Top Ten Moments of Season One: James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser

Welcome once more to a top ten countdown in relation to season one of Outlander. Thanks to the success of the Top Ten List on Claire Moments, I have decided to dedicate an entire series of top ten lists. This will be a top ten list of Jamie's best moments, and will be followed by top humorous moments and then top moments overall. Outlander certainly has become my passion over the past two years and nothing was perhaps more satisfying then seeing Jamie Fraser come to life. Sam Heughan, really has done a bang up job as the leading man, and it was an absolute joy to see him on screen. Before I get into this top ten list, I'm going to ask what your favorite funny moments, and favorite moments overall in the show were.

Contact Me

Via Email: graciedeardiarytumblr@gmail.com or outlandersassenach@gmail.com
On Tumblr: outlandersassenach.tumblr.com(through fan mail, anonymously, or the new private messaging service)
On Twitter: @GracieMac91

Now, onto the list!

#10 - "So long as I'm with you." Castle Leoch, S1E02

Jamie's character has always been strong, compassionate and as hot headed as Claire. The tender moments he shows Claire are honestly some of the best in the show. This is one of them. After a long ride, and a few scratches, Claire's meltdown prompts him to just hold her close and let her cry about her husband. He whispers calming soothing words in her ear and offers her a much needed shoulder to cry on. And then promises her that so long as he is around, he'll keep her safe but is also sure to remind her that she's an English woman and to be careful all things considered. Poignant, touching and wonderful, a true mark of Jamie's character.

#9 - "I guess that means you're coming with me." Sassenach, S1E01

We first get our eyes full of Jamie Fraser in the first episode and the best moment, for me, from the first moment is when he judges Claire's character accurately enough to call her bluff. He catches her running away from the men and informs her that if she doesn't come with him willingly, he'd pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and carry her back. She of course, doesn't want him to do that, and so he replies with that cocky grin. "Weel, I guess that means you're coming with me." It's the first glimpse we have of Jamie's ease of humor and wit (though, my one woe is how little of it we truly saw in the show, compared to the books, but that's another blog post altogether). It's a testament to Sam's acting to pull off ruthless and charming at the same time.

#8 - A Trip to the Snackbar. By the Pricking of My Thumbs, S1E10

Another humorous, and definitely sexy moment in the show, is Jamie waking Claire up with a bit of loving. And it's glorious, especially when Murtagh's trying to break down the damn door. There isn't really much to this scene in the form of substance, but it was super sexy and he was such a gentleman to let her finish. I don't know, I just like this moment because it's a rare tv moment for the focus to be on the woman's pleasure and woman's pleasure alone and honestly, Jamie certainly seems to satisfy her on screen.And what woman wouldn't want a man that saw to her needs before his own every now and then.

#7 -Fixing the Mill. Lallybroch, S1E12

In one of his more humorous scenes, Jamie wakes up with a hangover after playing Laird of Lallybroch the night before and finds out the mill is broken. Determined to fix the issue himself, we once more get that wry wit of his and well, a decent glance at his backside. While humorous, it's also a bit of a nail biter because the redcoats show up while he's fixing the mill. It's also the first time that Jenny sees the scars left by the floggings he received at the hands of Black Jack Randall. Which brings us to my next favorite Jamie moment.

#6 - Facing the Flogging. The Garrison Commander S1E06 & Lallybroch S1E12

Not many men who have received 100 lashes live to tell the tale. That same number probably would take the offer that Black Jack offered than take the punishment. Jamie's bravery certainly takes center stage. We first see the flogging scene in The Garrison Commander but the back story behind that scene takes place in Lallybroch. Jamie explains that he didn't want to have another flogging, but he couldn't dare imagine giving her body to Black Jack to spare himself the feel of the cat o nines again and that to do so, his father might think less of him. It is a strength of character, but it is also Jamie's tried and true stubborness.

#5 - The Oath Taking. The Gathering, S1E04

Thanks to Claire's shenanigans, Jamie finds himself in quite a dilemma. He has to swear an oath of fealty to his Uncle Colum at the gathering. If he doesn't pledge, the clansmen will kill him. If he does pledge, his Uncle Dougal will kill him. Quite the pickle I'd say. Regardless, Jamie's ability to think lightly on his feet grants him a perfect way of swearing fealty, but also ensuring that he is not killed by Dougal. It's eloquent, on point and perfectly encapsulates Jamie's intelligence.

#4 - "Fair is fair." The Wedding, S1E07

By far, one of the best episodes of the season finally gave Jamie the limelight. After six episodes of being a passive character in the background, he came to center stage as the virginal young man who thought that sex was done the back way. The best moment for me, during this whole episode was right after Claire explores his nakedness and then he counters that it's just as fair for him to ogle her. I could of went with a million moments in this episode that were poignant, funny or ultra romantic, but I think this statement really sets the tone for that second and much for satisfying sex scene in the whole episode. He was cocky, self assured and damn if it wasn't sexy as hell to watch.

#3 - The Spanking Scene. The Reckoning, S1E09

On the previous list, I included the argument between Jamie and Claire and highlighted it as one of Claire's best moments. I would of liked to duplicate it in this but decided to give you this moment instead. Now this has to be the most dividing scene of the entire season. People like me, who grew up in a house where a spanking with a belt was considered proper punishment, sort of laugh and giggle through it, especially since Claire's reactions are so similar to us bargaining kids doing anything to get out of it. I thought it showed that while Jamie is strong, he is a man who is also from a different time. A time where corporal punishment is the norm. And it's because this scene is so divisive to different audiences, that I decided to place it on this list.

