Відео

More questions about Claire's confession. Especially explanations how she left for 200 years in the past before Culloden!!! And she researched and found info that Jamie was alive. etc

Mary and Blake, thank you. I'm new to you both, and appreciate your details!!!! i appreciated the new Jenny, even though I even though I missed Laura. But, and I agree about the new Jenny's voice sounding like the first! Especially whaen she said the line about her maybe staying in Jamie's cave. If you look back at Laura's wig, it ws not great in the deeper in season 3?

5

Oh yeah Mary! I live in SW MI, on the IN state line and every year my mother in-law makes an Ambrosia Fruit Salad with the jello and all the marshmallows and fruit

Yes! The wig situation was VERY distracting!

Great show. Book reader here and sooooo glad the season is finally back!!! Great to see you both again.

The actress who plays Jenny, Kristen, said that the original casting of Jenny was between her and Laura Donnelly 😊

Blake just know that Claire didn’t go back for Lord John’s nephew in the book. It was for a much better reason. I don’t know why they changed it….but I agree….that reason does not make sense!

I loved Rogers inner thoughts they were so funny 😊

Can anyone tell me why they think that Jamie asked Leoghaire who she was kissing when he took the beating for her in the Great Hall at Leoch? Why did he care...male ego? Strange thought in his head out of nowhere.

5 kilts

The world may be gloomy, but America is back. Thank the Lord!

Wow. He nailed it!!

Thanks for the breakdown! Could you help me with something unrelated: I have a SafePal wallet with USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). Could you explain how to move them to Binance?

Have you reacted to 7 - 9 yet?

Did you all quit doing outlander podcasts?

Hello Mary & Blake, I am so looking forward to season 7b but even more to listen to your Outlander podcast

Also Hot Sauron? Nailed it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE every part of Bombadil’s scenes. I never remembered him from the books so it was all new to me and I loved it.

Numinorians seem like idiots to me

Bless his heart means what an asshole

He would flip his lid if he knew how badly the nuclear silos were actually being staffed and maintained all these years.

So, if a stone had more eyes, it would float?

