Review – Outlander Episode 4 – La Dame Blanche

 

 

Summary from Starz.com

 

Claire and Jamie throw a dinner party to derail investors in Prince Charles’ war effort. Meanwhile, Claire’s revelation that Jack Randall is alive sparks Jamie in an unexpected way as he and Claire struggle.

 

DO NOT CONTINUE ON IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

Episode 4, we are about a third of the way through the season. Where has the time gone!?!?!

 

The episode starts with Jamie playing chess with Lord Duverney with Claire watching. Lord Duverney asks if they have selected names for the baby. In the book, Jamie and Claire discuss baby names in bed one night, and Claire says that she refuses to name her child after her father or her uncle. In the Episode, Claire suggests her uncle’s name.

 

We also have another deviation from the book in this scene. Claire is poisoned, actually given Bitter Cascara (which in high doses causes severe intestinal cramping and diarrhea), while attending a meal with the King. She is whisked away by Jamie to the suit of rooms that they occasionally stay in at Versailles and the King’s Physician is called to attend her, while many of the ladies of the court stand in corridor to witness what is going on. Later Claire remembers her conversation with Master Raymond about how he sells Bitter Cascara under the guise of poison to people looking to do away with a rival, usually married women give it to other women. In the episode, Claire gets a beverage from a servant after Comte Saint Germaine tells Lord Duverney that Jamie has essentially thrown the game, to allow the Lord to win. From when she gets the beverage until Jamie takes her out of the chess hall, Comte Saint Germaine watches Claire closely. Unrealistically, Jamie takes Claire home (see my previous post about this issue), instead of staying at Versailles and having her cared for there. Later, after the cramps have ceased, Jamie has made tea for Claire (I’m assuming it is an herbal infusion to help ease the pains of the cramps). Claire tells Jamie of Comte Saint Germaine watched her and says that she doesn’t think it was poison but actually Bitter Cascara.

 

I have nit picky thing about the Bitter Cascara. Bitter Cascara’s natural habitat is the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. This isn’t a plant that is found in Europe. Spanish conquerors were give some by native tribes in the 1600s. My issue is that Master Raymond wouldn’t have a steady supplier (if one at all) in 1744. Plants that are readily available in Europe with similar effects is the juice of Aloe Vera and the roots of rhubarb. Overall, the show and the books are very accurate about the herbs used and the preparations. Unless there is something about Master Raymond we don’t know, this isn’t an herb he would have in his Apothecary.

 

That evening, Jamie makes the suggestion that they host a dinner at their townhouse for the Duke of Sandringham in order for the Duke to meet Prince Charles, and expose Charles “as the delusional popinjay that he is”. Claire is uncertain about hosting the dinner, but she has other things on her mind. She finally breaks down and tells Jamie that Jack Randell was still alive, and tells him she found out from the Duke’s secretary, who happens to be Jack Randell’s younger brother. Jamie’s reaction baffles me. I understand that he is happy because he didn’t miss getting to kill Randell. All of a sudden he is cheerful and happy. I agree with Claire, “I certainly wasn’t expecting this reaction.”

 

The next morning, Claire goes to Master Raymond’s Apothecary to confront him about selling Bitter Cascara to Comte Sainte Germaine. Master Raymond tells her that he only sold Bitter Cascara to one person in the previous few months and it was a servant he didn’t recognize. In the book, there were actually two people who purchased the Bitter Cascara. A Lady of the Aristocracy who regularly bought it for the women her husband enjoyed, and an unknown servant. Since the TV Series Writers removed a minor character and had Lord Duverney be the one to “attack” Claire’s feet, so the jealous wife was not needed. I absolutely love the coat that Claire wears to Master Raymond’s in this episode. It is this beautiful deep purplish blue with stunning red embroidery along the edge of the hood to the front edges and on the sleeves. I truly hope that Terry Dresbach will do a blog post about this coat. I would love to see up close pictures of it. Maybe I should tweet her about it….

 

Anyway, we finally get to see Master Raymond’s secret room. While they don’t crawl through the fireplace, it’s still an impressive room. The skulls and other decorations are amazing. The set crew really captured the essence of the secret room from the book. In the book, there is no scrying of the sheep’s bones. But Raymond does give Claire a white crystal that will change color in the presence of various compounds. Also, in the book, Jamie was waiting in the carriage for Claire and gets annoyed about having to wait. He comes in to the Apothecary and meets Raymond for the first time.

