OUTLANDER Season 1 Episode 12: Lallybroch

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How much more can we hate Black Jack Randall? Isn’t he the most despicable character ever? Yes, but we may have only scratched the surface of his evil. Shudder.

If this episode felt like we had turned the page into a new chapter of a book, it’s because we have. And because of that transition, this episode felt like we were reorienting ourselves. Jamie and Claire have arrived at his family home, Lallybroch. We are introduced not only to this home, but also to the family he hasn’t seen in years, as he has had a price on his head. And just like with most any family that has been separated for years, the reunion doesn’t go very smoothly…at first. We also learn a little about his role as laird and we see some of his tenants, including the McNab family who will soon become more important. This was an ‘orientation to Lallybroch’ episode.

JENNY!! Jamie’s sister is superbly played by Laura Donnelly. Jenny is just as feisty and irascible as she is in the book. Jenny and Jamie’s prickly relationship has been written beautifully for the series. I’m happy all the way around with Jenny and the occasionally difficult sibling relationship.

 

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Ian. I’m not one to whine about a character not looking like they are supposed to as described in a book, but if I wanted to complain about Ian’s appearance I could. In the books he is tall and painfully thin. But forgetting that, I like the character he is, as it is being acted in this episode. Book Ian is a wise man, calm, kind, and strong. I could see hints of those characteristics in this episode, and hope to see more of them in the future. Ian is a favorite character of mine, and I suspect of many a reader, so it is important to get him right.   

Lallybroch, the house. In the books, this house, and its land, is a character as much as a setting, so I was very anxious to see it—to see if it looked like I saw it in my mind’s eye. Before I say anything, I should say Diana Gabaldon has addressed this very topic, and she gives everything her blessing, so it is really not up to me to say otherwise. But I will. Lallybroch is a house that was supposed to be built in the 18^th Century, but this house is obviously a few centuries older. To the casual viewer that probably doesn’t sound important, but I think it is, especially as the book series continues. I can’t say more than that without major spoilers, but let’s just say it should probably have been a more ‘modern’ house. It’s gorgeous though, and I love the look of it, especially Jamie’s and Claire’s room, and the tapestries downstairs. Sumptuous. Perhaps a little too sumptuous??

Now back to Randall for a moment. First, we had the horrifying scene of his attempted rape of Jenny. While all of it was awful, as it should have been, the part where he’s putting his finger that’s covered with Jamie’s blood into her mouth was truly stomach-turning. And very well played by both actors. The tension was palpable.

And then there’s Randall’s role in Brian Fraser’s death. Worse than the scars that Jamie carries on his back is the scar that will always haunt him—his father’s death. It’s hard to read about, but it was so much harder to watch.

It was time for some comic relief by the time Jamie went up to the mill to repair it. Jamie in the icy water, Claire and Jenny acting nonchalant while the British soldiers stop by, forcing Jamie to stay under water far too long. Played with a light hand, it was a fun scene, despite the feeling that there was some dark foreshadowing going on.

We’ve turned the page, and we have a wild ride ahead of us.

Slàinte mhath!

OUTLANDER: Season 1, Episode 11 The Devil's Mark

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[This post comes with all the usual Spoiler Alerts—proceed with caution if you haven’t seen this episode.]

If you can get through some tiresome courtroom scenes, this episode holds many little, special gems and some big emotional moments. This is an episode some of us Outlander readers have been waiting for—for a couple of reasons:

TWO BIG REVELATIONS and ONE GIGANTIC TURNING POINT IN THE STORY

1. First Revelation: Geillis isn’t a witch, she is a time traveler.

The episode opens with Claire and Geillis in the Thieves’ Hole, a lovely little place with wet, slimy walls, rats, and hard jagged rocks to rest upon. Their time in the Hole becomes a bonding opportunity for the falsely accused women. I don’t remember that being quite the case in the book, nor do I remember Geillis being so kind and compassionate. Ever. In any scene. Though she obviously isn’t a witch, she kind of is…in that she has a streak of evil in her. Other than confessing to murdering her husband, she comes across as a lovely person. NO!!