~"Just a Frank in a world full of Jamies?" He's one in a million! There are far, far more Franks than Jamies. So be comforted, Blake. Most men are Franks. You're in the majority. ~Blake - Dang! You *know* the facts. They *had* to shorten the season. You're "that doesn't matter, they're professionals" is so bull-headed and intransigent! Cait was pregnant! She got too big and too unwieldy. Get it? They were shooting in the middle of wildly expensive Covid, fhs! There were bubbles, protocols, labs, shortened days. If they could have pushed on, they would have. Do you think they wanted to disappoint the fans with a short season? Do you think they wanted to tack on the four remaining episodes to the following season? They had a lot of ground to cover. They didn't want to cheat the fans. Do you think they didn't give it everything they had? Okay, it wasn't to your taste. Fine. They weren't going to please everyone. But you keep banging on and on about something that you weren't there for. You did not have a seat at the table. You don't know all the details of what they were dealing with. You know nothing, Jon Snow. What a stubbornly obdurate and arrogant, "I won't take that as an excuse" analysis! As if you could have done better. When it comes to Outlander, you're a hard man, Blake Larsen, and proud of it. Sheesh! I look forward to your podcasts and then I get all riled up. As you can see, I'm as vocal as you are. I'm not as careful and placating as Mary. I'm more like you. ~There is a deleted scene from back in S5 between Bree and Jamie. They're outside at the picnic table, Roger is still mute, and Bree is at her wits end. She goes to Jamie for advise. It's a beautiful, father/daughter conversation. You ought to watch it. It's a wonderful foundation for what we see here. I'm sorry it was cut, but so glad I got to see it. I also love the moment when Bree is talking to LJ about Jamie and Frank. She wants him to tell William about Jamie. She uses her own life as an example and assures him that she loves both her fathers. We hear her say that she really does see Jamie as somebody unusual and special. She looks up to him, admires, him and respects him without diminishing Frank at all. She feels everything a daughter should feel about her dad, even if she didn't grow up with him. This scene shines a spotlight on them. We are meant to see how far they've come. It's truly magical, charming and emotionally satisfying. Toni Graphia writes from the heart. ~The scene in bed between Jamie and Claire when they're both grieving together, is for me one of the most astonishingly intimate of the series. We saw mature love in action. Their relationship had deepened even from the time Claire opened up about the ether. She'd learned to allow herself to be vulnerable and raw with him. She'd learned to open her heart and ugly cry in front of her handsome husband. She let him *see* her. In turn, Jamie was able to better comfort her. He did not push her, but let things unfold, even asking if she could stand to be touched. When he did physically draw her to himself, I found it symbolic: He was drawing her soul close to his heart. Jamie saw that Claire's spirit was ravaged by overwhelming loss. His was as well. In response, he held her close and stayed the way with her until the storm blew over. She would always be safe with him. After her trauma, even though her body had been sexually assaulted by multiple men, she was still able to lay naked, nestled in his arms. No sex, but still entwined, wrapped in the deepest love. Now similarly, the way their bodies were aligned was very intimate. It could easily lead to sex, but there was no need. They shared penetrating emotional intimacy which didn't need to end in making love. They were more than ever - one. ~My gosh, Sam and Cait killed it! This is why Outlander works. The two of them together *are* as married as married can be in the show. No question. This is a real couple. In a way they *are*. They've played a passionately married couple and have spent most of their time together for over a decade. Talk about work husband and work wife! They know each other intimately, like real partners. And it translates perfectly onto the screen. They are sublime. ~Blake nailed it! He totally called the Alan plot a long time ago! He's so good at reading the story. btw, I thought Mrs.Bugg was out foraging, since she was in charge of the kitchen. ~I loved the Jamie/LJ break up scene. It personalized for me the price of war. I can relate because of the divide we feel today in the US. Politics has been a knife dividing my own family. It's so tense and painful! Dave and Sam were heartbreaking. We need to see their journey and the bumps and obstacles they encounter along the way. Whether the relationship is final (and we know it isn't) is immaterial. It's part of their story and I'm down for it. Not everything has to be a surprise to the viewers. ~When Jamie was in bed and he and Claire were talking about his dream of the future, it was another intimate moment. Just married people talking. But when he revealed the gem, her ticket to go with her children and grandchildren, my heart burst. Jamie's love from the very beginning has been selfless. He *always* puts Claire's needs before his own. It started when he took her to the stones, as soon as he found out she was from the future. He was willing to let her go even though his heart was broken and he would never be the same again. Here we are, seeing him do the exact same thing. He's the picture of steady, selfless love. Claire's response was dramatically emphatic when she threw it out the window. The message was clear: "You are enough. I will *never* leave you again." Jamie's fears that she would not get over losing them, that she would pine away, were allayed. I loved this episode so much!

