I loved it! I had initially plan to re-listen to the book before the season started but time got away from me and I'm really glad I did. I haven't been replaying every moment and line of dialog along with the show. I'm getting into the scenes and enjoying the nuances. I came to the conclusion that I REALLY like Jamie and the chemistry between Jamie and Claire is really working for me. The other thing I'm really enjoying is the way they used flashbacks to mitigate Claire's voice overs. I'm finding it a really nice touch.
That said...I am still evaluating casting against my personal image of the characters from reading the book. Colum is taller than I imagined and more...I always imagining him as the kind of guy who always made you feel like he was staring into your soul. Instead he seems smart and cunning and the kind of guy who plays his cards close to the chest. Rupert was smaller than I expected. Mrs. Fitzgibbons was exactly what I expected. Murtagh is about 30 years younger and quicker to smile than I expected. Not all what I expected but they all seem exactly right.
What really caught me off guard was Claire's costume - due to my ignorance of the time and historical clothing. For some reason I have always had it in my head that the complications of things like corsets and that pillow thing around the waist were only worn in the "big city." I didn't expect it out in the highlands of Scotland.
Loved it! I'm glad we also get Jamie flashbacks too! I find it very emotionally moving and culturally very interesting, besides great cinematography and BM's beautiful score. Looking forward to getting to know some of these residents of Castle Leoch better!
Thanks for your insights and comparisons in relation to the book(s)! I haven't read them, but am someone who would also make those assessments, had I had two things to compare like a novel and a tv series!
I too was surprised by how advanced and former the Scots came off in this time period, of which I admit am also very ignorant, but it definitely makes for a more complicated story!
Loved it! Though it's difficult for me to understand all they said (besides Gaelic). But the scenes, the atmosphere, the characters, balance between humor and drama, and the little twist at the end which is slightly different to the book ( I think to transport the message to those who haven't read it)... They all speek their own language. And the lack of understanding is a very good reason (besides others, obviously ;) ) to watch it again. And again. And... :)
I have to say I agree with everything you said (specially the part about Colum). Personally, I really liked the casting for Jenny, Geillis Duncan and Laoghaire.
I should go over the book again because I have a few doubts with small details, but overall it's extremely accurate.
I agree with you about Jenny and Geillis. I need time before I make up my mind about Laogharie.
I am staying away from the book until this run is complete. The fuzziness of my memory is making things fun. I spent this episode trying to figure out how she was going to wind up stuck at the Castle. I couldn't remember the details from the book and found myself just letting the story flow.
Laoghaire is the only casting I have a problem with yet...mostly because her hair is not blond enough. I always thought that it was a colour which really demanded attention, something which made her stand out.
That's a point which is made a couple of times in the book, with Claire being surprised how educated some people are for the time in question. They are really well researched and therefor barely fall into any clichés.
For those who read the book(s) (me included) it's very interesting to hear the opinions of those who haven't. On our board we also have a person or two who first want to watch the show and maybe read the book afterwards. They are our "control group". ;) Did you already watch the first two episodes?
Well, we've only seen her at candle light so maybe out in the open she's blonder. I actually thought she has really nice hair (maybe even too nice for the time) but now that you mention it, I didn't really have a specific shade of blonde in my mind... I just wanted her to have a not-so-angelic face.
You two make me smile -in a good way! When I read the book my feelings about Frank were the same. :) That's because he's barely there after Claire went "through the stones". According to Ron Moore we will see more of him in the series to emphasize Claire's relationship with him. Looking forward to this new - kind of - storyline.
My problem with her is she's too young compared with the actors for Jamie and Claire. He looks more like her father instead of being of an age with her. She's the only one that looks the right age, everybody is much older than they should be.
She's not exactly his age. She's 16, he's 23. The actors are 22 (I think) and 34. You have to always keep in mind that Jamie and Claire are much older later in the series. So they are perfectly cast in case we get more seasons than 2 (fingers crossed).
The danger she is in in 18th century, the desire to return to her own life, etc. all perfectly justify her wanting to go home. All making up crap about Frank does is bog down an already bogged down story.
If that was their rationale they should have cast her as older too--it's not like we never see her again. Putting someone who looks 16 next to a guy who's 34 and looks it is awkward. I can't buy in to a romance, it's too close to pedophilia. Instead of looking at Jamie as a kid seeing someone who if he hadn't met Claire would be representative of his choice is one thing. Seeing him flirt and make out with a kid is uncomfortable.
