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Outlander: Waiting for April [SPOILERS: First Season]


Veltigar

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12 hours ago, Dr. Pepper said:

Meh.  Kinda boring.  Felt like a filler episode to kick off the season. Doesn't make me excited about the season.

It did actually. Im not particularly interested in seeing so much of the Frank and Claire dynamic. More interested in Jamies story. Also dreading Breanna, not a fan of the actress. At all.

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I only disliked Claire's hair in this episode. It looked as Countess Grantham would say, like a creature from the Lost World. But this show is so beautiful. There is a real beauty in it which I find so alluring and captivating. Even the battle scenes were aesthetically pleasing. I like that. 

12 hours ago, Astromech said:

Less 1948 and more 1746, please. Other than the frustrating to watch Claire and Frank dynamic, a decent start to the season.

IDK, I found it necessary awful. So, while it was frustrating, it was something I feel we had to see. 

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1 hour ago, Risto said:

 

IDK, I found it necessary awful. So, while it was frustrating, it was something I feel we had to see. 

Sure, necessary, but frustrating, nonetheless. Frank tries and tries, but he just can't compete with Jamie.

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7 hours ago, Risto said:

But this show is so beautiful. There is a real beauty in it which I find so alluring and captivating. Even the battle scenes were aesthetically pleasing. I like that. 

O, yes.  And elegant.  Even the post wwII hair and clothes are elegantly composed.  That's Claire, all right1

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On 12/09/2017 at 3:20 AM, Astromech said:

Less 1948 and more 1746, please. Other than the frustrating to watch Claire and Frank dynamic, a decent start to the season.

I like the 1948 parts! How it shows that claire's life in the 40s is more restrictive than her life 200 years prior! And her struggle to acclimate to her new role as wife to a professor in 1940s America and what that entails is really interesting and highlights the role of women in periods of history and how societal progression isn't a straight linear line from ''non progressive'' to ''progressive'' from the history to the future. As with what's happening in the world right now - we know this. And I think it's a a clever and bold move to show both of the character's survival after losing the other and to keep them apart for awhile. 

 

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16 hours ago, Zorral said:

O, yes.  And elegant.  Even the post wwII hair and clothes are elegantly composed.  That's Claire, all right1

I think her hair in 1948 speaks volumes about her emotional turmoil :D 

16 hours ago, Zorral said:

O, yes.  And elegant.  Even the post wwII hair and clothes are elegantly composed.  That's Claire, all right1

I feel for Frank. He loves her and he wants to be with her, his old wife, but that woman is gone. He lost a wife and got the Outlander.

52 minutes ago, Theda Baratheon said:

I like the 1948 parts! How it shows that claire's life in the 40s is more restrictive than her life 200 years prior! And her struggle to acclimate to her new role as wife to a professor in 1940s America and what that entails is really interesting and highlights the role of women in periods of history and how societal progression isn't a straight linear line from ''non progressive'' to ''progressive'' from the history to the future. As with what's happening in the world right now - we know this. And I think it's a a clever and bold move to show both of the character's survival after losing the other and to keep them apart for awhile. 

 

I don't think her life is more restrictive. I think society around her was more restrictive. At the end of the day, we know she is becoming a doctor at the end. I would really hate if they turn Frank into some guy who is cutting Claire's wings.

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1 hour ago, Risto said:

I think her hair in 1948 speaks volumes about her emotional turmoil :D 

I feel for Frank. He loves her and he wants to be with her, his old wife, but that woman is gone. He lost a wife and got the Outlander.

I don't think her life is more restrictive. I think society around her was more restrictive. At the end of the day, we know she is becoming a doctor at the end. I would really hate if they turn Frank into some guy who is cutting Claire's wings.

This is what I found so frustrating about watching the 1948 scenes. Frank is really a decent guy trying his best. Unfortunately, his best simply can't compete with Jaime. I realize it's a necessary part of the story, I just find it so frustrating to watch.

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It's not just that he can't compete with Jamie.  It's also that he's a mirror image of a man who brutalized Claire, Jamie, and many others. Claire can't just get over the trauma she experienced even if Frank is a decent guy.  This show is all about the PTSD.  

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38 minutes ago, Dr. Pepper said:

It's not just that he can't compete with Jamie.  It's also that he's a mirror image of a man who brutalized Claire, Jamie, and many others. Claire can't just get over the trauma she experienced even if Frank is a decent guy.  This show is all about the PTSD.  

It also doesn't help that their relationship was a bit shaky to begin with following WWII. Were Jack and Frank so similar in appearance  in the books?