~It's not that Jamie loves being the hero. It's that his wife's *life* is on the line. He knows his own capabilities - and limitations. He thinks on his feet. It was hard giving Claire's future into someone else's hands. Even Blake would struggle. But ultimately Jamie trusted Tom's intense love for Claire to get the job done. Tom was willing to lay down his own life for the woman he loved even if she was another man's wife. That is amazingly powerful. And Jamie recognized and finally trusted it. ~Jamie. did. kill. Brown. Period. It was all there in the script and in Jamie aggressive action at the end. Jamie *is* a murderer. In S5 he strangled Lt. Knox without any hesitation. He also had a slew of his enemies killed to avenge Claire's assault. Jamie will exact revenge on anyone who threatens his wife or his family. He will do it again and again. You do *not* come after and/or harm one of his own or you will pay with your life. ~Some, like Blake, would have liked to see Jamie kill Brown. (I assume he easily over-powered and strangled him - like Knox. It was cleaner and quiet. He could slip out without notice.) I don't care. I'm comfortable inferring. All the clues are there. ( I wonder if the team decided that it was too much for us to watch Jamie kill Brown at the end of the episode.) Besides, there is something very dramatic about that threatening move. I like *not* seeing it My imagination is probably worse than anything I would see anyway. The point is Brown is done and so are the rest of the men in his clan, thanks to Ian and the Cherokees, following Jamie's orders. Jamie once again, had the continued threat to his family *wiped out*. Kill one, kill them all, it makes no difference to him. He's dead right when he says he's a violent man. That charming, brave, strapping lad from S1 became ruthless. A formidable force to be reckoned with. And a deadly killer if needs be. (Even as early as S2 we saw him ready to torture a very young Lord John Grey with a red hot knife to the eye. Jamie was only in his early twenties.) Jamie is an interesting dichotomy. He's charming, loving, gentle and sensitive, but he's also quick-thinking and coldly calculating, with a will of iron. He will do what has to be done no matter what. He is a Highlander to the core and always will be. ~That horrible bastard Major MacDonald. What a two faced opportunist! I hope every cat in Wilmington goes after him. He can sneeze himself into a serious asthma attack. 🐈🐈‍⬛ ~So Blake thinks that Mark Lewis Jones was the only adult at the table, once again either wittingly or unwittingly throwing shade on the considerable acting talents of Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe. What's up with that? They give consistently fine performances. Powerful performances. I almost get the feeling that only the guest actors are the great ones worthy of his respect. The actors that carry the burden of the show on their shoulders year after year are only serviceable. I clearly see with different eyes. Once again, kudos to Mary for bringing a tempering presence. We may see things differently from Blake. But that doesn't make us wrong. And it doesn't make him wrong either. Neither does it make either side right. It's merely opinion. I struggle because his "this is a fact" delivery keeps me from respecting him as much as he truly deserves. He knows so much. I learn from him. And he can be charming! But sometimes he's too decided and emphatic, as if there is no room for any other point of view. Or if there is, you're wrong. Offering his unpracticed expertise from the comfort of his office chair is his right. It's his show. I just have to get more used to it. The truth of the matter is when it's all said and done, I suppose most nerds are know-it-alls. And I'm one of them. 😏🙄

