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Outlander - Season 2 - Saturdays on Starz

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R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus


Premiering on Saturday, April 9th at 9/8c, Outlander is an adaptation of the wildly popular 'Outlander' series by Diana Gabaldon. Published in 1992, the second book in the series (which currently consists of eight novels) chronicles Claire and Jamie's efforts to prevent the Jacobite rising that Claire knows will end disastrously for the Scots. Said to be a mix of several genres, the Outlander series features elements of historical fiction, romance, adventure and science fiction/fantasy.

Outlander was adapted for television by Ronald D. Moore, best known for his 2003 reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. Bear McCreary composed the score.

The second season will cover the second book, 'Dragonfly in Amber', and will consist of 13 episodes, which will run consecutively with no breaks.

Book spoilers should be properly labeled and tagged. Please keep future book spoilers to a minimum.

Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Season 2 begins as Claire and Jamie arrive in France, hell-bent on infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion led by Prince Charles Stuart, and stopping the battle of Culloden. They are thrown into the lavish world of French society, where intrigue and parties are abundant, but political gain proves far less fruitful.
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Cast




  • After the harrowing events of Season One, a pregnant Claire Fraser arrives in France with her husband Jamie. Her new mission—infiltrate the Jacobite movement and prevent the infamous battle of Culloden.
  • Haunted by a violent past and outlawed in his native Scotland, Jamie Fraser establishes a new life in France with his beloved wife Claire, their unborn child, and a mission: to stop Prince Charles and the Jacobite uprising.
  • Claire's husband, and former British Intelligence officer in the 20th century. An intellectual and academic, Frank is also a loyal husband who is willing to stretch the realm of scientific possibilities in order to find his missing wife.
  • Murtagh, the gruff but ever-loyal Highlander, travels with Jamie and Claire to the shores of France after helping to free his godson from the clutches of Black Jack Randall in Wentworth Prison.
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  • When Charles Stuart isn’t carousing with his Jacobite supporters, the young heir to the exiled Catholic royal dynasty is plotting his return to the throne. An unlikely leader with an unabashed taste for alcohol and women, Prince Charles is hell-bent on glory—no matter what the cost.
  • A wine merchant and member of the French Court, St.Germain is a noble with a reputation for ruthlessness, as well as for dabbling in the occult.
  • A frivolous and animated member of the French Court. Claire befriends Louise during her tenure in Paris and although the two women come from completely different worlds, they strike up a genuine friendship.
  • Mary is a sweet and innocent young Englishwoman with a slight nervous stammer. The daughter of a minor baronet and niece of Silas Hawkins, Mary is a pawn in the power plays of her elders. She is engaged to an ancient member of the French nobility.
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Videos and Articles

The Hands of Time Season 1 Recap
Season 1 Cast Gag Reel

Season 2 Official Trailer
Season 2 Tease

Creating New Worlds
Caitriona & Sam Answer Your Questions
Caitriona & Sam Answer More Questions
Would You Rather with Stephen & Grant

Costumes Featurette
Fake It In France Quiz

Promo Photos

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Ratings

Season One:

Episode 1: 720K
Episode 2: 890K
Episode 3: 1.00 million
Episode 4: 854K
Episode 5: 948K
Episode 6: 1.09 million
Episode 7: 1.23 million
Episode 8: 1.41 million
Episode 9: 1.22 million
Episode 10: 860K
Episode 11: 1.1 million
Episode 12: 1.1 million
Episode 13: 1.0 million
Episode 14: 1.1 million
Episode 15: 1.0 million
Episode 16: 981K

Season Two:

Episode 1: 1.46 million
Episode 2: 1.23 million
Episode 3: 1.21 million
Episode 4: 1.16 million
Episode 5: 1.12 million
Episode 6: 1.02 million
Episode 7: 1.09 million
Episode 8: 1.05 million
Episode 9: 938K
Episode 10: 819K
Episode 11: 864K
Episode 12: 1.04 million
Episode 13: 1.15 million
 
