My thoughts while watching Outlander episode 209 “Je Suis Prest”

1. I love Fergus.  Loved him in the book.  Love him in the show.  One of Diana’s greatest characters. <3 font="">
2. I’ve missed Rupert’s voice so much!!! <3 font="">
3. Oh no!  Willie!  Oh… that’s all.  Whew! <3 font="">
4. Jamie is so pretty. <3 font="">
5. Love the way he says “’tis” like “tez.” <3 font="">
6. Drill Sergeant Murtagh.  Waiting for him to go all “There’s only 2 things that come from the Highlands: steers and …” on them.  
   
7. PTSD Flashback Claire 
8. Ooh.  Me likey the background mens choir singing.  <3 font="">
9. So, only 5 men in the Highlands know how to fight?
10. OMG someone else said JHRC
11. Hey, are you guys from Easy Company?  General Sink, Colonel Winter, Bill Guernere? 
    
12. Please flashback to the first time Jamie says “Je Suis Prest.”  Please, please, please.  Dammit.
    
13. Tell him what you’re thinking about, dummy!
14. Looks like the first day of band camp with a bunch of freshman.
15. Jamie’s rockin’ Brian’s leather coat. 
16. Is he going to yell FREEDOM!!! at the end of this speech?
    
17. Hills sounds like hells.  Cute.
18. OMG Dougal’s moobs are flopping.  Ew!!!!  
    
19. Don’t you guys know you’re supposed to use light blue war paint ala Mel Gibson?  
    
20. And clean that mud off yer face, uncle.  Ye look ridiculous, ye wee smout.
21. Better.  Now I can see my reflection in his shiny bald heid.
22. Claire’s goin’ Greek on Dougal!
23. LMAO!!!!  Fuck yourself.
24. What a beautiful place to set up camp and train. 
25. Hollow Claire
26. Ew nasty Angus toes!  Trench foot.  Knew it.  
    
27. We don’t want any Lt. Dan’s here!
    
28. Come on… Murtagh or Rupert to the rescue.  No?  OK.
29. Yay! Jamie looks tall for a change.
30. In-charge Jamie is hot!
31. Doh!  Dougie’s busted down to sentry duty.
32. Pukey passout Claire
33. Ambush!
34. And all the while Frank was in a comfy office.  Lame.
35. I have seen shit you 18^th century n00bs can never imagine.
36. Wow.  Jamie’s looking hot again.  This episode is chock full of Jamie hotness.
37. I can’t stay and I can’t go.  I’ll just stay here and be jittery.
38. A Dragonfly in Amber!
39. You’ll never be alone again… even if it means 20 years of misery with Dr. Boring.
40. Hmph.  Haven’t seen Jamie piss on a wall since early in Season 1.
41. Oh my.  Is this Not-Yet-Lord John Gray?  Not how I pictured it happening.  I pictured them in a forest.  
    
42. Oh yes please do the scene!  Go, Claire, go!
43. Lmao at the faces of the guys who don’t know what she’s up to.
44. Hahaha The looks between J&C!
45. Why not just call him John from the start?
46. Lol Claire is so good with her “acting.”  At least they didn’t bare her breast.
47. Oh, you’ll meet again.  And again and again.
48. This episode is so much better than the last one.
49. Show ‘em your nasty back.  6 lashes ain’t nothing.  Love taps compared to the damage wrought by BJR.
50. Nice war paint.
51. Jamie looks hot in war paint.  Murtagh just looks scary.  But Jamie reminds me of Mathias Nygard in full Turisas regalia.  
    
52. We be burnin’ yer wheelz.
53. I’ve burnt stuff.  I’m horny.  Let me get war paint on your face.
54. I like their rustic abode.  Too bad they have to leave it.
55. The singing sounds like Latin or Hebrew or Native American, not Gaelic.
56. Ooh.  Bigger camp.
57. How nice, throwing your dear uncle a bone.  Wait til he meets that fop.

