The final season of Outlander premiered Friday night, and, of course, Clan Cornelius was tuned in. We have been on a decade-long journey with the time-traveling fantasy/historical romance — and contemplating that is… bracing.
The tale has taken us from the Scottish Highlands just prior to the Jacobite Rising of 1745, across the Atlantic to the North Carolina frontier and the American Revolution. It seems clear that this final season will hit a climax at the 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain, one of the most critical Frontier Partisan actions in history.
The key element of Fennario — the supernatural or uncanny — in the tale is the ability of Claire Fraser and members of her family to time-travel through a circle of standing stones, which puts the 18th Century into conversation with the 20th Century. The Frasers are living history that will later be recounted — and thanks to books brought across time, they are able to read that recounting. And… there is an intimation that Jamie Fraser will fall in that critical battle in the Carolina backcountry…
Anyways….
There was also a bit of meta fun embedded in Season 8, Ep. 1. Fraser daughter Brianna, returned to Fraser’s Ridge Carolina in 1779 from Scotland in the 1970s, brings her father a book: The Lord of the Rings.
This is canonical — author Diana Gabaldon included the element in Volume 9, of her saga, Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone. This pleases me. It gets more meta still: Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser, was reportedly named in honor of Samwise Gamgee by parents who were great fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s opus…
There is also a bit that coincidentally serves as a a shout-out to Outlander’s sister-show on STARZ — the magnificent Black Sails — through a reference to a Spaniard named Vasquez. If you know, you know.
As always, the Bear McCreary soundtrack is outstanding. Two pieces in particular were tapped for my Frontier Partisan Biathlon playlist:
And good lord Lorrie, the Kibler Colonial Rifle is a beauty. The piece, which armed Jamie Fraser in the Battle of Saratoga, got a cameo in a turkey hunt in S8/E1. I’m betting it will be unlimbered again on Kings Mountain…
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An exhibit titled Outlander: Costumes Woven in Time is now open at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
Quixotic Mainer says
Heughan is doing great not flinching with that flinter in that still!
JimC says
I thought so too — both eyes open.
J.R. says
Jim Kibler has opened up a whole world for new muzzleloader enthusiasts with his easy to assemble and finish instructive kits and videos, the woods runner being the most easily done in my opinion.There is something besides a modern inline that can be considered for the first timer. Though I will say when I have mentioned that to the younger generation the usual reply is why would you get that? You can’t put a scope on it.
My reply to them is I can’t explain it but if I could I don’t believe they would understand. Wood and steel flintlocks have something that modern synthetics and mechanisms just can’t capture. Have a Blessed day friends.