Throughout their time in the hole, Geillis is trying to get Claire to admit to something that Geillis has suspected pretty much since they first met. When Claire, horrified at their prospects, quotes Nathan Hale’s “I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country,” which was said in 1776, Geillis needs no further proof. She knows what Claire is. But I don’t think the audience knew what Geillis was thinking—not the ones who hadn’t read the book, anyway. It was played coolly and ambiguously by Lotte Verbeek.

Though I quickly tired of the trial scenes, I loved Ned Gowan, and cheered when he made his way into the courtroom. Yay, Ned! He tries valiantly, but with a crowd hungry for a witch burning, there is little he can do. In the end the best he can come up with is for Claire to blame Geillis for everything. When the two women are alone, Geillis, knowing her time is short, asks Claire, “WHY are you here?” meaning HERE in Scotland, HERE in this time. Claire, being a little thicker than usual, hasn’t fully caught on to Geillis’ implied meaning, and tells her it was an accident, that she doesn’t think it is possible for her to get back home.  If you were unfamiliar with this story and hadn’t caught on to the fact that Geillis was also a time traveler, you probably did right about now. Geillis, frustrated and despondent, says, “You don’t want to change things. It was all for nothing.” We found out in the hole that Geillis is a Jacobite—she is in that time because she wants to change the political outcome. That someone just landed there by accident is a sad waste in her mind.

Claire refuses to blame Geillis—all that bonding and everything. Just before Claire gets a pre-burning flogging, Geillis tells Claire, “I think it IS possible.” Claire looks confused, then Geillis says, “1968.” Again Claire isn’t as quick on the uptake as she normally is, and still this means nothing to her. Fortunately Jamie arrives in the nick of time to rescue Claire from the burning. Geillis very bravely chooses this opportunity to take the blame, pronounce that she is carrying Satan’s spawn, and clear the way for Claire to get to leave. As she makes the ludicrous statements, she shows her “Devil’s Mark” which Claire recognizes as a small pox vaccine scar. FINALLY Claire realizes that Geillis is a time traveler as she puts together the vaccine with the ‘1968’. She knows Geillis traveled from 1968. And now the audience does too.

2. Second Revelation: Claire reveals to Jamie that she is from the future.

This scene is one of my very favorite from all of the books in this series. And for the most part I was pleased with how it was brought to life.

After rescuing Claire and tending to her injuries from the flogging, Jamie asks her to tell him the truth: is she a witch? He asks because he has seen the mark on Claire’s arm, the same kind that Geillis said was the Devil’s Mark. She explains that she isn’t, but that after he hears what she has to say he may wonder about that. She tells him what the mark is, how she can never catch small pox because of it, that she knew about Randall and when he will die, about the doomed Jacobite cause, etc. “I am from the future…I was born in 1918.” Jamie looks a little stunned. He tells her he believes her because he trusts her, but that he does not yet understand what she’s said. She goes on to tell him everything—about how she was a combat nurse and the war all the way to how she came through the stones. Jamie is nicely devastated about his actions after she tried to run away, now that he knows WHY she did it. Loving, tender moments ensue.

 

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3. One gigantic turning point in the story: Claire makes a choice.

After Claire’s revelations, she and Jamie travel for several days to get far from the witch hunters. Throughout this time he tells her all about his home, Lallybroch. She’s a little ambivalent about settling there. When they finally, after days of travel, reach a crest of a hill, Jamie asks her if she’s ready to go home. Still ambivalent about Lallybroch, she looks over the hill and sees the stone circle. Jamie’s brought her to the place that will allow her to go home, to her time, to her husband. Their farewell is heartbreaking, there are tears, maybe mine too, and Jamie tells her he will stay nearby until he knows she’s safe.