#2 - Jamie's Acceptance of Claire's Story. The Devil's Mark, S1E12

Picture it. Your significant other, whom you love deeply, has just told you that s/he is a time traveller and is 200 years from the future. I bet most of us in that given situation, would just smile awkwardly, pick up the phone and call the local psychiatric hotline. We wouldn't believe it. What a crazy ass story right? But Jamie, dear sweet Jamie, actually believes her. He doesn't understand it, but he believes her all the same. If that is not a testament to true love, I don't know what is.

#1 - Jamie Offers his Body in Exchange for Claire's Safety. Wentworth Prison, S1E15

Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking scenes, and a true showing of Jamie's love for Claire, is when he offers himself up in exchange for the safety of his wife. He is already beaten, bruised and tortured but none of that matters. Even when Black Jack Randall drives the nail into his hand, he doesn't waver in what he means to do, even though he knows the steep cost. It is heartbreaking, watching the weight of his decision cross his features after Claire is gone, but that doesn't stop him from comforting her when BJR sends her away. He doesn't let her see how scared he is. He is the perfect embodiment of strength and vulnerability and it is one of the most devastating scenes of the entire season, and also the one scene that resonated the most with me overall.

So what were your favorite Jamie moments?

Top Ten Claire Moments of Outlander Season One

It's the end of the year, and with Droughtlander upon us, I decided to go back and rewatch all sixteen episodes of Outlander and pick and choose which moments I decided were the best. Claire is a complex character, both strong and vulnerable, both impulsive and patient. She gets shit done, and she is honestly one of the best female characters ever created. Many props to Diana Gabaldon for creating such an awesome, realistic, complex woman that women of all ages can relate to in one way or another. And so here are my top ten moments of Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser.

#10 - "You have strong fingers." The Way Out, S1E03

I have to say this was the pivotal moment where the friendship between Jamie and Claire was well and truly established. When she asks if he's got strong fingers and then they both set about rescuing the boy from the pillory, it always makes me grin. Especially the part where she feigns a faint and then Jamie says she faints at the sight of blood. It has to be the oldest trick in the book, though, considering the time travel, maybe the diversion is the newest trick in the book? Either way, it is one of my favorite moments of the entire series and always makes me giggle.

#9 - "Not a Wet Nurse." Sassenach, S1E01

By far one of the humorous scenes. Back in the day, the only nurses anyone knew anything about were the wet kind, so that moment when she's putting Jamie's shoulder back in place and says she's a nurse, his eyes go straight to her boobage and she's all aghast about it. Honestly, if not for the situation, I think she would have slapped him. And it would have been a well deserved slap.

#8 - "Oh Fuck" The Search, S1E14

Nothing quite encapsulated the moment so well when Claire was forced to literally sing for her supper, or at least information. She and Murtagh are scouring the highlands for Jamie Fraser and part of doing so means putting on singing shows. And so, Claire's first show to a rowdy bunch of drunks in a tavern is quickly started off with the exclamation. Brilliant and funny.

#7 - The Dagger to the Throat, The Reckoning, S1E09

After the six month break between episodes eight and nine, nine came in with a huge bang. And by bang, I mean Jamie slamming that window open and pointing that pistol at the sorry bastard BJR. Now the reckoning, was actually my favorite episode of the entire season and there are two moments on this list. This is the first one. After all the fighting, and back and forth between them, Claire and Jamie have some good ole fashioned make up sex, you know, the best kind there is and while she is on top, laying it on him thick, she takes his weapon, puts it to his throat and makes him swear to never lay a hand on her again. It's also a sex scene where she is most definitely in control of him and she lets him know it too. Considering the fact that he'd tanned her hide earlier, getting fucked while subsequently being told if he ever hit her again, he'd have his heart cut out and she'd eat it for breakfast, is probably enough for a man to get the picture. She was the boss, and Jamie knew it.

#6 - "Does it bother you?", The Garrison Commander, S1E06

After a really tense hour of superb tension between Claire and the disgusting Black Jack Randall, it is determined that the only way to save Claire from the clutches of the evil bastard is to turn her from an Englishwoman into a Scot. And that means marriage. And so, she and Jamie are set to be wed. After all that tension, the two moments that break up the anxiety the most are Dougal's Corn Grinding line, and this one when she asks Jamie "Does it bother you, that I'm not a virgin?" And when Jamie responds. "No, so long as it doesn't bother you that I am," the look on her face and the guzzling of her wine are proof enough that she's just not wanting to deal with this shit. It's also why she gets more than a wee bit drunk. Who wouldn't with that kind of news?

#5 - Choosing Jamie, The Devil's Mark, S1E11

One of the most pivotal moments in the entire show for Claire, was when she makes the decision to permanently put Frank behind her. In a way. When she decides to choose Jamie, in this world of war, pain and torment, versus the much safer world she lives with Frank, you can see the angst, the fear and then the complete and total determination. The moment she tells Jamie "On your feet soldier" and you seem them embrace and kiss, you know that everything, for now, is going to be alright. That she's found her soulmate and she loves him, even if she doesn't say the words.

