The Review at the End of the Universe
“Autofac” This story was written in 1955. It shouldn’t astound me but it does. How can it be that Philip K. Dick and his contemporaries could anticipate such a future for us? Perhaps it was an imagining of the worst possible outcome…but how come these stories play out like they are true? I feel I…
“A Malcolm” Outlander reunites Claire and Jamie who try to catch each other up on the twenty years they have spent apart. Thanks to the structure of this season it has felt like a long time apart for the time crossed couple. As I’ve repeatedly said there was more potential to explore the time they…
“Freedom & Whisky” Outlander focuses on Claire as she prepares to make another trip back in time to have her long overdue reunion with Jamie. I’ve criticised this season so far for burning through plot so quickly that it’s impossible for any detailed exploration of the character relationships. Jamie’s story has generally been well told…
“Of Lost Things” Outlander continues to concentrate on the exploits of Jamie following Claire’s return to her present by detailing his role as a Groomsman for a noble British family. This season has so far been fairly uneven in how it treats the characters but Jamie’s story has been consistently strong and well handled. The…
“All Debts Paid” Outlander continues with the binary stories with Jamie imprisoned and the continued deterioration of Claire’s relationship with Frank. As I’ve mentioned in the past I find the Claire and Frank scenes problematic because Claire isn’t portrayed in the best light. Her characterisation is consistent so it’s clearly deliberate but she is consistently…
“The Hood Maker” What can we say about Philip K. Dick? He’s one of the most influential science fiction writers of all time. His short stories inspired massive films like Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report as well as other films such as Next and The Adjustment Bureau. There are many others that would…
“Surrender” Outlander deals with Jamie’s return to Lallybroch as Claire continues to adjust to motherhood while living with Frank in 1949. I’ll say one thing for Outlander this season, it’s brave. Jamie and Claire’s relationship has been the core of this show since it began thanks in large part to the excellent chemistry between Sam…
“The Battle Joined” Outlander returns from a very long break to reveal the fate of Jamie after the Battle of Culloden and show Claire attempting to settle into life with Frank in 1948. The mythology of this show continues to grow and develop in ways that I find surprising. It’s a very difficult show to…
“Dragonfly in Amber” Outlander closes off its second season by delivering on the promises given back in the first episode of the season. The circumstances behind Claire’s return to the present are shown as well as the pay-off of the march towards Culloden shown throughout. This episode gets the feature length treatment and it definitely…
“The Hail Mary” Only one more episode of the second season of Outlander to go and everything is inevitably heading towards Culloden. Everything about this season has felt inevitable which is exactly along the lines of what had been established since the first episode. Basically, everything is pretty much destined to happen and changing that…
