Tuesday, August 12, 2014

MOP Talks EPISODE 1 of OUTLANDER on STARZ!

38 comments:

  1. Fun video lasses, as always!

    I thought the 'downtown' bit on the show was quite hawt, but I totally get that that was/is/should'vebeen a Jamie thing. It's definitely one of the many things that will be interesting to see how RonM allows it to play out as we go. ;)

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    1. Yes! Very interested to see how things shake out on the show, Mon!!! :)

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    1. What what what??? Seriously???? Are you getting an error message?

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  3. Good fun ladies!
    Can't wait to follow along each week.

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  4. A theory on Claire hearing the stones... (spoiler alert ahead for you folks who haven't read the books). I get the impression that she becomes more sensitive to them over time since she knows what to expect (this goes for the other characters too that travel). I'd have to imagine this first time at the stones she doesn't really hear them. I think she describes them as bees (or something else equally nature-y sounding) and so would totally dismiss it (at least I would) as a natural background noise -- especially since she is busy watching this druid sort of ritual with Frank in front of her. When she goes back the second time with Jamie she definitely recognizes it but it still isn't a super gut wrenching feel. Also, there is no reference in future books of the druid dancers to be opening/closing any portals or whatever you wanna call it.
    That's my two bits. Take 'em or leave 'em :)
    Anyway, I always enjoy your videos and blog entries. Thanks for putting the time into the videos/blogs/tweets etc. I am bummed I'll have to wait a year to watch the rest of your commentary. No Starz subscription here so will have to wait for the season on DVD. But I guess that just means I'll have to read the books again in the mean time :)
    Take care -t
    PS. Just a wee bit jealous of your trip to NY for the screening. Very cool that you got to chat with some of the cast (who are just real actual, normal people with (in my opinion) a crazy job!). Fun!

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    1. LOL Tessa. We'll take your bits!! :)

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    2. I don't know who mentioned this or where I read it--but someone speculated that the reason is that DG just hadn't thought of the whole "the stones make noise" thing when she wrote the book. I'm kind of buying that--which means the TV show can make up whatever reasoning it wants!

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    3. Okay Ladies, now you've got me whipping out my Kindle and trying to figure this puppy out. The first time Claire hears a "deep humming noise" which she figures is a beehive lodged in the crack of the rock. She sets her hand on the rock, leans in, and the stone "scream[s]." The second time she refers to the buzzing again and then shrieking as she is pulled back -- So, I'd have to say DG knew that the stones make noise when she wrote it (maybe just not how exactly this was going to play a role as the stories progressed). I think the show handled it well (in keeping it a non-issue for now). It would have totally ruined the moment of the music/dancing/ritual if Claire would have turned to look at Frank and said, "Do you hear a bunch of bees? I think we may have bumped into a nest." Not sure how they would have adjusted the score/music for that one ;)
      Thanks again for your time! -t

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  5. I would recognise you ladies.....lol #greetingsfromUK

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    1. LOL Angie. We are happy to look like complete arses for the sake of Outlander!! :)

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  6. She was driving the bus downtown!!! Lots of discussion about this over the past couple of days. DG has said something to the effect, "show me where I said he never did this." I've always interpreted that passage to mean Frank never ventured south. It was something Jamie did that she never had with Frank. Oh well, I loved the scene!!! Very, very hawt.

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    1. Honestly, Erin, I don't even remember what she said...LOL...but Tracey was quite adamant about it. I'll have to go back and look. That'll be next...can't you see it? "MOP Breaks Down DG's Commentary on Frank: Did He Visit Downtown?" ROFLMAO!!!

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  7. I've always read that passage after the wedding as either
    1) The "unexplored territories" were with Jamie (not Frank), OR
    2) The "unexplored territory" is adding a wee bit o pain to spice things up
    Never understood it to mean she had never done that with Frank!

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    1. See my response to Erin, Anon. LOL I clearly have some reading to do!!! :)

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    2. I *always* took it to mean that she had never done it with Frank. Think about how Jamie responds (and remember that Claire's face doesn't hide anything): "Oh, so there's something you don't know? Well, we'll find out then, won't we?" (p.289 of mass market paperback) Her whole thought process and his response, to me, means "I didn't go there with Frank."