H

hythloday

Member
Nice OT! I had thought the other thread about Season 1 being free this week would turn out to be the next one. :)

One week left!
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
From the "Fake It In France" quiz:

YhpYbcU.jpg


You may not be the epitome of French style and culture, but you're close. Sure, your accent could use a little work, but it's not bad enough to call attention to yourself. You can dress the part, and know a Bordeaux from a Beaujolais. However, sometimes a plate of snails turns your face green. You definitely don't have to worry about being caught by 95% of the population, but tread lightly. A cunning inquisitor could very well uncover your real identity.
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:D
 
R

Retro

Member
Subscribed. For those worried Season 2 will go as.. um.. uncomfortable... as Season 1, you'll be fine (probably, they may not stick to the book as closely).

Really good stuff ahead, can't wait to see it.
 
A

a Master Ninja

Member
Retro said:
Subscribed. For those worried Season 2 will go as.. um.. uncomfortable... as Season 1, you'll be fine (probably, they may not stick to the book as closely).

Really good stuff ahead, can't wait to see it.
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I had seen the first half of Season One and was planning on recommending it to my mother...then I finished the season...
 
H

Hours Left

Member
Thanks for the OT Ratsky.

We're only gonna be one day behind the US in Canada this season, not TWO+ WEEKS like last time. Thank you TV gods.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Onion A|V Club review
That’s the thing about Outlander: It’s not just well-written and lovely to look at. It’s downright immersive. Despite all its horrific content, the first season must have inspired a thousand trips to Scotland—or at least thousands of purchases of Claire Fraser-inspired knitwear. It’s not so much a show that fans love so much as a show they almost live and breathe. Both through the original text and the adaptation, Outlander inspires incredible amounts of passion, and not just between the dimly lit, writhing characters onscreen. Viewers have come to not just love the show’s drama, but identify with its characters, ’ship its lovers, and feel crippling empathy when its most headstrong characters go through unspeakable tortures. And while season two of the show isn’t quite as horrific—at least through five episodes—it’s still pretty gut-wrenching at points. Time travel and high society have taken its toll on Claire and Jamie, and at times, viewers are left to wonder if the Sassenach and her lover will make it at all. And even if they do—even if their sexy, sexy lives continue on—will everything ever really be okay for a couple of star-crossed lovers born 200 years apart? That’s the mark of a good serial drama, though: not just the anticipation for each new episode, but the feeling that what you’ve already watched bears some sort of weight in the real world. Outlander feels important—even moreso in its second season.

Grade: A
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B

BrokenFiction

Member
I still haven't watched the last episode on S1. I'm going in skeptical on this season. If it gets too freaky again, I'm pulling the plug. Too much other TV to watch.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum on season 2 - Out of Time: Remaking history on “Outlander” (and "The Americans")

Attending Versailles-era costume balls, Jamie and Claire reinvent themselves as spies, hobnobbing with royalty and conspiring to prevent the Jacobite rebellion from occurring. There’s catty banter and ballgowns with plunging necklines; there’s a pet monkey and a brothel. There are graphic surgical scenes that make “The Knick” look prissy, and another
time-travel twist
.
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But the risk of those episodes lies in what’s not happening: there are none of the sex scenes that viewers rely on and almost certainly watch the show for. However many tentative, well-meaning gestures Claire and Jamie make, the bridge between them keeps crumbling. Eventually, Jamie delivers a touching speech, in which he describes the wreckage of his private self, which has left him feeling tiny in a dizzying, jungle landscape.

“Outlander” is, finally, as thoughtful about male vulnerability as it is about female desire, a rarity for television. It’s a quality that makes the show appealingly romantic in multiple senses.
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H

hythloday

Member
dead souls said:
A splendid feast? Did they hire GRRM to ghostwrite some meal descriptions?
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There actually is an Outlander-inspired cookbook (coming soon)! I plan to buy it as a sidekick to my copy of A Feast of Ice and Fire. :p

I was about to link it, but the book's description contains a big series-level spoiler on Goodreads. I'm sure Amazon is worse, what with the user reviews. So be wary if you go looking for it.
 
