I decided this year was not my recap year and good thing too because Creme de Menthe is so full of in your face action, underlying future story arcs and layers of relationship stuff that to recap it would be exhausting. I just dont have the energy.

This week I am going to look at the things that make me go hmmmm.

As I have said before, we all view the show with our own inner eye, which makes how we digest it & for lack of a better word – expel it.   I enjoy the discussions but the debates, I could let hang.  Perhaps I feel there are so many big things in the ugly world to be upset about…a TV show gets a pass from me . Cuz…yeah…

This is just a mish mash of my thoughts so don’t take it personal like. These views, are just my own.

Oaths–  Claires Hippopotamus…no…that isn’t right… Hippocratic oath – there we go.  We know that is what is binding her to helping the guy that just tried to kill her. We can say its crazy, but it is a part of why we love Claire.  She sticks to her guns.  Let’s face it, she is likely not fully integrated back into the 18th century mindset.  There probably were zero times she was faced with this quandry in the 20th century. I’m thinking it might take a few months to adjust to things being…totally friggen different.

Liar Liar pants on fire!   Jamie is literally living a lie.  A. Malcolm  respectable printer.  Ahhhhhh…nope. He manipulates relationships in order to provide for his family.  Some would say honourable. I say a lil shady.  He is SO shady *laugh*. (Keep in mind…so was Batman)  I truly enjoy the many faces of JAMMF.  Seeing him wax poetic one moment and then send his nephew & fosterson out to do his dirty work the next…see…shaaaaa-ady!  To me, this plays well into the Jamie lying to Ian, asking Claire to do the same.  Many think…hey thats out of charachter. Only because we love Jamie, we think he infallable when in fact…dude takes a helluva lotta liberties with that lil thing called the truth.  Which makes him *drumroll* …..human!

Balance.  What is balance about?  Its about going to one end of the spectrum…flying to the other end of the spectrum…and eventually landing in the middle.  Which is always precarious if we don’t pay attention.

 

 I have to remind myself that the relationship with Jamie and Claire…is new.  They have a deep passionate history…but their present…brand spanking new.  We can’t fall back into an everyday relationship groove as fast as we can fall into bed.  Physical connection is one thing, private,alone… finding that balance while living an everyday life amoungst all the people, will likely take more than a day.

My husband used to be in the military and go away for many months of the year.  It took days, sometimes weeks to get used to having to consider his opinions and ideas on the way the house was run.  Imagine living 20 yrs doing it your way?  It would not be an easy slide into  thinking…Oh I have this person to consider and they may not agree but it is all I know.  That just doesnt fit together for me so much.   I want to see the warmth & common thinking between everyday Jamie & Claire and I know I will.  Its there…rumbling under the surface and with time – it will pop up. (Don’t be dirty)

Like Uncle Like Nephew. Its not the usual “father n son” thing but I think they captured a great relationship with these two.  Jamie sees himself in Young Ian…and Young Ian wants to be like his Uncle Jamie. I think this created a huge blind spot for Jamie.  He has not been able to raise any of his biological children – this boy, is family, has attached himself to Jamie & frankly, thats a pretty nice feeling.  I think this is a case of “being right…rather than doing the right things” for Jamie.

Meet the Campbells  This is one of those book changes that makes me wonder…Oooooooo where are they going with this?  A travelling seer and her skeezy agent as opposed to the creepy ass Reverend and his broken sister.  There are many twists and turns these two take with hitting the West Indies in the book, I imagine their path is a little more direct through the show.

We can understand that some plots & character expectations might take a turn due to time…”If we do THIS…we will have to do X-Y-Z next season and we only have 13 episodes. Something has to go – if we change X to match Y…we can take this turn instead and shorten up all of it.”

To be a fly on the wall of the writers room. Book readers, show lovers  & knowing they have to find a happy medium.  That’s HARD.  Thinking about how things play on a page compared to visually is a huge undertaking and one, I am happy to leave to the Outlander Writers.  I’m not getting paid to have that viseral of a reaction. I would never be able to do what they do. Though I would LOVE to watch it happen at least once in my life.  Hey, guys who will never read this… maybe an extra on the DVD  “A Day in the Writers Room”  *hint hint nudge nudge*

Young grasshopper.  Fergus has been in Young Ians life since he was a teenager. Young Ian is now old enough to learn a thing or two. About women, cuz Fergus – who I love to refer to as a drama llama (2 women at 15?  That boy must have saved up his allowance for years to afford THAT), about Aunty Claire.  The sweetness in which Fergus remembers her being a super human healer lady is so touching and Young Ian grabs on for the ride.  This is definitely a brotherly relationship. One, wants to teach the other the ways of the world, all while seeing the kid has some serious game.  Business & pleasure makes this team one worth rooting for.

Into the FIRE!  Jamie’s carefully crafted life… goes up in smoke and DAMN…that was pretty intense.  This existance is crumbling in front of all of them.  My heart sank just a little extra for John Gary Steele.  That gorgeous set…gone.  Granted, he does this for a living…create- build- bye bye. Repeat.

Karma is a bitch.   The universe works in mysterious ways folks.  Working for a smarmy weasel – rifling through things that don’t belong to you – being all rapey….OOOPS! Cracked your big ugly skull open and have it drilled into…and ya die.  There is a lesson in there.

Jamie lied right to Ians face about where his son was and what he was doing… OOOOPS…the kid got into a fight in the place Jamie uses as a cover, the dude finds evidence of Jamies shady dealing…and starts a fire.  In which Jamie must sexily bound through batman style in order to save him.  All of this together..forces them to turn around and head back to Lallybroch.

Archibald Campbell is using his mentally ill sister for profit.  The universe hasnt told us the plan for this one…but I have a feeling…it doesn’t taste like chicken.

Jamie not only lied…but he kept some secrets.  Which you know…is his jam in life for the last 20 yrs…wait….even before then. Always running, always telling stories, always being someone he wasn’t and when he was…not for realsies.  This secret may just bite him in the ass. “Other wife”… Jamie seems to be playing it off as no big thang…but when you call in the troops AKA Ned Gowan…there is going to be a lil more fire to come.

Is there more I can say? Yeah…but my fingers are tired and my head hurts. So it looks like YOUR lucky day.

Till next time folks! You do realize…we are HALF WAY TO THE END OF THE SEASON RIGHT???

Sher

ABOotlander Founder