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  8. Nice, ladies!!!. I can't believe you didn't comment on the line "Just get me some iodine. Methiolate? Alcohol? and the Scots all reach for their flasks. LOL

    And, I'm still not clear about which one is Angus and which one is Rupert. So you're not alone in that.

    Loved it.

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    1. OMG Jax - was that hysterical or what? My husband loved them. I am really looking forward to the series evolving so we can start differentiating. They have to bathe and comb their hair at some point, right?? Who can see through all that dirt and grime?!? :)

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  9. I loved "Goofy and Goofier" for Angus and Rupert! That knocked my socks off - so funny! I have watched Episode 1 several times now, and I enjoyed watching with the sound turned down (and the captions turned on) while I listed to Ron Moore's narration - very informative. Also interesting was watching while semi-simultaneously reading Bear McCreary's blog about the music (pausing the video to read about the music coming up in the next section, then hitting play and watching some more. Apparently the podcasts from Ron and the blog posts from Bear are going to be a weekly feature, and both are adding so much to my Outlander "experience", along with seeing how my Purgatory fan girls break it down!

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    1. Oooh Connie...you are serious about your Outlander media. I LOVE it. I feel lazy next to you!!! :)

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  10. Ooh! Ooh! Oooh! Shawl theory.
    1. I think it would be safe to assume that she left it behind b/c she was so dazed by the stone experience. And
    2. *SPOILER for those who have not read The Exile - what if our man Murtagh picks it up and gives it back to her at some point. Like *wink* I saw you come through. Or maybe he picks it up and just keeps it or gives it to Jamie? Not in the books, I know, but could work for the show.

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    1. GOOD point, Anon! That would be something visual that would work marvelously on the show, right?? A slick way of telling her he saw her. Now that's thinking on your toes! Kudos! :)

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  11. Tracey and Carol, this was so educational. I usually check into My Outlander Purgatory each morning when I get to work so that I will know if I have something to read or watch when I get home. I noticed the Episode I review video and I can't wait until I get home. So I put on my headphones and put the video in a little corner of my computer screen. I'm checking my email and have ya'll going in the background and then I hear the "Downtown" discussion. I don't know perhaps I have been living under a rock or something, but I was not familiar with this term. So I ask a co-worker, "I'm listening to a review of 'Outlander' Episode I and they keep talking about 'going downtown'." I even used my fingers to make the quotes around the phrase "going downtown". So he asked who was "going downtown" because it makes a difference. I told him I wasn't paying that much attention because I was reading emails at the time and I didn't know. So he said he needed more information and wouldna tell me more. So frustrated, I did a Google search, and was able to learned from one post that "going downtown" was the same as "takin' my talents to south beach". Another post said it was "eating at the Y". Then I remembered that you both said earlier that you had your first viewing of 'Outlander' at the 'Y', and I wondered if there were hors d'oeuvre. But from another post I learned that one didn't necessarily have to eat at the 'Y' that they could just be "eating out". I was still at a loss when my co-worker said that I probably shouldn't be using my work computer for doing this research and then he enlightened me. I then knew that you were talking about the castle Leoch scene! Everything then fell into place. "Driving the bus" and "directing traffic" nearly had me on the floor. I then had to explain to my co-worker what was so funny. I got worried that perhaps I wouldn't be able to make it through the video without laughing so hard that I might start crying and then slip out of my chair onto the floor. It has happened before but in the privacy of my own home. Only there it's just the cats that look at me strangely.

    There has been talk that supposedly Frank never went "downtown" because only Claire and Jamie shared that. As I recall Jamie was afraid that he was going to hurt Claire, men and their egos, and Claire told Jamie that he wasn't going to hurt her, and even if he did that she wouldn't mind. Jamie didn't understand so she decided to give him a demonstration. This time Claire got a little rough when she went downtown and asked Jamie if that hurt. He said "Yes, a little", but when she asked him if he wanted her to stop, He said "No!"

    Do you see what I meant, though, about not minding if you’re rough?” “Aye.” He drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “If I did that to you, would it feel the same?” “Well, you know,” I said, slowly, “I don’t really know.” - Gabaldon, Diana (2004-10-26). Outlander: (p. 186). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

    So the question is does "downtown" feel the same for a woman as it does for a man. The answer can only be "I don't really know." Claire doesna mean that Frank never went downtown.

