Written by: Ashley Crawley
Do you find yourself obsessively gabbing on about Outlander to your friends and family? Wishing your Saturday nights included a living room full of people with whom to watch, discuss, comment, cheers, jeers and well, experience alllllll the feels? Dinna fash, Obsessenach - you are not alone.
Good news - we can
So get all your post-18th Century gadgets ready and settle in, because the best things in life should be shared with a buddy. Hi, buddy.
Now let the show begin . . .
[9:00 pm] This week’s Outlander is poised to hit an unprecedented personal note with me that will be hard to surpass. “Why is that, Ashley, since not one minute of it has aired yet?” BECAUSE I AM IN SCOTLAND, THE MOTHERSHIP OF ALL THINGS OUTLANDER. And it makes this Obsessenach happy yell in all caps.
[9:02 pm] Weekly title card puzzle! These are the best. We’ve got torches – we’re going on a raid. Or a witch hunt? Something. Also, the flames are putting to mind the Comte’s ship going up in flames in episode one thanks to Claire’s healer handiwork. Things that make you go hmmm.
Side note: This episode was written by Matthew B. Roberts, a favorite of Outlander fans everywhere thanks to his wonderful behind the scenes photo posts on Twitter. He also is a friend of the Outlander Cast podcast thanks to a great interview he did with Mary and Blake last year.
Side note: This episode was written by Matthew B. Roberts, a favorite of Outlander fans everywhere thanks to his wonderful behind the scenes photo posts on Twitter. He also is a friend of the Outlander Cast podcast thanks to a great interview he did with Mary and Blake last year.
[9:04 pm] “I ken I’m a simple man, but strive for an explanation.” – Murtagh, eloquently trying not to lose his proverbial you-know-what on Jamie for reneging on his challenged duel with Black Jack Randall.
[9:05 pm] Is it me or did Claire’s pregnant belly double in size overnight??? Apparently asking the love of your life for the cruel unthinkable will do that to you. Sorry, I’m still recovering from that scene last week.
[9:06 pm] Eek. Forget Le Comte St. Germain, the King’s executioner pulls off creepy villain enough for three Comtes. I don’t know if it’s the actor or the character, but this dude is reminding me of Steve Buscemi’s sadistic serial killer in that guilty pleasure flick, Con Air, when he details out his preferences for dismembering bodies.
[9:10 pm] Thank you for your using your meddling powers for good here, Claire. We all adore Master Raymond and would prefer he avoid being drawn and quartered. We’ll see you again, Master Raymond, in this life or another . . . though likely sooner than you think. Spoiling? No, not intentionally. Wishful? Absolutely, and without shame.
[9:11 pm] Dear hubby, new house rule - even the most venomous of marital spats shall henceforth be followed by a fireside foot rub for me, pregnant or not. The end. But seriously, talk about a quick recovery!
[9:12 pm] Sorry, Claire – but Jamie’s logic on both counts here is equal parts sound and heartbreaking. He HAS saved you, more times than I care to add up at this late hour and while the thought of going back to Frank seems unfathomable, picture the alternative. Without Jamie, would you really want to trudge on in this pre-modern world without him? Personally, I'd be barnstorming the first standing stone out of there . . . and taking Murtagh with me. Because, Murtagh.
[9:16 pm] “Or, we could slit the Italian f*ck’s throat and be done with it!” – Murtagh, making an early play for my favorite line of the night, hand gestures and all. Also, I love that wee Fergus reminds us every once in a while that he is a CHILD - distracted attention, playfulness and immaturity. It’s easy to overlook this when you consider he’s charged with keeping watch on fully grown adults, scheming alongside them and you know, that whole GROWING UP IN A WHORE HOUSE thing. Side note: Jamie’s quite the trusting lad. This is like an 18th Century Claire the healer version of Jackass. Also, knee porn.
[9:19 pm] This season, I’ve thrown repeated praise at the Outlanderplaymakers for deciding that a few of these deeper and revealing moments have been ones we should merely glimpse at from afar with no dialogue. I was about to pitch a fit that this Jamie-Murtagh heart-to-heart, of all times, was one of them. But then it ended with Murtagh cold-cocking Jamie across the face, which is basically his version of a tough love hug and I LOVED it.
[9:21 pm] Will there ever be a point where these family scenes with Jamie, Claire and Fergus won’t make my Hallmark greeting card-like heart burst? . . . Yeaaah, I didn’t think so either.
