body.  We did see Jamie try to blow air into her mouth underwater (which is too absurd for words) so it seems like he would have tried something, anything to wake her or at least confirm she was alive once he got her head above water.  Alas, they went for the cheesy, cough back to life after (apparently) floating unconscious through the entire back-half of a hurricane.  

Edited December 11, 2017 by WatchrTina

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, morgan said:

I guess I am one of the few who liked the boat sex scene.  

We can sit together at the "losers" table and giggle and swoon with thumping hearts and heart eyes over tha' scene. Because I LOVED it. I dinna care about the "cheesy" dialogue. If I close me eyes, I can imagine Sam Jamie sayin' them tae me!

Wot? 

This was my second emotional favorite scene, though it made me laugh as weell:

Yer welcome. Now to find the one where Jamie is holding Claire and murmuring to her, calling her "Mo Cridhe."

1 minute ago, WatchrTina said:

I barely recollect that Claire had another husband somewhere along the way.  "Fred" was it?

?????

Fer this line alone, I liked yer post, because as ye can tell and read, I looooved the love scene!

[WatchrTina]

Okay, I know they were in the eye of the storm when the scene above was filmed but seriously, someone off camera should have been doing something to kick up some waves in that tank because while the winds may die out in the eye of a hurricane I'm pretty sure the ocean is still churned up there, given how waves work.

Oh well, I like a good Philadelphia Cheese Steak (even though I know that is not food of the best quality) and I can enjoy the cheese in this episode too.

ETA:  I'm trying to imagine the table-read when Sam saw what Jamie did and said in this episode.  It makes me laugh.  Contrast the Jamie in this episode (narrating his own sexual exploits and yelling at Claire "If you die here now I swear I'll KILL you.") with the Jamie of episode 1 (fighting, nearly dying, having to do over half the episode flat on his back, acting almost wordlessly with his eyes) or episode 2 (who fails to speak for first 15 minutes and who weeps at the touch of woman and the memory of another woman.)  Damn this show has scope!  And as cheesy as this last episode was -- it still makes for a great season-long ride.

Edited December 11, 2017 by WatchrTina

[katville]

I thought the episode was outstanding. Best Outlander season finale yet.

They hit all the right beats, the whole episode was visually stunning, they managed to stay true to (even the more ludicrous aspects of) the book and they spent some well-needed time on Claire and Jamie's romance/relationship. Everyone turned in marvelous performances. 

This might not be a popular opinion but I have come here several times over the season and thought that some of the viewpoints were veering toward unreasonable. Maybe it is because I have been a fan for only two years versus twenty. When something happens in the series that is not in the book or changed from the book, I might be disappointed but I remind myself that they are not making Katville's Outlander. I think sometimes it might be best to keep in mind that this is a ridiculously difficult series to adapt. I admire the show's commitment, their care and thought and their enthusiasm. I sympathize with them for the criticism that they receive when I truly believe that they are trying to make the best product that they can. Think back to this season, it was incredibly ambitious from the beginning and I cannot think of another series that has to meld so many genres, locations and storylines -- and do it realistically. I just wonder if fans expectations (probably fueled by the long Droughtlander) were impossible to meet. 

Edited December 11, 2017 by katville

[FnkyChkn34]

OK, here's my nitpick that I never understood from either the book or the show...

When Claire is "drowning," she's caught in ropes and the sail, tied to a wooden mast, right?  I'm not sure about ropes and sail material, but... a wooden... mast.  Wood.  It floats.  Why was it dragging her down?  Was she actually attached to a boulder or the anchor?  

[DittyDotDot]

36 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

OK, here's my nitpick that I never understood from either the book or the show...

When Claire is "drowning," she's caught in ropes and the sail, tied to a wooden mast, right?  I'm not sure about ropes and sail material, but... a wooden... mast.  Wood.  It floats.  Why was it dragging her down?  Was she actually attached to a boulder or the anchor?  

Yes, wood does float, but when first thrust into water, it sinks before it rises again. With the force of the storm they were in, the mast could've drug her down quite a ways and then started rising again, but the mast would only drag her back up the distance of the ropes. And, with her arms and legs tangled in the rope she would have no way to swim herself up.

