Outlander - First Episode Thoughts

After years of being a fan of the 'Outlander' books, and after a full year of high anticipation of the show premiering, the first episode has come and gone. Simulcast across multiple platforms, for free, courtesy of Starz, one week ahead of time (to draw in new viewers and subscribers, I'm sure, but it was still nice of them), I can finally breathe a sigh of relief having seen the show.



But, how do I feel? What did I like? What didn't I like? How does the casting fair? Was the production value, costuming, and acting really as good as Twitter and Facebook hyped it to be?



The short answer is: yes.



But here's the long one!

 

"I'm going on an Outlander adventure!"

It is a beautiful, thoughtful adaptation. As with most TV show pilots, it was slow paced and not particularly action packed. I'm not bothered by it, and no one else should be either, because it's important to establish setting, story, and characters before you launch into the exciting madness.



What did I like?

An opening shot from S01E01 of 'Outlander'.

The cinematography was gorgeous. It is thrilling to have the show set in Scotland! Every shot is pure art. And the actors are all completely wonderful. Many of them are nothing like I pictured in my mind but that sort of thing I don't feel is worth even a passing thought. There is literally no way that they could resemble my imagination. What's important, though, is that the casting department obviously put in heavy consideration - they are near perfect emodiments of Diana Gabaldon's writing. Basically I liked practically everything.



What didn't I like?



If I had to pick something, it would be the opening credits and some of the music. I feel that the images in the opening credits are lovely, and I think the song is pretty, but their combination as the opener to 'Outlander' displeases me. I don't feel that it captures, or prepares the viewer for, the immense excitement, adventure, and visceral feel of the story. To me, the opening feels far too flowery and ethereal, like some sort of early '90s high fantasy made-for-TV movie. It's really my only complaint, and I don't plan on bringing it up ever again.







As for the music... I know that a lot of people were very excited for Bear McCreary's compositions, but I'm left feeling wishy washy. There are one or two thrilling moments in the premiere episode that required upbeat/fast paced music, and I feel that he rose to the occasion wonderfully! The bagpipes kicked in and it was awesome. But some other parts were slow, quiet, and soft, and something about his choices just rubbed me the wrong way. It's similar to how I feel about the opening credits: it didn't "fit" in my mind. Of course, I don't know what I would have done differently, and this simply my opinion. It's also not going to ruin the show for me.



Production Value

A flashback to Claire as a nurse in WWII. Note the gory, open leg wound.

As far as I can tell, they pulled out every stop possible! The sets, the costumes, the makeup, the blood! The beginning of the episode shows us Claire in bloody action during WWII, frantically working on a man with a torn up leg. It was gruesome, and horrifying, and amazingly done. In addition to being necessary for the audience to get a feel for what Claire is capable of, it was a fantastic preview of what's to come (because 'Outlander' is chock full of gory, medical goodness).



While we didn't get prolonged or well-lit views of the attire of 1743, the kilt-y bits that we saw in the darkened forest were incredibly detailed. Based on the stills that Starz has released, and the praise from the actors, I am in high anticipation of fabulous period-accurate clothing in upcoming episodes.



Final Feelings

'How you doin'.'

It is a GREAT time to be an 'Outlander' fan! With the recent release of the 8th book in the series (Written in My Own Heart's Blood), the premiere of the show, and the graciousness and interactvity of the stars and producers of the show (not to mention the author!) on Twitter, we have a lot to be pleased about and thankful for.



The premiere left me happy, satisfied, anxious for more, and highly approving of everything that was added that wasn't in the book. Ronald D. Moore was clearly the perfect choice for a TV series, and I thank him from the bottom of my fandom heart.



Now go watch the premiere! What are you waiting for?!




-MJ



*header photo source

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How 'Friends' Saved My Cats' Lives

No, seriously, the TV show ‘Friends’ is responsible for both of my cats being alive right now. So allow me to share a story with you about how a 15 year plus long obsession with the hit show has made me grateful for, well, obsessions.

So no one told you this show would save your cat's liiiiiiives *clap clap clap*

On the evening of Saturday, June 14th I left my friend’s house to go home. She stopped me before I got into my car to give me some flowers, “Miranda, wait! A lily for you and your mom.”