I LOVE the finale! The end was so old school! It excites me and puts a smile on my face every time I see Jamie and his posse on the way to save Claire. I watch it again and again. ~About the house - Brown didn't burn it. There was a reason. The inference was the he wanted the house, otherwise he would have had no problem setting it on fire. Man, OL according to Blake, is damned if they say something ( it's telling not showing) and damned if they don't. (I would have liked a little more.) What a judgmental pharisee. He can and should have an opinion, it's his show and his right. But the arrogant insistence that he gets it more than anyone else, that' his *opinions* are the only correct ones are so off-putting. He needs to state his freakin' opinions and stop bludgeoning us with them until we agree. Uncle already! Everyone knows he's very smart and has an admirable body of knowledge, more than most people's. But that doesn't make him an expert but he spouts off as if he is one. It's patronizing and pedantic. Interestingly to me, in spite of it all, he's still a compelling man. And he loves Mary. I like that. It's Jamie-ish. ~Jamie is a crack shot. He deliberately missed R. Brown. He was toying with him. He didn't want to take out the leader. All chaos would have ensued. ~ You can't turn a huge production at a moment's notice. They were scrambling. Again, I wish Blake would stop being such an armchair quarterback and give them some grace, fhs! You know nothing, Jon Snow. He doesn't live in Scotland, never run a show, never written a show, never filmed a show. It's one thing to think you know, it's another thing to actually do it. But he still knows better than they do. Annoying. ~Plus, comparing Outlander to Succession is outrageous. It's not the same kind of production. Succession is based in NYC, for one. In Outlander there are horses, children, mud, Covid bubbles, extreme Scottish weather, a huge crew, vast sets, travel to get there. It's like a father saying to one of his sons, "Why can't you be more like your brother or more like me. *He* gets it right. *I* get it right. What the hell's wrong with you?" It's so unjust because each son is inherently different, and none is their father, though they are all from the same family. ~Moving on...I fast forward Roger and Bree sex scenes. They're uncomfortable and not for me. But I *love* Jamie and Claire intimate scenes. The ones in this episode blew me away. Their quiet talk by the fire, where they were discussing Jamie' mortality was so beautiful and emotionally intimate. Yet visually, her head was very near his crotch and she held on to his upper thigh. It was so sexually familiar. So married. There are no physical boundaries between them. No prudish inhibitions. Sam and Cait make Jamie and Claire so real. You can see that as JC they make each other's souls and bodies sing. I've never seen anything like what they bring to the screen. ~The other intimate scene, this one in bed, was intense and heart breaking. They were so tender, yet increasingly desperate, as if they were memorizing each other. When they fervently kissed they were literally breathing each other in. This could be their last time making love. They didn't know what the next day would bring. Would they even be alive at the end of it? You could feel them mutually absorbing the other, giving and drawing strength to face their fate. Claire would have devoured Jamie if she could.( Putting her thumb in his mouth was so expressive.) Honestly, Sam and Cait are incredible in their fearless honesty and raw vulnerability. They are why we love Jamie and Claire so much. Well, that and the great scripts. ~I have no trouble allowing the show to finish what it started next season. You have to roll with the punches. That's real. ~The season was dark. It tackled a difficult subject with respect and understanding. Jamie's acceptance of Claire when she finally opened up to him was healing and freeing. We saw, in spite of serious obstacles, our beloved characters grow closer than ever. The sainted Claire had feet of clay. She was no longer ruthlessly independent. She opened herself more than she ever had to anyone and was on a new, inter-dependent path with Jamie. They had weathered their storm. They were on the road to healing. ~Oh!! I forgot! When we saw the love scene in Ep 1, I had the impression that Jamie was wooing Claire, drawing her to himself. I thought it might have been the first time they were together since all the trauma. Show Claire was a different animal than book Claire. Victims of sexual violence have a hard time resuming normal relations. Since the show was playing it for realism, I thought this was the case. The scene of them in bed at the S5 finale did not indicate to me that they had sex. It was way too soon for that. But Claire was able to be naked with Jamie and let him hold her. She was able to lay snuggled in his arms, comforted and safe. That was *huge* considering she had been traumatized and violated by several men. Jamie was not going to ask her to be with him until she was good and ready. When we saw them finally come together in S6 it was so loving, appreciative and tender. Jamie had his wife back. It was a great way to open the show, letting us see that they were moving forward, at least in the department. ~ We also saw the frightening, creepy Malva become a victim. We saw that Tom Christy loved Claire. Jamie's face of dawning recognition when Tom shared his food with Claire told us so. Also, when Jamie and Claire were in the covered wagon, Tom heard the fiesta, loving interchange between husband and wife. After that he was more wretched than ever when they were forced apart. Tom. loved. Claire. And it was killing him to see what was happening to her, knowing she was innocent of Malva's death. Knowing that the Ridge was falling apart because of him and his family. ~We saw the fruit of Jamie's interactions with the Indians. They had become allies. We saw the extent of R. Brown's malevolence and smug vengeance . We saw so much in 8 episodes. Bravo to the OL team! I absolutely loved this season! I'm so glad minor imperfections here and there did nothing to diminish my enjoyment. Thank you to both of you. You've been entertaining, frustrating, insightful, funny and worth my time!