H

hythloday

Member
Sorry for the double post, but this is cool!

“Outlander” fans may enjoy the first full episode of the Golden Globe®-nominated series two days in advance of its official premiere on Saturday, April 9th at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

The eagerly-awaited second installment of “Outlander” is based upon the second of eight books in Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling Outlander series, entitled Dragonfly in Amber. The series is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”).

The standalone STARZ streaming service launched today, offering the first-ever download capabilities from a premium pay TV streaming service. STARZ subscribers from cable, satellite and telco partners can also authenticate and view STARZ in the new, easy-to-use app.
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I guess Amazon Prime subscribers are included. If so, put on your TV watchin' shoes, Martha, and get some popcorn because Outlander will be on!
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Collider - ‘Outlander’ Season 2 Review: The French Connection

Season 2 immediately feels far more settled and comforting than any part of Season 1, save for Claire and Jamie’s respite at Lallybroch. And frankly, the show is better for it.
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Also,

Paris is fun, but where the sights and sounds of Scotland are perhaps the most missed are in Bear McCreary’s opening credits. McCreary has tweaked the opening theme to replace the bagpipes with a more traditional, antique French sound, and the second half of the lyrics are now in that Romantic language rather than English. While at first it feels a little jarring, even dissonant, that beautiful core song and melody remain intact enough to feel comfortable and familiar.
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I mean, it makes sense, and it would be cool if he tweaked the opening music every season, but I really liked the credits as they were. Still, Bear McCreary is great and I have complete faith in his musical choices.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Not going to read anything in this thread, but I just finished episode 7 and the series is fantastic so far. I hope to catch up in the next few days.

I knew the premise of it going in, and found myself completely uninterested, but the positive word of mouth dragged me in. And despite the general description of the show, it somehow takes a scenario that was dull in my mind, and really makes it into something super compelling.
 
H

Hedge

Member
I will miss the beautiful landscapes that they're leaving in favour of France, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens next. I binge-watched the entire first season in a few days. So good.
 
Timan

Timan

Developer
Just a reminder when the season starts, you can goto starz at 12 am east and watch that nights epsidoe, apps or the website. Useful for those who have other things to do sat night. (like sleep)
 
H

hythloday

Member
Tugatrix said:
So this is good? Isn't this like a roll eyes romantish thing?
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It's good.

Just came across this Esquire article, and I agree with it: Hey, Dudes: You Should Be Watching Outlander

There's a reason the women in your life keep telling you to watch Outlander: It really is that good. Sure, it's a time traveling, historical fantasy show packed with romance, which doesn't sound like "your thing." But it's also a dark and gruesome look at one Great Britain's most vicious wars—not just for the throne, but for the soul of a people. And trust me: The time traveling, fantasy, romance stuff is pretty great too. Here are the reasons why Outlander needs to be the show you binge watch ASAP. (Tiny House Hunters will just have to wait.)
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I said this in the other thread but, the only shows I need are Black Sails and Outlander (at least on cable). They've both got a great cast, high production quality, and a good story that gets better (oh, and Bear McCreary for music!).

The biggest problem I had with Season 1 was early on in the first few episodes, they really overdid it with the main character's narration. They had her explaining shit that was completely obvious. But in later episodes they backed away from that and it improved greatly.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
The season premiere is today!

Through a Glass, Darkly

In the Season 2 premiere, Jamie and Claire arrive in France, where they hope to infiltrate the Jacobite rebellion and put a stop to the Battle of Culloden. Thrown into the plush world of French society, they experience court intrigue and struggle to make any headway politically.
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X

xenist

Member
If it's good romance, which Outlander most definitely is, I cannot see a reason why a man wouldn't watch.
 
