• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Outlander (TV Series+Books)

David Plankton

I AM HIM.
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
6,077
Has anyone seen this TV show or read the books by Diana Gabaldon? It concerns a Timeslip event where an Englishwoman from 1946 goes back to Scotland in 1743, which I think makes it a suitable subject for discussion on the FTMB.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3006802/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I’m currently about halfway through the series and on the whole am enjoying it, however there are too many ‘love’ scenes for my liking and the main character seems to be under constant threat of sexual assault.

Bill Paterson, Tim McInnerny, Gary Lewis, John Sessions and Simon Callow all make an appearance and the theme tune is arranged by Bear McCreary who seems to be turning into George Harrison circa Abbey Road. He also does the theme tunes to Walking Dead and Black Sails, amongst others.

 
Watched a couple of episodes. Didn't take to it. Not enough redcoats bashed.
 
It's not long before the English turn into pantomime villains, cowardly yet brutal, and the Scots are the usual hard as nails, whisky swigging but ultimately heart of gold types.

I think it's working up to the Battle of Culloden, so maybe you were right to stop watching when you did.
 
It's not long before the English turn into pantomime villains, cowardly yet brutal, and the Scots are the usual hard as nails, whisky swigging but ultimately heart of gold types.

I think it's working up to the Battle of Culloden, so maybe you were right to stop watching when you did.

What?! Must give it another chance then!
 
Watched a couple more episodes. Still far too many 'love' scenes and Jamie can't seem to keep his shirt on. But I've paid for it now so I'll just have to put up with it.
 
I sat down to watch it for work with an pre-emptive dislike for the show before it started.

I warmed to it.

Now I'm thinking I might watch the rest of the series.

Agree it does sometimes waiver into romantic novel territory and sometimes some accents make me wince but for some incalculable reason I've started to enjoy it.

I'm hoping she's researched a lot of this properly and it's not some concocted Hollywood version of 18th century Scotland.... I really should know that.....
 
I'm hoping she's researched a lot of this properly and it's not some concocted Hollywood version of 18th century Scotland.... I really should know that.....
I think the author is American, but it seems accurate enough. Apart from the time travel bit but we're Forteans so who knows?
 
I will start with an interesting fact. The idea for the story was prompted by Jamie from Doctor Who. I was surprised and really happy when I heard that as I've always loved Doctor Who.

Anyway I may be late to the party but I'm here now. I'd heard about it but we didn't have Amazon so we just put up with not having it. But when it came to More Four we started watching it and we loved it. I do like a bit of time travel. Once a week wasn't enough for us so we bought the DVDs and devoured them. Then we were up to date before the new series started on Amazon Prime. Can you guess what happened next? :reyes: Yup we gave in.

I have started reading the book too, it's interesting to get some background that might be missed.

I did mention in the coincidence thread about that when I went to the massive floor of books in the Forbidden Planet the only book I considered was Cross Stitch which I later found out to be the original title for Outlander and this was before we started watching it.
 
STARZ released the official synopsis, promotional photos and preview for Outlander Episode 2 – Do No Harm, airing November, 11th. Check out the description and sneak peek photos as well as the promotional trailer for the highly anticipated second episode of season four at FANdemonium Network.
 
I've always been a sucker for the old time-travel motif, and me and the wife have avidly followed Outlander from the start.
The flashback to the ancient Native Americans building a crude stone circle at the start of series 4 bodes well for another time jump for Jamie and Claire soon - hopefully to the 20th century.
I've even adopted Jamie's catchphrase "dinnae fash woman" for when Madame Bless gets a bit naggy.
 
STARZ released the official synopsis, promotional photos and preview for Outlander Episode 2 – Do No Harm, airing November, 11th. Check out the description and sneak peek photos as well as the promotional trailer for the highly anticipated second episode of season four at FANdemonium Network.

A very nuanced and poignant episode it was too. Compulsive viewing.
 
Unfortunately Jamie doesn’t have the time traveling gene. It doesn’t mean there won’t be any though.
 
Just like the last series of The Walking Dead, time-slipping drama Outlander has done the dirty on its fans by no longer being free to view for Prime Video members to being hosted on some new pay-per-view streaming service called Starzplay.

A really shabby thing to do.

Think I'll wait until Starzplay goes bust and it turns up on Prime.
 
I was home at my parents' house some time in the 1990s (I was a student and was doing Summer work in my home town) and desperately needed a book to read. I found Cross Stitch on my mother's bookshelf.
It was a doorstop of a book and I started reading it with no grest expectations.
Well, no sleep that night! The following day at work I continued snatching a page here and then every chance I got; then rushed out and bought book two.

It is a supurb series of books, the love story obviously exists in the books but it's balanced with plenty of blood, gore, drama and humour too.