~Look it, Jamie was worried about the throuple because they were already viewed negatively by people on the Ridge. JC had lost their trust. Thanks to the Christys, he was losing control over his community, the one *he* built. And now here comes unwed Lizzie, preggers. That *is* a big deal. It's the 1700's fhs! They had a clear sense of right and wrong. It's the last thing he needed on top of everything else. Nowadays, there isn't much left that we would consider "sin" or wrong, unless it's judging people's actions. We like to say, "whatever". But not then. Jamie and his family, to their detriment, had fallen foul of the exacting moral compass of the times. And they were innocent of the charges laid against them! Catholic vs Protestant was being fought not only in Ardsmuir, but in the very settlement Catholic Jamie built. But this time, Tom and his secretly messed up family, were winning the battle. ~Wow, Blake. Only two directors in the whole series are "adults at the table." "The ones who get it." You are the master of black and white statements. And your opinion is the only one that's valid! You are allowed to have it, it's your show, but dang! You say "give me the risk." Then you throw shade if they don't perform to your standards. ~They've been on the Ridge because of Covid. Quarantine, bubbles, etc. It was a wildly expensive season due to the Covid protocols. I think they made lemonade about lemons. ~Blake, your constant comparisons to other shows is unfair, insulting and irrelevant. You can be so pedantic! If people disagree you become a didactic lecturer. You do from time to time offer disclaimers, but your tenacious pugnacious words say otherwise. You *are* there to write a better show. To lecture the production team. I'm thinking, "Well hell, Blake, why aren't you out in Hollywood showing the world how it should all be done? See what it feels like to be subjected to nitpicking criticism." Heck, from what you've said, you probably already know what it feels like from working with your dad. (The horrible, horrible thing is, we're so often very much like the things we dislike about our parents.) I'm so glad for Mary speaking up. She brings balance. I know that the whole point of the podcast is to pick shows apart. And we don't agree on the points. It's supposed to express two differing sides. But since your voice is louder and more dominant, we hear mostly from you. And you do have *fantastic* insights. Uncanny. But you're like a rat terrier sometimes with your teeth sunk into some point you try to convince us to agree with. You just won't let go. ~Lionel is like the voice of satan, those lies we tell ourselves about ourselves. It was a brilliant idea! ~I also don't get the Frank adulation. Jamie is a phenomenal character played to perfection by Sam Heughan. It's almost like Blake has a personal grudge against Sam simply because he's amazingly handsome and extremely talented. Blake does give him props from time to time. But it always feels measured. I don't get it. It's not like Mary's going to run off with him! ~Finally, what the hell? You completely ignored one of the most powerful scenes ever between Jamie and Claire, the one where she breaks down. It was superb acting on both Sam and Cait's part. Their husband and wife emotional dynamic was mesmerizing! It showed an incredible but limping marriage address the elephant in the room and begin to put itself back together. Even Jamie and Claire had their real, relatable troubles. When things go wrong in life it often *does* affect your marriage. In this case, she'd become distant, keeping all the toxic voices inside, without telling him about it. And he had so many other things distracting him that he made the decision: leave Claire alone to sort out what was bothering her. He believed that she would come to him in her own time. But bad things were going down until then. Was he right or wrong? What a discussion that would have made! ~Heretofore she'd been, open though she was mostly very strong and in control of herself. She even explained it to Elias Pound. She compartmentalized and put things in boxes. But Claire's way of coping had broken, which is why she resorted to ether. Too much had been tamped down. She needed to shut up the voices inside of her. ~That scene was amazing. I love that right before their talk, Lionel beckoned her to keep quiet. When she let Jamie in, he disappeared. Powerful! Symbolic. What a statement about the courage it takes to bring your darkness into the light by simply opening up. It's hard to do! Yet, we saw that as damaged and full of guilt and shame as Claire was, she still ultimately trusted Jamie. And he was wonderful with her. He let her talk without interruption, but his eyes were so eloquent! It broke me to see Claire break. To see her say that in spite of all she'd been through, in spite of what she felt she brought down on members of the family, inspite of having said that she and the family shouldn't be in this time - she would do it all again. And Jamie had just the right words to say. What love! Jamie and Claire were back on course. But you went off on the Lizzie throuple, spending a lot of time on it, doing the exact same thing you accused the show of doing: not concentrating on the greater things. Nobody is perfect. Even when we try to be.

~Come on! When Claire told Malva she would effing kill her, that didn't remind me of Frank. It was Jamie! He had just had a slew of men killed a few months earlier for hurting his wife. He murdered Lt Knox to protect his family. Claire was married to two men who would go to the wall for her. But Jamie more so than Frank. Jamie was the more dangerous of the two, though Frank was certainly no slouch. ~Jamie didn't cheat on Claire. He thought she was gone forever. He was a de facto widower. And he was about to turn himself in and expected to spend his life in prison. He *did* need tenderness. He needed to feel human and connect with someone just once before spending his life in celibacy. And he cried in the doing. It wasn't crass, "He just wanted to feel good." It was more than that, much deeper than merely using Mary to pleasure himself. That's not Jamie's way. ~Jamie confessed his evening with Mary McNabb as proof of his honesty. It was the perfect time to confess. He was in essence saying, "I only have one secret that I've kept from you. This is what I did. If I was with Malva I would be confessing that now, too." Claire at first reacted in shocked anger. But when he explained himself, she believed him. This interchange only lasted a minute. And she understood his need at that time. In moments she was in his arms. These two know how to communicate in a way that works for them. ~Malva was taken with Jamie's lineage. She'd never been around a real gentlemen before. Tom didn't have a pedigree, only his wits. ~Blake is so freaking perceptive! Amazing. He's uncanny in the way he reads things. He's uber aware and knows so much! Respect. 🤓🧐🤯