Edited December 11, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[FnkyChkn34]

14 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

Yes, wood does float, but when first thrust into water, it sinks before it rises again. With the force of the storm they were in, the mast could've drug her down quite a ways and then started rising again, but the mast would only drag her back up the distance of the ropes. And, with her arms and legs tangled in the rope she would have no way to swim herself up.

Thanks, but I'm still not buying it that wood would sink like a rock, as depicted.  It would bob around, if it didn't float. 

She must have been tangled in something other than the mast made of wood.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Thanks, but I'm still not buying it that wood would sink like a rock, as depicted.  It would bob around, if it didn't float. 

She must have been tangled in something other than the mast made of wood.

There's also the weight of her gown. That could have been a factor to drag her down.

[FnkyChkn34]

Just now, GHScorpiosRule said:

There's also the weight of her gown. That could have been a factor to drag her down.

But in the wide shot of her drowning, she's clearly being dragged down by something else, since the rope is taught.  It's ok - I'm now assuming it was something heavy that wouldn't float, not the mast.

[MedievalGirl]

I found myself uncharacteristically doing things like talking and scrunching up the sofa pillows as I watched this episode. I take that to mean I was really into it.  (But did anyone else sing "In the eye of a hurricane, There is quiet, For just a moment, A yellow sky.") My husband was worried they'd stop the season with Jamie and Claire just floating.

The romantic scene "This is so cheesy but I love it."

[morgan]

6 minutes ago, MedievalGirl said:

I found myself uncharacteristically doing things like talking and scrunching up the sofa pillows as I watched this episode. I take that to mean I was really into it.  (But did anyone else sing "In the eye of a hurricane, There is quiet, For just a moment, A yellow sky.") My husband was worried they'd stop the season with Jamie and Claire just floating.

The romantic scene "This is so cheesy but I love it."

Omg, yes!  I was singing that too!

[toolazy]

While I really liked the finale, I'm not ready to declare it the best season finale ever. That honor goes to the second season finale, I'm afraid.  You just can't top Jamie sending Claire back through the stones with the intention of going back and dying in battle.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, toolazy said:

While I really liked the finale, I'm not ready to declare it the best season finale ever. That honor goes to the second season finale, I'm afraid.  You just can't top Jamie sending Claire back through the stones with the intention of going back and dying in battle.  

Agree. The second season finale was the best for me. Eve of Culloden, Claire begging Jamie not to send her back, and those final words!

"Lord, ye gave me a rare woman. And I loved her well."

SIGH....

[Nidratime]

I was kind of disappointed that they still didn't have Captain Leonard chasing them so that, when they got to Georgia, Jamie would first ask where they were and only then say their real names. That always brought a tear to my eyes when I read the book. 

That being said, the fact that John Grey refuses to carry through with turning Jamie over to Leonard doesn't mean Jamie's free to return to Scotland -- at least to my mind. As far as I can tell, there will still be authorities looking out for Alexander Malcolm in Scotland (or at least Edinburgh) and they might figure out that A. Malcolm = Jamie Fraser if someone who knew A. Malcolm saw Jamie and made the connection. Makes me wonder about their initial plans to return to Scotland, and what they were going to do if that happened.

[FnkyChkn34]

18 minutes ago, Nidratime said:

I was kind of disappointed that they still didn't have Captain Leonard chasing them so that, when they got to Georgia, Jamie would first ask where they were and only then say their real names. That always brought a tear to my eyes when I read the book. 

That being said, the fact that John Grey refuses to carry through with turning Jamie over to Leonard doesn't mean Jamie's free to return to Scotland -- at least to my mind. As far as I can tell, there will still be authorities looking out for Alexander Malcolm in Scotland (or at least Edinburgh) and they might figure out that A. Malcolm = Jamie Fraser if someone who knew A. Malcolm saw Jamie and made the connection. Makes me wonder about their initial plans to return to Scotland, and what they were going to do if that happened.

