Season 5 is so good! I was so sad after season 4 like I thought my fav show was doomed but I'm loving season 5 so much!! How are you feeling?
excuse the delay, nonnie! been dipping in and out this week and finally made some time for my inbox!
i am really enjoying season five! other than 5x6, i’ve loved every episode—genuinely! we’ve been gifted some spectacular moments
what disappointed me the most about season four is that after watching jamie and claire be separated for 20 years, i was very excited for marital bliss on fraser’s ridge. i anticipated fraser feelings overload.
and for me—which as always this is purely my opinion—season four just missed the mark. actually, to this day, i haven’t watched all of it *whoops*
however, however, season five feels grounded, centered and intentional. i’m verra thankful for all the precious jamie and claire moments we’ve been given. i feel that the show has done a better job of developing brianna and roger’s relationship as well. there are quite a few things to rave about this season actually.
but...will you permit me to be blunt?
i find happiness, peace, and domestic normalcy to have the potential to be powerful storytelling. to quote little women, “people writing about such things will make them important.”
i love watching jamie and claire be grandparents, be parents, be leaders on the ridge—finding them in the rhythms of life.
now, naturally, life entails a lot of suffering—especially in the time period that this story in based upon. and it’s important to not skirt around that. part of what makes jamie and claire’s story so brilliant is allllll that they have triumphed over.
but at the same time, often stories try to rely on dramatic overtures instead of leaning into the nuances that every day life affords.
personally, i find that outlander tends to swing to the overtly dramatic end of the spectrum. something i am having to come to grips with a bit—due to canon and the dynamic of storytelling that is this show—is the fact that jamie and claire still have a lotttttttt of, well, suffering left to endure.
and here is the dilemma i often find with the choices the production makes: the amount of screen time they dedicate to suffering vs peace is rarely balanced. often we trade 5 minutes of joy for 45 of agony.
please please please hear me: i still absolutely love this story. i do. and i’m not arguing to remove the adversity. but sometimes i’d appreciate a little bit more time to catch my breath before we move on to the next traumatic event these people have to endure.
i’m not sure if that even makes sense, but i’ll give you my honesty when it’s asked. cheers!