If you are reading this is because you are an Outlander (term that was chosen to name us all Outlander fans, which is quite obvious and non-original if you ask me. I would rather be a “Sassenach”, so no one would know what the heck I was talking about. Much more interesting and confusing. Much). Ok, back on topic. If you are reading this, is because you consider Diana Gabaldon to be the Goddess of your religion and you would totally brave the stones and forget all about soap, warm water, diet Coke and smartphones in order to have Jamie Fraser wrap his plaid around you while riding the same horse. Am I right? If that is the case, I’m sure you’ve been fangirling like crazy since Saturday. So, let’s get this out of our chests so we can talk about the epic-ness that we witnessed on Saturday without going “OMG!!!” every 5 seconds. K?
We good? Yeah? Ok, good. Now that that’s done and over with, let us talk about the awesomeness that was the #OutlanderInvadesLA Fan Event on Saturday. Truth is, I’ve been reading a lot of reports from people who were actually in the Orpheum Theater (lucky b!tches) but I was one of the hundreds of thousands who screamed every time the live streaming froze on me (I swear my heart skipped a beat every time the video did that!)
On Saturday I was out with some non-fandom friends, so I couldn’t just go “well you guys, in about 15 minutes I’m gonna leave y’all and head home cuz I gotta watch a live streaming for a show that hasn’t even aired yet”. They’d look at me as if I were crazy (which I am). But I just had to ditch them and watch the live streaming (which I did).
Got home, turned on the computer, and poured myself an enormous mug of coffee. Which I later changed into a tumbler whose lid I could close, which turned out to be the best decision I’ve made so far this year. Cuz I flailed so much I threw the damn thing like 50 times. Ok, 2 girls wearing kilts and playing the bagpipes. I’m definitely in the right place and it hasn’t started yet!
I won’t break this down scene by scene because honestly, it’s too long and I’m lazy and it’s too awesome not to watch. So here’s the link in case you missed it:
Let me point out a couple of things that I think are important:
STARZ
First up, the Starz Executive who went on and on about how important fans are (heck, yeah!) and that they want to maintain a very fluid relationship with the fans (heck, yeah!). Comparing to other series I’ve been a fan of, Starz is really outdoing themselves with all the materials they’ve been releasing and the Fan Events they’ve been organizing, considering that the show is still 6 months away. Also, kudos on the choice for moderator. Alicia Quarles was great! Fun, nice, warm and you could clearly see she knew her Outlander stuff! And she was able to smooth over some difficult or embarrassing bits (which there were a couple). I totally loved her when she called Caitriona Balfe “Claire”! But she screwed up by calling her Kaitlin a couple of times. What’s up with that?!?!
RON D. MOORE
Can I build this guy a monument? No, really. You can tell he has a huge amount of respect for the source material and that he is 100% committed to the project. Really, how else would you get a guy to wear a kilt in front of 2,000 women? And he gets fans. He really does. It’s sooooo refreshing to have someone who understands the crazyness of fandom. And the dude comes from Battlestar Galactica (which I absolutely loved and binge-watched in like a single weekend). And the fact that he keeps referring to how his wife is a huge fan of the books and his job is not to screw up her favorite book, gives me so much peace of mind I can sleep tight until the premiere. Besides, he said that in the writer’s room Jamie is referred to as “the King of Men”. Enough said.
HERSELF
I love her. Love her humor and the way she says things! I swear she always makes me laugh out loud. She has the same humor one reads in her books. I hear Claire when she is talking. And man! I wanna look like her when I’m her age! It does worry me that she has breakfast with George RR Martin so often. What if his mania for killing favorite characters rubs off on her?!?!
TEASER TRAILER
The trailer! Oh my God, you guys! The trailer! Of course my live streaming froze as soon as they announced the trailer and I think I threw my tumbler at the screen. Luckily, it came back to life like a second into the trailer and I was able to watch it. Is it wrong if I admit I cried? Honest to God, tears fell down my cheeks. But we’ll talk about the trailer in another post cuz it was so good it deserves to be dealt with in a very special way.
CAITRIONA BALFE
I thought I was going to be a huge Sam Heughan fan and hate Caitriona cuz 1) she’s playing Claire and, in my mind, I’m Claire 2) she’ll get to be told all these amazing quotes and 3) she’ll get to make out with Sam. But, what do you know? I completely fell in love with her during the panel. Ok, she is gorgeous, has legs that go on forever and is so thin that if you see her sideways, I’m sure she’d disappear. But OMG! She is lovely! Loved her laughter. Loved when she said that the scene she is most looking forward to is killing a man. Loved the story about her speaking in Irish Gaelic with her costume girl. She seems so nice and fun and warm! Don’t you think so?
SAM HEUGHAN
If this guy were any sweeter, I’d have a toothache. He is just too cute for words. The whole kilt + leather jacket look just murdered me. And he seems to be really enjoying all this and loving every second of it. Can I say that I can totally see him like a 23 year old? Or even younger for the flashbacks. He has this youthful quality that’s just so cute. But I guess I can also see him being intense and a leader. Just by seeing the tiny trailer and seeing him on that stage convinced me that he is perfect for Jamie. Specially for the first book. Oh! And I totally geeked out when he said he was a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings and that he and his brother are named after characters from the books. So Sam is named after Samwise Gamgee (duh) and his brother, apparently, is named Cirdan (pronounced with a hard K sound). For all of you who don’t know, Cirdan is the shipwright and mariner elf that holds the 3rd ring of power.