 

The first time I saw the scene where Jamie comes home horny, I was extremely angry at Jamie (not about being horny, about how it happened). Compared to the book, I think this scene was handled a little more awkwardly. Jamie has a bite mark on his inner thigh. The first time through, I didn’t know if he had slept with the whore who gave him the bite on his thigh or not. It was the second time through that I caught him saying “nothing happened”. In the book, Claire was more willing to listen to Jamie’s explanation about the bite marks. Book Claire has more faith in Jamie’s loyalty than the Show Claire. In the show, he says that having the weight of Randall’s death off his shoulders made him feel like a man again. He discovered at Maison Elise that he was still a man and lusted. I have to agree with Claire’s anger that instead of trying with her first, he went to a brothel. Even though he never slept with the women, it was a type of betrayal. The betrayal wasn’t that Jamie went to a brothel. The betrayal was using the women at the brothel to see if he was a whole man. He should have turned to Claire, not another woman. In the book he was at Maison Elise’s with Prince Charles and a few other Jacobite aristocracy, and he got the marks while trying to convince the ladies he wasn’t interested, because he refused to cheat on Claire. Book Claire knows that the Prince and the aristocracy was giving Jamie a bad time about not enjoying the women, and she never once worried that Jamie would sleep with one of them. Jamie has a very strong moral compass when it comes to marriage and faithfulness, I feel that this scene was a bit out of character for him.

 

During this scene, Jamie explains how his inner-self (soul?) was unprotected due to what Randall did to him. This particular exchange happens in Outlander, after she pretended to be Randall to Jamie’s fevered mind to force him to fight. I find it interesting that they use it now to explain why he has been pushing Claire away, when she needs intimacy and connection, even if it is just being held.

 

After the argument, Jamie decides to go sleep else where in the house. Turns out to be alcove in the study. Claire goes to find him and make love with him. But I don’t understand what he said that dissipated Claire’s anger. I guess we could blame it on pregnancy hormones.

 

We have another out of order compared to the book sequence. Prince Charles starts knocking on the master bedroom window after crawling over the roof. The Prince was escaping from his paramour’s house. He couldn’t go through the front door because her husband had arrived home early. It seems to be a night of men getting bit (as Claire says, “Seems to be an epidemic around here”. Prince Charles has a bite on his hand. Charles says that it came from his paramour’s pet monkey who bites everyone but her. We discover that Prince Charles is the father of Louise’s child. However, Charles doesn’t know that Louise is pregnant, only that she wants to break up their affair.

 

While the household is preparing for their dinner, Claire decides to go to L’Hospital des Anges to help after there was a fire at the Royal Armory. She promises Jamie that she will be home in time to greet their guests. (Foreshadowing, anyone??) So Claire, Mary Hawkins, Murtagh, and Fergus leave the Hospital later than planned, and discover that one of the wheels on the wagon is broken. So Claire decides that they are going to walk to a street over to catch a carriage. While on the way, they are attacked and Mary is raped. All of this does take place in the book and almost in this sequence. In the book, Claire and Mary are already at the Hospital when the fire happened.

 

The set design for the dinner was amazing. You can feel the richness of the furnishings. The costumes were beautiful. I can’t imagine how long it took to put together this beautiful masterpiece and then film it.

 

 

The episode ends with Jamie trying to protect Alexander Randall from Mary’s Uncle and Fiancee. Mary panics and runs out of the room Claire left her with Alex watching over her. Mary ends up in the parlor. Alex followed her and was leaning over her to help her when people rushed from the dining room at her screams. Mary’s Uncle and Fiancee accuse Alex of raping her.

 

In the show this is the only dinner party Claire and Jamie host. In the book, they did them regularly because that was how Jared allowed people to taste wines and other spirits prior to purchasing. I wish that they kept that obligation in the story line. They didn’t need to show the dinners, but mentioning the frequency and who attended wouldn’t be bad. In the show, it seems that Jamie oversees the warehouse, plays chess with Duverney every day during the day, and spends the nights drinking with the Prince. While in the book, Jamie was responsible for keeping records, selling the product, finding new leads, etc, as well as doing the other things. Except that the chess matches were once a week after dinner, not during the day.

 

On to next week…..

 

Review – Outlander Episode 3 – Useful Occupations and Deceptions

So, I’ve come to realize that I’m giving these extremely long recaps of the episodes with the information on how something was different from the book Dragonfly In Amber. So I’m going to make a change. Instead of writing a 2900 word recap/review, I’m going to write the review like I do for books but include where the episode is different from the book. At the top of the post, I’ll include the episode trailer and synopsis, and then go from there. (The long posts were taking me forever to write and I wasn’t really enjoying it.)