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    1. * * * SPOILER ALERT * * *
      * * * THE NEXT POST MAY CONTAIN MOBY SPOILERS * * *

      In the post below, I attempted to list all of the time traveling going on in the entire OUTLANDER series. This list would include any time travel from WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD that is if there indeed happens to be any time traveling in MOBY. Since the absence of any time travel could also be a spoiler. I'm not saying if MOBY made the list or not.

      * * * SPOILER ALERT * * *
      * * * THE NEXT POST MAY CONTAIN MOBY SPOILERS * * *

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  12. I decided to wait until I got home to finish up. I never know what Tracey and Carol are going to bring up next. I got to the part where they were talkin' 'bout people going through the stones. So I got to thinking that I would try to remember all the time traveling and who went when. Help me out if I got something wrong and left someone out. Claire travels from 1946 to 1743. Geillis Duncan travels from 1968 to 1733. I think she accidentally went back 10 years more than she wanted to go, isn't she just the over achiever. Kenneth also left in 1968, just after Geillis, and showed up in 1743 earlier the same day as when Claire showed up. Claire travels back to Frank in 1746 to 1948 and she is pregnant with Brianna. Claire then travels from 1968 to 1766 to find Jamie. Additionally in 1968 Donner travels to 1766 and Otter Tooth goes back much farther than Donner, I don't remember if we are told the year. I believe that there were 5 in the group of American Indians that attempted time travel, we know about Otter Tooth and Donner, and Donner said one died in the attempt. In 1971, Brianna followed by Roger go back to 1769. Then in 1776 Roger, Brianna, and their two children Jemmy and Amanda travel to 1978. In 1782 William Buccleigh accidentally goes to 1980. From 1980 Roger and William Buccleigh then go looking for Jemmy and travel all the way back to 1739 which is 241 years. They find Roger's father, Jeremiah MacKenzie, and Buccleigh's mother, Geillis Duncan. Remember she showed up in 1733 so she is already there. Jeremiah MacKenzie travels from 1741 to 1739 and Roger and Buccleigh help him go back from 1739 to 1741 and then is killed in the raid with Roger's mother. Roger meets Dr. McEwan who came from 1845. Finally Roger, Brianna, Jemmy and Amanda show up in 1779, the details of that adventure I'm sure will be forthcoming. This would probably be easier to follow if it was drawn on some kind of chart. I hope I didn't leave anyone out.

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    1. Brymen, you are awesome. Truly. Just totally awesome for not only watching our video...but contributing to such an extent. It makes me so relieved that others put as much time and thought into the series as we do.

      Best line ever: "...isn't she just the over achiever." I almost fell of my own chair when I read that!!!!!

      THANK YOU for making my day with this commentary. Seriously. Thanks. :)

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    2. OH and PS - I stopped 2/3rds through your second comment...because I wasn't sure if you mentioned MOBY or not? Let me know so I can continue reading if not. I am only 1/2 way through the book. :)

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    3. I realized that I made an error on one of the time travel dates above. The date of 1741 should be replaced with 1941 in the post above.

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  13. Thanks you guys for taking the time to do the videos. I got home from work tonight the family was gone(thank you Jesus),so I was able to watch the video all the way through with no breaks. I agree, I like Frank so much more(THE WINK,DOWNTOWN) sealed it for me, he is officially cool.
    What touched me the most in the Episode were the Forget Me Nots at the stones. That was a subtle thing that I truly loved.

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    1. Great point, Claudia!! I loved how Frank asked her if she wanted to "pop back over" and get some. :) And you are welcome. If you keep watching, we'll keep making them!!!! :)

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  14. Enjoyed your video! I've wondered, along with a lot of others, why Claire could not hear the stones when she visited them with Frank. While just watching it again, I noticed that she didn't hear them until she actually picked the oh so important forget-me-not. Made me say hmmm. Just another thought/theory to add to the many.

