I am just one of 340 local ABOotlanders.  The brilliant thing about that is being able to hear, feel, see & understand how others interpret, percieve & process each episode of Outlander.

No surprise that A. Malcolm is one of those episodes that has a great divide in the interpretation.  Why?  Likely because it also had the most expectation.  When we imagine things, we detail them, connect emotion to them to make them real.  It is a natural way to process.  Many of us have not only read the “reuinon” of  Jamie & Claire an insane amount of times, we have layered it with our emotions which ultimately solidifies our images so we can “feel” what we are imagining.   Visions of each moment were exeedingly clear.

There is no right, there is no wrong. There is no reason to change someones mind about what they saw but perhaps there is a reason to understand they are as entitled to seeing something their way as we are, ours.

We should never feel the need to defend our feelings nor feel sorry we have them. Just as we shouldn’t assume others are missing something or blind to disappointment.  The most important thing to remember is opinion & fact are 2 different beasts. Where personal interpretation exists, just like jello, fact isn’t something that is “nail downable”.

On our local FB group we have episode discussions – we have this thing about saying what we mean, without being mean & respecting one anothers view points.  It makes having discussions so much more enjoyable when coming from a place of assuming positive intent.

It’s a study of personalities & experiences when we truly listen to how others digest visuals.  It can be facinating –  if we let it engage us & not separate us.

Here are moments the ABOotlanders pointed out as group favourites:

1.  Jamies view of the day.  Being reminded that Claire had a lot of planning, thinking, hoping going on and this… it was all a true smack upside the head.  Never in a million years…ok…200 years did he see this coming. Watching that shock play out from the place he was living was pretty cool.
2.   Jello. Bicycles. Zippers. Photos. There was an excitement about the mention of things Jamie has no idea about. That connection from past to future. It almost is a full circle kind of feeling that was a unified “loved it”.
3.  Grown up Fergus.  I admit, this tiny little scene made me sobgasp.  That took me by complete surprise.  The ABOotlanders were unanamous of their Fergus love and the gravity of that moment.
4.  Wee Ian.  For book readers, we know what this young man is up against, and how he was written by Diana.  John Bell is perfectly gawkward.  He too had just a moment on screen – and it seemed he universally struck the mark.
5.  Brothel Breakfast of champions.  It was a great part of the book & we were all pretty happy that it made its way into the show.  Thanks for the tip.  That might be my favourite line.

Another common thread

1. Pure joy with all the things. There are definitely those in our group who love…all…the…things.  The joy of watching it come to life overwhelm their senses and the gushing goes forth.

2.  Being underwhelmed.  Absolutely there were those that felt this way.  They       expected more & didn’t get that. The emotion simply wasn’t at the level they envisioned.                                                                                                                                     

Both of these views, completely valid & easily understood.  We might not agree with the opposite perception of the scenes but it sure doesn’t make anyone mistaken.

Our group, as a whole, are pretty good with the separation of book & show.  Knowing that things change because of the need for translation, dropping things in now where their might be no time for the set up later.  The written word is rich and full whereas seeing something on screen becomes a little less dimensional. Do we miss things? Sure. Do we wish things were included? Sure. Do we find it ruins our overall enjoyment?  It sure doesnt seem like it.

One thing we certainly all agree on.  It sure is nice to have J&C back together again.

Don’t forget to play along with us as we Live Tweet with the Canadian airing of Outlander on W Network. Use #OutlanderCAN to keep up with us.

Sher.  Founder of the ABOotlanders