So with out further adieu, on to Episode 3!

 

 

 

Summary from Starz.com

 

Jamie’s days and nights are dominated by political machinations, while Claire finds solace in her healing skills. As their plan to stop Culloden progresses, the past threatens to derail their forward momentum.

 

DO NOT CONTINUE ON IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

This episode has a lot going on in it. You have Jamie spending his nights with Prince Charles and his days playing chess with Lord Duverney and running the wine business. He isn’t spending much time with Claire, who is stuck at home. Claire is beyond bored. She needs something to do other than going to tea or playing cards with French Aristocracy.

 

During one of those boring tea and card games with “her ladies” (as Jamie calls them), Claire and Louise discover how innocent Mary is.

Mary tells Louise that she is from Sussex. This leads to a flashback for Claire. She remembers looking at a Family Bible with Frank and the top of the family tree shows Mary Hawkins married to Johnathan Randall. In the book, Claire remembers just as she and Jamie are getting amorous in bed.

 

When Claire comes home, she is round about the axle. She believes that she has to be the one to make sure that Mary and Jack get together and produce a child which is Frank’s direct ancestor, but because of what Jack did to Jamie, she is torn about keeping Jack alive. This whole thing has always bugged me. In the book and now in the TV series. Claire chose Jamie when she had the chance. Why would she be so worried about his survival? Then there is the thing about her gold ring. When they thought Jack Randall was dead, the ring didn’t disappear. As we all know from Back to the Future (and various other time travel stories), that when something changes it will affect the main character in some way, e.g. the high probability of Lorraine marrying Biff instead of George, leads to Marty’s picture changing. If Frank wasn’t going to exist due to Jack being dead, than Claire would not have his ring. But maybe it’s the comfort knowing that Frank lives is what drives her. She can’t imagine how her life would be now, if Frank hadn’t been in it previously. I don’t know.

 

Jamie and Lord Duverney do play chess. But for some reason, Jamie is traveling from Rue Tremoulins (the Jared’s townhouse) to Versailles. Which would have taken most of Jamie’s day to do. In the book, Lord Duverney lives in Paris as well and comes over to the house to place chess in the study. I’m not sure why they changed the location for the TV show. In an interview that the Set team did, they said that many of the locations from the book were consolidated because of the cost and time to create the sets. If they had stuck with the book and had the chess matches at Rue Tremoulins, they wouldn’t have needed the beautiful library set. But without that, a future scene would have been different.

 

Claire returns to Master Raymond’s Apothecary, this time in search of birth control for her Lady’s Maid, Suzette. When she arrives, Le Comte Saint Germain is leaving. This is where we get a wonderful shot of Master Raymond’s beautiful coat. Terry Dresbach, show costume designer, did a wonderful blog post about this coat and her inspiration. This visit combines a few visits that Claire pays Master Raymond. In the show, they don’t have the King’s singing-master, who tells all the Ladies of the Aristocracy about L’Hospital des Anges. He also is the one who takes a group of the ladies to the Hospital. Instead Master Raymond is the one who tells Claire about L’Hospital des Anges. Claire goes by herself without discussing it with Jamie first.

 

 

While Mother Hildegarde at L’Hospital des Anges isn’t as tall as she is described in the book, Frances de la Tour does a wonderful job of bringing her to life and making her a force of nature. You might know Frances de la Tour from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She played the giantess, Madame Olympe Maxime, that became Hagrid’s love interest. I am so glad that they have Bouton (the dog) at L’Hospital in the show. Both are pretty integral to the story.

 

There is a scene in the book where Jamie is upset that Claire is at L’Hospital des Anges instead of being home when he comes home in the middle of the day and needed her guidance. I feel that in the show, Jamie was more harsh than he was in the book. To the point that he left the house and returned to Maison de Madame Elise to get drunk. While there he watches a boy picking pockets. Jamie hires him to steal the Princes’ letters. In the book, Jamie accidentally goes to Maison Elise to hide from some men who were following him. That is where he finds the boy and hires him. Jamie changes the boy’s name to Fergus from Claudal. So far, I like the show’s version of Fergus.