Sam and Cait have both grown as actors but they started at an extremely high level. What we see here is Sam's ability to let us see how Jamie has truly become The Laird of Fraser's Ridge. He's no longer the young man we were introduced to. ~We saw in the second part of S2 that Jamie was flexing his leadership muscles. When he forced Claire to go through the stones, not taking her "no" for an answer, knowing he had to do what must be done no matter how he felt - at that moment we could see he was already the young King of Men. "There is no greater love than this: That a man should lay down his life for his friends." How much more his wife and his child? He saw to them first and then went to fulfill his duty, knowing he would die in the process. ~At Ardsmuir Jamie, without trying, not even particularly wanting it, wrested Tom Christy's supercilious self-righteous, divisive authority from him. Jamie immediately knew what needed to be done - turn the prisoners into cohesive unit - and he did it. The men followed. Sam played the role of reluctant leader perfectly. But we also saw Jamie warm to the role. He loved his men. Sam again, let us see the progression. ~When he donned that kilt back in S5 Ep1 he *deliberately* took on the mantel of authority, stepping into his destiny: Laird. Warrior. He was born for this. He called those men to himself and you knew they would follow him anywhere. Sam was utterly compelling. He was strong. Warm. And trustworthy. ~When he said "Kill them all" a thrill ran up my spine. Sam/Jamie had become The King of Men. Life and death lay in his hands. ~ Now we see him fully matured, natural in the role of Laird. He is what he is. His word is law. And Sam has expertly and equally deliberately, taken us on this ride. He *is* Jamie Fraser, in the role of a lifetime. ~I have such respect for Ron and Maril that they knew right away Sam Heughan was meant to play iconic Jamie. It was all there. It still is, and his wellspring of talent has only deepened.

Season 6 was one was one of the best seasons in my opinion

How do you know which one to use?

I didn't know that was a difference how do you know when one to use to Look nautualy awesome?

I am the first commenter!

btw - I, for one, never saw Jamie as a threat to Claire. He did such a great job of reasonably explaining himself. I could see he was simply a product of his culture. He reassured her, kissed her hand, told her that if it was only himself that she had put into danger, he would say no more. He had after all, vowed the protection of his body. (Not anyone else's!) But she had indeed endangered people's lives. And he wasn't sure that she wouldn't do it again, no matter how much she promised that she wouldn't do it again. (He already had the sense of her character, and he was right.) Besides, in his mind he was being a good, honorable husband, instructing her. (He didn't have an "improving" book to offer. 😏) Do I approve of what he did by today's standards? Of course not! But I've heard Ron Moore say over and over that their job isn't to preach and instruct or reinforce modern cultural mores - the things we already know or should know anyway. His job is to be faithful to the story and to the times. I like that. A lot. And I like that Claire fought back. That was genuine to Claire. The music was the right thing to signal to the audience that Claire was not in imminent danger for her life. For me, it took the edge off and reinforced the fact that while Claire's backside would smart for a while, she'd be fine. We can't avoid the fact that she was 200 years(!) back in time. Things were different then. Period.

Loved this so much!

As for Jamie and William, William knows that Jamie was Mac, his old groom. But the last time he saw Jamie was in his cabin in the woods, then a Carolina frontiersman. Now he is a respected officer in the Continental Army. And he's kinsman to a revered man, a man William highly regarded. He is clearly a gentleman. His act of giving William his hat demonstrates that. William can see how impressed his his fellow superior officer is with Jamie. William sees the respect Jamie engenders. He see that this man exudes honor and authority. The quizzical look? Who is this man? I've seen him in so many different arenas. But he is a Somebody. I have fleeting memories of how safe I felt with him when I was a little boy. I remember spending time with him when Papa was sick. How patient he was. How he didn't brook my disobedience. How he offered his life for mine. And his chosen wife is also a woman of worth, with rare healing ability, keen intelligence and authority of her own. The myriad quicksilver thoughts and feelings jumbled together showed in his face. Quizzical. Has he any inkling that this striking, unusual man is his father? Absolutely not.