P

PHOENIXZERO

Member
I'm back in I guess. Torture stuff aside my main disappointment stemmed largely from my expectations of the time travel aspect of the story, hopefully season two will be more satisfying in that regard.

I get it but I'm kind of disappointed they're altering the Skye Boat Song in the opening, I hope it still works. Got a feeling it's going to sound a little odd, especially initially.
 
J

jerry113

Banned
Does the opening theme song sound different?! Or am i going crazy.

That really sucks for Frank... He did nothing wrong!
 
R

Retro

Member
PHOENIXZERO said:
I'm back in I guess. Torture stuff aside my main disappointment stemmed largely from my expectations of the time travel aspect of the story, hopefully season two will be more satisfying in that regard.
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Semi-spoilers for Episode 1 of Season 2:
More time-travel bits are ahead, at least as far as a framing device; season 2 starts off in the 40s, meaning Claire eventually ends up returning from the past. If they stick pretty close to the second book, there will be more of it ahead. Just don't expect anything like, I dunno, Claire climbing around in the stage rigging to prevent her past self from getting jumped at the Enchantment under the Sea dance.

jerry113 said:
Does the opening theme song sound different?! Or am i going crazy
Click to expand...

The last bit is in French now.
 
T

Tragicomedy

Member
Theme song did change. I noticed arrangement differences (more cello) even prior to the French portion kicking in.

All in all, solid first episode. Sets up the new storyline and antagonist nicely. I've not read the books, so I'm assuming they've broken with the chronological order of the writing some to make it work better on TV. It felt like we started with the end of the book, then jumped back to the beginning.

My wife loves the series, but warned me the second book typically leads the pack in discussions about the weakest in the series. So far, so good.
 
P

PHOENIXZERO

Member
I wanted to see Claire telling Frank about Jack but then they skipped that conversation which not a bad thing since it'd all be stuff the audience knows but we also missed some reactions (if any) from Frank aside from his losing his shit after finding out she's pregnant. I guess now the question will be how she ended up going back.

Retro said:
Semi-spoilers for Episode 1 of Season 2:
More time-travel bits are ahead, at least as far as a framing device; season 2 starts off in the 40s, meaning Claire eventually ends up returning from the past. If they stick pretty close to the second book, there will be more of it ahead. Just don't expect anything like, I dunno, Claire climbing around in the stage rigging to prevent her past self from getting jumped at the Enchantment under the Sea dance.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't expect that, just thought there'd be more of her going back and fourth. Now I'm kind of confused with how long Claire has been in the past since around three years passed in the "present", does time move in unison or is how much time has passed the "will" of the druid fairies or whatever?
 
N

Night Hunter

Banned
So she is pregnant when she gets on the boat at the end of S1, and she is still pregnant when she returns to 1948 and not even showing. Something is definitely fishy about this.
 
H

hythloday

Member
jerry113 said:
Does the opening theme song sound different?! Or am i going crazy.

That really sucks for Frank... He did nothing wrong!
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I really, really like TV Frank a lot more than Book Frank. I loved every bit of the first half of the premiere. Maybe it's Tobias Menzies, but the show is exploring Frank's experiences a lot more and making him a more sympathetic character. He really did nothing wrong. He kept Claire in his heart the whole time she was missing, and tried to pick up the pieces as best he could. It wasn't his fault that he's not Jaime. (I think at least part of some readers' distaste for Frank comes from that fact. He's just Not Jaime.) It's definitely a change from Book Frank, who
got significantly less time "on screen," and was definitely a little colder towards Claire, and took her back primarily out of obligation because she was pregnant and possibly crazy (he didn't buy her 1700s story) - if there was genuine love left, the books didn't go into it at all.

Tragicomedy said:
Theme song did change. I noticed arrangement differences (more cello) even prior to the French portion kicking in.

