Outlander Beef...Not a Recipe!

I have a beef with Outlander: it's shocking, I know, but bear with me. 

My beef isn't with the books (though at some point we must discuss the events of Echo in the Bone). 

My beef isn't with the show, per se: it's more with the fans of the show who haven't read the books. Here's an example: 

In the scene with Dougal and Claire in the hallway, during the Gathering when the men try to interfere with her and Dougal steps in, one watcher wrote that she has a problem with Claire's new perspective on Dougal after the boar hunt and the collection of donations for the Jacobite cause. This watcher indicated displeasure with the seemingly sudden flip flop after the man tried to rape her. 

Please note: I do not condone rape in any way, shape, or form.

However, had this person read the book, she would know that Dougal only steals a kiss, perhaps not entirely unwanted either, before sending Claire to her room for her own safety. 

Is the show partially responsible for altering this scene in such a manner as to cast Dougal in a terrible light? Yes and no. If the scene had been portrayed as it was in the book, there would be less inclination to look upon Dougal as a monster, and less condemnation of Claire for her change of heart concerning Dougal, his men, and his actions.

We who have read the books know that Dougal isn't a good guy. He's no rapist, but he's not pure as the driven snow either. So maybe that's the point the show is trying to make. 

Mostly, I just wish people would keep the book in mind while watching the show and try to enjoy the similarities and differences. It's an amazing world to be a part of!

In other Outlandish news...these weekly portions of an hour each are KILLING me. I just want to binge watch the whole thing from the beginning of the book/show to the end of the book/show. Who's with me?!

AND: I graduated from college. By the way. Finally!

Outlander Countdown

I could not be more excited unless the stars of the new Starz show came to my house and watched the premiere episode with me. Yes, I'm talking about Outlander. Haven't heard of Outlander? First of all, what's wrong with you?! and Second of all, let me bring you into our cult...I mean, circle.


Outlander is a new show coming out on Starz (yes, I know you know that but bear with me). It is based on the bestselling books by Diana Gabaldon, an awesome and amazing author who I really look up to as a writer. The books begin with a young woman, Claire, who is on holiday with her husband Frank in the highlands of Scotland. The two had been separated during the war, for some seven or eight years, and decided to reconnect in the place where they honeymooned. Claire is witty, attractive, and intelligent and this reader found her very charming right away. The kind of person you'd want to have as a friend and heck, I even found some of her traits extremely familiar...


Everyone knows what Stonehenge is, right? Most people anyway? What you may not know, unless you study Celtic lore as a hobby in spite of people giving you strange looks when you mutter something about woading and the lack of proper material for lasting lines, is that there are many smaller henges hanging around Scotland, Ireland, and surrounding regions. Neat huh?


According to Diana-and after so many years of reading her books, I feel I can call her Diana-these henges have a purpose not necessarily being thrown about by scholars of the henges. Claire finds one and falls through the stones back to Scotland in the 1700s. And there, she meets him: Jamie Fraser. Oh dear lord in heaven, thank you for making Diana Gabaldon a creative genius who invented a character such as Jamie.


Now, I'm not going into further detail about the books. You simply have to read them. If you need to find them, here is a link, because it's unlikely you'll find them at the library, in order and all at once without waiting: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Outlander%20series


Now, back to the show. There was a lot of hubbub from female fans of the books when it was announced. Who would they choose for Jamie, and only slightly less importantly, who would be Claire? I, for one, am completely satisfied over the choices made by Starz, the director Ronald D. Moore, and to some extent Diana Herself.


Now, let me get to a crucial point in my story. A few days ago, the information to watch behind the scenes footage of Outlander was listed on my Starz channel; now it is all gone. My heart beats a little faster when I discover this but I'm hopeful my numerous calls to both Starz and my cable provider will rectify the situation soon, since the premier episode airs this Saturday, August 9th.


But to soothe my poor, bruised heart over the loss of behind the scenes footage, allow me to provide you, Outlander veteran and Outlander newbie alike, with the pre-released video of the first episode. That's right. You can watch it before it airs. I'm not sure who is responsible for that, but I'd like to hug them seeing as how my Starz channel won't let me watch anything Outlander related at the moment. Without further adieu....please click here: http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander/videos/video/6dd18f29a87b4d3188e9963c7bf68e67?autoplay=true

Stonehenge-England. Image courtesy of Wikipedia 2014.