 

My only real criticism of this Season is about Jamie. He isn’t the confident young man that he is in the book and TV Jamie is more emotional than book Jamie. I realize that they are approaching how Jamie deals with Wentworth differently on the TV show. Instead of quick –yet painful– recovery like in the book, they are being more realistic in his recovery. I always thought his recovery in the book was too fast, but I feel that the show has really changed the foundation of Jamie. He isn’t as involved with Claire, not sexually, but emotionally and socially as he is in the book. By this stage in the book, they had talked about names for the baby and disagree on if it will be a boy or a girl. Yet in the TV show, Jamie seems to be avoiding it, except to worry about Claire and the bairn’s health. Hopefully in the following episodes, he will starting wanting to help prepare for the new bairn.

 

Now for the next episode:

 

Review: Outlander S02 Epi 02 – Not in Scotland Anymore

First off, let me apologize for the delay in getting this post done. It’s amazing how life gets away from you sometimes.

 

 

 

DO NOT CONTINUE ON IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

The episode starts with Jamie and Claire making love, but then it goes horribly wrong when Jamie thinks Claire is Black Jack Randall. Luckily for everyone it is a nightmare. Claire gently reminds Jamie that Jack Randall is dead. Jamie leaves the room and goes to the study to work on the books for the wine business. This particular scene isn’t in the book Dragonfly In Amber, but I like how they are showing Jamie’s struggles with dealing with what happened at Wentworth. I always felt that, in the book, he fell in to a sexual relationship with Claire too easily.

 

The next morning Claire departs Jared’s Paris Townhouse. She is discovering that running a household and doing as expected by the staff is frustrating. Claire’s lady’s maid, Suzette, informs Claire that she shouldn’t be folding laundry or making the bed with her social and physical status.

 

In this episode, we start seeing the amazing wardrobe that Terry Dresbach and her team created. The first dress of Claire’s we see is the one that was based on Christian Dior’s New Look collection. This collection has been remade for decades and Dior got his inspiration from the 18th and 19th Centuries. Many people have pointed out that Claire left in 1945 and the New Look collection wasn’t released until 1947. If you want more information about why Terry Dresbach decided to go this route, please read her blog post Dior.

 

Terry and Caitriona (Claire) worked together to figure out how to keep a sense of Claire and her own century in her costumes. Most of her dresses have pockets. They are very simple in design, as in they don’t have the embellishments that you will see on other 18th Century French Aristocrats, and they have a hint of the 1940s in them.

 

In this lovely gown, Claire is on her way to visit Master Raymond’s Apothecary. While this scene isn’t exactly like the book, that doesn’t bother me. The only thing about this scene that bothers me is the location of Master Raymond’s Apothecary. For a store owner who deals with people from the French court, his shop being in a small courtyard that services mostly middle class residents doesn’t make sense to me. He would want his Apothecary in an easily accessible location and one that fits his status. I will say that Dominique Pinon as Master Raymond is amazing. He is almost exactly like I pictured him. I love his coat and the intricate stitching and painting that Terry’s team did. She did a whole post about Master Raymond’s coat on her blog.

 

The scene changes to a French park where people are curiously watching two men fighting with swords. It pans over to Murtagh and Jamie practicing sword fighting. The French Aristocracy are watching with surprise and horror. When Jamie calls it quits, Murtagh sees the gawkers, walks over, and pretty much says “are you not entertained.” Not really, but that is what I always thing. He asks them if they have never seen two men practice the art of the sword before and then tells them to leave or he will rip their balls off. Jamie does inform Murtagh that dueling is outlawed in France and the gwakers probably haven’t ever seen sword fighting.

 

While resting, Murtagh tells Jamie that he misses Lard Bucket and Pig Head (Rupert and Angus). Murtagh does suggest that they just kill Prince Charles and be done with it. Jamie comments that killing the Prince might convince his father to push for the Rising even harder. Would they then go to Rome and murder the King? While not completely convinced, Murtagh concedes to Jamie’s current course. This season the character of Murtagh, played by Duncan Lacroix, has really blossomed as a character and I look forward to seeing more of his character growth. This scene never happened in the book. However it is mentioned multiple times that Jamie and Murtagh were practicing in the yard of the townhouse. Claire would hear the ringing of the swords. Since there isn’t a yard at Jared’s place in the series, going to a local park makes sense.

 

Jamie comes home from the sword practice to a letter from Jared with a summons from Prince Charles to meet him at Maison de Madame Elise, a brothel, “to discuss such matters as the current political situation among the Scottish Clans”. In the book, Jamie becomes a companion to Prince Charles and part of spending the evening with Charles and his other friends, included going to a brothel. I’m hoping that a couple of the fan favorite scenes and outcomes from Jamie’s visits to the Madame Elise’s won’t be cut.