I turned back excitedly and took them both from her. Lilies are my favorite flowers, and my mom is a plant and flower buff, and these happened to be huge, gorgeous Tiger Lilies. I set them carefully in my car’s cup holder and went home where I then deposited them into a cup of water, set them on the counter where my mom would see them in the morning, and went to sleep with both my cats snuggled in bed.

 

The offending Tiger Lilies, in all of their vibrant glory.

Sunday morning dawned bright and with anticipation of family converging on my mom’s house. We woke up lazily around 9:30 and my mom started to make breakfast. I went into the kitchen, noting that the lily cup had been moved from the counter to the windowsill. I thought nothing of it, figuring that whoever was up before me wanted more counter space. I pointed them out to my mom, saying, “Rachel gave these to us!”



At that moment my kitty, Picard, who will be one year old next month, hopped onto the windowsill and sauntered toward the flowers. She took a delicate sniff, then licked quickly at the inner stems, swallowing two pollen buds in one gulp.



I huffed and laughed, commenting on what a bad cat she was, and picked her up to put her on the floor. It was at that moment, which a shock of horror, that a scene from ‘Friends’ drifted into my mind (Season 7, Episode 2 "The One With Rachel's Book" for those that are curious):



Monica: It sucks! No swing band! No lilies!

Phoebe: But that’s good! You don’t want lilies! If a cat ate them, it would die!

 

There are literally no screen caps of the scene in question, so take this only-sort-of-related-photo from the same episode.

I turned to my mom.



“Aren’t lilies toxic to cats? Phoebe says so on ‘Friends’ but I don’t know if she’s joking or not!”



My mom looked troubled, a small furrow appearing in her brow as she thought.



“I really don’t know.”



It was time to take action, so I first consulted my phone. A quick google search returned a long, long list of websites that screamed about the dangers of lilies to cats. I scanned the websites reading about symptoms showing within 6-12 hours, renal failure within 2-3 days, and immediate vet care being necessary.

 

Lovely Picard and Data when he was about 2.5 months old.

With a thick throat I called the emergency vet, hoping that the Internet at large was overreacting and underinformed (hey, it happens). When I finally had a technician on the phone though she explained to me that two pollen buds was a fatal dosage. Tears immediately filled my eyes. I nodded, unseen to her, as she spoke of the severity and how I needed to get to their office right away.



The next few minutes was a flurry of clothing (I being in pajamas at the time), enticing wafts of bacon, my mom on the phone telling my Grandma that someone else would be picking her up from the ferry in half an hour instead of me, and a scramble for the cat carrier. During this chaos my mom’s boyfriend overheard the commotion and struck me with further dread.



“One of the flowers was on the ground when I got up this morning,” he told me, “It had chew marks on it and I just put it back.”



At this point we grabbed my second cat, Data, and put him in his carrier too. We had no proof, aside from his unwavering love of plants and obsession for dragging things around, and I really wasn’t interested in taking chances. The only thing that kept me from falling into a pit of pure hysteria was the fact that the flowers had been in the house less than 12 hours and Data was still acting normally.



My boyfriend and I had a tense drive to the emergency vet, both cats in tow and Data yowling the whole way. Upon our arrival we gave our furry babies lots of hugs and kisses before they were whisked away for immediate blood work, vomit inducing medication, and intravenous fluids to hopefully flush their systems before their kidneys could absorb the toxins.

 

We were able to visit them the next day and neither were pleased about their cone situations.

Fortunately, amazingly, magnificently, both of the cats are fine. They stayed at the emergency vet until Tuesday morning when they were both deemed OK to go home. Each of their blood tests showed either no anomolies (for Picard) or a teeny bit elevated calcium level for Data which has been looked into. I asked the vet why that was: I honestly expected to be told about crazy levels and dangerous brushes with death, especially since I watched Picard eat two pollen buds. The vet’s best explanation was that we got them to the vet so quickly and as a result they were able to flush their systems before any damage could take place.



