Tag Archives: Diana Gabaldon

Outlander – The Gathering

Outlander's Dougal

Outlander’s Dougal

The Third episode of STARZ Outlander is aptly titled The Gathering, and what a gathering it is! Not only do Colum’s clansmen gather to give him their oath, but they participate in a boar hunt as well.

This episode takes those reading the book through the end of the tenth chapter, and Part II of the book (page 200), though the book blatantly states what the show only implies, that not only will Claire (Caitriona Balfe) be going on the road with Dougal (Graham McTavish), but so will Jamie (Sam Heughan).

While this was a brief forty pages in the book, and the first two episodes covered 80 pages, this episode felt like it stayed close to the book in a great many respects.   Again scenes were added, fleshing out parts of the story that were there all along, but they flowed seamlessly with the book and I suspect many of those who have not read the book in over a decade thought them original material.

Author Diana Gabaldon in Outlander the TV Show on STARZ, based on her novel Outlander

Author Diana Gabaldon in Outlander the TV Show on STARZ, based on her novel Outlander

The Gathering was a fantastic episode for several of the relationships, with action and drama, and moments that quickly remind the audience that the 1700s contained very different realities and perils than the 1940s.

As an added bonus, and insider gift for keen-eyed fans of the book, the author Diana Gabaldon was in the Castle this week interacting ever so briefly with the characters she gave life to.

The first season of Outlander will be 16 episodes, and with the announcement that Outlander has been picked up for a second season based on the second book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber, (and is expected to be 13 episodes?) we feel confident all 850 pages, and all 41 chapters of Outlander will be deftly handled during this first season which is, thus far, unfolding quite nicely.

Outlander – The Way Out

Outlander – The Way Out, the third episode of Season 1, is a particularly interesting episode.  One of the subplots of the episode is directly from the book, and the entire episode feels like it could have been pulled directly from the book (and some scenes appear to have been shuffled into this episode out of earlier chapters of the book) but if you are reading along in the novel Outlander you need only finish chapter 9.

Chapter 10, approximately page 178 of the novel, is where The Gathering begins in earnest, and as it happens, the title of episode 4 is slated to be… The Gathering.

Episode three might be one of the best episodes for those wanting to get a feel for how the book is being translated to the screen.  The plot-point that was taken as a subplot directly to the screen was the one that, as a reader, struck me as significant, and telling about multiple characters.  In an earlier article I remarked that it can be interesting to see what scenes in the book are so significant that every person in the collaborative process that it takes to make it a tv show is struck by that scene and agrees it needs to be on the screen.  As a reader this was one of those scenes I hoped they felt the weight and impact of.

The subplot they added, the character they created, to me made perfect sense, and again spoke volumes about every character that interacted with him.

Episode three had a nice balance to it, some moments that spun on the intonation with which lines were delivered, and the body language that characters made sure only one or two others saw… it was this deliberateness in some cases, and subtlety in others that kept my eyes on the screen, and kept me interested from start to finish… and had me wanting to re-read the book yet again, wondering if there were things I had missed, things I should have noticed, things I might now understand differently because I could quite literally see them differently having just seen them on screen.

It is quite safe to say Diana Gabaldon’s series of Outlander novels stand alone quite successfully.  And the STARZ Outlander television series likewise stands alone, and can be viewed independently of the books and a compelling drama unfolds before your eyes.  But the two, in combination, create this extraordinary experience, where one sets you up with questions to ponder and ask as you experience the other… whichever you experience first keeps you guessing during the other even though you are pretty darn sure you know the journey you are being taken on.

Outlander – Castle Leoch

Claire and Jamie in Outlander S01E02 Castle Leoch

Claire and Jamie in Outlander S01E02 Castle Leoch

STARZ Outlander‘s second episode, Castle Leoch, incorporates large portions of the chapters 4 through 9 (about 4 pages into chapter 9, or approximately pages 81-162) of the Diana Gabaldon novel Outlander, but begins to feel less like an attempt to precisely translate the novel to the screen, and more like an effort to capture the most powerful and dynamic pages of the book, and present them in the best possible way in moving images.

In episode two it feels like scenes are shifted in position, aspects and conversations changed.  Where in episode one minor characters from the novel did not appear, here it felt like a minor character or two was added to facilitate tension, drama, and keep both characters and the plot on track and focused.  And yet, even as I was aware of all of these subtle and nuanced changes, none of them felt as though they were in violation of the book, or characters, but rather like I was simply being exposed to a different and equally compelling edit of the same story — making me glad I’ve already read these chapters, and am now enjoying the STARZ presentation.

Outlander is an epic story, set at this point predominantly in the 18th century, but the show uses a nice technique of flashing back to Claire’s twentieth century memories as she tries to adjust to her life, and use what knowledge she has, in every respect, to survive in this new life.

Watch Outlander on STARZ to catch up, and tune in each Saturday night at 9 PM ET/PT

Outlander Theme Song

From the moment the first episode of Outlander aired on STARZ fans have been gushing about the theme song which so beautifully captures the characters, the time frame, and the culture of the show.

In answer to the question, is the song (by Bear McCreary) available, can it be heard/purchased, I have found it available at Rhapsody.com.  It is also available at the iTunes store, search for Outlander – Main Title Theme (Skye Boat Song) [feat. Raya Yarbrough] – Single, by Bear McCreary.  (Press play in the player below to hear a 30 second clip, members of Rhapsody can signin and hear the entire song.)