 

Jamie and Murtagh go to Maison de Madame Elise’s to meet the Prince. The poor men are exposed to dildos, which are available for sale or rent (eww.). Madame Elise tells the patrons that they should buy them for their wives, who are home sad and lonely, because they are at the brothel. Prince Charles mentions that if he had a wife he would buy all three for variety. He then turns the topic of conversation to if the Scottish Clans are ready to hear the call of the Pipes. Jamie tells him that the clans aren’t ready to put aside their petty grievances to band together to fight the British. Prince Charles is surprised by this and states that he has been advised otherwise. The Prince questions if Jamie is only telling him this to prevent the Rising. Murtagh jumps in and asks what does Prince Charles offer that would make a cotter to leave his home and crops to face a cannon’s blast. Prince Charles goes on a diatribe that it’s God’s Will that he reclaims the throne. Murtagh tells Jamie that it isn’t too late to slit the Prince’s throat.

 

Jamie and Murtagh fill Claire in on what the Prince wants, which is for Jamie to be his advocate to King Louis to get funds for the rebellion. Murtagh isn’t impressed with the monarch. Claire suggests that if rebellions could be started in a brothel, than it could be stopped in the French Court. Now they just need an invitation to Versailles, to the court of the French King Louis XV.

 

Our next scene finds us in the boudoir of Louise de Rohan, while she is getting waxed. During this scene we meet Colette, Louise’s pet monkey, and we meet Miss Mary Hawkins. Mary is a shy miss with a stutter from England who is engaged to be married to a widowed French noble. Claire is convinced that she knows the name Mary Hawkins but can’t remember why. Mary is obviously not comfortable standing around in her dressing gown and night-dress, especially with a man in the room. Before going back to the man doing the waxing, Louise informs Claire that she will be joining Louise and Mary to Versailles. Claire suggests bringing Jamie and Louise says “if you must.” Louise also says that her dressmaker will make Claire a dress fit for a Queen. Louise then flops on to her settee and spreads her legs for more waxing.

 

That evening, Claire crawls in to bed with Jamie and proceeds take his hand under the covers. He moved his hand to where she directs it and exclaims “What have you done to yourself? Your honey pot is bare!” (ROFLMAO!) Then she takes his hand to her legs to which he says “the other was bad enough, but to rid yourself of a lovely forest.” Things seem to be going well, but then Jamie starts having flashbacks to Wentworth. Claire tells him that it is okay and they should get some sleep.

 

We fast forward to two weeks later. Jamie and Murtagh are finishing getting ready for their trip to Versailles, while they await Claire. She comes down the stairs and you see Jamie and Murtagh’s jaws hits the floor. Jamie is scandalized by the dress. He walks up the steps and tells her that he can see her naval. He then mutters “first your honey pot and now this.” Poor Jamie. Claire assures him that she has a fan. Jamie tells her that she needs a larger one.

 

 

 

Versailles is amazing. The set and costume production for this scene is beautiful. They really created the wealth and decadence of the French Court. Louise leads Claire, Jamie, and Mary Hawkins in to the gathering and says that she knows everyone in the court. Claire requests being introduced to the Minister of Finance, Lord Duverney. Louise wrinkles her nose but says if he is there she will introduce them. As they move through the room, a beautiful blonde throws herself at Jamie calling him “Mon petit sauvage!” (My little savage.) The blonde is Annalise, a young woman whom Jamie fought his first duel over. She actually married the other guy, who is now dead due to small pox. While Jamie is introducing her to Claire, Annalise can’t keep her hands off of Jamie. Claire doesn’t do anything but you know she is storing the information for later. Annalise turns out to be intimate friends with the Minister of the Royal Household. She is able to get Jamie in to witness the dressing of the King. Jamie obviously doesn’t want to go, but he doesn’t want to pass up the honor. After he walks away with Annalise, Claire asks Murtagh to accompany them. You can tell she isn’t comfortable with Jamie being a lone with the widow.

 

Here is a change from the book. In the book, attending the Dressing of the King takes place in the morning, not just before a ball. Jamie was invited by Lord Duverney and Murtagh did not go with Jamie. Also, in the book, Jamie introduces himself to Lord Duverney and challenges him to a game of chess at the board set up in the corner of the ballroom. There are also a few lay out changes compared to the book, but it would be hard to film Claire in an alcove.

 

Anyway, Jamie and Murtagh are allowed in the King’s chambers to see him on a privy chair that looks like a throne, trying to take a shit. I think part of his problem is his diet, as Jamie points out, but also having so many people watching you try to take a shit. As Murtagh says, “Only in France does a King need an audience to shite.” Poor Jamie is trying not to laugh. Jamie gallantly requests to be introduced to the King and recommends that the King eats parritch every morning.