So thank you to ‘Friends’, the show creators, runners, and writers. Thank you for Phoebe’s wacky character and being concerned that cats wouldn’t be able to attend Monica’s wedding. Thank you for bringing a show into the world that is so consuming that daily, run-of-the-mill words become trigger words to remember a scene or a line.

Thank you for saving my cats’ lives!



Remember that lilies are toxic to cats! Many plants and flowers are, so be sure to consult guides or your veterinarian to find out which ones are safe to bring into a cat filled home.



-MJ

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The Reaction Diaries - Connor & Shane.

Not every character on the show can be a winner.







-MJ and Rachel

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The Reaction Diaries - "Oh, God."

Things are shocking as all hell in this week's episode.







-MJ and Rachel

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Kentucky Fried 'Justified'

OK, so that's a ridiculous title, but bear with me! Two weeks ago I was in the Ohio/Kentucky area for a family reunion, and part of the trip involved visiting Kentucky because Morgan here is a huge fan of the show 'Justified'. I asked if he'd be willing to guest write a little something for you all, because I've never seen the show but I hear that it's good. If you already watch the show then you should leave a comment telling us your favorite part or character! If you don't watch it yet, then get ready to hear about how fantastic it is!

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'Justified' follows the story of Raylan Givens, a US Marshal who, after justifiably taking the law into his own hands to the displeasure of his superior, is sent back to his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky as a form of "lay low" punishment for his vigilante-esque actions. Once home, he's welcomed by the local law enforcement and quickly settles in to rounding up the local flavor.

Through the first season, we see Raylan struggle with being back in the home that he deliberately left; reasons include an ex wife, a hated father, and a general round of ignorance. The persona of Raylan has a strong sense of right and wrong, and knows what he should do, but also constantly struggles with his own anger and his desire to pretty much kill everyone who does something wrong. His own safety, and the safety of others, tends to override the law. All the same, he's not above calm conversation! In the first episode we see him talk down a dim-witted shotgun wielder, and later in the show he warns an offender that one more step means getting shot. He's a bit of an anti hero that you don't feel badly about rooting for.

I'm sure this is someone's OTP. Source.

The counter point to Raylan is Boyd Crowder, an army vet and white supremacist who, after the first episode, will become your favorite character. Once the show finds its groove, the dynamic between Raylan and Boyd takes center stage in a fascinating exchange of law versus criminal. While Raylan aims to uphold justice, even if that means a shooting spree, Boyd is a criminal who manages to do good in the name of God.

A large draw of 'Justified' is the fact that it's set in Kentucky. It wouldn't be nearly as appealing if it were a cop show in a city such as New York or Los Angeles. In a large city setting a lot of the dynamic, story, and characters would have to rely on cell phones, street signs, and an overload of modern life in general. Since Raylan is in his home town, he relies on life-long knowledge of the area, as well as rapport with people he's known since he was a child. They don't necessarily like him, but they know him, so they are ocassionally willing to help. Shows set in the city are cliche personality wise, not just cop type roles, but also the citizens. You know what you'll get to an extent in the South, but it's a different avenue; one not seen nearly as frequently. The variety is appreciated amidst the usual sea of gritty dark streets.

Look at that glorious background foliage. Source.

The feel of the show is mostly drama, but there's a generous serving of comedy as well. It's not the normal comedy you'd think, but the special kind that springs from dire situations. They happen to run rampant in 'Justified'. It's more serious comedy though, adult comedy if you will, which is to be expected from an FX aired TV MA show. The best part is that it doesn't take the normal route of most scripted shows. For instance, you might be able to predict what will happen in a season, but you won't be able to predict how you get there. The routes and the paths to the destination, no matter what it might be, are very random and new. The writers have specifically stated that they are 100% willing to change direction at the drop of a hat, which makes it more realistic than other shows because that's how life is. If they have an idea that they think works better, they'll adandon whatever they were going to do and just run with it.

Season four just wrapped in April of this year, and season five is due to air in January or February of 2014. Now is a great time to dive in if you're searching for a lesser traveled cop/sheriff/law what-have-you show. Oh, and it stars Timothy "The Elephant" Olyphant, so that should be a big draw for most people.

Big draw. Source.

