BWW Recap: OUTLANDER Delivers Witches and Redcoats and Kilts, Oh My!

Something very exciting is happening on today's small screens. The adult fantasy is becoming an actual thing-and a popular one at that. In a world where "Game of Thrones" not only exists, but actually thrives on cable TV, Ronald D. Moore's "Outlander" has all the potential to become another hit, and after the series premiere, I predict it probably will; which isn't to say that the new STARZ series should be compared with the HBO smash. Both may have originally begun as sweeping epics stretching across thousands of pages of thick-spined behemoths before making it to the screen (the novel Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, is the first of currently eight books upon which the new series is based), but the similarities end there. "Game of Thrones" has the vast imaginary land of Westeros. Knights in shining armor. Oh yeah, and dragons. "Outlander" has Inverness. Burly Scotsmen in tartan kilts. And no dragons. So I repeat, this is not "Game of Thrones," but, as it turns out, that's just fine. If the series premiere proved anything, it's that "Outlander" doesn't need to compete with "Game of Thrones." It's more than capable of standing on its own two feet. Plus it has time travel. And time travel is pretty cool.

The series kicks off with a simple statement, in the form of narrative voiceover, from our leading heroine, Claire Beauchamp Randall: "People disappear all the time." Little does she know, she will soon be one of those "people" herself, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's get a bit more acquainted first. The top half of the episode is dedicated to providing this set up, filled with exposition, backstory, and introductions. In particular, the premiere develops the relationship between Claire and her husband Frank, one that, for the two involved, lasted for years; for the viewers, a fleeting thirty minutes. The couple, a former WWII nurse and a budding historian, is visiting Scotland on their "second honeymoon," hoping to reconnect after five years apart during the war. It's all terribly romantic as the not-so-newlyweds check into a charming Scottish inn, only to head up to their room and jump on the bed together like a couple of kids. The chemistry between actors Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies is certainly palpable, and as their childish romp on the squeaky mattress gravitates towards something more serious, more adult, you do feel the love between the two characters, despite whatever damage their years of separation may have rendered. There's hope for these crazy kids after all, and Scotland seems to be the perfect place to rekindle their war-torn romance. Maybe. Or maybe one of them will fall through a giant rock instead and end up two hundred years in the past. There's always that.

Though there's nothing magical about 1945 Scotland per se, there is more to be said for the local folklore, complete with ancient Celtic traditions, ghost stories, palm readings, and pagan mysticism-all of which ultimately make Claire's eventual time-travelling episode seem not all that crazy. A touch of magic, real or not, undoubtedly hangs in the air, particularly when the couple visits the ruins of Castle Leoch. There's always something enchanting about brushing sleeves with the past, and as Frank and Claire explore the remains of what must have been one heck of a castle centuries earlier, that's a sentiment you can truly appreciate. So when the two proceed to have sex on a two-hundred year old table, I have to ask: is it something more? Something symbolic? A metaphor? Foreshadowing? What?! Or I could be thinking too hard. It could have just been sex on a table.

Fast forward to Craigh na Dun, what we've all been waiting for. When we first see the circle of standing stones, it's during a pagan ritual. Frank and Claire watch the scene from their clandestine hiding spot in the bushes and are easily dazzled at the sight. I was a bit impressed, myself; I couldn't help but think how difficult it must have been to master the choreography. Spinning around in circles without bumping into each other? Witchcraft, indeed. I say this with only a touch of sarcasm, because the scene really is mesmerizing, paired with the growing light of a rising sun. Once the witches depart, Frank and Claire freely explore the stones, the former thinking history, the latter thinking botany. The two make a quick exit upon the arrival of another mysterious visitor, but not before Claire finds a patch of forget-me-nots-and that, my friends, is definitely foreshadowing.

We have one last scene with husband and wife, as Claire flips through her book of plants and herbs and decides to pop back over to Craigh na Dun on her own. They share a kiss, and there's something very final about that kiss. Maybe because we know what's coming, but the moment has a detectable sense of gravity, regardless. And just like that, Claire's off to Craigh na Dun-and as a sidenote, bless the powers that be for making this series happen, if for no other reason than to finally teach us book fans how to pronounce these Gaelic words we've most certainly all been bastardizing for the last twenty years. (Surely I'm not the only one who's been pronouncing it "crayg na doon" this whole time?) Anyway, the moment has finally come for Claire to slip through the crack, in the rock, and in time itself.

While a goofy part of me is a bit disappointed that this scene didn't include some over-the-top graphics, like Claire falling through some Salvador Dali-like time vortex in slow motion, amidst melting clocks and flashes of ominous lightning, the more sensible half of me is relieved. The transition was handled as maturely and seriously as it could have possibly been, with Claire blacking out in 20th century Scotland and waking up in-well, she's not quite sure, at first. We can tell right away that something is amiss: the world she wakes up to is brighter, more colorful, an effect that is almost jarring. Claire herself doesn't realize anything is truly wrong until she hears gunshots. Real gunshots. And then there's Frank dressed as a British solder. Wait, Frank? Definitely not Frank, Claire is able to deduce within seconds. Though the Redcoat standing before her shares her husband's face, he is absolutely not the same man. But of course; it's Black Jack Randall, Frank's centuries-old relative and, as we come to learn, all around not nice guy.

Within minutes of being in 18th century Scotland, Claire is shot at, almost raped, knocked unconscious, and eventually taken captive by a gang of Scots. There's nothing glamorous about any of it. These aren't dashing Scottish warriors on horseback, after all. They're rough, they're haggard, they're dirty, and potentially dangerous. Cut to Jaime. Sweet, young, lovely Jamie. When we first meet him, he's cradling a wounded arm, and Claire snaps into nurse-mode to quickly pop it back into place. She looks at Jamie, refreshingly, as a patient, and not with that love-at-first-sight glance that would have been all too predictable. As Jamie, actor Sam Heughan offers a softer contrast to the likes of Dougal and his hulking comrades. He keeps Claire warm with his own plaid, and when he calls her "Sassenach," it's more of a pet name than an insult. Though we're only one episode in and the two are currently nothing more than strangers, I think it's safe to say that we will soon have a new it TV couple on our hands. Patience, dear readers, patience.

Overall, I think the "Outlander" series premiere is the start of something big. For book fans, Ronald D. Moore appears to be handling Diana Gabaldon's original novel with a firm and courteous hand, bringing the pages to life with enough accuracy to keep the fans content and the series fresh. At the same time newbies can find a lot to like in a show about history, war, adventure, love-all set against the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish highlands. I personally would like to see Claire's character develop a bit more-the delivery of the iconic, baffling, oddly endearing swear "Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ" just didn't sound natural to me, for example-but I'm sure that, as well as the development of all the other colorful characters of Castle Leoch, will come in time. For now though, I would advise all of you to learn the names Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan. Learn how to pronounce them. Learn how to spell them. Because I suspect we're going to be seeing quite a bit more of them very soon.

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