 

We go back to the main ballroom where the ladies are gossiping. As usually happens, the topic turns to the penis. One of the ladies points out a gentleman and says he is called L’Andouille (the sausage) because he is unable to keep it in his pants. Claire is then asked what do English ladies call a male member. Claire says she has heard it called Peter and Prick. The French ladies are horrified by the word prick, saying that it is “infelicitous to the ear.” One would think that discussing the male member in mixed company would be infelicitous. While the ladies then discuss how unmusical the English language is, Claire and Louise see Mary talking to a dashing young man. Louise says “That wicked little minx has found a lover before the exchange of wedding vows.” Given Mary’s shyness and her innocence that has been displayed so far, we all know that Mary hasn’t found a lover.

 

Claire excuses herself from the ladies saying she needed some air. As she leaves the ballroom, Louise sees Lord Duverney. She rushes over to tell him that her friend would like to meet him. Louise implies that Claire is interested in an affair. Lord Duverney is excited to meet Claire and tells Louise he would find her himself. We see Claire walking through the gardens and then she stops to rest on bench that is on a bridge over some water. While rubbing her neck, Duverney shows up saying her prayers have been answered. When Claire tries to stand and mentions Jamie, Duverney grabs her around the ribs and sets her back on the bench saying that they don’t need to discuss husbands and wives. He then proceeds to “worship” her feet. He is one of those with a foot fetish. While Claire is trying to figure out the polite way to turn away his affections, he stands and says “come to me my little mouse, let me hear you squeak.” He moves his lips to bosom and she manages to push him away. He backs in to Jamie who pushes the man over the wall of the bridge in to the water. When Claire explains that Jamie just pushed the Minister of Finance off the bridge, Jamie looks at her dress and says “I told ye that dress would bring us grief.”

 

We move back to the ballroom and Lord Duverney is trying to dry off his wig in the fireplace. He apologizes to Claire and Jamie about his behavior and asks how he can remedy the situation. Jamie tells him that his friendship is enough. Lord Duverney asks Jamie if he is at all familiar with the game of Chess. It is decided that they will play a game at some point. At that moment the King moving through the ballroom toward them with his entourage, including his paramour. I was very delighted (and so was my darling husband) to see that the paramour was dressed just like in the book. Her breasts were on display with gem encrusted Swan nipple rings. Claire, Jamie, and Murtagh are taken aback by this display. Murtagh can’t keep his eyes off of the swans. As the King is walking away, the paramour looks over her shoulder at Murtagh as if to entice his attention. Wisely, Murtagh stays with Jamie and Claire.

 

Murtagh looks over Jamie’s shoulder and sees someone he isn’t happy to see. After saying “Cheating coward of a villain” in Gaelic, Murtagh pushes past Jamie and storms across the ballroom. The camera pans from Murtagh to the Duke of Sandringham. Murtagh reaches for his sword but Jamie stops him saying that pulling a sword in the presence of the King was punishable by death. Attempting to use his charm he tries to explain away his betrayal by blaming Black Jack. Claire has Jamie take Murtagh to have a drink with the Lord Duverney, leaving Claire alone with the Duke. After a short exchange, the young man who Mary was talking to comes to the Duke to tell him it was almost time for fireworks. The Duke takes the moment to introduce the young man as Alexander Randall, the younger brother of Black Jack Randall. We also discover that Black Jack Randall isn’t dead. He was just injured in the line of duty. Now Claire needs to decide if she should tell Jamie and if she did, what would happen to him. And this is where the episode ends.

 

Here we have a departure from the book again, but I understand why they did it. In the book, the King asks Jamie and Claire to stay the night at Versailles because he has a British Noble coming to lunch the next day and thought it would be a good touch to have some British subjects at the lunch. So Claire and Jamie stay, while Murtagh gets them new clothes from the townhouse in Paris. The next day, the British Noble was late to lunch, which made the King mad, but he decides to eat without him. During the meal, Claire needs to escape. Between morning sickness and something on the table, her stomach was rebelling. While Jamie is attending her, the British Noble arrives. We discover that it is the Duke of Sandringham. We are also introduced to his secretary, Alexander Randall, younger brother of Black Jack Randell. In the book, Alexander Randall looks like Black Jack to the extent that both Jamie and Claire were convinced he was Black Jack. Jamie actually hits him until Claire stops him and they discover that it isn’t Black Jack.