We see her approach the stone, and then we hear the noise that means she’s traveled, or maybe it’s the noise that means the episode is over, and the screen goes black. What a horrible place for it to end! But NO! There’s more. Jamie is asleep next to a campfire. It is now night. Claire is there. She wakes him. She tells him to “Take me home to Lallybroch.” Yeah, I was crying now.

CLAIRE HAS MADE A CHOICE! She had two choices: Frank and the 20^th century, or Jamie and the 18^th century. We have always known she loved Frank, all we heard about for MANY episodes was how much she wanted to get back to the stones and Frank. But she has a greater love now, and she can’t bring herself to leave him. Jamie. TURNING POINT—Claire has turned her back on her 20^th century life, and has decided to embrace her 18^th century life. This is a game changer, and it makes the rest of the story possible.

Slàinte mhath!

COUNTDOWN CONTEST TO MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE: Day 4

NOW AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON!

WELCOME to my contest to celebrate the release of Miss Austen’s Vampire, the standalone prequel novella to The Vampire’s Passion!! THE BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON!! Enter for a chance to win $20 Amazon Gift Card or beautiful set of Jane Austen Note Cards!! 

 Each day from April 13th to April 16th, I will post a quote from one of Jane Austen’s novels. I chose these particular quotes because each one happens to be something one of my characters, Jane Austen or Gabriel Augustine, might say. You just have to correctly identify which book I took that quote from. All of the how-tos and rules can be found below. Good luck, and have fun playing! 

 ***DAILY QUOTE:     “To love is to burn, to be on fire.”

MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE:

When Jane Austen meets the handsome, intriguing Gabriel Augustine, she finds herself falling in love with this magnificent man even she could not have invented. Gabriel is entranced by the clever, celebrated author, but harbors a secret—one that could end the love affair just as it is beginning. As a newly turned vampire Gabriel finds himself struggling with new untamed appetites—appetites he knows could kill Jane, the only woman he has ever loved.

This standalone prequel to THE VAMPIRE’S PASSION gives Jane Austen a romantic, passionate last two years of her life—passion that real life never gave her.

Contest Rules:

Identify the Austen book that the Daily Quote has been taken from. Write your answer in the Comments section. You may leave one comment each day of the contest; in fact doing so will increase your chances of winning! On April 17th , I will randomly draw 2 winners, taken from all of the correct answers. One winner will be awarded a $20 Amazon Gift Card, and the second will receive a beautiful set of Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice Note Cards. Winners will be posted here on Friday, April 17th , and I will also Tweet it: @monicaknightley

 ENTER TO WIN $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR A BEAUTIFUL SET OF JANE AUSTEN NOTE CARDS!!

COUNTDOWN CONTEST TO MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE: Day 3 RELEASE DAY!!

NOW AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON!

WELCOME to my contest to celebrate the release of Miss Austen’s Vampire, the standalone prequel novella to The Vampire’s Passion!! RELEASE DAY IS TODAY!! Enter for a chance to win $20 Amazon Gift Card or beautiful set of Jane Austen Note Cards!! 

 Each day from April 13th to April 16th, I will post a quote from one of Jane Austen’s novels. I chose these particular quotes because each one happens to be something one of my characters, Jane Austen or Gabriel Augustine, might say. You just have to correctly identify which book I took that quote from. All of the how-tos and rules can be found below. Good luck, and have fun playing! 

 ***DAILY QUOTE:    “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”

MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE:

When Jane Austen meets the handsome, intriguing Gabriel Augustine, she finds herself falling in love with this magnificent man even she could not have invented. Gabriel is entranced by the clever, celebrated author, but harbors a secret—one that could end the love affair just as it is beginning. As a newly turned vampire Gabriel finds himself struggling with new untamed appetites—appetites he knows could kill Jane, the only woman he has ever loved.

This standalone prequel to THE VAMPIRE’S PASSION gives Jane Austen a romantic, passionate last two years of her life—passion that real life never gave her.

