I'm just giving one person's reading of the novels, nothing more.

Thanks. I get that. But note that in the books, it is clear that Jamie never identifies as a male homosexual even though he has been raped. You can see from Moore's comment that Yvonne cites and from the way Moore refuses to relinquish BJR's hold on Jamie in his version, dragging it out so long into Season 2, that…

No one is jumping to the conclusion that Jamie is gay. In the novels as in Moore's "Outlander," he is so attractive that three men are obsessed with him, the Duke of Sandringham, Black Jack Randall, and later Lord John. As they say in all the promos, its STARZobsessable. It is there for all to see.

[SPOILER: In Gabaldon's "Outlander," during the rape at Wentworth Prison, BJR calls Jamie "Alex," and begs "Alex" to say that he loves him. In the novel, this may refer to a former prisoner named Alex McGregor, whom BJR raped, who later committed suicide. Or it may refer to BJR's brother, Alex, who says, in…

In Episodes 15 and 16, when Jamie sees Claire’s visage merging with that of Black Jack Randall, what we see on Sam Heughan’s face is the combination of abuse and false hope that all colonizers reserve for their subjects. In both versions of “Outlander” the oppressor is Great Britain, its face—like Claire’s blending…

Oh, they are "just trying to tell some stories"—about adolescent boys and men of any and all orientations. OK for them to be richly entertained. Just as long as they don’t try to claim that this is niche programming for women—or those who expect a faithful adaptation of Gabaldon's novels.

Fun fact: According to the first dictionary definition at my disposal, “frisson” in French refers to “a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill: The movie offers the viewer the occasional ‘frisson’ of seeing a character in mortal danger.” It comes from the Latin “frigere” meaning “to…

[SPOILER: I can't remember if you are one of the people posting on this comment thread who has read Gabaldon's novels. In the first novel, Claire has to fight off a pack of wolves after BJR ejects her from Wentworth Prison. (Moore skips this incident in his "Outlander.") Your post represents for me the first time I…

Like you, I find Ronald Moore's surprises set a very low bar for entertainment. Ditto his emphasis on spectacle over substance (as if Gabaldon's books didn't have any content): This year we have new sets and costumes! Otherwise, I'm just a cowardly creature of the comment threads. I make so many mistakes that I…

[SPOILER: At the beginning of “Voyager,” Jamie discovers Black Jack Randall’s dead body on top of him, keeping the wound in Jamie’s leg from bleeding out on the battlefield at Culloden. In “A Breath of Snow and Ashes,” during one of the sequences when Jamie fills in his spotty memories of Culloden over the years, he…

Let us all praise showrunners dabbling in historical fiction. In an unforgettable scene from Kurt Sutter's “The Bastard Executioner,” a true historical personage, King Edward II’s playmate Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall, forces a Welsh nobleman to his knees before him, implying that he is to offer a particular…

I copied this to my notes for this episode. Thank you so much for helping me with this. Again, excellent research.

Thanks for sharing my pain.

In the same vein, note how Starz is having Sam Heughan double down on scatological humor, which is the special province of adolescent boys (featured so prominently in this season's Episode 2 during the king's toilette), during his talk with William Shatner published in "Interview Magazine" 5-2-2016. It looks like…

[SPOILER: At the beginning of “Voyager,” Jamie discovers Black Jack Randall’s dead body on top of him, keeping the wound in Jamie’s leg from bleeding out on the battlefield at Culloden. In “A Breath of Snow and Ashes,” during one of the sequences when Jamie fills in his spotty memories of Culloden over the years, he…

I was referring to the actor who had been in "Doctor Who" and also appeared in Episode 15 of last year's "Outlander." The actor's name is Frazer Hines, and he played Sir Fletcher Gordon, the warden of Wentworth Prison.

One crime in which the characters in “The Family” are not complicit is the showrunner’s theft of the basic plot. I bet you a cookie that “The Family” is yet another adaptation of a well-known case of identity theft that dates back to sixteenth-century France. It was the basis most recently of Kurt Sutter’s…

Or was he playing the warden's lieutenant in Episode 15? Just checked IMDB: He plays the warden.

This week I am concentrating on how well Moore's characterization of Jamie and Claire functions in the drama he makes of "Outlander." Elsewhere in comment threads devoted to "Outlander" this season, I have discussed genre at length and how the genre of Moore's "Outlander" differs from the books. Once I commit to…

I learned something from your remarks: I should have made my purpose clear all along. My ambition begins and ends here: I write about film and television on insignificant comment threads. This is new to me. I'm always surprised by you and some others who come on this comment thread just to bully people with whom…