#4 - The Dying Man, The Gathering, S1E04

This moment is truly when you see Claire's compassion. The man gored by the boar has no chance of survival and it is this moment that I also believe Dougal finally gives Claire some respect. Granted, he is still a major asshole, but he's the kind of asshole, you can't help but admire a little. Regardless, this moment when she comforts this dying man in his last moments, it's tender and shows Claire's true want to help and the grief when she cannot do so. A common thing for a woman who is used to seeing the dead and dying on the battlefield.  A poignant moment for Claire's character and her relationship with Dougal's character.

#3 -Pregnancy Announcement, To Ransom a Man's Soul, S1E16

The ending moments of the season, after all of the ups, the downs, the terrible things that have happened, when she tells Jamie she's pregnant is truly the light at the end of a dark tunnel. They love each other, and the child she never thought she'd have, is now in her belly and so she and Jamie are truly a family again. Things aren't back to normal, by any means, but they are getting there. And this baby is truly that hope for a better future between them.

#2 - The Big Fight, The Reckoning, S1E09

By far the best Claire moment with Jamie is this one. By a mile. The tension between them and the chemistry are clashing. The insults back and forth, the affrontry. The sexual chemistry is so strong between them in this one scene that you can feel it steaming off the tv screen and when they glare at each other, you don't know if they are going for blows or for hard kissing. It's sexy, raw, powerful. Claire hold's her own, she let's Jamie know what for, she calls him a fucking bastard, he calls her a foul mouthed bitch. By far some of the best acting of the entire series happens in this moment and I'm honestly sure when she slapped him, she really slapped him. Note to Jamie, never tell a woman to apologize when they don't think they've done anything wrong. I think he learned his lesson.

#1- The Bitch Slap Heard Round the World, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, S1E10

Ah yes, nothing quite felt as satisfying all season, in my opinion as the moment when Claire loses her shit on Laoighaire. Now...I get it. Laoghaire is a teenager. She's a bit bratty. She's got this huge ass crush on Jamie. But she really crossed the line when she tried to seduce him by the stream. Then she has the utter nerve, to say that Jamie must get sloppy drunk to fuck Claire. And the reaction to such a thing is the satisfying bitch slap that Claire lands on her. Now, hitting anyone is wrong, but admit it, most if not all of us felt a great deal of satisfaction in watching that display.

So what were your favorite Claire moments of Season One?

Sam Heughan is a True Winner

This morning, Outlander fans waited with bated breath, waited for the Golden Globe nomination announcements with fingers crossed. Surely, the Golden Globes would nominate Outlander after the Emmy's snubbed us. And sure enough, we were nominated. We were nominated for Best Drama Series next to heavy-hitter Game of Thrones. Caitriona Balfe received a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama and Tobias Menzies received a Best Supporting Actor nomination in a Drama. For the first time, on a stage that didn't rely on fan voting, we were legitimized. But almost immediately, there was drama within our fandom over the fact that Sam was not nominated for Best Actor. There was anger, a lot of it, over the fact that Sam did not receive a nomination, more anger than I remember when the Emmy's snubbed the entire show.

The problem with award shows like this, is that usually there is a lot of back door politics going on, not to mention, a lot of the basis for a nomination depends on screen time for the actors within the show. As it stands, Jamie's character was a side character, at best, for the first eight episodes and didn't become a full main character until after the wedding. Blame Ron Moore, blame the writers, that's just the way it panned out. So no, Sam did not receive a nomination. But to me, that doesn't matter, because Sam is the true winner.

Since becoming Jamie, Sam has dealt with a lot. Harrassment on social media, for his behavior, for his significant other, for not answering questions on his personal life, for dealing with crazy obsessed fans who get jealous of any woman in his life who might be his girlfriend; for being to thin or too buff; for having a beard and not having one at all; for anti-shippers who scream and throw fits on twitter and tumblr just so they can try and rub it in shippers faces that he isn't with Cait (I'm not a shipper myself but shipping them doesn't bother me in the slightest). He's handled it all fairly well, though it must be quite an adjustment to go from a small actor to catching the biggest break of his career and becoming the human embodiment of one of the greatest literary men in modern literature. He has handled it all graciously and humbly and to those who've met him in real life, they say he is nothing but a true gentleman.

So even though Sam did not get a nomination, to me he is still a winner. He has handled transition from unknown actor to a top tier actor gracefully. He involves himself in charity work, he has a life that is actually quite normal outside of his role as Jamie and his acting is superb. When the Emmy's snubbed us, everyone was angry. Emmy's and Golden Globe nominations legitimize television actors to most and there are plenty of actors in smaller TV shows that never get the recognition they deserve. Much like everyone knows that Leonardo DiCaprio deserves an Oscar more than plenty of men who've won over him. We know that despite never winning one, that he is a fantastic actor. So even though Sam did not get a nomination, I know that he is still a winner. I know that he is still a wonderful actor. That even though he did not receive a nomination, he is still one of the best actors on television right now and he will only grow as an actor as the show progresses. As I said when we were snubbed by the Emmys, we do not need these nominations to legitimize these actors, because they are already legitimized in our eyes. I'm excited that Cait, Tobias and the show nabbed nominations and am I disappointed in Sam being snubbed, a little yes, but at the same time, I know that he is an actor that is utterly wonderful, and just because he doesn't win a nomination, doesn't make him any less wonderful in my eyes. So congrats to Cait, Tobias and Outlander, and especially to Sam, who will no doubt treat his snub with quiet dignity and grace. To the fandom, Sam Heughan, you are indeed a true winner, regardless of the backdoor politics in Hollywood.

