breefraser replied to your quote “Episode 506 is a perfect example of how this show leapfrogs from...”
I really think we have to wait to see what happens. They've know they were keeping Murtagh alive since the second season. I'm also honestly much cooler with Jocasta having an affair with Murtagh her whole marriage with Duncan rather than with Ulysses.
The Jocasta x Murtagh stuff, by itself, doesn’t bother me as much as the general tendency of the show writers to “leapfrog” from one episode to another, as mentioned in that episode review. The Jocasta story in this particular episode was just one example of a “detour” that doesn’t appear to matter all that much to the overarching plot of the season. Though, to be fair, there are still 6 episodes left, so we’ll see.
It didn’t seem to me that they were setting up Murtagh and Jocasta having an affair behind Duncan’s back. If the writers do go in that direction, I won’t be surprised, but it doesn’t make sense to me. Book Jocasta is much more conniving than show Jocasta.
To be clear, I don’t think it was a bad choice to keep Murtagh alive on the show, and I actually did really enjoy Jocasta’s scenes in this episode. Maria Doyle Kennedy is an amazing actress. I just think the writers are having a really hard time juggling so many characters and plots. It’s led to drastic shifts in tone and theme and characterization from episode to episode and contrived story lines. I realize The Fiery Cross is a difficult book, with its own meandering plot, to try to adapt. But, so far, I’m sad to say, this season has been mostly a fail (in my opinion).