I didn't have great expectations of the tv series (a chap I know was an extra in it but collapsed on set in the early Castle Leoch scenes - a result of hsving to wear full plaid on a film set with, not one, but two enormous blazing fireplaces).

I found the adaption very two dimensional, it lacked the nuances of the books. I can guess the casting list: 'angry Scotsman 1', 'angry Scotsman 2' 'angry Scotswoman 1', etc.

The TV adaption missed out what I would have regarded as key scenes and instead dropped in scenes that seemed completely pointless.

Anyway, I did watch the whole TV adaption up to date, and (having read the books) I know thst there should be good things to come.

I'm just eagerly awaiting the next book. They're far more nuanced than the adaption.
 
Just like the last series of The Walking Dead, time-slipping drama Outlander has done the dirty on its fans by no longer being free to view for Prime Video members to being hosted on some new pay-per-view streaming service called Starzplay.

A really shabby thing to do.

Think I'll wait until Starzplay goes bust and it turns up on Prime.
We’re not watching it. It’s the reason we got Prime in the first place.
 
Just like the last series of The Walking Dead, time-slipping drama Outlander has done the dirty on its fans by no longer being free to view for Prime Video members to being hosted on some new pay-per-view streaming service called Starzplay.

A really shabby thing to do.

Think I'll wait until Starzplay goes bust and it turns up on Prime.
It is. Mrs N is somewhat obsessed with the series though and as a result we've now added Starzplay to the frankly excessive number of streaming subscriptions we've accumulated over the last couple of years.
 
It is. Mrs N is somewhat obsessed with the series though and as a result we've now added Starzplay to the frankly excessive number of streaming subscriptions we've accumulated over the last couple of years.
But it's an additional pay channel and we decided Sky, Prime and Netflix are enough.
 
Last edited:
Thought I’d like it, time travel, the ‘45 but, got fed up when one episode seemed to be just soft porn with no advancing the plot. Nothing against soft porn but at least the washing machine starts to get repaired or the pizza is delivered.

Somewhat off topic I find the ‘45 (and the other Jacobite risings) fascinating and rather expected the current vogue of one dimensional English villains in red coats – there were more Scots fighting for Butcher Cumberland than against him and many highland families “hedged their bets” by having one son come out for the rebellion ( coming out meant something a bit different then!) and the Laird or other son fighting for the Hanoverians.

The what ifs of the period are many. If Charles Stewart had not turned back at Derby would the Hanoverians have been ousted? If the night attack before Culloden had worked would Scotland have been independent? What if the Jacobites had charged straight away instead of standing and taking the canon fire? What if Charles Stewart had been captured?

Haven’t read the book, maybe I should.
 
but it's an additional pay channel and we decided Sky, Prime and Netflix are enough.
It is, yes. On offer for £1.99 for six months but will go up in August so we'll cancel then*.

We've got Sky, Prime, Netflix too, and Disney+ but we can justify all (plus I need access to them for that reviewing stuff and that.)

*or will completely forget.
 
It’s too much when people already pay for Prime. We too has so many. We’ve got Prime, Sky, Netflix and I’ve just cancelled Disney+ in favour of Britbox.
 
Thought I’d like it, time travel, the ‘45 but, got fed up when one episode seemed to be just soft porn with no advancing the plot. Nothing against soft porn but at least the washing machine starts to get repaired or the pizza is delivered.

Somewhat off topic I find the ‘45 (and the other Jacobite risings) fascinating and rather expected the current vogue of one dimensional English villains in red coats – there were more Scots fighting for Butcher Cumberland than against him and many highland families “hedged their bets” by having one son come out for the rebellion ( coming out meant something a bit different then!) and the Laird or other son fighting for the Hanoverians.

The what ifs of the period are many. If Charles Stewart had not turned back at Derby would the Hanoverians have been ousted? If the night attack before Culloden had worked would Scotland have been independent? What if the Jacobites had charged straight away instead of standing and taking the canon fire? What if Charles Stewart had been captured?

Haven’t read the book, maybe I should.

I never really took to the series. The first episode was almost over before two redcoats were trampled by a horse.
 
I've got NowTV (which I originally got for GoT), Netflix and Prime. I'm planning on ditching NowTV but have no idea what to get in it's place. The choice is between Discovery+, Disney or Starzplay. :conf2:
 
Binge-watched all 8 episodes of series 6 on the Starzplay free trial (now cancelled natch!).
Not bad, but the time-slip elements seem to have taken a back seat and it was more about superstition and culture-clash in the build up to American independence.
Now have a long wait (2023 some time apparently) for the series finale cliff-hanger to be resolved. Hope Starzplay do another free trial then!
 
Back
Top