[9:22 pm] Finally! We've made it to this much-teased scene (in the trailers) where Murtagh attempts to wrap his mind around Claire's story by physically writing out the years she's been alive. I don't blame him, I'm a visual learner too. Also, Bear's score alongside Murtagh's empathetically tender reaction to Claire just kept that Hallmark card family moment alive for me.
[9:25 pm] Wee Fergus slithering his way in to complete the mission reminds me of the hilariously nimble "The Amazing Yen" from Ocean's Eleven (the petite Asian dude who folded his way into the smallest of places to help pull off the heist unnoticed).
[9:27 pm] Mark me! That is all.
[9:29] I like my Murtagh grumbly and witty, even when dressed to the nines. His displeasure with his attire is only outdone by the look on his face when Suzette hauls him off for a little pre-raid fun.
[9:33 pm] Damn you, Outlander, all the feels. And we're back in blue! Also, I love how true to real life this scene is with Jamie's uncertain anxiety about whether sex harms the baby. I feel like that's every impending father's worry, or at least it was in our house.
[9:35 pm] Jamie and Murtagh do role playing well. Job well done, boys.
[9:37 pm] Ugh, I love Louise but I could do without the mean girls crap. Has anyone watched The Blind Side with Sandra Bulloch as many times as I have? Because this is reminding me of when her character finally snaps at sitting through one too many catty country club girls' lunches, and she takes a moral stance and walks out.
[9:39 pm] Your husband will worry, Claire, and we're already there! I'm no doctor, but bleeding this late in the pregnancy is not something to take lightly. Kudos to Mother Hildegard for her calming demeanor that kept our normally unflappable Claire at ease.
[9:41 pm] Mark me, this scene finally won me over on Bonnie Prince Charlie. We have Andrew Gower and his spot-on portrayal of BPC's roller coaster of defeated emotion to thank for that.
[9:43 pm] "Always!" - Fergus' response to Jamie asking him whether he's hungry, and in the process forewarning me how damn high my grocery bill will be when my son hits the teen years.
[9:44 pm] Oh god, oh god, oh god. That uniform jacket, the crescendoing music, the door slamming - this is headed in allllll the wrong places for Fergus. Ruuuuuuuuuun!
[9:47 pm] Folks, brace for impact because - and excuse my language - shit's about to hit the vengeance fan.
[9:48 pm] These posts are spoiler-free, but I am a book reader and I've not dreaded a scene more than what's about to happen. Fair warning. Or as fellow writer and Scottish traveler Anne warned me - "have a defibrillator on hand for the last few minutes." Noted, Anne. Noted.
[9:50 pm] "All I could do was wait to see which of my men would die - Jamie or Frank."- Claire, in a wonderfully ideal state of mind to keep from third trimester bleeding and trauma. Sarcasm, it's how I maturely handle any crisis.
[9:51 pm] Not to make light of the severity of this scene, but if the cows didn't do in "the donger" (thank you, Teddie) for Black Jack, this certainly will.
[9:52 pm] Nooooooooooo! Forget Jack - we've all just been gutted. That. Was. Brutal. And it was made infinitely worse by the damn credits pounding in and leaving us in limbo! Of course they had to, but still. WHYYYYYYY. I mean I know why, but still. WHYYYYYYY.
[9:55 pm] Anne, I used the paddles and it did nothing to restart my heart after the shock of living through that scene on screen. The fate of our duo (make that TRIO!) is bleak right now and we have to wait another week to see more. And I'm trying hard not to stay in this somber mode by reminding myself that we're nearly HALFWAY done with season two! Mark me, I won't allow myself to do that because it threatens to steal the bittersweet joy of experiencing that brilliant and fulfilling hour of television. Every week Outlander season two dives further and further into its groove and I, for one, cannot wait for episode seven!
[10:00 pm] Did I mention I'm in Scotland? Okay, just checking . . . more as a mental "pinch me" for myself than for you. Also, Pocket Jamie made the journey with me! That can only mean that photos of priceless history and remarkable landscape will now contain an eight-inch laminated cutout of a fictional literary and television character. AS IT SHOULD BECAUSE HE IS THE KING OF MEN. Fun blog post to come!
