I am sure many of you are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander series, a series of novels that combine romance, science fiction, history and time travel. I was excited to learn that the books have been adapted into a TV series, and it is premiering soon, exclusively from Time Warner Cable on the Starz channel.
If you aren’t familiar with the series here is a synopsis:
Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
Outlander will premiere August 9th at 9PM EST/PST on Starz via Time Warner Cable. However I was able to get a sneak preview and watch the first episode early, and I was impressed. The production quality of the show is quite high, and the show does a wonderful job of conveying the Scottish Highlands and setting up the mysterious time traveling. The costumes, music, and realistic settings were all very well done.
And the acting was fantastic too! Actress Caitriona Balfe is fabulous as the heroine Claire, and conveys her confusing and dawning horror as she realizes she has traveled back in time. Additionally Tobias Menzies is well cast as her husband Frank/Black Jack, and he has the difficult task of portraying two totally different characters in the two different times. He really makes them seem like two different people!
A lot of first episode is about setting the scene, and the relationship between Claire and her husband Frank. The actors were very believable as a young couple trying to reconnect after being separated for most of World War II. I felt bad for Frank, especially since I knew Claire was about to be torn away from him! There is quite a bit of action in the second half of the show, once Claire travels to the past, as the Scottish warriors are fighting British soldiers. All in all it was a fun premiere, with romance, action and lots of foreshadowing of things to come.
I can’t wait to see what happens next! What does Frank do when Claire goes missing? How will Jamie and Claire’s relationship progress? These are the kinds of questions that will keep me watching!
I read the first book in this series years ago, and I don’t remember much about it beyond the time travel premise and Scottish men in kilts, so it is mostly new to me! Don’t forget to tune in to Starz on August 9th at 9PM EST/PST for your chance to watch! And follow along on Facebook to learn more about the series.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Time Warner Cable. The opinions and text are all mine.