One of them said something about how it was so nice of Lord John to use his influence to make the warrant disappear, because it would be nice to return to Scotland.  I think that means that he's a free man, no matter his identity.  Poorly written and executed because it was barely in there, but there nonetheless.

What I'm more curious to find out is why they stay in America if they are now free to return to Scotland.  It made sense in the books that he was still wanted, so they couldn't return, but that isn't the case anymore.  Guess we'll find out next year!

[cardigirl]

1 hour ago, toolazy said:

While I really liked the finale, I'm not ready to declare it the best season finale ever. That honor goes to the second season finale, I'm afraid.  You just can't top Jamie sending Claire back through the stones with the intention of going back and dying in battle.  

 

The entire episode was magical, from the opening with Roger sort of watching The Avengers at his 'father's' funeral, to the end where Claire realizes she might be able to be with Jamie again.  Sigh.  I loved every minute of it, and cannot say the same of the season 3 ender.  While the season 3 ender had a lot of action and story and yes, sexy times, it just didn't compare to the final episode of season 2.  Not cinematically, and not story-wise.
I think, perhaps, that Ronald Moore taking a step back has something to do with that.  

I'm in for season 4, and I hope it recaptures some of the glossy perfection that was season 2.  (All of this is just my opinion, ye ken?) :)

[Nidratime]

Quote

One of them said something about how it was so nice of Lord John to use his influence to make the warrant disappear, because it would be nice to return to Scotland.  I think that means that he's a free man, no matter his identity.  Poorly written and executed because it was barely in there, but there nonetheless.

That went right over my head, but I'm not surprised. I had just returned from a trip out of town, and had only just turned on the episode after it had been on for 10 minutes. While watching, I was also cleaning up all the destruction my kitties had caused in my absence, while also unpacking. I watched it a second time "on demand," but was so tired, little details were escaping me.

[FnkyChkn34]

1 minute ago, Nidratime said:

That went right over my head, but I'm not surprised. I had just returned from a trip out of town, and had only just turned on the episode after it had been on for 10 minutes. While watching, I was also cleaning up all the destruction my kitties had caused in my absence, while also unpacking. I watched it a second time "on demand," but was so tired, little details were escaping me.

I totally understand missing it.  I think I missed it the first time too.  It was also very vague, so I may be wrong in my interpretation.  But I think it has to mean that, because otherwise why would they go back to Scotland?  (The real problem with it, though, is the timing.  Did Lord John email or fax it on over?  Hop on Skype and get it resolved?  How do they know that when written correspondence takes months to reach other people?)

[toolazy]

20 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

The entire episode was magical, from the opening with Roger sort of watching The Avengers at his 'father's' funeral, to the end where Claire realizes she might be able to be with Jamie again.  Sigh.  I loved every minute of it, and cannot say the same of the season 3 ender.  While the season 3 ender had a lot of action and story and yes, sexy times, it just didn't compare to the final episode of season 2.  Not cinematically, and not story-wise.
I think, perhaps, that Ronald Moore taking a step back has something to do with that.  

I'm in for season 4, and I hope it recaptures some of the glossy perfection that was season 2.  (All of this is just my opinion, ye ken?) :)

I don't think it's because the new crew is less competent; it's just that there isn't as much to work with in the source material.  The books end with a storm blowing Jamie & Claire up onto a beach in the colonies.  That can't compare to the things that happened at the end of Dragonfly in Amber.   

[TaurusRose]

Well, I really enjoyed the season finale. I admit to being a little less than excited by quite a few episodes this season, but this one (in my opinion) was close to perfection. I didn’t see any cheesy scenes, just lots of love, appreciation and thankfulness. Count me in as someone who loved Claireand Jamie’s moment of intimacy. ?? Some of the images being criticized were poetry in visual format as far as I’m concerned. The scene with C&J embracing on the beach and Jamie’s tears of thankfulness melted my heart. I love wee Ian!  John Grey is noble as well as in love with Claire’s husband. Marsali is Claire Jr. and Fergus Fraser always has his foster parents’ backs. Glad YTC (and Margaret) got a happy ending, and that the African-Jamaican ritual was shown to be as real and legitimate as the dance at the stones in Scotland. Good riddance to nut job Geillis. Looking forward to season 4.

