Lassies of Lallybroch in the Caribbean - The Outlander Discussion Thread - Spoilers Ahoy

[MoNigheanDonn]

New thread lassies for all things Jamie and Claire (and all things in between).

Only two episodes left! Hope everyone enjoyed episode 11.

Hope you get to watch Toni

That's exactly how I'd describe it AKA fun. Wedding was fab, really like Fersali, they have good on screen chemistry. Their Q&A on Twitter was funny yesterday too. Plus the young ones post more pics on social media than Cait and Sam so kudos on that too lol.

the show has changed a lot of course. We're not in Scotland anymore, and theres no getting away from the hijinks to come. But the Claire and Jamie we got to see in this episode have their old connection back - both in the lovely moment at Fersali's wedding (was fr Fogden blessing Claire and Jamie's union in the book? such a lovely touch) and in the bantering, high energy, playful drunk sex at the end.

very moving to see Jamie giving Fergus his name - about bloody time!

Not the only one who likes Jamie's men aka Lesley and Hayes. They'll never live up to Angus and Rupert but they do provide some light comic relief.

Aka, no that wasn't in the book but it was really lovely.

Jamie looked so proud and at ease during the wedding scene. I think he's only 10 years older than the actor who plays Fergus but somehow the way he played really made their father/son bond credible

Another thought: this show really is amazing at casting secondary characters, Fr Fogden was PUUUURFFECT for example. Thinking back to Geneva and her sisters, both perfect. Marsali, perfect. etc etc

SO WHY DID THEY SCREW UP SO BAD WITH CASTING BRIANNA?

this upsets me, because i know we're going to have to see a lot more of her next season...

Place marking

Totally agree, AKA. However, I am prepared to consider that it might just be my overarching dislike of Brianna. Poor Sophie Skelton doesn't stand a chance. I do think that she doesn't have nearly enough physical presence to be Brianna and she is far to sweet and non threatening, I suppose time will tell. I just think their other casting is so good, they must have seen something in her.

Maybe they want to take the character in a different direction from the books, which can only be a good thing.

That is a good way of looking at it, Less.

But I hope SS has been using the time between season to get acting classes, as there is a basic weakness there which is all too evident when she’s sharing screen time with her main counterparts.

You mention physicality and I think that will be my main issue. Sam in particular is a very physical actor - by which I don’t just mean he’s hot as hell, he actively dominates the set. The whole point of Brianna is that she’s inherited that trait and I just don’t see SS having that screen presence.

I suppose I’m already anticipating the scene where they meet - one of the few I remember vividly from the books- which is verrah, verrah physical!

I've never particularly objected to Sophie Skelton but now having just about finished Drums in Autumn, I can understand what you mean. Every description of Brianna goes on and on about how HUGE she is, how TALL she is, how GIANT she is ... ok, ok, we get it. No idea how tall SS is - she didn't look particularly short but not impressively tall either and as you say AKA it's about a physical presence, which she doesn't appear to have so far.

However I do think the casting director(s) have got it spot on with every other character so far, so perhaps SS will surprise us - I'm willing to withhold judgement until Season 4 ...

I know what you mean. Sam dominates the screen, he has such a huge presence, which Brianna is supposed to have too. But SS just doesn't have at all. On her own, she might be ok, I have never seen her in anything else, but her lack is just highlighted when you see her with Rick Rankin etc.

I've said it before, but she is supposed to be mistaken for Jamie when she is wearing breeches and there is no way SS can pull that one off. And Jamie's best comment when he meets her is "You're huge!", but she is obviously not. Brianna should dwarf Claire, but SS is much smaller that CB. This sort of stuff doesn't normally bother me, but I feel a bit like I do about Tom Cruise being Jack Reacher. The character's size and physical presence is so pivotal to their story line that I can't come to terms with a much smaller person in the role. I have never been able to watch the Jack Reacher film because of it. I hope wee Brianna doesn't affect my Outlander pleasure like that.

... hence why we all picture Brienne of Tarth!

More than the size, it is her presence that defines Bree. Everyone is a bit scared of her and she has Roger on a leash.

She might still surprise us - I’m watching Godless at the moment and my, Michelle Dockery has come far since her Downton Abbey days!

Where oh where is Murtagh!? He's got to come back in it. I luffs him.

Ha, I started watching Godless last night and was grumbling to my husband how dull Westerns are - everything in shades of brown. I'm sticking with it as the reviews have been so good but must admit, I kept thinking 'I'd rather been watching Outlander ...'

Jacob I miss Murtagh too.

June I'm itching to start it again! Ha.

Aye, everyone is terrified of her because she is so huge and intimidating and grumpy! I just can't imagine Sophie Skelton pulling that off. She just doesn't dominate a room the way Brianna is supposed to. It's part of the charm of her relationship with Jamie - the fact that they are both huge presences and wills. Oh, well, time will tell.

I'm assuming that Brianna is supposed to be so tall, after Jamie. Also, most 18th century people were quite small, especially across the shoulders. We saw a recent Nelson exhibition and his coat was so slim, according to the curator post war nutrition means that our skeletons are much wider across the shoulders. So a combination of Jamie's height and 50s diet would have made Brianna seem "huge" in 18th century. I still think Karen Gillan would have been perfect. Tall, red head, Scottish, feisty but likeable...

Enjoyed this weeks episode despite the over long Claire lost in the jungle sequence.
I think SS will grow into her role. Claire is very different physically to her book version too and after a while you don’t notice it.
I’ll reserve judgement until I see lord of her. I’ve never disliked book Brianna either she’s making the best out of very messed up circumstances.

I agree we should give SS a chance. I don't think she's had anything to sink her teeth into yet and I don't hate tv Bree anywhere near as much as book Bree. In fact, I don't hate her at all

Also, I couldn't stand Claire in Series 1 and that was partly because I couldn't warm to Caitriona. She was quite wooden at the start, and seemed to be concentrating more on how she was saying her lines rather than what she was saying (I luffs her now though).

Brianna should dwarf Claire

This made me laugh because Diana Gabaldon has obviously based Claire the character on Diana Gabaldon (who looks not very tall in real life).

The pedant in me was irritated that Claire didn't get Jamie to measure the dose of penicillin in the syringe.

Also we've had two series of hideous wounds and no infections, and look and behold, now that Claire has a stash of penicillin, EVERY injury results in a fever!

Bless him, Jamie's a bit slow on the uptake sometimes. He says we need some Joy, Claire gives him full on bedroom eyes and and he suggests a wedding instead of a shag...

Slight tangent - I'm just watching the first episode of How The Wild West Was Won With Ray Mears, and the first segment is on how the first settlers to the Great Smoky Mountains would have lived - and that's pretty much where Fraser's Ridge is. Early 1800s rather than late 1700s, but I imagine nothing that much changed in those years in day to day life

The pedant in me was irritated that Claire didn't get Jamie to measure the dose of penicillin in the syringe

Yes and the fact that she didn't turn the vial upside down to draw the medicine. Difficult to do one handed though, I guess.

And yes to everyone suddenly getting infected wounds More of those amazing Outlander coincidences

I loved this episode. It’s all about Claire and Jamie’s relationship (and admiring Jamie!) for me and this was back to the highs of Season 1. Worth watching the interminable Boston scenes just for this episode!

Just wondering... Did people in the 1960s not know anything about tropical islands? Just cos Claire walked round searching for water for the entire day and only thought about the liquid in coconuts when she tripped over one