All in all, solid first episode. Sets up the new storyline and antagonist nicely. I've not read the books, so I'm assuming they've broken with the chronological order of the writing some to make it work better on TV. It felt like we started with the end of the book, then jumped back to the beginning.

My wife loves the series, but warned me the second book typically leads the pack in discussions about the weakest in the series. So far, so good.
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I'm not in love with the new song, but I'm an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of person, soooo...

I'd agree with your wife about Book 2. I feel like it's a good book, but I liked later ones much better. (The ones I'm most looking forward to seeing on TV are 3 and 4, if Starz keeps renewing!) Book 2 still starts with a change in time, but they did mess with it a little bit to make more sense for TV.
 
R

Retro

Member
PHOENIXZERO said:
I guess now the question will be how she ended up going back.
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Yeah, I have a feeling if they don't keep transitioning between the past and present (well, present for Claire) at thematic overlaps in the same way they did in the first episode, the 1940s stuff will end up as bookends for that particular question. I'm not going to be one of those book people, but there's a lot more 20th century front-loaded in the book that hasn't been touched on yet. The wife and I are hoping they keep hopping back and forth throughout the season so they can show more of how Claire and Frank got on once she's back; the book kind of just glosses over it.

PHOENIXZERO said:
Yeah, I didn't expect that, just thought there'd be more of her going back and fourth. Now I'm kind of confused with how long Claire has been in the past since around three years passed in the "present", does time move in unison or is how much time has passed the "will" of the druid fairies or whatever?
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She's in the past for about two years (it's mentioned in this episode), and time basically moves the same no matter when you are.
 
B

BetterWorldz

Member
What a fantastic first episode, I felt so sad for Frank.

I was worried at first about how they'd handle the French language and I'm really impressed they were able to pull off hiring French actors delivering perfectly written dialogue.

Making Claire and Jamie completely fluent from the start will make things easier for sure, not sure how they got to such an incredibly high conversational level (is that explained in the books?) but hey, he's a nobleman and she must have had access to a good education in the 40s so that's a hell of a lot more believable than the usual "I got fluent in a 3 weeks montage" trope we usually get.

Can't wait to see more!
 
R

Retro

Member
BetterWorldz said:
Making Claire and Jamie completely fluent from the start will make things easier for sure, not sure how they got to such an incredibly high conversational level (is that explained in the books?)
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Claire served in France during WW2 (that was shown in the first season, I believe, or at least strongly implied). Jamie (minor book spoilers, like... very minor)
lived and studied in France when he was younger; he also learned Greek and Latin, for what it's worth.
 
R

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I thought the premiere was good - I liked how they sat things up with Claire suddenly being back in the 1940s. It creates a good central mystery for the rest of the season to slowly unfold: how did she get there? Why did she go back? How will she get back? When will she get back? I'm looking forward to finding out the answers.

Other thoughts:

The new theme song is alright, but not as good as the original. I think it would have been better if the whole thing had been in French instead of just the second half.

The production values are still great. This is one of the best looking shows on TV.
 
B

BetterWorldz

Member
Retro said:
Claire served in France during WW2 (that was shown in the first season, I believe, or at least strongly implied). Jamie (minor book spoilers, like... very minor)
lived and studied in France when he was younger; he also learned Greek and Latin, for what it's worth.
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Thank you for that. Yes it was very clear from season 1 she served in France. It doesn't quite feel like it would be enough to get as good as she is now (at least it certainly wasn't for my grandpa who also served in France), but maybe she's brilliant, and maybe she got a bit of free time to chat with French patients and nurses... Anyway it's still one of the best handling of a different language I've seen on TV.
 
S

sammex

Member
The actor playing Frank/Jack did such a good job at being an evil bastard that I'm like Claire in that last episode, I can't really look at him now without thinking about all the torture last season. That makes it a bit hard for me to sympathise with Frank even though they're trying their hardest.
 
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