Slàinte mhath!

A Defense of "Hold the Fries"

Normally, I do not take personal matters to this fandom blog but I feel like something needs to be addressed. I am sure many of you reading this are members of a group on Facebook called Outlander Series. It is an extremely large group (the largest in fact) of Outlander lovers with fifty-four thousand members. I was once a part of this group. My first fandom group in fact. At first, I loved this group. I honestly did. I met a lot of great people, and I met a lot of awesome friends. Such a large group, is of course, going to have it's share of drama and there was no shortage of people who stirred the pot so to speak. But I took such things with a grain of salt. Back in January of this year (2015) now completely engrossed in all things Outlander, I found myself joining as many Outlander related groups as I could find. Outlander Uncensored, and Outlander Hold the Fries, and even creating my own Outlander Facebook group OutlanderSassenach. I was trying to find great discussion groups to discuss Outlander and also make friends that shared a similar interest to my own. Unknowingly I entered Hold the Fries, not realizing that this was an ordained "hate group" by the only active admin in the large Outlander Series group, Denise Fries. Now at first, I'll admit, I thought the commentary on how crazy this woman was was nonsense.

Personally, I had been getting contentious with a couple of catty women in Outlander Series, one of whom had essentially copied and pasted a tumblr post (with picture included) I had written way back in November of 2014 about how Kevin Ryan might possibly be in the running for the role of Roger MacKenzie. Now all I had done was screenshot what she wrote with my original post and then explained that the information was old and false. I was met with an explosion of catty remarks and the thread went on and on and on. I was relentlessly bullied for standing up for myself and so I left the large group after nothing was done to stop the bullying against me.

I ended up returning, still a member of this so called "Hate Group" with no issue. I had heard the stories of the crazy admin but we discussed plenty of Outlander that I just ignored what was going on when discussing a certain admin of OS. I even told my best friend about this group because the ladies within were fun and go lucky and maybe a little risque but I liked them. About three days after I told my friend to join the group, she too a member of Outlander Series, she was banned without notice or PM. I didn't understand. So I PMed a certain admin of Outlander Series and asked her about why my bestie was banned with no notice. It was a very polite discussion I'll admit. No mud slinging. I was told that if my best friend wanted to come back to OS she could PM said Admin and they would work it out. As it turned out, my friend had already been blocked by Denise and was unable to PM. I was then asked by Denise if my friend was part of Outlander Series - Hold the Fries and when I was affirmative, I was told, oh no, she can't be part of that. That's a hate group. I then informed her I was also part of said group (finding it unfair that people could be blocked and banned just for being in certain groups) and decided that I would leave OS voluntarily for I felt that my best friend was unfairly banned and I was going to stick up for my friends. I don't regret leaving, and by and far that was not the worst thing this woman has done. She accuses Hold the Fries of "stalking her page" But if you will look at this screenshot, you will see the recent activity in this supposed "hate group" is mostly Outlander related.

We aren't "stalking" her group. A few might have alternates and go in to take a peak at the crazy but most of our posts are in fact Outlander related. While there were some rather extreme memes made way back in the early days of this group, most memes are now just poking fun at her silly rules. There is even a twitter page dedicated to making fun of the silly rules that OS has (@DSFRules). "No Nitpicking" for example, or using the word "butthurt" are all considered bad form in Outlander Series. There is no real hate, and no one in the group is going to Denise Fries and bullying her in any form. If she is, trust me, you would know. An Example of Hold the Fries "bullying":

Many people that joined Hold the Fries have been maligned, called terrible, called haters, and from my experience are great people with only a single online enemy. Now Denise's reputation far exceeds her. Several groups online refuse to give her the time of day because of her behavior. Formerly, she was admin in Game of Thrones: Spoilers Welcome and was forced out for her micromanaging behavior. Groups were made as safe havens for ousted members in the Game of Thrones fandom as well. I've had several people tell me so and she was known "affectionately" in Spoilers Welcome as "Cape Ruby."

She refers to those she admins over as "lessers". She polices her group so that people that post a lot of Outlander related stuff have to be "limited to two posts a day" because people complain that those posting are posting to much. Over the weekend (between October 16-19, 2015) Hold the Fries had an influx of 150 new members. Part of a mass exodus from Outlander Series because one of the lovely ladies that posted videos there was thrown out, despite the videos dealing with her journey through reading the books for the first time. I feel, as a member of this Hold the Fries group, that we have been unfairly maligned and treated maliciously when in fact, most of the time, our focus is indeed Outlander. It's not a hate group so much as it is a safe haven for people to vent their frustrations and find new Outlander groups that are not admined by Denise Fries because they find her behavior controlling, narcissistic, and micromanaging. Rules of the group include that one cannot promote other pages, or personal products, and yet Denise promotes her own blog frequently AND her books while not allowing her group members to do so. How is that fair? Hypocrite much?

Threads that bash the show are left up while threads that promote what people love about the show are considered hate bating and are taken down. This isn't coming from me, but the countless people in the Hold the Fries group. For the group to have a No Drama motto, anything that promotes people's love of the show is often discounted or taken down or seen as stirring the pot. I just don't understand the hypocrisy of not being able to promote personal Outlander related stuff while the admin can shove the link of the book she wrote down the proverbial throats of Outlander Series Group members.