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So what do you think? Will you be adding 'Justified' to your TV roster anytime soon?

-MJ

*Header image source

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Starz ‘Outlander’ Series in 2014

At the end of June, Starz announced they would be doing a 16 episode TV series adaptation of Outlander, an internationally popularbook series written by Diana Gabaldon. As an avid fan of this epic, seven-book-going-on-eight-book-as-soon-as-the-next-one-releases, time traveling, science fiction, historical fiction, romance adventure series (what a mouthful!), I immediately freaked out. In a good way.Whenever I meet a self-proclaimed book lover or reader I tend to immediately suggest that they read the Outlander books.

The Outlander series, books one through seven, including the Companion book, the Lord John series, and other spin off titles. Source

Most might be all trepidation in the face of a TV adaptation of a beloved book series, but in light of the brilliance and success of theHBO/George R. R. Martin masterpiecethat isGame of Thrones, and the fact that Ron Moore (of Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: TNG fame) is at the helm, I am feeling more than optimistic and excited. So much so that I created a tumblr dedicated to all things Outlander! Feel free to follow it if you want to stay in the loop on as much information as I can find about the show, in addition to quotes, fanart, and other Outlander-type tidbits!

Many times over the years Gabaldon has spoken publicly regarding movie versions of her series. She generally says that if the stars aligned and the right producers, offers, and actors came together then that would be great. However fans never seemed to be in favor of a movie release. I know that at the first mention of an Outlander film I thought to myself, "Surely they jest, this would need to be a TV show!"

Well, the time has come! Filming is set to begin in Scotland this coming fall, with an anticipated airing date of Spring 2014. The part of Jamie Fraser, one of the two main characters, has been filled by Sam Heughan(pronounced hew-en). He's a strapping young Scotsman with a background in theatre and a fantastic sense of humor. He can be found joyfully interacting with fans on Twitter and posting selfies on Instagram. The Outlander fanbase is currently frothing at the mouth wondering who will be cast as Claire, the protagonist of the story.

Heughan obligingly dyed his hair red for fans, seeing as Jamie is a firey ginger in the series. Source

It is Claire that we follow in this intense and epic tale.We find herin1940s Scotland while vacationing with her husband Frank. One day while picking medicinal plants, she falls through a cleft in a standing stone circle atop a hill and becomes mysteriously transported to1743 Scotland. This time travel is completewith all of the dangers and problems one might expect to find in the 18th Century. It is here that she meets Jamie. And then all hell breaks loose and it is amazing.

If you're looking for an involving, deep, thoughtful, and beautifully written new book series, then I suggest you pick up Outlander. Now is the perfect time to dive in! Book eight of the series, Written In My Own Heart's Blood, is due out next year, in addition to the launch of the TV show! I sincerely hope that the 16 episode run is a success; I can only assume that would mean they'd continue and make a season for each of the books! Then I might just fan-squeal myself to death.

-MJ

*header image source

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This is about television.

I want to pop in real quick and mention some TV shows I didn't realize I enjoyed.

First and foremost: Seinfeld.

I've always maintained that I didn't enjoy the show, however I had never actually watched it. I have this issue with food too. Never eaten it before? I don't like it! No basis for that decision.

Anyway.

Seinfeld, very funny. I've started watching TV late at night for some background noise while I work on my photos or play WoW. Seinfeld seems to be on a lot in the evening. At first I was reluctant to start watching it and I'm not sure why. Once I gave in though I realized I was laughing through every episode and quite enjoying myself.

Another recent discovery? Frasier is actually very entertaining! I have always dismissed this show, never even gave it a chance. I want to say that my dad likes it, but I'd have to double check. I believe he asked my sister and me if either of us watch it, because it's based in Seattle and all. Oh dad. He lives in Ohio, by the way.

Last week I watched my first episode of Glee. I want to watch more! I was very upset when I realized I missed last night's episode. I need to get my hands on season one.

The Office: it would appear that I like it. A lot of my friends love it but I was never really able to get into it. I watched the first three episodes a few years back and felt far too awkward, and that's saying something. I think if I gave it a chance everything would be fine though, because I like the later episodes.

This is a very pointless entry.

-MJ

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