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  15. Love your videos, I have been a long time fan and when you are enjoying a wee dram or two I naturally follow suit. Just wanted to put my input on your discussion whether Murtagh and Jamie ever discussed Claire and her orgins. Remember after Wentworth when Jamie wanted to send her back and he told Claire that Murtagh would take her back to the stones and that Jamie had told Murtagh everything about Claire. I think that was what you were pondering...whether Jamie and Murtagh had that particular discussion. Love all you do Carol and Tracey and I am so infatuated with Tobias Menzies now it is sick.

    Mary in Vancouver, BC

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  16. I almost forgot. After the viewing of Episode 2 we should post our question and/or observations to be discussed in the next video here? Of course we should do it on Saturday night so that they all could be collected before ya'll make the video sometime Sunday or Monday as your schedule permits.

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    1. Maybe we'll put something on Facebook for people to jot down questions--hoping to get the video done on Sunday at some point...

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  17. Yahoo! Outlander SEASON 2!!!

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  18. Carol & Tracey,

    Thank you so much for making your videos. I've only recently begun to comment here (I sent that potting shed link), but have been following a while. In the midst of an extremely difficult summer for me, the TV series, MOBY, and you guys have been real bright spots. You are VERY MUCH appreciated!

    I wanted to offer thoughts on episode 1. I adored the adaptation of the Stevenson poem to the Skye Boat Song! And Caitriona – wow! I had my doubts about her as Claire, but I'm sold! Even in interviews, she comes across as such an intelligent and genuinely likable woman. As for Sam, I had no doubts – he is so eerily close to the Jamie in my head.

    As for things not in the book, I loved how the WWII scene showed Claire’s capability. There was a continuity issue of bloody apron/clean apron, but I doubt many would note it. Also thought it was great that Claire does NOT buy that vase – as if she subconsciously knows that she has not yet become settled into her life or cannot bring herself to “buy” into that life yet.

    Like many, I was annoyed by the Leoch visit. When Frank says, “I have no evidence my ancestor ever visited this castle…” I want to yell, “So, why the hell are you there?!!” I get the foreshadowing aspect – but that’s just not Frank to me, and thought that time could have been better used. I also fully expected to see that 200 year old table collapse!

    In her book, DG put so much between the lines about Frank that I doubt I'll ever see him as a truly sympathetic character. He's sometimes critical and disapproving of Claire, when he should be appreciative and thanking his lucky stars that they are both alive and together again. The “second honeymoon” seems like an excuse for Frank to pursue his own interests. Frank had his chance(s) with Claire, and Claire did have choices – and do you know a single reader that wishes she’d chosen differently? So, I wish they’d wasted less time in this episode trying to sell us on Frank. However, Tobias is great.

    I wish the premier had been 2 hours. Some things were too rushed to make sense to newbies – especially the BJR scene. Even knowing BJR, that quick leap to rape felt strange. Newbies also might not understand why both the Scots and Redcoats were so hostile to a lone, unarmed woman. It wasn't made clear that they thought she might be a spy. Even having Claire ride with Jamie, who has an injured arm, doesn't make sense unless it is explained that she was to help him with the reigns. So, I do wish they’d had longer to explain some of what they skimmed or omitted. But I really enjoyed the episode, & I've been doing my part with friends and family to promote the show – and the books - so I hope its a huge hit.

    I think of reading DG’s books as taking a trip to a theme park with a couple of people I love. It may get crowded, and dirty, and sweaty, with a roller-coaster ride or two, and an occasional ride that isn't quite my cup of tea, but the chance to spend time with characters I like, admire, and care about make it all worth the effort. In the midst of all that action, it can get easy to overlook the wonder of the writing itself. So, if you missed it, or if you sped through it in your excitement to find out how the cliff hangers are resolved, I encourage you to go back and re-read the prologue to MOBY. How beautiful is that?!! It's that kind of writing, and the literary goldmine DG struck with the characters of Claire and Jamie, that keeps all of us wanting more. As long as DG doesn't slip too often into her personification of “Black Jack” and throw us for more “out-of-character” loops (I’m sorry, but I just couldn't see Claire “dealing” with Lord John like she did in Echo, unless the poor man had two broken wrists), I’ll be happy visiting Outlander Land over and over again!!!

    Again, thank you both so much! Now, on to episode 2!!!

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  19. "Land of the Lost"...goodness. I think you aged yourself with that reference or did I? Love the blog.

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