THE CHEMISTRY
A lot has been said about the chemistry between these 2 actors. They do look amazing together on screen. But did you notice that Caitriona laughed at Sam or some of the things he said? When asked if they’d go through the stones and Sam said yes, but that he would rather go forward in time or travel to the moon. Did you see her face? Or when Sam said his favorite Gaelic word was “my love”. Sam was being totally cute and really working the audience for all of us o just drop dead then and there and Caitriona was laughing so hard she had to cover her face. Priceless.
This whole thing has been super exciting because I have been a fan of the books since 2005. And they’ve been around since 1991. That’s a long time. Generally, I read a book and 1 or 2 years later, we have the movie adaptation. So with Outlander, having to have waited 10 years means that I’ve read and re-read these books over and over again. I know them by heart. I love them. I’ve made them my own. So to be able to experience the whole process of the adaptation to the small screen and be lucky enough that Starz knows how to treat fans, it’s an amazing thing.
And it’s weird and awesome to hear people talk about Wentworth, Lallybroch, Donas, Hugh Munro, the French Abbey, the flogging and some of my favorite scenes. After so many years of just talking about Outlander with the same 5 people, having this is surreal! But I’m enjoying it immensely!!! Aren’t you?
Ally, I really wish I could write like you, but then think, what’s the need for writing when this lady writes exactly what’s in my head, and in great style!…Thank you so much, like you I watched the event online while my husband and daugther were starving and waiting for me to go out for some pizza. I enjoyed every second. Blow you a kiss.
Emmanuela, thanx for your comment! I really enjoy sharing this experience with the rest of the Outlander fan who love the books and characters so much.
And for next time, a little bit of advice. Grilled cheese sandwiches. They won’t bother you but at least they won’t starve! =)
I laughed through your entire article!! It was awesome!! I especially loved that you threw your tumbler at you computer…I wanted to punch the screen when mine did that!! I am totally geeked out too…u have been a fan since ’98. I was 17 when I read Outlander. I love LOTR as well!! Thanks for the laugh!
Of course I threw my tumbler at the screen! The damn thing froze when the trailer was starting. I wanted to die! hahaha!
I’ve been an Outlander fan since 2005, back when I was 23 (I was Jamie’s age *sigh*) and I’ve been a LOTR’s fan even longer. So I totally geeked out when Sam mentioned it.
Well, double up the years you’ve waited and you’ll know why I doubled up on the tears when that trailer started. Surreal. Sure I knew there was a lot of talk by crew/cast on how great it was in the dailies… and yeah, sure a season of it.Cool. but all of a sudden it was like OH MY GOSH IT REALLY IS REAL! I went to the next level. Total fan girl here… adrenaline kept me awake Sat. night.
takes a few days to get past that stuff, huh?
excellent post and looking forward to more about that trailer. THAT TRAILER!
S and C are just too cute together. How could they be this wonderful AND totally blow the lid off that trailer in less than 60 seconds. Now we know why the audition tapes were… yup. that’s Claire. Yup, that’s Jamie.
You couldn’t have said it better! I’ve been following every piece of news there was. But seeing the actual trailer made it real for me. I was also screaming “OMG! IT REALLY IS REAL!!!” LOL!
It did take a couple of days to come back from the frenzy (I think I haven’t actually come back to Earth yet).
S & C are awesome. I mean, I liked them as soon as the first photos were released. The casting people for this show are amazing!!!
Loved your post!
Thanx! So glad you enjoyed it, Viviana!
Okay, really? I almost THREW my laptop when the feed froze (it froze many many times for me)And now that I have “come out” so to speak about my love for all things Outlander, I am really happy to find so many other fans!
I think most computers were in danger of being murdered every time they froze during that live streaming. They obviously didn’t know what they were getting into. Luckily for me, it only froze several times at the beginning. It then went on smoothly.
I’m glad you’ve come out to talk about your love for Outlander! The fans are great and we have a lot of fun!!! And we are so excited that we need all the company we can get to get us through the wait until the show airs!
How is it possible that I haven’t stumbled onto your site before today? I’ve been so obsessed with Outlander being made into a series that I thought I had read everything out there that I could find!
First off, I have to confess that I’ve watched the fan event at least 10 times. I know I have a problem, but it’s really the best thing on “TV” right now. I’ve been trying to find every recap of the event that I can and just found yours today. Now I have to catch up on the rest of your posts. There’s only one thing wrong with your recap: I want MORE. I want to break down and discuss almost every comment and line. Is that wrong? Do I need an intervention?
Well, hello there Nancy! And welcome to the obsessed craziness! hahaha!
I’ve watched the Fan Event like 10 times as well. If I have a problem, I don’t want to be cured! It was so much fun!
Uh! If you wanna talk more and obsessively breakdown every little thing, you’ve come to the right place! Hope you enjoy the other Outlander posts and hope to see you soon on the comments!