"It means outlander..."
There was a big fuss about this show being brought to life. From the romance novel fandom to those hoping for Ronald D. Moore's (showrunner of Battlestar Galactica) return at the helm of a new show, this series has been hyped as possibly the next Game of Thrones. However I would not call this series an equivalent of Game of Thrones. No, this is definitely something else. Part historical drama, part time travel enigma, yet the encompassing genre of this series can only be described as one genre: Romance.
Sassenach, the title for this episode deals with introducing viewers to the heroine who will find herself in two worlds. Her name is Claire Randall, a WWII nurse played by Irish actress Caitriona Balfe. She is on a second honeymoon trip with her husband Frank (Tobias Menzies) in Scotland not knowing that a flower called a forget me not would lead her to another time.
Let me just start right off the bat with my one single negative/annoyance about this episode: THE NARRATION! I completely understand that based on a book, this is probably how the story is told. If it is then I understand why it is there. But as someone who loves to watch a story unfold, the narration does seem to get in the way of my personal enjoyment. However it wasn't such an annoyance that I had to quit. In fact some of it was genuinely good, like when Claire was describing what time travel felt like. I hope this doesn't become a staple of the series, but if it is at least I know I can tolerate it.
Okay, now that's out of the way. Let's begin. Balfe who most mainstream audiences may remember (but most likely not) her as Joe's mother in Super 8. Don't remember the mother? It's okay. Regardless of that point, she does an excellent job in the Pilot as Claire. When a show rides on the believability and likeability of the lead, it definitely rides on her. Claire is a believable woman in every sense of the word. She's feisty, caring, knowledgeable, and has sexual needs. All of those traits are not overblown to turn her into a stereotype. She's very layered and would definitely remind you of one or several women you may know. Most likely that woman would be someone you admire. That is the best way to describe her.
The believable nature of her character comes from her interactions with her husband, Frank, played by Tobias Menzies. Frank is definitely a man of few words trying to speak more words for the sake of maintaining a loving marriage. Having been separated from each other for five years during WWII, Frank may come off as someone who is far more interested in retracing his genealogy in Scotland rather than a full blown Second Honeymoon with his wife, but whenever it seems that way, he pulls back to put her first before his hobbies. it really shows that these two still genuinely love each other despite the separation. Their intimate moments are beautiful and never forced. It is natural, the way you would see a married couple acting. Not some absurd lovey dovey thing that is overplayed in most romance or romantic comedies. It just works. Which becomes even more heartbreaking when the audience knows that just when these two are finally reconnecting... they get split apart.
As fate would have it, Claire is sent back in time to the 1700s. In there she encounters Blackjack John Randall, the ancestor of her husband Frank and also played by Menzies. A redcoat in charge of bringing down the Scottish rebellion, he doesn't buy Claire as some lost soul but rather someone he can rape. Lucky for her a Scottish rebel saves her life and brings them to their enclave. When confronted with whether or not she could be a valuable asset to them, she uses her skill and knowledge to keep her in their good graces. Her skills save the life of a young handsome Scottish rebel named Jaime played by Sam Heughan and her knowledge of history saves the Scotts from an ambush from the English. As this portion didn't really come to till the third act, the world of 16th century Scotland under British occupation is not entirely flushed out. We don't know the true politics of the time and the details of why things are happening are unclear. Especially the fated encounter of Claire and Jaime, which from the previews strongly suggest that her love for her future husband may be strained by an attraction to a man from the past. But luckily for now, no such attraction exists. But it is obvious that this is where the show is going to go.
While it is clear that this is mostly targeted for a female audience, especially the ones into romance novels, it is also clear that this show can appeal to anyone. Yes, there is a romance element in the show that encompasses it, but as I stated before, other genres inhabit it as well. There is definitely a lot of genres melding together into a romance one, but it definitely is not coming off as a sappy romance movie. It is a welcoming change compared to what Starz channel is more notoriously known for with Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons. Yes, there is still graphic violence and fully nude sex scenes, but they are not overplayed yet used at the right moments. I could even argue that the one sex scene in this episode was not there for the sake of showing sex, but rather to show the beauty of a relationship. That is definitely an accomplishment from the guys who brought us Spartacus.