You know what? Blake was spot on in his analysis. The proof is the November 22 premiere date. He made the Starz position very clear. And he's right. They don't care about the fans. They care about the money. They're a business, not a fan club. Starz shrewdly counted on the extraordinary loyalty of the Outlander fandom. To Blake's point, that's why they wanted Season 7 to be the end of the series. And that's why the episodes are so jam packed. They were operating under orders to finish the series. They had so much story to tell and very little time. I think I read that they had to rework the scripts. They do try to be faithful the Diana's world. But Sam and Cait have both said they really wanted to bring the story to a proper end by having a final Season 8. They felt the fans deserved it. Maril and Matt were right there with them. Thank God! They did fight. And the result was a compromise - a 10 episode Season 8. I've always wondered why they didn't give us the typical 12 episodes. But clearly it was a money issue. Starz saved millions by shaving the number down to 10. Now it makes sense why those four were cryptic about whether there would be a S8. They simply didn't know if Starz would cough up the money for another season. I think Sam, whom Starz has apparently decided is the star pony in the OL paddock, ( judging by the way they use him to promote OL in their ads now, more than even Cait), used his clout to push for the show to have another season, but so did Cait. Those two are a team. Since they have become powerhouses, it probably behooved Starz to listen a little if they want to employ either of them in the future. But I think the main reason is probably that they needed to ensure the fans would support Blood of My Blood. They couldn't afford millions of cancellations. After all, we owe no loyalty to the new production. It's not Diana's story. I've seen many on X saying they're done with Starz after the ridiculously long Droughtlander. So many are as angry as you both are. Especially because we were promised the luxuriously long 16 episode Season 7 as compensation for the shortened Covid/pregnancy challenges of Season 6. The complaints you guys had about that season stemmed from the fact that it was supposed to include the first 4 episodes of the now S7. They had to be reworked to fit into that supposed final season. What a mess. Diana has said repeatedly that she has no say on what goes on in the show. She sold it. They do consult her, but you've seen the interviews where she says they really don't listen to her. She's not the owner of the series. She essentially sold her car to them. What they do with it is up to them. Meanwhile, she's not letting any of this affect the timing of when her new book is finished. It will be done when it's done. She's a completely separate entity. In fact, she's said that she really has no interest in the parent's story though she's been asked a few questions. Maybe the've convinced her to write a script. We'll have to wait and see.

Blake, my gosh, you're like a top that gets wound up and then starts spinning hard, crashing into things until it finally stops. Your pontificating about how every character in every scene needs to show growth is something else. Says who? You, buddy. Anecdotal evidence, not empirical. You default to this often. You make these grand statements. If you think it, it's true. You're careful to say that everybody can think what they want, but then your relentless emphatic assertions contradict what you just said. I get it. You are a smart, opinionated, passionate, alpha male. That's a good thing most of the time. (I do admire Mary's ability to handle you without clobbering you first.) And to be fair, you're good about letting her have a different opinion and letting her talk you down. This is great, since you really don't need to convince her or us that you are right. Don't get me wrong. Have your strong opinions, state them with emphasis. It's your show. It's just annoying when you go on and on driving your point all the way into the ground. You do have good things to say. Interesting things. And you are knowledgeable. I learn from you. This is meant to be constructive criticism. I've watched several of your shows now - only Outlander since I can't stand Bridgerton - and I find them lively and entertaining. I plan to keep coming back. But I'm an alpha female and as strong as you. I've been accused of the very thing I'm challenging you with, which is why I'm speaking up. It takes one to know one.

You guys sometimes act like the OL creatives have unlimited time to get in everything you want. There wasn't time to labor over Jamie signing the contract. They didn't have time to set up longer meetings between Claire and Tom or Jamie and the conscripting guy. The writers didn't want us to know that Malva suffered from sexual abuse early on because we weren't supposed to feel compassion for her. She is supposed to be "off". They are condensing Diana's tomes fhs! As for Ian's paranoia, he wasn't afraid for himself. He was afraid for Jamie and Claire and he was off kilter. He needed them and they meant the world to him. His guilt and fear made him uncharacteristically dramatic until he was able to settle himself.

