Second ep of Outlander
So now I've seen the second ep of Outlander, and I'm sticking with it for the time being. It's still so faithful to the book that it's almost superfluous, but at least they've cut down the narration with about 90%, and it's strangely fascinating to see characters come right off the page like that. I was really dubious of Sam whatshisname when I first saw him, but he plain IS Jamie, and Catriona Balfe is a remarkably human version of Claire, so my inner 17-year-old is purring even as my inner adult is worried of how they'll handle the novels' more skeevy aspects.
I always loved the MacKenzies, sneaky bastards that they are, and while TV Dougal and Colum aren't exactly what I expected physically, their dynamics are perfect, and a joy to watch. I saw a review who complained that the villains were too one-dimensional, citing Jack and Colum, and I'll allow it for Jack, but I got so offended on Colum's behalf. A villain? And a one-dimensional one at that? Good sir, the Laird of MacKenzie castle is a Magnificent Bastard of the highest order, he has every right to be suspicious of random English women showing up with shady backstories, and don't you forget it! *grin*
Geillie Duncan also made an appearance, and acting does add something to a scene - suddenly I started shipping her and Claire. That would have been interesting to see! Maybe I was affected by having recently read The Daylight Gate, about lesbian witches.
I do admit that part of my enjoyment comes from going to the Tumblr tag and seeing all the predictable fangirl reactions. The h/c swoons are just as prominent as I thought they would be, and the hatred of Laoghaire has once again raised its ugly head. (While Laoghaire did some pretty bad stuff, I always felt that both author and readers hated her more because she dared to stand between Jamie and Claire than because of anything she actively did. Predictable fangirl reactions, as I said, and nasty ones at that.)
One thing that worries me about the faithfulness is if they ever make it as far as Voyager, because on one hand, I'd love to see John and Fergus and Marsali, but on the other, if they do Mr. Willoughby, and they do it even remotely like the book, the racist clusterfuck will be even worse on screen than in the book. But if they try to avoid it, they'll have to explain to Diana Gabaldon that there's a racist clusterfuck to be avoided, and considering how she handles other interpretations than her own, I doubt that would go down well. This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/625967.html and has
comments there.
I always loved the MacKenzies, sneaky bastards that they are, and while TV Dougal and Colum aren't exactly what I expected physically, their dynamics are perfect, and a joy to watch. I saw a review who complained that the villains were too one-dimensional, citing Jack and Colum, and I'll allow it for Jack, but I got so offended on Colum's behalf. A villain? And a one-dimensional one at that? Good sir, the Laird of MacKenzie castle is a Magnificent Bastard of the highest order, he has every right to be suspicious of random English women showing up with shady backstories, and don't you forget it! *grin*
Geillie Duncan also made an appearance, and acting does add something to a scene - suddenly I started shipping her and Claire. That would have been interesting to see! Maybe I was affected by having recently read The Daylight Gate, about lesbian witches.
I do admit that part of my enjoyment comes from going to the Tumblr tag and seeing all the predictable fangirl reactions. The h/c swoons are just as prominent as I thought they would be, and the hatred of Laoghaire has once again raised its ugly head. (While Laoghaire did some pretty bad stuff, I always felt that both author and readers hated her more because she dared to stand between Jamie and Claire than because of anything she actively did. Predictable fangirl reactions, as I said, and nasty ones at that.)
One thing that worries me about the faithfulness is if they ever make it as far as Voyager, because on one hand, I'd love to see John and Fergus and Marsali, but on the other, if they do Mr. Willoughby, and they do it even remotely like the book, the racist clusterfuck will be even worse on screen than in the book. But if they try to avoid it, they'll have to explain to Diana Gabaldon that there's a racist clusterfuck to be avoided, and considering how she handles other interpretations than her own, I doubt that would go down well. This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/625967.html and has
comments there.