Edited December 11, 2017 by taurusrose

[Clawdette]

Georgia has a coastline that runs from Savannah to Jacksonville, Florida.  Plenty of places to wash ashore.

[cardigirl]

15 minutes ago, toolazy said:

I don't think it's because the new crew is less competent; it's just that there isn't as much to work with in the source material.  The books end with a storm blowing Jamie & Claire up onto a beach in the colonies.  That can't compare to the things that happened at the end of Dragonfly in Amber.   

Well, storyline IS important, but the quality of the filming just seemed lesser to me.  Like perhaps there were budget cuts, which is why this season was a smidge shorter than last season. The only episode that matched last season's cinematic quality, in my eyes, was Helwater.  But again, everyone's mileage may vary on this, I just sensed a 'lessening' of quality.  Hard to measure or pin down.  

I liked all of the additions to the cast and look forward to next season. 

[dustoffmom]

You beat me to it Clawdette!  I was going to say that if Savannah is no longer on the coast, just where is it located these days?  :)

[TaurusRose]

15 minutes ago, Clawdette said:

Georgia has a coastline that runs from Savannah to Jacksonville, Florida.  Plenty of places to wash ashore.

If you were addressing my comment, you must have the posted while I was correcting. The only place I pay attention to in Georgia is Atlanta and it’s pretty much landlocked. ?

[FnkyChkn34]

6 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

Well, storyline IS important, but the quality of the filming just seemed lesser to me.  Like perhaps there were budget cuts, which is why this season was a smidge shorter than last season. The only episode that matched last season's cinematic quality, in my eyes, was Helwater.  But again, everyone's mileage may vary on this, I just sensed a 'lessening' of quality.  Hard to measure or pin down.  

I liked all of the additions to the cast and look forward to next season. 

Maybe because this season relied more on CGI than the past seasons?  Nearly all of the ship scenes used green screens and CGI in some fashion.  There may have been a few budget cuts elsewhere, because special effects are more expensive.  I have a feeling that next season will get back to the same quality as before, because the scenes will be more natural and less dramatic (in the giant waves and rocking boats kind of way).

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, cardigirl said:

Well, storyline IS important, but the quality of the filming just seemed lesser to me.  Like perhaps there were budget cuts, which is why this season was a smidge shorter than last season. The only episode that matched last season's cinematic quality, in my eyes, was Helwater.  But again, everyone's mileage may vary on this, I just sensed a 'lessening' of quality.  Hard to measure or pin down.  

I liked all of the additions to the cast and look forward to next season. 

On the contrary--based on the production values this season, there were no cuts. And it was only the first season that had 16 episodes. Last season was also 13 episodes as was this season.

They just need to get back the old writers; or have the new ones study the source material; OR if they don't want to, to watch previous seasons, so that then they write an episode, that they fucking don't write out of their asses and don't write the characters as, out of character, like we got this season.

6 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Maybe because this season relied more on CGI than the past seasons?  Nearly all of the ship scenes used green screens and CGI in some fashion.  There may have been a few budget cuts elsewhere, because special effects are more expensive.  I have a feeling that next season will get back to the same quality as before, because the scenes will be more natural and less dramatic (in the giant waves and rocking boats kind of way).

They also moved between Scotland, South Africa. I'm not sure if the scenes in Jamaica, were Jamaica? If so, then three different locations.

[cardigirl]

5 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

On the contrary--based on the production values this season, there were no cuts. And it was only the first season that had 16 episodes. Last season was also 13 episodes as was this season.

They just need to get back the old writers; or have the new ones study the source material; OR if they don't want to, to watch previous seasons, so that then they write an episode, that they fucking don't write out of their asses and don't write the characters as, out of character, like we got this season.

They also moved between Scotland, South Africa. I'm not sure if the scenes in Jamaica, were Jamaica? If so, then three different locations.

1

Yes, same number of episodes, but the 13th episode last year was longer, like 90 minutes.  I think this season's 13th episode would have benefitted from some extra time as there was so much to smush into 57 minutes. So this season was just a smidge shorter than last season, and I wonder why.