This is a slow burn story told at its most efficient. Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain is also a slow burn show, but this one doesn't leave me anxious in wanting something to happen. I'm glad for the slow build, because romance doesn't happen instantly. It takes time.
SCORE: 8.5/10 - A good start and great introduction to a new world... if only that pesky narration wasn't there it would've been a 9
STATUS: Continue to Watch
Review of Next Episode - CLICK HERE
Okay, now that's out of the way. Let's begin. Balfe who most mainstream audiences may remember (but most likely not) her as Joe's mother in Super 8. Don't remember the mother? It's okay. Regardless of that point, she does an excellent job in the Pilot as Claire. When a show rides on the believability and likeability of the lead, it definitely rides on her. Claire is a believable woman in every sense of the word. She's feisty, caring, knowledgeable, and has sexual needs. All of those traits are not overblown to turn her into a stereotype. She's very layered and would definitely remind you of one or several women you may know. Most likely that woman would be someone you admire. That is the best way to describe her.
The believable nature of her character comes from her interactions with her husband, Frank, played by Tobias Menzies. Frank is definitely a man of few words trying to speak more words for the sake of maintaining a loving marriage. Having been separated from each other for five years during WWII, Frank may come off as someone who is far more interested in retracing his genealogy in Scotland rather than a full blown Second Honeymoon with his wife, but whenever it seems that way, he pulls back to put her first before his hobbies. it really shows that these two still genuinely love each other despite the separation. Their intimate moments are beautiful and never forced. It is natural, the way you would see a married couple acting. Not some absurd lovey dovey thing that is overplayed in most romance or romantic comedies. It just works. Which becomes even more heartbreaking when the audience knows that just when these two are finally reconnecting... they get split apart.
As fate would have it, Claire is sent back in time to the 1700s. In there she encounters Blackjack John Randall, the ancestor of her husband Frank and also played by Menzies. A redcoat in charge of bringing down the Scottish rebellion, he doesn't buy Claire as some lost soul but rather someone he can rape. Lucky for her a Scottish rebel saves her life and brings them to their enclave. When confronted with whether or not she could be a valuable asset to them, she uses her skill and knowledge to keep her in their good graces. Her skills save the life of a young handsome Scottish rebel named Jaime played by Sam Heughan and her knowledge of history saves the Scotts from an ambush from the English. As this portion didn't really come to till the third act, the world of 16th century Scotland under British occupation is not entirely flushed out. We don't know the true politics of the time and the details of why things are happening are unclear. Especially the fated encounter of Claire and Jaime, which from the previews strongly suggest that her love for her future husband may be strained by an attraction to a man from the past. But luckily for now, no such attraction exists. But it is obvious that this is where the show is going to go.
While it is clear that this is mostly targeted for a female audience, especially the ones into romance novels, it is also clear that this show can appeal to anyone. Yes, there is a romance element in the show that encompasses it, but as I stated before, other genres inhabit it as well. There is definitely a lot of genres melding together into a romance one, but it definitely is not coming off as a sappy romance movie. It is a welcoming change compared to what Starz channel is more notoriously known for with Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons. Yes, there is still graphic violence and fully nude sex scenes, but they are not overplayed yet used at the right moments. I could even argue that the one sex scene in this episode was not there for the sake of showing sex, but rather to show the beauty of a relationship. That is definitely an accomplishment from the guys who brought us Spartacus.
This is a slow burn story told at its most efficient. Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain is also a slow burn show, but this one doesn't leave me anxious in wanting something to happen. I'm glad for the slow build, because romance doesn't happen instantly. It takes time.
SCORE: 8.5/10 - A good start and great introduction to a new world... if only that pesky narration wasn't there it would've been a 9
STATUS: Continue to Watch
Review of Next Episode - CLICK HERE
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