"The desire to return to her own life". And what or who is her "own life"? I think especially for those who haven't read the book (they can't do all of Claire's thoughts as voice overs) it's important to understand why she won't just stay with Jamie in the 18th century, which probably would be the case if she hadn't this relationship with Frank.
We don't live in her time. This is for modern audiences. For me, seeing a way too old Jamie with an appropriately young Laoghaire is icky. He looks like her father. And we aren't supposed to be creeped out by them. And the fact that Claire considered her a kid is why she "forgave" her. She was supposed to be young and naive--which fine--but then again so was Jamie to some extent. He is supposed to grow up. Seeing a 35 year old guy still need to learn to be an adult is another issue I have with the decade too old casting job. It's getting them in trouble with the story. Personally, Laoghaire is too young relative to all the other characters that they decided to cast too old. Why is she the only one book age?
For me, Frank was a crap character. The less time spent on him the better. The show is dragging. I guess the books drag too, but I read a lot faster than this is going. The 18th century was dangerous, she had no one there, she couldn't have a career and people kept trying to kill her, that was more than enough motivation without even needing the lure of hot baths. They have reasons for her to get back but the poorly done "love" of Frank never rang true in the face of the love of Jamie. Frank isn't in the story, all they did was tell you how she "loved" him and "owed" him and crap, and if any of that were true she shouldn't have thrown it away as easily and quickly as she did. The "pull" of Frank only makes Claire look selfish and fickle. It hurts Jamie, it hurts Frank, and Frank never does anything to make you think he needed to stick around. You can't have a love triangle when one of the characters isn't even in the story. And frankly of all the things the series needs, adding new crap is the last thing seeing as how they are trying to cover every monologue in the book.
NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.
Even better than episode 1, such a great show!!!
ReplyDeleteI loved the episode. I love Jamie, and think Dougall is hot.
ReplyDeleteI loved it! I had initially plan to re-listen to the book before the season started but time got away from me and I'm really glad I did. I haven't been replaying every moment and line of dialog along with the show. I'm getting into the scenes and enjoying the nuances. I came to the conclusion that I REALLY like Jamie and the chemistry between Jamie and Claire is really working for me. The other thing I'm really enjoying is the way they used flashbacks to mitigate Claire's voice overs. I'm finding it a really nice touch.
ReplyDeleteThat said...I am still evaluating casting against my personal image of the characters from reading the book. Colum is taller than I imagined and more...I always imagining him as the kind of guy who always made you feel like he was staring into your soul. Instead he seems smart and cunning and the kind of guy who plays his cards close to the chest. Rupert was smaller than I expected. Mrs. Fitzgibbons was exactly what I expected. Murtagh is about 30 years younger and quicker to smile than I expected. Not all what I expected but they all seem exactly right.
What really caught me off guard was Claire's costume - due to my ignorance of the time and historical clothing. For some reason I have always had it in my head that the complications of things like corsets and that pillow thing around the waist were only worn in the "big city." I didn't expect it out in the highlands of Scotland.
Awesome episode.
Such a great show ! I love it !!
ReplyDeleteLoved it! I'm glad we also get Jamie flashbacks too! I find it very emotionally moving and culturally very interesting, besides great cinematography and BM's beautiful score. Looking forward to getting to know some of these residents of Castle Leoch better!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insights and comparisons in relation to the book(s)! I haven't read them, but am someone who would also make those assessments, had I had two things to compare like a novel and a tv series!
ReplyDeleteI too was surprised by how advanced and former the Scots came off in this time period, of which I admit am also very ignorant, but it definitely makes for a more complicated story!
Loved it! Though it's difficult for me to understand all they said (besides Gaelic). But the scenes, the atmosphere, the characters, balance between humor and drama, and the little twist at the end which is slightly different to the book ( I think to transport the message to those who haven't read it)... They all speek their own language. And the lack of understanding is a very good reason (besides others, obviously ;) ) to watch it again. And again. And... :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I LOVED Mrs. Fitz!
IA, definitely better than ep 1, the backstories, color, politics, production sets were way beyond my expectations.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I agree with everything you said (specially the part about Colum).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I really liked the casting for Jenny, Geillis Duncan and Laoghaire.
I should go over the book again because I have a few doubts with small details, but overall it's extremely accurate.
I agree with you about Jenny and Geillis. I need time before I make up my mind about Laogharie.
ReplyDeleteI am staying away from the book until this run is complete. The fuzziness of my memory is making things fun. I spent this episode trying to figure out how she was going to wind up stuck at the Castle. I couldn't remember the details from the book and found myself just letting the story flow.
