I am tired. As a fan of the Outlander book series, and a fan of the show for 3 years, I can honestly say its time for a time out. I have finally given myself permission to say that Season 4 was a major disappointment for me. I have tried to keep my emotions and feelings about this show in check, and not let any assumptions or expectations cloud my own fanning experience, but that’s over. All I can say is the show that I have painfully watched over the past 13 weeks is NOT Outlander, and I am taking aim solely at Matt, Maril, Toni, and anyone else in a position of power who thought they gave us something worthy. Little did I know that when we got that lovely key art of Jamie and Claire standing on a mountain top with the slogan “Brave the new world ” …did it mean brave the new world without Jamie and Claire, or the true story of DOA during this season.
This story was sloppy, the writing was absolutely horrendous, the directing was non-existent, and the editing could have been handled better by tweens on Instagram!! The costumes and the wigs were clearly no longer a priority, and even the music was recycled for the “new world couple ” of Roger and Bree. I honestly cannot explain it, but whomever made these decisions this year utterly obliterated all things Outlander. Which leaves the acting. You must understand that I like to feel these characters. I want to smile with their jubilation, cry during touching and tragic moments, and gasp when things arise that could go either way. I like to live the story with them. That didnt happen this year, and here is why.
These will not be popular opinions, but they are mine, and come from a painful place for me since I truly love this show, but here goes.
Sophie is simply miscast. She tries, bless her heart she tries. But, she is flat, and cannot pull off this character. There were rare and fleeting moments over the course of S4, but overall, Bree is forgettable and comes off so uncaring that it’s hard to care for her.
Rik Rankin is just a bull in the China shop. I simply cannot root for “show Roger”. I cannot blame him for all of that, and the guy can act, but I just don’t care about him. I actually liked book Roger, and felt sorry for him. Add to the fact that he has ZERO chemistry with Sophie, and that is a recipe for further disaster in S5.
The supporting players were all outstanding. Jocasta, Murtagh, and Bonnett actually made me feel something, and I give them credit for that. LJG was good, but they wrote him as an arrogant ass in the later episodes, and it was hard to watch the change of his character.
And the most heartbreaking of all was Jamie and Claire. I will admit that I am emotional as I write this thinking about how removed they were from S4. THIS IS THEIR STORY!!! Not only did they blow it, but they depicted them as no longer relevant to the story, or each other. They virtually wrote Claire out of the story. Gone is the heroine that is the other half of the heartbeat of one of the most iconic love stories of all time. Cait is a 4 time GG nominated actress, and it felt like she was taken out behind a woodshed and beat into submission this year. I see a woman who struggled to play the character that she loves so well, and who got buried by her own studio in the process. Cait does not have the power or the clout to make the show decisions we saw this year, and it pains me to see her so merciless blamed for everything wrong with OL. She deserved better, and so did we.
And there is Sam. I thought he was the most consistent throughout the season, and we got to see Jamie more than we didn’t. But, even he had some phone in moments, and fell flat because he had so little to work with. There were several scenes with Sophie that were quite painful to watch, and it’s because he had to hold back. There was little to no intensity from him, and we know Jamie is a fiery, passionate character that Sam can play so well. That was missing from him this season, and I think it’s because he was backburnered as well. I also believe that he and Cait were directed to dial it back because of the lackluster performances by the “new couple” for OL. I give him credit for trying to stay as true to his character as possible, but being a milquetoast Jamie is not, and these writers took him there. Bad move, and not fair to Sam at all.
For me, Young Ian was the one shining star of the season. John Hunter Bell was simply outstanding. He made me FEEL his character. I actually balled like a baby during the final episode because he brought his A game. I love that young man, and I appreciate what he did on this show this year.
Quite frankly, I am not sure where I go from here. Another blogger asked if I will watch S5, and to be honest..I don’t know. Right now, I am leaning towards no. But, I cannot tell you what I am having for dinner in an hour, so making a decision on a show that won’t come back for another year or longer is not on the radar. All I will say is that I am over the bs, the false advertising, the lame IG stories, the adoration of two actors who either won’t, or can’t acknowledge their own appreciation of the fans who stuck by them, even when it hasn’t been earned. There is a reason that Sam and Cait were removed from promoting this season, and the fan in me hopes it’s because they, too, were as disappointed as I was. Actions, and time will determine my level of fanning over this show in the future, but for now, I am putting a lid on Outlander. For once, I welcome Droughtlander, and can only hope my meloncholy will pass. Big hugs to others who may feel the same.