Post episode:

1. Ron Moore is a good looking man.
2. I love you a lil bit too, Matt Roberts.       

My thoughts while watching Outlander episode 207 “Faith”

1. I will not cry. I will not cry.  I will not cry.
2. Brianna should sound more American, not British.  Or is that a snooty 1950s Boston aristocrat accent a la Charles Emerson Winchester III (M*A*S*H)?
3. Monsieur Forez was there? Time for a reread of DIA.
4. Wtf does a heron have to do with this?
5. 18th century private hospital room = bed with curtains
6. Oh, Cait, you are so good.
7. Mother Hildegarde named her?
8. Bouton rocks
9. Master Raymond looks like one of the sand people from Star Wars.
10. I like how they did the blue light. Less sci-fi than I pictured it in the book.
11. Yay! The blue aura = Madonna explanation.
12. Cat with 9 lives.  Cat o’ 9 tails.  What he whipped Jamie with.  Reference.
13. I know Claire’s going thru hell, but I’m still mad at her for being so pissed at Jamie. If only you knew what that monster did, Claire!
14. Oh, Fergus, you sweet boy, acting as protector, as Jamie’s proxy.
15. Suck it up, Suzette. Take a cue from Magnus.
16. I need a Fergus. (To go with the Murtagh that I also need.)
17. How emotionally draining was this on Cait? OMG
18. A child to comfort. Fergus you are so well placed.
19. Tell her, Fergus! I know it’s not how the book goes.
20. A talent for stealing. Lol
21. My stomach just flipped over.
22. Don’t show it. Please don’t show it.
23. Jamie to the rescue!
24. Go, Jamie, go! Kill!  Kill!  Kill!
25. I demand a duel?  Lame. Come on, Jamie.  Just kill him outright.
26. So now you know, Claire.
27. Mercurial.  Good word.
28. Damn! Mother Hildegarde is no shrinking violet.
29. The green dress!
30. The library. Also beautiful.
31. Claire’s thought bubble: My husband has seen you poop.
32. Hot chocolate, madame, before I take my pleasure with you in exchange for your husband’s freedom?
33. King Louis has piggy lips.
34. Don’t woo me, Louie. Just get it over with.
35. Your brown hairline is showing. Fix your wig.
36. He’s icky but it could be worse. It could be Prince Charlie.
37. Nice room. You’re still icky.
38. Claire’s thought bubble: A witch trial again? Wtf, 18th century?  W.T.F.
39. Comte doesn’t look smug for a change. I like it.
40. I’m sorry I tried to kill you.  Twice.  Please spare my life.  Oh, goddamit.
41. Oh, Claire. You must be loving this.
42. Thank you, Jamie, for making me La Dame Blanche. Power!
43. Oh, hey, wait. The comte speaks English.
44. King hands!
45. Comte no likey snakes.
46. Forez’s face is perfect! Lol  He looks like Little Steven (VanZandt) as Silvio in The Sopranos.  Always scowling.
47. Be not afraid, Raymond. You know it’s gonna suck but you won’t die.
48. Love, love, love that she gave it to Raymond first so the comte could watch.
49. How did it change color?!
50. Oh, Raymond. Very nice.
51. “Oh well.” That’s all you can come up with?
52. Good acting, Comte. Love the tears.
53. King Louis thought bubble: Please do not soil The King’s floor as you expire, Comte.
54. King hands!
55. Another Wizard of Oz reference!!
56. Oh, hello, King. I’d hoped you were done with me.
57. Death arouses The King.
58. The King is a 3 pump chump. Lol
59. Claire’s thought bubble: OK. That wasn’t too bad.  Quick and easy.
60. King hands say: I’m done. You may go now.
61. Alrighty then. I’ll just take my orange because I don’t want to get scurvy, and leave.
62. Jamie’s home!
63. Jamie needs a bath and a laundress.
64. Black mourning gown?
65. Jamie sounded 100 years old just now. Like he hadn’t spoken at all in the Bastille.
66. Holy raggedy beard, Batman!
67. Sorry.  You’ve been through a lot but you must see why Jamie fought BJR.  Forgive, eh?
68. Shouldn’t Faith be smaller? I thought she was only 20-something weeks.
69. Her eyes were slanted a bit, like yours. In the book.
70. I think if I was going to cry, it would be now. I’m not.  I’m safe.
71. Hey, Louise. What’s shakin’?
72. The shallow bitch does indeed have a heart and is a good friend.
73. No, you can’t put your filthy, shallow, Prince-fucking, whore hands on my precious angel.
74. Oh, I see the red hair! Awww!
75. I love that Louise and Mother handled her like a live baby. Very nice.
76. Again, Cait. You are a gem.  Such acting.
77. Jamie looks thin.
78. Um, Claire, you know the duel didn’t cause your miscarriage, right?
79. It’s not your fault either, Claire.
80. The forgiveness line from the creek again!
81. You told him about the king.  Flat out.  Like that.  You’re a cold bitch.
82. Claire, honey. Nice, clean 3 pump chump is nothing compared to what Jamie endured for you.
83. Together.
84. Yeah, Claire. People didn’t get divorced in 1740-something.
85. Yay! Home to Scotland!  Totally worth fucking the king.
86. But you can’t have 11 apostle spoons! You’ve messed up the set!
87. Still no tears from me. Either I’m a cold-hearted bitch or you’re all wusses.