Now maybe in real life, Denise is a very nice person. Maybe she's a great person in fact, but online, her entire existence is revolving around smothering the opinions of others.

Outlander Series is a very very large group and with fifty-four thousand people, it's often hard to continue a popular conversation or posts get buried far to easily. The fact that people are not allowed to join certain groups just because the admin of one doesn't like it seems a bit weird you know? And also, when over 600 people are in a group relating the same sort of stories and experiences by a single person, perhaps the problem is not with them, but rather with the person they have contention with.

I just want to set the record straight. Yes, Hold the Fries sometimes get into a stint of Denise Fries bashing because often, those that go there are are hurt, upset and angry over the way they were treated. It is NOT a Hate Group though some may see it that way and is a gateway for people ousted from Outlander Series to find a new place to discuss their love of books.

I imagine this link will get to Denise in one form or another, as there are moles in the group and I am sure that I will be told to stop whining and be told "Omg it's just the internet" but if someone is able to write a blog post about how she has a hate group, I am allowed to defend my wonderful friends there who are great people, who felt they have been wronged and have a place to vent their frustration and anger. I was once a person who thought they were honestly just full of it, but I know these women. I've known them ten months and despite the treatment my best friend received from Denise, I'm glad she did what she did because I discovered how wonderful, and loving and embracing these ladies (and few gents) are. She can call us petty, say our claims are embellished. If that's the case, 600 people are all lying about similar circumstances, which seems a bit of a stretch does it not?

Anyway, if you are part of Outlander Series and are reading this, I just wanted to say that our group IS NOT a hate group, though Denise so often points out that it is. We spend most days discussing our lives and Outlander and not the woman who admins the biggest Outlander fan group of them all, as she so often states over and over again. Feel free to join us, but know that when you do, you will be banned because a single woman does not want you in other groups or promoting other groups and wants you all to your self. That's all it amounts too.

Until next time my fellow Sassenachs.

Droughtlander "Get Through It Initiative": Poldark, Part Five, A Recap

We start off tonight's Poldark certainly happy right? There's copper in that there mine! (Try reading that previous sentence with your best old prospector accent) Ross and Demelza confess their love and she's pregnant with his baby! I mean, obviously it's good times right? What could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, as it always is with a great drama, the happy endings are almost always short lived.

As usual with an hour of no commercials, several things of note happen in this episode. It starts off sweet enough with Demelza having a little girl. Watch Ross hold his daughter is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. He's in awe of his little girl, perfectly happy with her, not disappointed that she isn't a boy. It's truly a fairy tale for him and for Demelza.

This episode really allows for Demelza to grow a bit more. Most of the attention has been on Ross and in this episode we get to see a lot more of Demelza coming into her own. I also love what they have done with her hair, having it flowing and long like that makes her look truly beautiful and she looks like a brand new mother with a certain glow. Job well done make up and hair team. Applause all around.

While Ross is dealing with his investors (who are selling out and dropping like flies), Demelza notes that her cousin in law, sweet Verity, is truly miserable with her situation and obviously lacking in love. At the christening and after, you can see the cogs in her head turning. She's going to do something about it, and that means going to see Captain Blamy.

Obviously it's been quite a long time since Verity and Blamy parted (thanks to Francis, a.k.a. Sir Dickbag), and when Demelza first arrives there, Blamy is very harsh with her and tells her that he's only married to his ship and does not think of Verity. I called bullshit because this is a TV show and there is no way in hell that that man hasn't just stopped thinking of her. My bullshit meter, was of course, right on the spot because later on in the episode Verity and Demelza are shopping for a cloak and he comes up behind them and in the midst of a riot, their true feelings came to be known.

As stated before, Ross is having to deal with his investors dropping and tries to buy them out but to do so is truly to much of a financial risk considering that to do so would be staking his entire property and house on the line and with a wife and child, that can't happen.

The most pivotal part of the entire episode is when Ross and Francis go to one of George's parties. You know, those parties where there are only men and whores, gambling, drinking and of course, talk of business. This is the 18th century after all, and those manly parties are almost always about business in one form or another. While there, Sir Dickbag is gambling and drinking with a friend of George and after a bad hand, he stumbles out, obviously angry. It turns out, that he gambled away his mine and lost. What does this mean exactly? Ross explains the situation to Demelza and therefore to us. By gambling away the mine, he has made himself destitute, losing his only source of income. The people who work for that mine, are now out of a job. It was the equivalent of a modern day corporate take over.

The final scenes of the episode involve Elizabeth, Verity and Sir Dickbag going to the mine to close it but he ends up writing a word in chalk on the mine. I don't know the exact word but it's meaning was clear. "We will rise again."

It is this episode that I finally find some respect for Elizabeth. She's pulled herself up by her bootstraps, not a child any longer. She's really coming to her own. She chose this man, money over love, and now she has no money but it's not bringing her down. She tells Ross that there are less fortunate people than herself and Francis and she'll make it work. She will do what needs to be done because obviously, Francis is not going to do anything except lick his wounds and feel sorry for himself.

What really surprises me, is how little Ross' cynicism has lessened. Here he is, in love with his beautiful wife, a father to a beautiful daughter, and when Demeleza makes that comment, after the christening, about how she believes "love conquers all" he responds that he didn't believe that. That love shouldn't disrupt the lives of others, or something like that. Crazy right? Ross, you can say, is definitely consistent in his behavior, level headed and not above mistakes but he certainly doesn't have a very bright view of the world around him.