[9:22 pm] Finally! We've made it to this much-teased scene (in the trailers) where Murtagh attempts to wrap his mind around Claire's story by physically writing out the years she's been alive. I don't blame him, I'm a visual learner too. Also, Bear's score alongside Murtagh's empathetically tender reaction to Claire just kept that Hallmark card family moment alive for me.
[9:25 pm] Wee Fergus slithering his way in to complete the mission reminds me of the hilariously nimble "The Amazing Yen" from Ocean's Eleven (the petite Asian dude who folded his way into the smallest of places to help pull off the heist unnoticed).
[9:27 pm] Mark me! That is all.
[9:29] I like my Murtagh grumbly and witty, even when dressed to the nines. His displeasure with his attire is only outdone by the look on his face when Suzette hauls him off for a little pre-raid fun.
[9:33 pm] Damn you, Outlander, all the feels. And we're back in blue! Also, I love how true to real life this scene is with Jamie's uncertain anxiety about whether sex harms the baby. I feel like that's every impending father's worry, or at least it was in our house.
[9:35 pm] Jamie and Murtagh do role playing well. Job well done, boys.
[9:37 pm] Ugh, I love Louise but I could do without the mean girls crap. Has anyone watched The Blind Side with Sandra Bulloch as many times as I have? Because this is reminding me of when her character finally snaps at sitting through one too many catty country club girls' lunches, and she takes a moral stance and walks out.
[9:39 pm] Your husband will worry, Claire, and we're already there! I'm no doctor, but bleeding this late in the pregnancy is not something to take lightly. Kudos to Mother Hildegard for her calming demeanor that kept our normally unflappable Claire at ease.
[9:41 pm] Mark me, this scene finally won me over on Bonnie Prince Charlie. We have Andrew Gower and his spot-on portrayal of BPC's roller coaster of defeated emotion to thank for that.
[9:43 pm] "Always!" - Fergus' response to Jamie asking him whether he's hungry, and in the process forewarning me how damn high my grocery bill will be when my son hits the teen years.
[9:44 pm] Oh god, oh god, oh god. That uniform jacket, the crescendoing music, the door slamming - this is headed in allllll the wrong places for Fergus. Ruuuuuuuuuun!
[9:47 pm] Folks, brace for impact because - and excuse my language - shit's about to hit the vengeance fan.
[9:48 pm] These posts are spoiler-free, but I am a book reader and I've not dreaded a scene more than what's about to happen. Fair warning. Or as fellow writer and Scottish traveler Anne warned me - "have a defibrillator on hand for the last few minutes." Noted, Anne. Noted.
[9:50 pm] "All I could do was wait to see which of my men would die - Jamie or Frank."- Claire, in a wonderfully ideal state of mind to keep from third trimester bleeding and trauma. Sarcasm, it's how I maturely handle any crisis.
[9:51 pm] Not to make light of the severity of this scene, but if the cows didn't do in "the donger" (thank you, Teddie) for Black Jack, this certainly will.
[9:52 pm] Nooooooooooo! Forget Jack - we've all just been gutted. That. Was. Brutal. And it was made infinitely worse by the damn credits pounding in and leaving us in limbo! Of course they had to, but still. WHYYYYYYY. I mean I know why, but still. WHYYYYYYY.
[9:55 pm] Anne, I used the paddles and it did nothing to restart my heart after the shock of living through that scene on screen. The fate of our duo (make that TRIO!) is bleak right now and we have to wait another week to see more. And I'm trying hard not to stay in this somber mode by reminding myself that we're nearly HALFWAY done with season two! Mark me, I won't allow myself to do that because it threatens to steal the bittersweet joy of experiencing that brilliant and fulfilling hour of television. Every week Outlander season two dives further and further into its groove and I, for one, cannot wait for episode seven!
[10:00 pm] Did I mention I'm in Scotland? Okay, just checking . . . more as a mental "pinch me" for myself than for you. Also, Pocket Jamie made the journey with me! That can only mean that photos of priceless history and remarkable landscape will now contain an eight-inch laminated cutout of a fictional literary and television character. AS IT SHOULD BECAUSE HE IS THE KING OF MEN. Fun blog post to come!
What did you think of this week's episode? Comment below and be sure to catch up on this season's previous live blogs/recaps:
Episode 2.01: "Through a Glass, Darkly"
Episode 2.02: "Not in Scotland Anymore"
Episode 2.03: "Useful Occupations and Deceptions"