The scenes from Jamaica were filmed in South Africa. 

Edited December 11, 2017 by cardigirl

[toolazy]

I'm pretty sure it's the move to South Africa and the scenes on the boats that ate up the lion's share of the budget.  And let's be grateful that they did because otherwise we would have had a blow-by-blow real-time re-creation of Culloden.  At least based on what RDM said in the episode 1 podcast.  That would have been horrendous. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, cardigirl said:

Yes, same number of episodes, but the 13th episode last year was longer, like 90 minutes.  I think this season's 13th episode would have benefitted from some extra time as there was so much to smush into 57 minutes. So this season was just a smidge shorter than last season, and I wonder why.

The scenes from Jamaica were filmed in South Africa. 

They still cancel each other out, with last season having an extra 15 minutes. Remember, "A. Malcolm" was one hour and 15 minutes long.

Frankly, I would like more episodes; And with this season earning the highest ratings yet, I'm hoping we can get that.

Edited December 11, 2017 by GHScorpiosRule

[cardigirl]

1 minute ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

They still cancel each other out, with last season having an extra 15 minutes. Remember, "A. Malcolm" was one hour and 15 minutes long.

Frankly, I would like more episodes; And with this season earning the highest ratings yet, I'm hoping we can get that.

Haha, just so!  And I agree, more episodes would be GREAT!  

[FnkyChkn34]

7 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

They still cancel each other out, with last season having an extra 15 minutes. Remember, "A. Malcolm" was one hour and 15 minutes long.

Frankly, I would like more episodes; And with this season earning the highest ratings yet, I'm hoping we can get that.

I would agree, however IMO, we're coming up to much weaker source material.  If any season needed more episodes, it was this one.

[Nidratime]

Quote

 

Yes, same number of episodes, but the 13th episode last year was longer, like 90 minutes.  I think this season's 13th episode would have benefitted from some extra time as there was so much to smush into 57 minutes. So this season was just a smidge shorter than last season, and I wonder why.

As someone mentioned, this season, the episode that got the "over 60 minutes treatment" was A. Malcolm because they wanted to give the fans a super-sized sexy reunion.

Quote

I totally understand missing it.  I think I missed it the first time too.  It was also very vague, so I may be wrong in my interpretation.  But I think it has to mean that, because otherwise why would they go back to Scotland?  (The real problem with it, though, is the timing.  Did Lord John email or fax it on over?  Hop on Skype and get it resolved?  How do they know that when written correspondence takes months to reach other people?)

That's why I thought John Grey was only talking about Jamaica, i.e., as far as he's concerned Jamie didn't do anything in Jamaica and there's no warrant for arrest here. Besides that, Jamie's wanted in Scotland as Alexander Malcolm, not Jamie Fraser. So, he could go back as long as no one makes that connection. But, unfortunately, there is someone on the boat who made that connection.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Nidratime

[jzygayle]

On 12/10/2017 at 5:56 AM, Petunia846 said:

they run outside, stop, and Jamie says, "Which way?!" and Claire says, "This way!" and points the direction they were already going and then they keep running. Tiny things like that which weren't really necessary, but that's an extreme nitpick.

My nitpick with that scene was, if you're going to steal someone's torch for this, shouldn't the guy carrying it be IN FRONT???  LOL  Again, tiny nitpick :)

 

Quote

This show (this episode in particular) is so DARK.  I don’t mean content – I mean you cannot see what is going on on-screen if you watch during the day with a normal amount of sunlight in the room.  I’m watching now on an iMac, which does a much better job of handling night scenes than my television (also my study is a naturally darker room than my living room) and I’m seeing so much more now than I saw on my TV the first time through.  It really annoys me that you cannot see what is happening on the TV screen during the night scenes unless you wait and watch at night with the lights off.  For example – I did wonder why Claire took such an interest in that pile of straw that the dog was harrying.  When I watched the second time I saw that you could see the legs of a white man sticking out of the straw.  Oh.