It was the best thing, seeing Demelza truly start to shine and I'm hoping that next week, Verity and Blamy damn well run away together, but it looks like Ross is going to be gambling with the same cad that gambled Francis out of his livlihood. Well, here's to hoping anyway. Until next week. :D

Falling Through the Stones: My Outlander Love Affair

I was introduced to Outlander a couple of years ago. I never had liked time travel romance. It was always so unrealistic, so wrong, so...just...blah. These stories all sounded the same to me. So when my best friend told me to read them, I was skeptical. I mean my thought process was pretty simple.

Time travel? Uck!

A married woman, going back in time? Double uck!

First person point-of-view? Gross!

Her being OLDER than her lover? What is this madness!?

Needless to say, the only reason, and I mean ONLY reason I decided to pick up Outlander and read it, was because of my love for Scotland and history and romance. I figured, one book wouldn't hurt and if I didn't like it, I would shrug it off and move on. Until that point, the only book series I had ever read were Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables and Twilight, and Twilight wasn't exactly high end reading material. Most of my casual reading involved old classic novels like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights or (as a personal favorite) Pride and Prejudice. When not reading classic novels, I was reading Harlequin Romance Novels and Hannah Howells (because the Murray Clan are awesome-sauce). I hadn't found an adult book series that had really peaked my interest and love for my ancestry (as a Scot and an Irishwoman). It all changed by the time I finished reading the first in the then, seven book series. It blew me away. What was normally typical of the female tropes in romance novels, were switched on their heads.

The woman was the sex ed teacher, the older and more experienced of the two. The woman, was married and in love with her first husband. The woman was take charge, protective, a true fighter. Claire Beauchamp Randall-Fraser was by no means the meek lass. She was headstrong, stubborn, more than willing to go toe to toe with her brawny highlander husband. And despite her situation, she was never really a damsel in distress. In romance novels, it's almost always the man's job to sweep in and save the woman and this novel was completely different.

Jamie, the handsome hero of the story, was every bit as stubborn as his older bride, but full of honor and an inherent nobility and sense of right and wrong to match no other. He was powerful and strong, but also in several instance, completely and utterly at her mercy, and emotionally laid bare. In some instances, truly vulnerable with Claire coming around to pick up the pieces. He was the untried virgin, the one scared most of the first night, scared he'd muck it up. After all, a man is supposed to come to his marriage bed as a man who knows what he's doing and yet, he doesn't mind it at all that Claire is teaching him.

Their relationship is truly one of equality where as even heroes in romance novels, are usually the ones still holding all of the power, even by the end of the novel. It's not the same here. I think that's why the novel resonates so well with people, and with me. The characters are human, imperfect, and more realistic. Despite this crazy premise, I can see this as an actual relationship between two people. About the only thing I couldn't see is having a man speak as eloquently to me as Jamie does sometimes. That's just some Nicholas Sparks shit. Or maybe, I just haven't found the right man yet, who is willing to say those sweet things to me, and to treat me as well as Jamie treats Claire.

Their relationship is the kind of relationship that most people envy. They are equals. They are soulmates. They are the other half of each other, both with good qualities and bad but still so utterly perfect for one another. Diana Gabaldon has certainly given people a super high standard to live up to so far as romance in their life don't you think?

So I read the first book, I fell in love with the characters, the setting, the truly near perfect historical accuracy. And so I picked up Dragonfly in Amber and was thrown for a loop by how it started and then I read further and I was sobbing at the end of the book. It was as emotionally affecting to me as when Dumbledore dying in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Up until that point, no other book had made me sob. And so the cycle continued. I read Voyager and it turned out to be my favorite book in the entire series. And then Drums of Autumn where I found that I would truly love to have Roger for a husband (oh if only I were a six foot tall redhead), or at least someone like him. I had two men to love, two men to admire, and two heroines to love and get frustrated with.

I found respect first, and then admiration for young Lord John Grey, and for William and a love for Fergus and Marsali and Young Ian. Each of these small characters became family to me. They were all imperfect and human. It turned from a story of romance to one of faith, honor, familial love, and that no matter the mistakes, no matter the heartbreak, there is still a reason to be alive.

I fell in love. That's all there was to it. I fell in love with the people, the setting and the words that Diana Gabaldon so eloquently put to page, ruining me for  the typical romantic storyline. Thanks to her, no other fictional man measures up to the flawed but wonderful Jamie Fraser. No other woman is the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability that most women are. Claire's strength of character, and mind are truly the foundation for most of these books and I've read in interviews that Claire pretty much wrote herself into the story and there was no turning back. I think it's safe to say that Claire and Herself have much in common.

So I was into it. Hook, line and sinker. And then I found out about them turning it into a television series and was worried that the integrity of the books would be lost in translation and in August of 2014 I watched as Claire, Frank, and Jamie came to life on the screen and I was mesmerized by how my new beloved book series was so well transitioned. Yes there were things I didn't like, things I missed, things I thought could of been changed, but overall, I was just so glad to see Claire and Jamie come to life for me the same way Sam Heughand and Caitriona Balfe brought them to life. They were perfect casting choices and while the show itself was not perfect, I do believe it showed great respect to it's source material in ways other book to show adaptions have not.

