Lassies of Lallybroch - SPOILERS

[MistressFraser]

New thread to discuss both the TV series of Outlander and the books by Diana Gabaldon. Discussion of spoilers allowed, if not positively encouraged.

Poor old Frank. I know others will disagree but I think he's been horribly written by Gabaldon.

We obviously didn't know what an arse he was in the first book, otherwise why would Claire be trying to get back to him. And then he's such a tosspot in the later books, it makes you wonder why Claire stayed with him so long. His one redeeming feature is that he loves and brings up another man's child (and god knows, that kid is hard to love ).

I have similar problems with Laoghaire. She's the epitome of a tired, overused stereotype.

Aye, Frank is a walking cliche. I have never been able to understand why Claire is so obsessed with him. Even in her 60s, she still thinks about him while in bed with jamie, AS IF! As you say, his one redeeming feature is his obvious love for Brianna, he obviously overindulged her, though, or perhaps she wouldn't be such a pain.

Even in her 60s, she still thinks about him while in bed with jamie, AS IF!

I wouldn't be thinking about Frank whilst I was in bed with Frank!

I thought the finale was well done on the whole, but I particularly disliked Sophie Skelton's accent. Why they have someone from Boston speaking with a sort of generic, come and go Midwestern-neutral American accent, I do not know.

My favourite bit was Claire in background talking to Brianna about Jamie.
Brianna is in foreground, full face camera shot, and as Claire says "you're so like him, your mannerisms" Brianna does that sideways eye dart /Joey Tribbiani smell the fact acting) that Sam H does to signify Thinking...

Ok, here's my thought on EP13
Didn't take to Brianna at all. Not too keen on her in the book either, but sad about that as I would have thought any child of J&C would be very likeable.
Liked Rik Rankin as Roger and look forward to seeing more of him.
I thought they spent too long in 1960's and not enough time back in the build up to Culloden.
I cried when Claire visited the derelict Lallybroch and remembered Jamie in the archway. Also, when she was talking to him at Culloden moor. And of course when they said goodbye.
I was sad they didn't do the cutting their initials into their hands. I love how when apart they could both touch the scar and remember.
Great scene with Dougal and Jamie fighting.
No death of Murtagh shown, so there's a glimmer of hope they might have him in future series.
SH did a fantastic job of the God gave me a rare woman speech. It was beautiful.
Saw it this morning and those are the thoughts that have stuck with me today.

I was sad they didn't do the cutting their initials into their hands

I'd completely forgotten about that! Yes, they should have done it though.

I also hope they don't kill Murtagh off, but I think they will. I didn't like that Lallybroch was a ruin (even though it was very moving). In my head, I'd kind of imagined that the descendants of at least one of Jenny & Ian's several billion kids had managed to keep it going.

hello everyone, just back from a much needed week's holiday and my head is full of Outlander.

I'm 2/3 of the way into Fiery Cross and while I had echoes of you guys complaining how terribly boring the gathering was, i am actually really, fully enjoying it! Am loving the humour in the writing and i have made my peace with the fact that the whole chronology is completely effed up and that Jamie and Claire are only nominally in their fifties- Claire in particular must have experienced some kind of miraculous time reversal during her passing through the stones whereby she lost 10-15 years of her life. Occasionally it gets ridiculous (at some point jamie offers to steal her a baby, ahem) - but whatever! More annoying is the constantly lactating Brianna (how that woman didn't die from mastitis, i do not know - her breasts are engorged every other other page, it seems), but i'll put up with her for the sake the lovely, lovely Roger.

who would have thought i would actually ends up liking these books?! i was so sceptical when i started.

And now to season 2 finale. i'm annoyed they rushed culloden and feel the constant intersection between periods detracted from the emotional impact of their goodbye. On the whole loved their scene at the stones - very moving, and hearing Sam deliver the lines from the book really, really moved me. there was a bit of rough and ready on the grass, which is frankly more than i was expecting at that stage, though not enough.... and they should have shown them marking each other. Jamie and Claire saying goodbye to fergus broke my heart! Never cared much for Geillis so that whole storyline was meh. Dougal's killing was rushed. And mark me they will regret casting that girl as Brianna, she just doest have enough presence and completely disappears whenever she has a scene with the (incredible) Caitriona Balfe. Moreover, Brianna's key attribute in the story (besides lactating) are her striking physical presence and her amazing hair - pretty though she is, this actress has neither.

CB killed it though, didn't she? She's such an incredible actress.

i am actually really, fully enjoying it

We can never be friends, sorry

I'm glad you've come round to Roger though, hurrah! I think the descriptions of Brianna and her fully engorged, leaking breasts are what finally made me give up on TFC.