What happened to Rory’s $250,000 inheritance

I just couldn’t get enough of Gilmore Girls, I only came across it late Sept 2024 and watched all 7 series and the reunion in about 3 weeks. I’m retired so time is not a problem for me. I recently lost my wife and this show made me feel good, warm and fuzzy just as a perfect world should be, it’s also the only show where I laughed out loud at the lines and situations they experienced, even the la la la song makes me feel good. Now that I’ve finished it, I love your podcasts and insight into the why’s wherefore’s and what if’s of the story lines. Great work guys,

Love BSG. Baltar had a great redemption arch....he changed theough the show. I love what they did with that character. Fat Lee was annoying but may Pegasus and the New Caprica stuff was incredible. The music!!!❤ The show suffered from some writers strike issues in the last season but still great!!!! I came to Outlander because of Bear, RDM and BSG. Bagpipes for the win.

You made my day when this podcast episode dropped. I had a rough day and it was lovely to come home and listen to you discuss Rings of Power. I’ve watched episodes further into the series and I’ve really come to enjoy the show. I didn’t rewatch Season 1 leading up to Season 2. However, this season has great and I’d definitely rewatch it. I do agree this show suffers from too many storylines and too many characters. I do think either Theo will become a bigger player or disappear. I’m leaning more towards disappear. I think us readers or watchers coming from The Hobbit or from The Lord of the Rings needs to remember is that those stories are mostly told by hobbits, who kinda view elves as great wise people. In many ways elves are because they’ve lived so long. But in the first and second ages of middle earth, we see elves with a lot of pride making a lot of mistakes. From the movies, it’s easy to think this was all the fault of men, but it was elves that were deceived by Annatar first and made all the rings. I think Numenor is probably more interesting to book readers because it’s seeing a society come to life that we haven’t seen before. And as Mary said Numenor is important because Elendil and Isildur are apart of that last alliance of Elves and men eventually “defeat” Sauron. I actually would kinda like to see Isildur attempt to throw the ring in the fire. How discouraging would it be for Elrond to see the dwarves and men fall prey to Sauron’s rings and continue to see this pattern repeat itself again with Isildur. Or see Isildur think it’s his right to have the one ring because of watching Sauron kill his father. I would love to see Ar-Pharazon, Kemen, Anarian, and Theo become black riders. Not sure what other men we’ll see take rings. In some ways, I prefer Pharazon trying to hijack the eagle’s appearance as a sign that he’s meant to be the next leader. In the books, he actually marries Muriel (his first or 2nd cousin), to further legitimize his claim to the throne. What’s you go about the Numenor storyline is that it’s thousands of years greatly compressed. The orc origin story was a struggle for Tolkien, especially the afterlife for orcs. Elves that die can be revived in Valinor. So what about these half orc/half elf beings? Towards the end of Tolkien’s life, he was going to have orcs be descendants of men, since they are more corruptible. So I think some of the uproar is due to that. I enjoyed seeing the harfoots last season. This season, I haven’t enjoyed it as much or the stranger’s storyline. But I think that’s because watching Celebrimbor and Annatar/Sauron is so interesting. Thanks again for a positive podcast!

Yes Mary! I remember that picture of Jesus with the lamb. His one hand (I think the left one) was on top of the lambs head, and the other (His right hand) was up making a cross with his finger. You're not alone! Your comment about Tom Bombadil being fat Jesus was hilarious 😅 Edit: yes Mary. I had the exact same thought about the Stranger knowing about Sauron when he said that. Him and Poppy and Nori have been on their own road to discovery, practically isolated from the rest of the world. When did they hear about Sauron coming back? It doesn't make sense

As a HUGE Tolkien fan seriously HUGE I am really loving the show and your analysis and reaction. I think the problem the show has with Númenor is that it is an issue dealing with the mortality of man and misunderstanding and jealousy of the elves, the problem is this story arc takes place over thousands of years it is a slow and gradual fall and that is going to be very hard for a tv show to do.

Best harry potter podcast. I really appreciate the analysis of the author's intent and the story itself rather this be just a bunch of random fan theories like most harry potter youtubers. keep up the good work.

Hi Mary and Blake! I binged all your Potterverse episodes last winter/spring and caught up right around the time you released this episode - when do you anticipate recording Potterverse again?

Watched on catch up! Watching from Brentwood, TN. ( suburb of Nashville)

The King of Awful Terrible Takes.