 Next week…

1. Oh, hey, Jenny.
2. Now my grandpa wants to fuck my wife.  WTF, people?  I know she’s hot but come on already!

Thoughts while watching Outlander episode 116: To Ransom a Man's Soul

• Heed the viewer discretion warning, pearl clutchers.
• I never want to see Tobias Menzies below the neck again.
• Murtagh should've stabbed him for good measure.
• Don't shoot the cows!!
• Murtagh... carrying Jamie like a baby <3
• Bowl cut = bad idea
• Espiritu vomitus
• I expected even BJR to not want to kiss a pukey mouth.  Does nothing gross him out?
• Jamie's been beaten, mangled, nailed, and molested and STILL spits in the guy's face. Daaaamn!
• Hand surgery. Fascinating.
• Puking again. Girlfriend, you preggers!
• Seriously, you dudes need a new barber at the monestary.
• The gray haired monk looks like he walked right out of a medieval painting.
• lol Angus popping Willie in the head.
• Subtitles!  Come on, Ron!  Throw us a bone.
• Blech!  Could Tobias have a whiter, blander torso?
• Oh fuck. The brand.
• Ah, young Willie, how I love ye.
• And Rupert's voice.  Luurrrrrvvvvve...
• Pfft.  Wee Willie, he's never gonna forget.
• Oh, Murtagh, you are so wise.  And foul-mouthed. And blessed with dancing eyebrows.
• Way to go, Claire. Fight an injured man.  Make him support his weight on his broken hand.  Some healer you are.
• Omg Sam Heughan does haunted eyes so convincingly.
• BJR, you twisted son of a maggot.
• And put some clothes on. You're icky.
• Oh goddamn he's so gross.
• The mind fuck is far worse than the butt fuck.
• Holy shit Sam/Jamie is a big man.
• Screw all the "fans" who think Claire doesn't love him enough.
• Third nipple!
• This is like Dorothy saying good bye to the Lion (Willie), the Tin Man (Angus), and the Scarecrow (Rupert).
• Jamie looks so weeeeird in a tricorn hat!
• Play your part, indeed.
• Awwww.  He called her Sassenach.
• Cue the Claire and Jamie theme music.
• The closing credits music is breathtaking. The violins playing counter to Raya's singing.  Gorgeous.

Scottish Gaelic - English Dictionary online

It doesn’t have translations for a lot of Diana Gabaldon’s Gaelic words and phrases but it does help quite a bit, nonetheless.

https://en.glosbe.com/gd/en/

Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart

My son is 11 years old and thinks my obsession with Outlander is pretty stupid.  Today I came across a passage in the fifth Outlander novel, The Fiery Cross, that may have changed his mind just a wee bit.  He gave me a knowing grin when I showed it to him.  It happens to be one of his favorite sayings.  ;)


From page 120 of Diana Gabaldon's The Fiery Cross:

"I met a man from Boston, last time I went to Charlotteville," Ronnie said, his foxy brows drawn down in disapproval. He tugged, trying to free his arm from Jamie’s grip, but to no avail. "He said to me as it was his custom to have beans at his breakfast, and oysters to his supper, and so he’d done every day since he was a wean. A wonder he hadna blown up like a pig’s bladder, filled wi’ such wretched stuff as that!"

"Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart," I said cheerily, seizing the opening. "The more you eat, the more you fart. The more you fart, the better you feel -- so let’s have beans for every meal!"

Ronnie’s mouth dropped open, as did Mrs. Lindsay’s. Jamie whooped with laughter, and Mrs. Lindsay’s look of astonishment dissolved into a booming laugh. After a moment, Ronnie rather reluctantly joined in, a small grin twisting up the corner of his mouth.

Outlander Episode 107: The Wedding

Much has been said all over the internet about this wonderful hour of television last Saturday, so I won't repeat it.  These are just a few observations of mine that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere.

1. Right before their wedding, Frank refers to Claire as Mrs. Frank Randall.  On their wedding night, Jamie refers to her as Claire Fraser.  The former, where the man's name is used, may be proper but it has always irked me.  It takes away the woman's own identity as if she only matters now in relation to her husband.
   
   
   
   
   
   I haven't read the books, but the impression I've gotten from what little we've seen of Frank is that he loves Claire in relation to himself.  She's his arm candy.  She puts up with his self-centered ancestry quest on their second honeymoon.  She's willing to have sex with him.  But I feel like he would be totally unaware or uninterested in the parts of her that don't involve him.
   
   Jamie, by calling her Claire Fraser, has perfectly nailed the "two become one" concept.  She is still herself, Claire, but she is also now a part of him with his last name.  I feel like he respects her in a way that Frank doesn't or can't.  That he appreciates her as a person, not just as his wife.  And, thus, he will love her in a far deeper way that Frank ever could.
   
   
   
   
   
   I would love to know if Diana Gabaldon did this on purpose or if I'm just reading too much into it.


2. Diana Gabaldon wrote and Sam Heughan portrayed the perfect combination of unsure yet confident as Jamie Fraser in the post-wedding bedroom scenes.  In general, Jamie is a very confident man.  He's strong, tall, good-looking, smart, witty, and bunch of other things rolled into one and he knows it.  Not in a cocky way, but in a way that instills confidence.  However, as we know, Jamie was a virgin going into this night, so he is somewhat unsure of himself when it comes to certain things.  He has a complete lack of experience and, on top of that, he knows that she does have experience.  He's eager but a little nervous about making a wrong move and her skittish behavior isn't helping.  But rather than reducing him to a pathetic puddle of nervous groom, Diana and Sam maintain his charm and sense of humor and use both whenever they are not directly engaging in or talking about engaging in sex.  This perfect balance of self-assurance and self-doubt makes Jamie absolutely, positively lovable.


3. Some bloggers and others have mentioned the lack of body hair on 18th century Claire and Jamie.
   
   I admit that I noticed Caitriona Balfe's smooth pits in one of the bedroom scenes, but I quickly realized that I was glad her pits were shaved and that I would've been highly distracted if they were hairy.  Although the show is doing a great job of staying true to the times, I think unshaven armpits on a woman would be an unnecessary step and probably would've caused a bigger hubbub than her hair-free underarms.
   
   
   
   
   
   As for Sam Heughan... be still my heart.  Oops.  I digress.  Again, I haven't read the books so I have no idea how much body hair Jamie has been described as having.  I do, however, know that wedding night Jamie is supposed to be 22 or 23 years old and that Sam Heughan is supposed to also be playing Jamie in his 40s or 50s later on.  It occurs to me that perhaps Jamie's sparse body hair is one of the ways the show is using to make Sam appears younger at this point.  I guess I'll find out down the road when I see an older, shirtless Jamie.  But it's something to keep in mind for those who are bugged out that Sam doesn't perfectly meet their imagined image of James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.
   
   
   


4. And my final thought (for now):  Did anyone else notice that Claire's boobs and bodice made a perfect heart shape as she was walking into the church?  ;)