Ranking Outlander, Part 1

Give credit where it’s due—to Ronald D. Moore

The Outlander part of the SciFi Chicks Summer Series 2015 is to list highlights and lowlights of each episode.  Since I’m behind schedule on that, this week’s outing provides a ranking of the episodes.  We’ll start at the bottom and work our way up.

I’m not your typical Outlander fan.  I’d never heard of the series of books until I watched the television show; nor did I find the television version until four months after the first half of the first season had ended.  You see, obsession knows no time limit.  All that is to say, you may not see a typical episode ranking here.

Noooo!

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!

I’ve been consistently misspelling Catriona Balfe’s name since the beginning of my Outlander love.  Thankfully that’s only been four months and less than a dozen blog posts.  But still…

I’m so sorry, Caitriona!  This grievous error has been rectified and will (hopefully) never occur again.  (Note to self:  add “Caitriona” to the spell-check dictionary.”)

Outlander: The Devil’s Mark (111)

This week’s post is brought to you by Macallen 12 year old Scotch.  Outlander is doing a bit of damage to my pocketbook.  Also my sobriety.*  I just learned you do not drink Scotch on ice.  About that I will paraphrase what I said about my (previous) preference for blended Johnny Walker Red:  I’m secure enough in my Scotch drinking to not worry about what the snobs enthusiasts say.

*Not to worry.  Alcohol isn’t really my drug of choice.  That would be chocolate.

I’m not sure this is my favorite episode (so far), but possibly it is.

Perhaps you can go home again.

Emmys for everyone!

The performances were off the charts.  The way Caitriona Balfe’s voice broke as Claire told Jamie her true story; the many facets of Sam Heughan’s face as Jamie listened, without saying a word.  Lotte Verbeek was riveting as Geillis Duncan sacrificed herself to save Claire.

Outlander: The Reckoning (109)

It’s back!

THEN…

… NOW

Outlander finally returned after a three- six-month hiatus.  (I discovered the epic series in late December, so my wait time was half that of original viewers.  And even that was too long!)

How did you celebrate?  I pulled out my knitwear (two handwarmers and a 99% finished cowl) and poured myself a glass (or 2) of Scotch, discovering I prefer 12-year-old Glenfiddich to my previous regular Johnny Walker Red.

In keeping with my penchant for lists, lets begin.

1.  Jamie’s voice-over…

… was key to this episode.  It gave us a chance to see what the Scots were up to while Claire was busy being arrested and nearly raped; helped us see Jamie’s perspective of that Controversial Scene; and gave us insight into the politics at Castle Leoch.  But most importantly, it helped move Jamie from the naive young man he was to the intelligent, savvy, adult he is to become.

Idol Musings

You know how they say news comes in threes?  Apparently, so do my celebrity crushes.

It all started one summer long, long ago when three of the world’s most eligible bachelors got married:  Britain’s Prince Andrew (the Prince Harry of his day), Mark Harmon, and the daily comic strip’s Peter Parker.  (Oh, c’mon, you know who he is!)

Mark Harmon then & now: Still going strong.

My types seem to know no bounds.  One year it was Lorenzo Lamas in Renegade, Joe Lando from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and… some other good-looking guy I can’t remember.  Unlike the first two, though, he didn’t have long hair.  Maybe it was Mark Harmon.

The next year it was David Hyde Pierce (whom I still adore), the little-known David Marciano from the early years of Due South, and… crap!  I can’t remember #3.  Again. But he too was of the not-particularity-handsome, follicely-challenged type.  See?  I look for inner beauty as well.

These days, I seem to have reverted to the rugged, handsome type.