It's not just Outlander, either.  You're not the only one it bugs, particularly since I work evenings, so do most of my TV watching the next morning.  Luckily, I decided to watch this one live.

 

[FnkyChkn34]

I found that nearly everything that I was watching was very dark, so I adjusted the contrast and brightness on my TV. ;-)  I don't have any problem with Outlander now (or the Harry Potter movies, which is what were the last straw, I think).  

[Haleth]

The ships and a lot of the sets in South Africa (standing in for Jamaica) were borrowed from Black Sails and did not need to be built from scratch. So there's that. Helping the budget. 

[Biggie B]

I enjoyed this episode. I find that, for the most part, there are parts of every episode that either fall flat for me, or that I simply don't care about, but it all balances out. Or rather, there are more scenes/storylines that I am invested in, so I can tolerate the stuff I don't like or care about. In this episode, I could've done without the sex scene. I just didn't quite care. 

I sort of felt bad that Margaret's brother was killed - not that he was a nice guy or anything, but I'm not sure he needed to be killed. I guess it made for heightened drama in that scene and actually, when one of the men grabbed his wig and put it on, I found that very powerful visually. 

The underwater scenes elicited eye rolls from me. Of course Claire wasn't going to die, so...whatever. Whether Jamie was kissing her or tying to blow oxygen into her, I found that just weird. Wouldn't water rush in to her open mouth once he took his mouth off of hers? And how the heck did he even find her? In the midst of a raging hurricane, I am guessing that the water wouldn't be quite as clear as it looked down there. Wouldn't it be almost black, without any sunlight to illuminate it? It just seemed next to impossible that she could be located so quickly in such conditions. Jamie was on the deck and it was raining so hard and the waves were smashing into him with the force of a firehose being shot in his face - how did he manage to look over the side of the ship and know exactly where Claire was, underwater no less, in the open, raging, sea? 

Loved Lord John Grey - awesome scene, terrifically acted, and man, is David Berry gorgeous or what? 

Glad that Gellis is dead. She was insane. 

I'm happy they're done with Jamaica. I didn't love that part of the books and while there were some intense moments, it's definitely time to move on! 

At the end, when Jamie and Claire learn where they are (and yes, how bizarre that that family just strolled away without even offering to help them stand up!), and the camera panned out to show us the vast expanse of land lying before them, I felt an emotional swell in my throat. It really moved me - to think they were there, at the impending birth of a new country was something I found very profound. 

[toolazy]

9 minutes ago, Biggie B said:

I felt an emotional swell in my throat. It really moved me - to think they were there, at the impending birth of a new country was something I found very profound. 

The problem with the "birth of a new country" is that the new country was already inhabited.  Which is a thing that the show will have to start coming to terms with, as early as next season.  

[Biggie B]

Oh yes, toolazy, I agree - it is only new to those who have been there five minutes (figuratively speaking).  I definitely do not mean to dismiss or overlook or discount in any way the people who'd been living there for generations, and who'd established rich cultures and civilizations. I think what struck me was the blank slate that Jamie and Claire have before them - a chance to start an entirely different and new life. Ian's integration into Native American life was, to me, one of the most intense parts of these books and I am curious as to how it will be portrayed.

Edited December 12, 2017 by Biggie B

[GingerMarie]

20 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

There's also the weight of her gown. That could have been a factor to drag her down.

That gown almost was the death of ME.  It was like a bad dream that just kept going on and on.  So I agree with you that it was the GOWN that was pulling her down.  There is no other explanation.  PEACE

[FnkyChkn34]

12 hours ago, toolazy said:

The problem with the "birth of a new country" is that the new country was already inhabited.  Which is a thing that the show will have to start coming to terms with, as early as next season.  

But with the Revolution coming up, it really will be the birth of a new country - America.  Right now, it's still a British colony.  And sure, it's already inhabited too.  So I think both comments are accurate.

[MaggieG]

Can someone answer this for me? I don't remember if this was ever answered in the books. Is Joe Abernathy somehow related to Geillis?

I really enjoyed this episode. Loved the hug between Jamie, Claire and Young Ian. And Young Ian yelling at Geilis to shut her blathering mouth.