Even now, a few months after the final episode, I'm still reeling, about to start the sixth book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and I find myself truly enraptured in this world of time travel that Diana has created and loving every minute of it. No other book series since I turned eighteen, has effected me quite like this one and I'm so glad that my best friend managed to pick up a book I would of otherwise avoided. So Aislene, thank you. Thank you so much. And thank you Diana Gabaldon for creating a story I never thought I would ever enjoy but now adore.

Droughtlander Get Through It Initiative: Poldark Part Four, A Recap

Hello all and welcome once more to the weekly recap of Poldark, as part of the "Get Through It" Droughtlander Initiative. It certainly has made the last month go by a wee bit faster, having something to look forward to each week. When we last left our hero and heroine, they had gotten married after two years of swirling rumors that they were lovers. Not long after Demelza pretty much seduced him, Ross came to the conclusion that he could not let her be his servant any longer and so she became his wife. This episode, focused on their relationship as a growing married couple, and also Ross' decision to marry someone considered "beneath his station." After all, he is very much a gentleman and she is a mere kitchenmaid. And so, that's exactly what this episode explores.

Demelza's character in this episode goes through quite a transition. She thinks of herself still as a kitchen maid, slipping up and calling Ross sir, and dealing with the servants who are just as confused as she is about her new station in society as Ross' wife. There truly is a playfulness though, to the relationship between Ross and Demelza that I thoroughly enjoy and it's this episode that really makes me wish we saw more than a bit of kissing and then seeing them wrapped up and laid in bed together. Verity certainly helps Demelza along in this episode, training her to be a bit of a proper lady and this is all tantamount to the Christmas party where they first attend as a couple. It's the first time I've seen a seasonal change in this entire freaking show.  With Ross as a guiding hand, Demelza hires the wife of Mr. Carter (the poacher who was sent away for two years), as the new kitchen maid as a means of trying to adjust as Lady of the House. Watching her go from uncertain to more sure of herself as the episode wears on.

Ross is dealing with the mine and it's lack of copper, as well as the repercussions of his decision to marry Demelza. Already considered reckless, the men who had invested in his mine begin to drop like flies because they consider his marrying Demelza, truly a reckless thing indeed. His "lack of judgement" is what causes several of his investors to leave him. He also has to deal with the death of his Uncle and Francis just being a dumbass. Can we all agree that Francis is just a jealous wanker? I mean really, he is. That's his whole character arc. Mondo-doucehbag. And of course, Elizabeth wants to treat Demelza like a pet. I don't trust her. She's been far to jealous of Ross and far to dissatisified with Frances to be nice to Demelza. No. Francis certainly sees through that. At least Sir Douchebag and I can agree on something.

I have to say, the thing I truly love about Ross' character is that he comes off as a hard ass but you can see in the way he treats Demelza and Verity and even his Uncle, that he really does have compassion but has a hard time showing it openly. His actions certainly speak more loudly than his words. Even though he speaks roughly as Demelza admits her pity for Verity (who still pines over her Captain), he says gruffly that she must get over it, but his earlier actions about Verity and the Captain prove that he does care for his cousin's happiness.

The truly great moment for all of these characters is the Christmas party where Demelza is finally introduced to her husband's peers, and to his family (aside from Verity) and she manages to hold her own and while Elizabeth is a fine harp player, Demelza's voice is one of the angels. That whole entire scene while she sings is truly the most wonderful thing, especially watching Ross' face. He's entranced by her like a sea captain to a siren's song. You see their admiration for each other and their enjoyment of each other's company, morph in that moment and Ross comes to realize he does love her and she manages to get plenty of the uppers to find her more attractive, just because she can sing.

The episode ends with the mine striking copper, and Demelza admitting of her pregnancy and all in all, it is the best episode so far. The take away from this episode is that I find myself growing even warmer to Ross' character. After all, he really has proven how steady of a character he is. Perhaps a bit impulsive and rash, but ultimately a man of good character and a strong sense of what is right and wrong and in his own words has quite an "indifference" to the standards posed by society, in a time when society is everything.

Outlander Season 2 Cast: Master List (update 12/14)

Actor: Caitriona Balfe

Character: Claire Beauchamp/Randall/Fraser

Actor: Sam Heughan

Character: Jamie Fraser

Actor: Tobias Menzies

Character: Black Jack Randall / Frank Randall

Actor: Richard Rankin
Character: Roger Wakefield/MacKenzie 

 

Actor: Duncan Lacroix

Character: Murtagh Fraser

Actor: Laura Donnelly

Character: Jenny Fraser-Murray

Actor: Steven Cree

Character: Ian Murray

Actor: Grant O'Rourke

Character: Rupert MacKenzie

Actor: Stephen Walters

Character: Angus Mhor

Actor: Graham MacTavish

Character: Dougal MacKenzie

Actor: Gary Lewis

Character: Colum MacKenzie

Actor: Finn Den Hertog

Character: Willie

Actor: Claire Sermonne

Character: Louise de Rohan

Actor: Laurence Dobiesz

Character: Alexander Randall

Actor: Marc Duret

Character: Monsieur Joseph Duverney

Actor: Margaux Chatelier

Character:  Annalise de Marillac

Actor: Andrew Gower

Character: Bonnie Prince Charlie

Actor: Rosie Day

Character: Mary Hawkins

Actor: Dominique Pinon

Character: Master Raymond

Actor: Romann Berrux

Character: Young Fergus

Actor: Audrey Brisson

Character: Sister Angelique

Actor: Robert Cavanah

Character: Jared Fraser

Actor: Stanley Weber

Character: Le Comte St. Germain

Actor: Frances de la Tour

Character: Mother Hildegarde

Actor: Lionel Lingelser 

Character: Louis XV

Droughtlander Get Through It Initiative: Poldark Part Three, A Recap

What I learned watching this episode of Poldark? Quite a few things actually. And to be honest, it was a bit of a whirlwind of an episode. Phwew! Okay then. When we last left our hero, he had asked Demelza if she wished to go home and she had told him that her home was there with him and his two lazy ass servants and that he was planning to reopen the mine.