Laoghaire is the only casting I have a problem with yet...mostly because her hair is not blond enough. I always thought that it was a colour which really demanded attention, something which made her stand out.
ReplyDeleteThat's a point which is made a couple of times in the book, with Claire being surprised how educated some people are for the time in question. They are really well researched and therefor barely fall into any clichés.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book, but I have the intention to do it as soon as the season is over. I want to be surprised by what is gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteFor those who read the book(s) (me included) it's very interesting to hear the opinions of those who haven't. On our board we also have a person or two who first want to watch the show and maybe read the book afterwards. They are our "control group". ;) Did you already watch the first two episodes?
ReplyDeleteYes. And I'm loving every second of the show. I love Claire and Jaime. Still don't know what to think about Frank or Colum.
ReplyDeleteYes, something like that is happening to me too. In a way is like redescovering some parts of the story :)
ReplyDeleteWell, we've only seen her at candle light so maybe out in the open she's blonder. I actually thought she has really nice hair (maybe even too nice for the time) but now that you mention it, I didn't really have a specific shade of blonde in my mind... I just wanted her to have a not-so-angelic face.
ReplyDeleteThat's my problem with Frank too. I don't really know where he stands because all I kow about him is from Claire's thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMuch, much better than E1. It was more engaging.
ReplyDeleteYou two make me smile -in a good way! When I read the book my feelings about Frank were the same. :) That's because he's barely there after Claire went "through the stones". According to Ron Moore we will see more of him in the series to emphasize Claire's relationship with him. Looking forward to this new - kind of - storyline.
ReplyDeleteI can't for the life of me figure out why we need to know more about him or her relationship with him.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with her is she's too young compared with the actors for Jamie and Claire. He looks more like her father instead of being of an age with her. She's the only one that looks the right age, everybody is much older than they should be.
ReplyDeleteShe's not exactly his age. She's 16, he's 23. The actors are 22 (I think) and 34. You have to always keep in mind that Jamie and Claire are much older later in the series. So they are perfectly cast in case we get more seasons than 2 (fingers crossed).
ReplyDeleteTo understand why Claire wants to get back to the stones so desperately.
ReplyDeleteThe danger she is in in 18th century, the desire to return to her own life, etc. all perfectly justify her wanting to go home. All making up crap about Frank does is bog down an already bogged down story.
ReplyDeleteIf that was their rationale they should have cast her as older too--it's not like we never see her again. Putting someone who looks 16 next to a guy who's 34 and looks it is awkward. I can't buy in to a romance, it's too close to pedophilia. Instead of looking at Jamie as a kid seeing someone who if he hadn't met Claire would be representative of his choice is one thing. Seeing him flirt and make out with a kid is uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteGirls back than got married by the age of 16 or even younger. For her time she isn't a kid anymore.
ReplyDelete"The desire to return to her own life". And what or who is her "own life"? I think especially for those who haven't read the book (they can't do all of Claire's thoughts as voice overs) it's important to understand why she won't just stay with Jamie in the 18th century, which probably would be the case if she hadn't this relationship with Frank.
ReplyDeleteWe don't live in her time. This is for modern audiences. For me, seeing a way too old Jamie with an appropriately young Laoghaire is icky. He looks like her father. And we aren't supposed to be creeped out by them. And the fact that Claire considered her a kid is why she "forgave" her. She was supposed to be young and naive--which fine--but then again so was Jamie to some extent. He is supposed to grow up. Seeing a 35 year old guy still need to learn to be an adult is another issue I have with the decade too old casting job. It's getting them in trouble with the story. Personally, Laoghaire is too young relative to all the other characters that they decided to cast too old. Why is she the only one book age?
ReplyDeleteFor me, Frank was a crap character. The less time spent on him the better. The show is dragging. I guess the books drag too, but I read a lot faster than this is going. The 18th century was dangerous, she had no one there, she couldn't have a career and people kept trying to kill her, that was more than enough motivation without even needing the lure of hot baths. They have reasons for her to get back but the poorly done "love" of Frank never rang true in the face of the love of Jamie. Frank isn't in the story, all they did was tell you how she "loved" him and "owed" him and crap, and if any of that were true she shouldn't have thrown it away as easily and quickly as she did. The "pull" of Frank only makes Claire look selfish and fickle. It hurts Jamie, it hurts Frank, and Frank never does anything to make you think he needed to stick around. You can't have a love triangle when one of the characters isn't even in the story. And frankly of all the things the series needs, adding new crap is the last thing seeing as how they are trying to cover every monologue in the book.
ReplyDelete