Contest Rules:

Identify the Austen book that the Daily Quote has been taken from. Write your answer in the Comments section. You may leave one comment each day of the contest; in fact doing so will increase your chances of winning! On April 17th , I will randomly draw 2 winners, taken from all of the correct answers. One winner will be awarded a $20 Amazon Gift Card, and the second will receive a beautiful set of Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice Note Cards. Winners will be posted here on Friday, April 17th, and I will also Tweet it: @monicaknightley

 ENTER TO WIN $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR A BEAUTIFUL SET OF JANE AUSTEN NOTE CARDS!!

COUNTDOWN CONTEST TO MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE: Day 2

AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER FROM AMAZON

WELCOME to my contest to celebrate the release of Miss Austen’s Vampire, the standalone prequel novella to The Vampire’s Passion!! RELEASE DAY IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15th!! Enter for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card or a beautiful set of Jane Austen Note Cards!! 

 Each day from April 13th to April 16th, I will post a quote from one of Jane Austen’s novels. I chose these particular quotes because each one happens to be something one of my characters, Jane Austen or Gabriel Augustine, might say. You just have to correctly identify which book I took that quote from. All of the how-tos and rules can be found below. Good luck, and have fun playing! 

 ***DAILY QUOTE:   “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel must be intolerably stupid.”

MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE:

When Jane Austen meets the handsome, intriguing Gabriel Augustine, she finds herself falling in love with this magnificent man even she could not have invented. Gabriel is entranced by the clever, celebrated author, but harbors a secret—one that could end the love affair just as it is beginning. As a newly turned vampire Gabriel finds himself struggling with new untamed appetites—appetites he knows could kill Jane, the only woman he has ever loved.

This standalone prequel to THE VAMPIRE’S PASSION gives Jane Austen a romantic, passionate last two years of her life—passion that real life never gave her.

Contest Rules:

Identify the Austen book that the Daily Quote has been taken from. Write your answer in the Comments section. You may leave one comment each day of the contest; in fact doing so will increase your chances of winning! On  April 17th, I will randomly draw 2 winners, taken from all of the correct answers. One winner will be awarded a $20 Amazon Gift Card, and the second will receive a beautiful set of Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice Note Cards. Winners will be posted here on April 17th, and I will also Tweet it: @monicaknightley

 ENTER TO WIN $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR A BEAUTIFUL SET OF JANE AUSTEN NOTE CARDS!!

COUNTDOWN CONTEST to MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE: DAY 1

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

WELCOME to my contest to celebrate the release of Miss Austen’s Vampire, the standalone prequel novella to The Vampire’s Passion!! RELEASE DAY IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15th!! Enter for a chance to win $20 Amazon Gift Card or beautiful set of Jane Austen Note Cards!! 

 Each day from April 13th through April 16th  I will post a quote from one of Jane Austen’s novels. I chose these particular quotes because each one happens to be something one of my characters, Jane Austen or Gabriel Augustine, might say. You just have to correctly identify which book I took that quote from. All of the how-tos and rules can be found below. Good luck, and have fun playing! 

 ***DAILY QUOTE:  “I suppose there may be a hundred different ways of being in love.”

MISS AUSTEN'S VAMPIRE:

When Jane Austen meets the handsome, intriguing Gabriel Augustine, she finds herself falling in love with this magnificent man even she could not have invented. Gabriel is entranced by the clever, celebrated author, but harbors a secret—one that could end the love affair just as it is beginning. As a newly turned vampire Gabriel finds himself struggling with new untamed appetites—appetites he knows could kill Jane, the only woman he has ever loved.

This standalone prequel to THE VAMPIRE’S PASSION gives Jane Austen a romantic, passionate last two years of her life—passion that real life never gave her.