Several things happened this episode. So much stuff got crammed into it and the time went from Elizabeth being barely pregnant, to having a child, to having a child that was several months old so that she and Francis could re-engage in sex but Elizabeth ain't in the mood for that. So much time passes that when Ross speaks to Demelza at the end of the episode, he tells her that she's been his servant two years. Two years! And it looks like spring the entire time. Two fucking years happens in the space of two episodes mmkay? Just let that sink in.

Demelza, in that two years, has gotten really good at judging Ross' moods and he's so predictable, she's memorized his daily rituals. She loves her life there but there are several rumors by upstanding men, the priest, and a few others, that she is trading favors for her employer's kindness. Of course none of it is true but the rumors are certainly swirling about the pretty redhead and her dark and brooding employer.

Ross opens a mine, and is part of the workforce in that mine, which makes his men respect him. His Uncle admires him for it, and after a stroke, tells Francis that maybe he should follow his cousin's lead but Francis (for whom I shall now call Sir Dickwad) is more about getting some tail than he is about actually working for his living. He's a pompous pain in the ass, selfish and  jealous of the affection that Elizabeth still shows Ross despite bearing his child and never showing any signs of being unfaithful.

Demelza's father, in this time, get's married and tells Demelza he's going to make things right with Ross so he can bring her back. After all, he's a man of the lord, no longer of the drink, and Demelza is living in sin, everyone says so. Armed with this knowledge, Demelza is sure her life as Poldark's servant is over and you can see in that scene that she truly does have feelings for him, and as a woman in love, saying over and over again how she can't leave him.

Ross, aside from dealing with Elizabeth's drama, tries to save his stable hand Mr. James Carter, from getting the death penalty or sent off to Australia, after he is caught poaching. Apparently, poaching pheasant is a really bad thing in the 18th century. He pleads the man's case, saying that he's a newlywed, a father that very day and that he needs to return to his home and his wife, that he also suffers from harsh asthma. The judge's idea of leniency is merely two years imprisonment. Not to harsh at all. Honestly though, I think being sent off to Australia would of been better.

So Ross returns home from that in a sour mood, catches Demelza in a pretty blue frock, loses his temper and then quickly apologizes for it, telling her to go to bed. He's pretty tore up about Carter being imprisoned and feeling as though he's failed the boy, despite having warned him to quit poaching. Demelza cries a bit and then we see her take charge for the first time. What's she up to?

Turns out, she goes to Poldark's chambers and asks him to unlace the dress and he mentions that if they act like this, they are only confirm the rumors, and she tells him that they should "let them be true." And so, they make love, though we don't see it (Outlander has ruined me for good love scenes). Demelza, the next day, is in a dreamy state of mind and lethargic and in love and beautiful and who should come along to ruin her day but Elizabeth, who implies upon perhaps wanting to start an affair with Poldark. That's at least what I get from the conversation, and then she is noticeably haughty and rather bitchy to Demelza, for whom Ross is still treating like a servant, despite their lovemaking the night before.

Demelza, knowing that she can no longer live as his servant, leaves, and Ross tracks her down and admits that no, she could no longer be his servant, and then in a great plot twist, they get fucking married. They elope. Holy hell what a ride.

I mean, not a lot happens, but at the same time, a lot does. The pacing on this show is really really fast but the acting is wonderful. As compared to Outlander, I still find Outlander to be superior but this is Masterpiece Classic Theater. It's not going to be as great a production as Outlander is. Even so, the performances are stellar and I really hope to see more of Eleanor Tomlinson on screen as Demelza. She's really doing a great job and needs her shining moment. Aiden Turner is certainly on point and he's like Heathecliff crossed with Mr. Darcy without all the child abuse and sexual abuse that Heathecliff is known for, and not so damned uppity as Darcy. An even mix indeed.

It was a great episode, despite the rushed feeling. It felt weird to see Elizabeth super pregnant after just announcing her pregnancy in the last episode and then seeing James Carter marrying a girl and her birthing a child before the episode ends. Just crazy and whirlwind-ish but most certainly rushed. At times like these, I truly wish that I had read the books or watched the original 1975 version but I digress.

Next week's episode looks like it's going to be quite a bit of fun, what with Demelza and Ross dealing with the repercussions of their marriage vows. After all, marriages of that time period usually remained within classes. Servants married servants, Men of means married women from good families, or ladies, and nobility stuck with nobility. Ross is a member of a great family and name alone is enough to get him quite a few suitable brides but instead of marrying a woman of good family and name, he marries his kitchen maid. I can tell you that is not going to go over well for a hierarchal society like 18th century Cornwall.

Well then, until next week Sassenachs. And thanks for reading these truly paltry recaps.