 

As we will see during the season, there will be a lot of things that are condensed or removed, and characters combined. There is so much going on in the book, that it can’t all be told in the TV format. But so far, I am very happy with how they are handling things.

 

The “trailer” for the next episode actually seems to cover a few episodes. It really isn’t a sneak peek at Episode 3, but here it is for you.

 

Review: Outlander Season 2 Episode 1 – Through A Glass, Darkly

A few friends asked me to start reviewing the episodes of Outlander and along with my review, include a comparison to the books.

 

Even though the series does not follow the books exactly as Diana Gabaldon wrote them, I am happy with how Ronald Moore and his writing staff have presented the information. TV (and movies) shows have limits on how much of the source material is able to be used. So favorite scenes, like the one in Outlander where Hamish asks Jamie if humans copulate like horses, are left out. But Ronald and his team have done a great job of including the important and iconic scenes and lines, e.g. Jamie’s line “I said I was a virgin, not a monk.” in the wedding night scene.

 

 

So lets recap for everyone. We ended Season 1 with Claire and Jamie on a ship heading to France with Murtagh. Jamie is healing from his ordeal with Captain Jack Randell at Wentworth Prison and Claire has revealed she is pregnant.

 

 

 

So on to Season 2 we go! 

 

DO NOT CONTINUE ON IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

First off we have a new version of the theme song during the opening credits. Bear McCreary still uses the Skye Boat song, but this time we have a cello and accordion instead of Bag Pipes, and the bodhrán drum isn’t as pronounced this season. Also part of the song is sung in French. The scenes during the opening credits have also changed to include glimpses of Season 2.

 

The episode opens with Claire waking up laying in the grass. As the camera pulls out we discover that she is inside Craigh na Dun. After a run in with a motorist, we discover that she is in 1948 Inverness. It is 3 years after she stepped through the stones. Frank finds her at the hospital and moves her to Reverend Wakefield’s home to convalesce. Claire does all she can to push him away. She just wants to curl up and not live any longer. But Frank refuses to leave her, even after discovering that she is pregnant.

 

This is where we have our first deviation from the book Dragonfly in Amber. The book does start in the 20th century, but not with this scene. This particular scene is actually a flashback in book 3 Voyager. I do not know if this change was planned originally, or if it happened because of the late casting of a few key 20th century characters.

 

While at Reverend Wakefield’s house, Claire tells Frank everything that happened. Her trip through the stones, being kidnapped, having to get married to protect her from his ancestor, etc. TV Series Frank sort of accepts what she is saying. He has her garment she wore through the stones that he sent to a colleague who called it the most complete example of 18th Century dresses, and in Season 1, Mrs. Graham mentions to Frank about the stories of the stones. So, TV Frank is better prepared to hear Claire’s story than Book Frank. In the book, Frank has Claire seen by a mental health doctor because he believes the stress of her ordeal has caused her to hallucinate.

 

In the episode, Claire soon makes the decision to do as Jamie requested, to let him go, and live her life. Frank accepts a position at Harvard in Boston and they move to the United States. As she is disembarking the plane they took, Frank holds out his hand to her and you see her hand reaching for his. But the hand she grabs is not Frank’s but Jamie’s hand.

We have flashed back to 1744 Le Havre, France. This is where their ship has taken them.

That evening Claire and Jamie are discussing what their next steps are. Claire wants to try to stop Prince Charles Stewart from trying to reclaim the throne, therefore preventing the Battle of Culloden. But Jamie is worried about lying to everyone about where their loyalties lay. Eventually, Jamie gives in and agrees to help prevent Culloden and says he will contact his cousin Jared in Paris for assistance.

 

 

Jared comes to Le Havre to talk to Jamie and demands to know why Jamie wants to be part of the Jacobite cause in Paris. Jamie calmly removes his shirt and shows Jared his back. Jared decides that Jamie has the correct motivation for becoming part of the Jacobite cause in Paris. At the same time, Jared has decided to leave his wine business in Jamie’s hands while he goes to the West Indies to handle some new business. They will also have the use of Jared’s Paris home during this time.