Contest Rules:

Identify the Austen book that the Daily Quote has been taken from. Write your answer in the Comments section. You may leave one comment each day of the contest; in fact doing so will increase your chances of winning! On Friday, April 17th, I will randomly draw 2 winners, taken from all of the correct answers. One winner will be awarded a $20 Amazon Gift Card, and the second will receive a beautiful set of Jane Austen/Pride and Prejudice Note Cards. Winners will be posted here on April 17th , and I will also Tweet it: @monicaknightley

 ENTER TO WIN $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR A BEAUTIFUL SET OF JANE AUSTEN NOTE CARDS!!

OUTLANDER: Season 1 Episode 10: By the Pricking of My Thumbs

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I think it’s safe to say that in this second half of the first season, Outlander has hit its stride. For this viewer/reader this episode has everything you could want: sex, intrigue, sword fights, duels, anger, murder, betrayal, lust, longing, and forgiveness. Pretty much everything in a storyteller’s bag of tricks.  Warning: this review is full of spoilers, so proceed at your own risk if you haven’t watched this episode yet.

In the opening scene Jamie gets his first hint—if he were paying attention—that Claire possesses knowledge that she cannot account for, when she tells him damning information about the Duke of Sandringham. He simply accepts her “trust me, but I can’t tell you how I know,” and doesn’t question her. Of course the knowledge helps Jamie prepare to ask for the Duke’s help in getting Randall’s charges against him dropped. But, there is a quid pro quo that the Duke asks for—one that will get Jamie in trouble with his uncle, Colum.

Meanwhile, we learn a lot more about Geillis Duncan in this episode. First, she is pregnant with Dougal MacKenzie’s baby. Second, she can murder a husband without batting an eye. Third, Jamie is smart enough to know that Claire should stay away from Geillis, that she’s dangerous, but Claire is lured to Geillis’ side by a junior high type prank. Lotte Verbeek is doing a wonderful job bringing the evil but fascinating Geillis to life. I look forward to watching her in coming episodes—and seasons.

But this episode belongs to Simon Callow who was nothing less than fabulous as the Duke of Sandringham! I love Callow in everything I’ve ever seen in him, so I knew he would do a great job as the Duke, but he truly brought the character to life. He was perfect. And so much fun to watch.

Simon Callow and his Duke have to share the honors in this episode with Graham McTavish and his Dougal, however. The scene where Dougal is reacting to the news that his wife—who has been sequestered away at their home far from Leoch—has died was stunning. “She deserved better than me.” I think I was actually mesmerized as he came apart. It was so very physical and heartwrenching. Bravo Mr. McTavish!

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Shortly after being so utterly heartbroken, he smiles a wry little smile at Geillis as he watches her husband die on the floor of the great hall in Castle Leoch during a celebration for the Duke. Later, Colum calls him on it and Dougal proclaims his love for Geillis, which gets him banished when Colum sends him to his own home. Angry at Jamie for his part in a duel against an enemy clan, Colum sends him along with Dougal. Claire’s and Jamie’s parting was sweet and sad as once again their love is becoming more and more evident. And of course that parting opens the way for…

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Geillis and Claire getting arrested for witchcraft. If only Claire had listened to Jamie and stayed away. If only Laoghaire hadn’t hated Claire so much that she tricked her into rushing to Geillis. If only…  That arrest sets up the next episode or two and paves the way for much of what is to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I have nothing to rant about. I learned today that I love watching a good sword fight—even ones where there is no opponent. (Dougal) I also know that there will be plenty of opportunities for more sword fighting scenes in this series.

The next episode promises to be very revealing. It’s one of those parts of the book that I loved and hated in equal measures. I’m excited to see it!

Slàinte mhath!

OUTLANDER Season 1 Episode 9: THE RECKONING

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OUTLANDER is back!! And that was a LONG wait, but oh, so worth it!

I think I’d like, first, to address the elephant in the room.