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12 minutes ago, Astromech said:

It also doesn't help that their relationship was a bit shaky to begin with following WWII. Were Jack and Frank so similar in appearance  in the books?

Yes, they were also dopplegangers.  

I think their relationship was always doomed.  They got married nearly on a whim, then separated for years due to the war and returned to each other as different people with different traumatic experiences.  Then time travel happened and Frank's historical look-a-like was a sadistic murderous rapist and that sort of fucked things over for good.  

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Well, I suppose he could just settle for being a good father to Brienne. If he can endure the constant reminders of her being Jaime's child. That nurse's comment about her red hair at the end of the episode was brutal.

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On 13/09/2017 at 7:52 PM, Dr. Pepper said:

It's not just that he can't compete with Jamie.  It's also that he's a mirror image of a man who brutalized Claire, Jamie, and many others. Claire can't just get over the trauma she experienced even if Frank is a decent guy.  This show is all about the PTSD.  

Yeah. Let's not forget the significance of Claire not wanting to be touched by the look alike of the man who raped her husband, her surrogate child and attempted to rape her on occasion. Frank isn't JUST Frank anymore. 

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On 13/09/2017 at 3:30 PM, Risto said:

 

I don't think her life is more restrictive. I think society around her was more restrictive. At the end of the day, we know she is becoming a doctor at the end. I would really hate if they turn Frank into some guy who is cutting Claire's wings.

It's restrictive RIGHT NOW though. Claire will fight against that, we know it. And she'll become a surgeon and Frank was an excellent father to Brienne (a daughter) and likely encouraged her strongly to be a historian so we know he's not a bad man that hates women. That doesn't mean 40s America isn't going to be restrictive and challenging for Claire. Yes, she's less at risk of a random sword wielding man trying to rape her, but she has plenty of challenges and more in her life without Jamie. 

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The juxtaposition of Claire giving birth in 1940s and Claire giving birth in the 19th century is crazy.  For 19th century Claire, it was very woman oriented and women centric.  One birthing scene saw Claire being the midwife to Jenny, who was allowed to scream all she needed.  Another birthing scene had Claire give birth to her stillborn daughter and again, very women centric, very sensitive to Claire and her loss.  

1940s was a horror show with the doctor barely even looking at Claire and asking Frank about contractions and ignoring Claire's wants during the delivery.  It was highly traumatic.  

In 1940's, Claire is barely allowed a voice in public or at Frank's work events.  19th century she was a well respected healer and a lady who was looked to for her opinions on things.  

Like Theda mentioned, we know Claire becomes a surgeon, but that doesn't mean it won't be a very difficult road full of sexism and obstacles that she wouldn't have faced in the 19th century.  The manner in which Frank treats her (with respect as an individual) does nothing to mitigate the manner in which society as a whole treats her.  Frank couldn't stop her traumatic child delivery, for example.  

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1 hour ago, Theda Baratheon said:

It's restrictive RIGHT NOW though. Claire will fight against that, we know it. And she'll become a surgeon and Frank was an excellent father to Brienne (a daughter) and likely encouraged her strongly to be a historian so we know he's not a bad man that hates women. That doesn't mean 40s America isn't going to be restrictive and challenging for Claire. Yes, she's less at risk of a random sword wielding man trying to rape her, but she has plenty of challenges and more in her life without Jamie. 

Perhaps I didn't express myself correctly. I do agree that the world is restrictive. I just hope she won't feel imprisoned with Frank. I think he is ultimately good guy who lost his wife to unpredictable circumstances. I believe he would be supportive of Claire's choices and that he wouldn't be as restrictive as the rest of the society.

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To me, the story is much more interesting with Frank being a decent person. It would be easy for Claire if he was a misogynist douche, or demanding in any way... the fact that his greatest two sins are 1-that he looks like a psychopath, and 2- he's not Jaime ...makes him a very sympathetic figure, and also makes the story much more complex... the myriad emotions Claire must be experiencing are heart wrenching...

Also... I would have loved to slap the snot out of that condescending Harvard jizzbucket 

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Latest episode was ok.  There was nothing really wrong with it.  It's still a beautiful show and as a book reader it was exciting to see some favorite passages come to the screen.  But the show just isn't as exciting when we already know where the path is taking us.  Part of me thinks much of what's going on here could happen in flashbacks so we can have more forward movement with the 'present' day story (I mean present day in the past?  In the future?  I don't know, but 20 years from where both Jamie and Claire are right now).  We already know Claire will be at the rocks again and that she'll likely go back and we know the basics of her life up to this point.  So going backwards to get back to that spot....it's a weird pacing choice.

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