 

Here is another deviation from the books. In the book Outlander, Murtagh takes Jamie and Claire to the Benedictine Monastery, Abbey Sainte Anne de Beaupre, on the coast of France. The Abbey is was presided over by Jamie’s uncle, Abbot Alexander. While at the Abbey, Claire becomes friends with a Franciscan monk named Father Anselm. Under the seal of confession, Claire tells Father Anselm about her entire history, asking for guidance. After taking drastic measures to save Jamie’s life and soul from the torment of his memories of the atrocities committed by Black Jack, Jamie starts to recover. Abbot Alexander provides a letter of introduction to King James (Prince Charles’s father) a proficient linguist and translator. Claire and Jamie decide that they need to attempt to stop the Rising and save thousands of Scottish lives by going to Rome and the court of King James.

 

In Dragonfly in Amber, we find out that King James wrote Abbot Alexander asking him to have Jamie to travel to Paris instead and assist his son, Prince Charles, in whatever ways that he might require. Jamie wrote his cousin Jared that they were coming to Paris and Jared requested that they meet him in Le Havre. After testing Jamie’s “palate” for wine and other spirits, Jared tells Jamie that he needs someone to guide his business for him while he goes to checks a new winery in Moselle.

 

In both the book and TV show, after this agreement is made, their attention is drawn to some shouting and pushing going on the docks by ship. Claire hears that there is a sickness on board the ship and makes the rash decision to go help. She discovers that the sailors are sick with smallpox and tells the Harbor Master loudly enough for spectators to hear. Due to the rules of Le Havre and that the entire dock side will know within minutes of the diagnosis, the Harbor Master cannot be bribed by the owner of the ship, Comte St. Germain. Upset that he will loose not only his cargo, but his ship, Monsieur le Comte threatens Claire. That evening, the ship is towed to the center of the harbor and burned.

 

And this is where the episode ends.

 

Personally, I am enjoying Ronald Moore’s interpretation of the series. He has kept scenes and lines that are important to the story, as well as ones that readers of the books love and expect. I am very happy that he has surrounded himself with people who are fans of the books but also with people who never read the books prior to production. That way he has a good balance for those people who have never read the books and those who have. They don’t want to alienate people who are new to the world by only including things that readers will know. But by the same token, they don’t want to alienate readers.

 

While not my favorite episode of the series, this episode has laid a good foundation for the reset of the season. I do have questions about a few characters, but I will restrain myself and wait to see what happens.

 

If you are an Outlander book series fan, how do you feel that Ronald Moore and his team have been handling the transition from the written word to screen?

 

Friday 56 – Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

As many of you know, Outlander is my favorite book series ever. I started reading the first book in 1991 when it was released. In the fall of 2014, Starz started airing a TV series based on the books. So far it is one book per season. Season 2 started on April 9, 2016. To get ready for the season, I re-read Dragonfly in Amber. When I finished it, I continued on to book 3 and am now on book 4. No matter how many times I’ve read this series over the years, I always find something new.

“Look – I’ve got the chance of a conference next month, in Boston. I thought of coming, if – damn there’s no good way to see this. Do you want to see me?”

Ahh, young love…

About the Friday 56

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
• Post a link along with your post back to this blog. (And just for me, please post in comments a link to your Friday 56 post.)
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

 

Drums of Autumn is available from Amazon in Kindle and Print editions.

Friday 56 – Legend of the Fae by April Holthaus

This week’s Friday 56 is taken from an ebook.

“On the other side of the river was a wall of stone that stood no higher than her hip.”

About the Friday 56

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
• Post a link along with your post back to this blog. (And just for me, please post in comments a link to your Friday 56 post.)
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

 

Legend of the Fae is available from Amazon in Kindle and Print editions.

The Historical Sew Fortnightly 2014 Challenge #1

Friday 56 – Cowboy Tough by Joanne Kennedy

You can read my review of this wonderful book on my review blog, PonyTails Book Reviews.

“I thought you weren’t expecting students till tomorrow,” Mack said.

About the Friday 56

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
• Post a link along with your post back to this blog. (And just for me, please post in comments a link to your Friday 56 post.)
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Cowboy Tough is available from Amazon in Print and Kindle editions.

Cowboy Tough is also available from Barnes and Noble in Print and Nook editions.

Friday 56 – Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert

This week’s Friday 56 is taken from an ebook. You can read my review of this fun book on my review blog, PonyTails Book Reviews.

“It’d only been a few hours, and she felt like she had a giant sign tattooed on her forehead that read I HAD SEX WITH MY BEST FRIEND’S OLDER BROTHER.”

About the Friday 56

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
• Post a link along with your post back to this blog. (And just for me, please post in comments a link to your Friday 56 post.)
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Chasing Mrs. Right is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble in ebook editions.

Tantalizing Thursday #25 – Sexy Unicorn Edition

If you want more info about sexy unicorns, read Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert.