Sunday, November 4, 2018

MOP Video “America the Beautiful“ Season 4 Episode 401 recap!

28 comments:

  1. So, was the drought so long that you lost interest in the story and recapping? I’m glad to be back, but Maybe the next episode grabs us all a bit more than this one did. Btw, The show was pretty close to the book. But, as you said, the musical choices were wierd, the j and c sex was perfunctory, Ian’s ptsd and Claire’s racism assumptions weren’t necesssary additions, they’re still making Jamie an idiot and bit player, and the wigs are still laughable, Here’s hoping for a stronger next episode! (Also, Poldark is replayed tomorrow night.)

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    1. OMG POLDARK! Why don't I have a MyPOLDARKPurgatory??? ☺️

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  2. FYI: The frog spitting out a ring... that's a scene from Practical Magic.
    Y'all cracked me the hell up with the acting and singing. Great to see this tonight! I had such a hard time not laughing too loud since everyone else in my house is sound asleep.

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    1. OMG I cannot BELIEVE how awesome you are. That is first. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Miss Christie. We will discuss your beyond thoughtful gift for your biggest fan. He loved them...and even though he knows nothing about knitting (crocheting?) he said "Wow these are VERY well made!"❤️ Next PRACTICAL MAGIC YES! YES! YES! That's it!!!!! WOW I thought of that movie several times in the last week (due to Halloween) so I have no clue how I couldn't figure it out!!!

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  3. Wonderful to see you two again! I hadn't thought about how it would have been to choose either the eagle/fish or the song to change the impact. I am still trying to understand the reason people are taking the song as a slam on America or disrespectful. I can understand the feeling that the underlying message was being over emphasized for the viewer as an argument. For me, the song caught my attention for maybe a second at the beginning then it was all about the visual till the end. Then the song brought me back. Looking forward to getting back in the Outlander groove.

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    1. The song is so perplexing for me; I loved it and I was irked by it. But it worked so damn well with the scene. SO well. And LOL I may post Madonna's "Get Into the Groove" now. :)

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  4. I HAVE to read the books, yet again, before each season.

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    1. OMG Julia, you're not kidding. I'm lost! I have to read my own recaps from 9 years ago when I was reading! LOL But I kindof like it because it's like a new show! :)

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  5. Remember Paoli MaggieNovember 5, 2018 at 8:56 AM

    Well, I am so glad to have you ladies back. Just so funny! This episode did nothing for me. Normally enjoy re-watching, watched it again this am and felt the same. I am quite worried that with Ron stepping back, we may be on a down turn. The highlight was Bonnet, superb casting. The chemistry between Sam and Catrina is just not the same. Long married couple or not, just not there anymore. Why the ring change, just to make the book readers irritated? That one just doesn't make sense. The gold ring would certainly be worth more, than the silver one. The Ray Charles song at the end was not a good choice. Just did not get why they would have done that. I got the message right away with the Eagle. The show isn't connected, just shots put together. Just not the same anymore. Sorry to be a downer. Hope it gets better.

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    1. Honestly, I thought it was...a bit boring. And then I reminded myself that Drums is different...and that they have to sort of lull us out of our sleepy, Droughtlander-induced hibernation before they WALLOP us with a scene like the last one in the show. LOL Cross your fingers for next week. :)

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    2. The ring change made sense for the only reason is that Jamie's ring will be recognizable later. (and also Claire and Frank had a crap marriage in the show - so why would she care about that ring really...)
      That part I get - but I don't get why Bonnet would want Jamies ring - it's worthless!
      And if he's just taking something he wants to be menacing- why isn't he killing people to get it? (and not just Lesley)
      I would have like to have heard his dialog - his "charming" Rationalizations on what he was doing and why - he had a sort of a code in the book - but so far it doesn't seem so for the show.

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  6. Hi ladies! Carol - love your hairstyle change! On the cold open 2000BC scene, I was thinking that this might have represented the actual origins of the stone circles/portals. And maybe it does tie into the spoiler that I think Carol was referring to early in your MOP video, but I haven't thought that through completely yet . . . just throwing this out there.

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    1. THANKS Julie! Lord help me, between my aging system and the SOUP we lived in this summer in the north east, my hair was begging to be chopped and straightened. :) SPOILER AHEAD: They were dancing around the North Carolina stone circle, right???

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  7. Maybe it was the Droughtlander and the high expectations and hopes, but I have to admit this episode didn't do much for me. Like you said, the sex was weird, the pacing was off to me. I hoped for more emphasis on "Hopes of the Future" type stuff and a break of pure joy and happiness after all they had been through. All we got seemed to be negativity. Maybe it was trying to cram so much into this episode. And finally, the end. I actually purely hated the Ray Charles addition to a gut wrenching scene. And yes, I will preface this to say I do know there will be hard situations to come they have to address and America does and did have a lot of bad history. But I still love my country, warts and all, and this felt like nothing but a purely political diss to me. Almost like "America the Beautiful- you think? Well FU, here's your America". That statement may also be harsh, but it soured the whole episode for me. For the first time ever, I have no desire to rewatch it. I don't fault the actors, they did a great job. The scenery, wardrobe, everything was fabulously done. I just absolutely hated that ending. It was a total turn off for me. I know many disagree, but I felt sucker-punched.

    And on a lighter note, I want to say that I enjoy this podcast as much as the show! Great work y'all. And during one of the scenes, I "think" it was the big dinner scene, one of the characters started coughing. I fully expected him to choke & Claire to jump up & do the Heimlick maneuver on him. LOL

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    1. It was too erotic for two people getting it on next to a lean-to at the end of a long day. ROFLMAO Am I wrong?? Geez every friggin fornication doesn't have to be otherworldly. Maybe that sounds boring but that's what I love about the later books; they ain't spring chickens anymore (just like me!) They don't have to bounce off the walls in the bedroom every single time they have sex! I guess they weren't bouncing off the walls...but...I dunno. Does Claire always have to be having the most fantastic sex of the century? I thought a quiet little interlude would not only have sufficed, but also would have been so sweet in this new environment. And I THOUGHT THE SAME THING! I thought "Oh wow, here we go! Didn't take Claire long to find a new person to save!" And yup - I thought the same thing about the music. But it looked so...cool? with the scene. I was completely torn about the whole thing.

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    2. I’m with you. I appreciate the podcast as much as the show!

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  8. Thanks for this ladies. Much appreciated.
    Personally, I had a hard time until the very end. I found things forced, stilted, stagey. And slow! I agree with Carol - what was with Claire’s wig? On the boat it looked as if it was pulled too low over her forehead.
    BUT ... I forgive everything because I found the ending quite masterful. It was a politicized and highly unsubtle way of communicating the issues of incomprehensible violence in America today. When the music started, we literally left the 18th C and were thrown into the 21st. Initially,I said to myself ... what the?? ... and then it became clear. Real events that have taken place during the Drought brought us face to face with the reality that violence permeates American history, then as now.

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  9. Welcome back Tracey and Carol. Thanks for taking time out of your busy lives to do these recaps. They are always a hoot. Anyhooo..a couple of things. I think the point of the eagle was to emphasis the beauty that is America but it is also an untamed, dangerous environment. The song at the end for me was jarring and it distracted me from the action. I rewatched it on mute, and I mean...Caitriona...bam...nailed that scene without saying a word. And Bonnet's silent scream sent shivers down my spine. I do not think they chose that song as any sort of political statement. I think it was to just emphasis that America is a beautiful place, but that we didn't get here easily. It was hard work. And from what I understand, the reason they swapped out the rings was because they felt that Jamie's ring would be more recognizable to Bree. If you go back and read the book scene, the fact that Bree was able to recognize a typical gold band as being her mother's, made no sense. Thanks. looking forward to next week's recap. Marian

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  10. So glad to see you ladies again! I LOL'd at your rendition of the final scene. I felt the music at the end was a little clumsy, and I will mention once here: I wish Ron would not interject modern Points of View into Outlander. It's 1767 for pete's sake.
    I loved Carol's remark "how good can it really get from here?", so ironic. I enjoyed the sex scene and was glad they put one in although I worried about vagabonds interrupting them. Producer Maril said on Twitter that they put this scene in because the "river scene" was too hard to film in the Scottish climate so they hoped we'd be satisfied with this one. Hah!
    I think I just enjoyed being back with my friends again, my Jamie and Claire, and Ian. So glad to sit with them for an hour. Such beautiful visuals. The "America the Beautiful" song clashing with the pirates robbing them was clumsy and and jarring. We know that there is violence in this new primitive country. That's the way it was then. No need to hit us over the head with it.
    I'm glad you're back with us again. Thanks for the laughs.

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  11. Hi Girls!

    Welcome back. I have mixed feelings about the show in general anymore and that makes me sad to say. I realize I'm one tough customer when it comes to my favorite story of all time and I need to cut them a break, but, well, it's my favorite story of all time, ya know? I've done some rereading before the show and I'm kinda wishing I didn't.

    I liked the new intro song and the eagle on the water. I thought the music set a new tone for the series and the eagle was exemplifying the tremendous beauty of the wilds of the new frontier.

    I think Stephen Bonnet is very well cast and he is both handsome and cunning. The show was losing me fast with the ridiculous sex in the woods. The producers have often talked about keeping the show as exact as possible to history and practicality. What I saw was a couple stopping in dangerous woods in damp cold weather. Next shot they're nearly naked, exposed and sitting in front of a roaring fire in a ring made of large rocks. How the heck did they collect those rocks in the dark? I know Jamie's hot and all, but not enough to keep skinny Claire from hypothermia. Furthermore, they built a lean-to with the wagon tarp and didn't even stay under it and I kept thinking of the venison haunch in the wagon bed that would've been attracting every wild animal in the colony. Fast forward to morning, they're waking up in broad daylight fully clothed - Claire in her stays, jacket and kerchief with her hair up to boot, all with nary a wrinkle. Pah! I'm all for campfire sex and sleeping under the stars, let's just not make it look like an indoor set of The Young and Restless, hmm?

    Tracey, the dinner scene is easily confused ( as I did it too) with an upcoming dinner at River Run. At this dinner in Wilmington, they were hoping the gentleman seated beside Claire would buy the ruby and in the book he was practically breathing down her cleavage. Numerous people were paying much attention to book Claire, hence the snarky comment from the woman about her hair. I, too, was waiting for her to perform the Heimlich, lol. You're thinking of the River Run dinner scene when mountain man John Quincy Myers shows up, drunk, for surgery on his hernia.

    As far as the river boat scene, I also have a love/hate relationship with it. I'm just not a fan of the modern music over scenes from the 18th century. I did think it was well done, especially by Caitriona Balf. To me, the message was yes, America is beautiful in modern day, but stop and think about its bloody history. I didn't read anything political into it. As much as I love Ray Charles, I found it very distracting.

    I don't know if it will be every week, but Outlander was on Starz at both 8 and 9 pm, so we were able to catch it at 8 then tune in to Ray Donovan at 9. We'll have to catch up on Poldark tonight to see if Morwenna's frown ever turns upside down. ;-)

    Always enjoy your banter. You're great company while doing household chores! See you next week.

    - Donna in PA


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  12. Hi Girls! Welcome back. Phillip Wylie was the brother (not the husband) of the woman who made fun of Claire's hair. In the book, she was very very jealous of Claire because all the men were paying a lot of attention to her (Wylie's sister called Claire "ancient" to Phillip privately) and Wylie's sister's teeth were a mess and Claire's were perfect.

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  13. So happy you are both back! Looking forward to your comments & recap for the next 13 weeks! I’d have to say I was more often disappointed than pleased during the season opener for all the same reasons you mentioned. I think the playing of Ray Charles “America” would have been better served played during the closing credits, the “message” would have had the same impact. Hate to whine about it when we all know how hard everyone works to bring these stories to life, but for a season opener, I was expecting more. Still hopeful though as next week as they arrive at River Run, meet Jocasta and the heart of the story begins. ❤️

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  14. Hey girls great to have you back! I think starting with Drums you really start to fall in love with other characters and it becomes more than just the Claire and Jamie show. Ian is awesome and Roger and Bree and Fergus, Lord John I just love them all.

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    1. You make a good point. As a reader, I was invested in the main characters and couldn’t get into the peripheral ones. Didn’t read the Lord John series even. But as a viewer, I think the casting as been so good, that I really appreciate Fergus, Jenny and the Ians etc. The scenes where others were at the table worked best in this episode. I’m team Jamie, but maybe broadening the focus to the other characters is what I was looking for?

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  15. Good to have you guys back. I enjoyed the episode until the end. My first thought was, “They have a piano on the boat?!” �� Then, I realized the music was dubbed in. I found it to be very, very distracting. I think waiting to play the song during the credits and having actual dialog would have been just as impactful.

    Someone mentioned the terrible green shots and I actually didn’t noticed them until I watched the episode again. I do have to admit they do seem a bit cheesy.

    Whet was really distracting was Jamie’s bangs. I usually don’t nick pick things apart but if I noticed them than it’s bad! ��

    Onto the next episode. Hopefully, it’s better!

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  16. Ladies, I could not be happier that you are back! I was bored with the episode, but the whole time I kept thinking that if I got through the episode I could watch your recap, which was so much better, so thank you! I'm a full time lawyer and mama of two (one of whom was born during this last Droughtlander!) and Outlander is the ONLY show I have time to watch, which is normally by streaming it after 11pm, but I just stayed up until 1am to watch your recap! Totally worth it - as always, it was like chatting with old friends.

    I agree with pretty much everything you said - the sex was weird; I feel like if you're not going to do the hot, sweaty, fully naked scene like in the books (which I always thought seemed a bit risky because weren't they just "upriver" from the rest of the group?!), then it really just felt slotted in as you said; very obligatory and random.

    I had the hardest time with Jamie's bangs - their new promo shots have him with the hotter short hair like he had at the very beginning of the series, but then he's back in the episode with the terrible hair; come on people!

    Looking forward to more of your recaps (and hopefully better episodes)!

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  17. After rereading all the thread, I have to add that the wigs drove me nuts too. Jamie's bangs, Claire's awful wigs. To be so wonderfully specific with the details in the clothing, you would think they would pay more attention to the wigs. Then there is the sex. I'm no prude, but to make it porno-lite seems to deflect some (for me) from the true connection and deep love they share. I would have liked more cuddling, hugging and sharing of their hopes, not showing straight sex acts. Had they done that, I think the jarring ending might have made a bit more sense. And I have to bring up one more thing that makes me uncomfortable. As they are trying to stay somewhat clothed, they ALWAYS have them reaching down to "position" themselves. Frankly, I don't need to see that. JMO

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    1. I totally agree on the "positioning"; Jamie has always done that - he even did it with Geneva; don't need it. Just don't.

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