Just wanted to say I love Rik Rankin as Roger, even though he wasn't what I'd envisaged. Sophie Skelton on the other hand...well, she has Brianna's snotty, superior attitude down to a tee. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen.

I was also going to say that I'm actually doing fine with TFC. I'm about 300 pages in, so The Gathering has finished. I was so worried it was going to ge a real chore to get through this one, but I'm enjoying it. Don't think I'll ever like Brianna but I love all the J&C interactions as usual.

HIP I was afraid you'd say that! How can I make it up to you? penicillin broth? a syringe made out of rattlesnake teeth? a length of fabric died in indigo and urine?!? Surely there must be something that will tempt you :D

aka perhaps a sanitary towel made out of twigs and bitter cascara? (Or perhaps not).

I might have to give TFC another go over the summer then. I don't want to be out of the loop by the time the next series airs. You'll all have finished all the books by the then.

Don't know about finishing the books. Every time I half think about buying them something on this thread pops up and puts me off.

Today it was Grim Frank.

Then Lactating Brianna.

Should hide the thread really

the thing is, Fiderer, despite the odd mix of silliness, excruciating detail of every minor decaying tooth extraction performed bare handed and in the dark, wild biological inaccuracies (some of which are annoying e.g. the endless lactating, some are actually quite wonderful such as Jamie Fraser's age defying virility), and the growing cast of random scots who keep popping up each with a fully formed backstory... i'm finding that the dialogue keeps getting better and is often laugh-out-loud funny. And there are still surprises in the emotional department - currently i'm really invested in the blossoming relationship between Jamie and Roger :)

Just about stopped sobbing now.
I LOVED it ....and we got the final, farewell sex too......hurrah.
I agree, the initial carving was moving in the books, shame they left it out.
Must have missed Jaie killing Dougal in my skin reading. What a great scene. Will miss Dougal, a great actor and character.
Yup, saying good bye to Fergus was sad, loved how they called him their son.
Bri wasn't as bad as I was expecting.
Richard is just lovely, can't wait to see him I a kilt.
I have no complaints ......thought ITV as brilliant.....and will take the books on holiday and you lot if I have WIFI
Can't wait for season 3...... I knew they'd give us hope

P.s rewatch ing s1(and then 2 ) I'm realizing what a brilliant , and underrated actor, TM is. He's actually fantastic as BJR isn't he? we need to find out what happens to him reckon we will get loads of flashbacks in S3

"Thought IT was brilliant" not ITV!

Hip, I know you'll capitulate at the vegetable sponge soaked in tansy oil, aka the contraceptive du jour (for internal use, bien sur)?

No wonder poor Marsali keeps "forgetting" to use it

And I thought this when I read the book, but Jamie is unusual......my DH wouldn't have a clue about my "courses" and we've been married nearly 20yrs!!!!!!

drywhite was it you who guessed that the mystery character reappearance would be Geilis? Well done!

and the growing cast of random scots who keep popping up each with a fully formed backstory

Actual lol All of that was a spot on review of TFC.

Well, in fairness to your DH, Drywhite, and mine though it has been a few years since I had any "courses", menstruation was a lot messier and more obvious in those days, with no commercial sanitary products and women not wearing underwear and all.

Good point Seneca

Did I guess Gellis?

Just watched the end bit again.......all the love is back. SH and CB just so great.

AKA, I like TFC. I particularly like the gathering. I LOVE the calling scene. It just emphasises what a good leader Jamie is and it's very moving. I like how Jamie's relationship with wee Roger develops and when he publicly affirms him as "son of my house" it's very emotional, especially given Rogers doubts. There's quite a lot of character growth in TFC, even though there is also a lot of ridiculous stuff.
It also helps that Jamie is almost the same age as me in this book, so my lusting is not so creepy. Oh if only all 50 year old men were as virile!

I hated that final episode.

The impact of them parting and Jamie's imminent death completely cut short to "oh no, hes alive" " oh ok, Im going back then"

DH agreed and he hasnt read books.

I thought the incredibly quick hump in the dirt was very poorly done and not necessary
I think a lot of what made series one so successful was the relationship between J and C and that was very much missing in this series
Also lost a lot of the humour of series 1 too

I liked the quick hump in he dirt, it felt true to both the books and what it would have been like had this happened IRL. Jamie and Claire's connection is total and primal, it makes perfect sense that the despair and emotion of their parting would overwhelm them physically. I thought SH did a fine job of delivering the "rare woman" speech, with that beautiful smile that reveals just how much he loves Claire - even at that dreadful moment, knowing he's about to lose her and he's about to die, his love for her illuminates him.