While I’ve been excited for months to see this particular episode, I’ve also been nervous about it. I knew that even if it were handled as sensitively as possible, the scene where Jamie ‘disciplines’ Claire for putting the group in mortal danger would upset many viewers. It certainly has upset many readers over the years, and I’ve had more than one discussion with other Outlander readers about that scene.

In my opinion the scene was handled very well. It is a difficult scene whether you’re reading it, or watching it. I’ve read this book multiple times and knew exactly what to expect but it didn’t make the apprehension any less. But what occurs is true to the historical times in which the story is set, and while our Twenty-First sensibilities and (rightfully held) beliefs make us want to yell at the TV or the book, it doesn’t change that this behavior is historically accurate. Claire put everyone in danger when she wandered off, thus allowing herself to be captured by the English soldiers. For Diana Gabaldon to have handled it any differently would have been an anachronism.

 

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Having said that, and more on it will be addressed in a moment, the rescue was fun to watch. Black Jack was dripping with evil. He asked Jamie how his “handiwork is looking,” referring of course to the horrendous scarring on Jamie’s back. Jamie’s simple answer, “Fine,” was perfect, as he refused to play into his hands. As Randall is poised to rape Claire, he says to her, “We have an audience,” then asks Jamie if he’d like to join them. Jamie doesn’t respond to these taunts as he manipulates the situation so that he can get Claire out of there. While this scene is in itself a great plot point, it also shows more of the evil that is Jonathan Randall.

Once Jamie and his merry men have rescued Claire from the clutches of the evil man, we see the vicious argument between Jamie and Claire, the one that leads us to the later spanking. After each hurls at the other every nasty word possible, there is a moment of clarity and we can see the intense pain in their faces. Neither can believe the words that were thrown at one another. They both tearfully apologize and forgive one another. It is at this point that I think their growing love for one another is revealed.

Poor Claire. At the tavern everyone talks right over her, no one listens to her words of gratitude for her rescue. She will be invisible until Jamie metes out the expected punishment. "She doesn’t understand what she may have cost us,” Murtagh tells Jamie, who agrees and answers, “Aye and she needs to.”

 

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Before Jamie does what he feels he must do he tells Claire, “Your actions put all the men in jeopardy.” No one more than Jamie, who is in much greater danger from Randall now that he knows where he is. Then, “If a man among us had put the rest of us in danger as you did they likely would have... been flogged, if not killed outright.” But as his wife, it is his duty to mete out the punishment. There’s that uncomfortable bit of historical accuracy.

An icy fall-out follows the punishment, with Jamie spending some nights on the floor. But after he brokers a peace between Colum and Dougal, following Colum’s anger about the men raising money for the Jacobites, Jamie takes their example back to his marriage. In a beautiful scene he tells Claire that just because something has always been done a certain way, eg. husband disciplining wife, it doesn’t mean it always must be that way. He gets down on his knees and pledges his fealty to her, and in a heart wrenching moment she reaches out to him, laying her hand on his heart, and forgives him. The looks on their faces right here!! Many viewers say it was lust, but the way they looked at one another wasn’t lust, it was love. It takes a strong love to be able to forgive what happened, and here we have the first signs of a profound love that carries through eight (and counting) books.

BUT, it is at this point in the book, and TV series, that in many ways Claire truly becomes one of them. Each time I read the book, it isn’t until the after all of this and their reuniting that I feel Claire really feels connected to Jamie and loyal to not only him but the people of the place and time. It’s definitely a turning point. A huge one.

Jamie and Claire will need that strong love to get them through all that still awaits them. This second half of the season promises to be quite a ride.

This week’s rant:  That scene by the river with Laoghaire isn’t in the book, and I wasn’t pleased by its addition. To show Jamie as tempted by her at this stage of his marriage is wrong, because he wouldn’t have been tempted. The look of lust and wanting on his face isn’t in line with his character nor where his character is by this time in the story. He is in love with Claire and committed to her. I wish they hadn’t felt the need to add this new scene.

Slàinte mhath!