Series Review: Outlander , Season 1 (Netflix)
Good Morning Time Travelers and History Changers,
Today’s post is all about the TV series Outlander and its first season.
Before we get into the review, a little backstory.
Outlander is actually a book series by Diana Gabaldon that has extremely high reviews. I’ve added this to my TBR after watching the first season.
Now, I’m well aware that the first season of Outlander aired a whopping 4-5 years ago. However, many of us didn’t have the means to watch this show before Netflix got ahold of the first two seasons.
I have current subscriptions to Netflix, HBO, and Shudder, so I definitely can’t afford any more stream services at the moment.
That being said, I’ve been attracted to this show since I first saw the trailers, and I’ve been waiting a long time to watch this. It turns out, the wait was worth my while in spades!
In a nutshell, Outlander is a time-travel-themed TV series about a woman from the 1940’s named Claire Randall. While she is on vacation with her husband Frank in Scotland, they visit the famed rocks of Craigh Na Dun, which are fabled to have sent people back in time.
One morning before her vacation ends, Claire finds herself back at the famous site when she feels a strange hum from the rocks. When she touches the rocks, Claire is sent on a journey through time, several centuries to be exact.
Can Claire survive in a time where women have few rights? Can she use her knowledge of the era to blend in? And most of all, can she return to Craigh Na Dun before something terrible happens to her?
From the moment I started episode one, I knew I was in trouble. This. Show. Is. Amazing! I mean, mind blown!
Caitriona Balfe, the woman who plays Claire Randall, is extremely talented right from the start. She and her husband have a complicated relationship, as he’s been away for several years due to a recent war, and its completely believable.
And actually the character of Claire is just as amazing. She’s resourceful, intelligent, and clever when she needs to be, which is often, given the fact that she’s stuck in the past.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about the show on a more broad spectrum. I truly enjoyed several aspects of this series.
While I’m not huge on historical fiction, when you pair it up with time travel it’s still amazing, maybe even more so for it.
I feel like the directors of this show truly tried to capture the essence of life in Scotland in the 1700’s (don’t quote me on it because I’m not a history buff!). The clothing, the scenery, and OMG the sexy accents! I had no idea how much I loved a Scottish accent until I watched this show, and now I can never go back!
The struggles that Claire goes through are very indicative of the times she’s in, and there’s plenty of action-packed awesomeness whenever you feel like the show is slowing down a bit.
The time-travel element was very interesting and ultimately simple when its explained in more detail. I really liked that. I’m not gonna reveal it for you, you’re just going to have to find out on your own!
Lastly, the romance. Oh, the romance! Okay you guys, I’m not big on romance. Like, at all. But this show really opened me up to the concept of having a strong romance in a series and actually liking it. The love interest is smoking hot, but also a person of moral values at the same time. It shouldn’t be sexy, but it just is! I was rooting for the love interest the entire time to pull through.
So before I ruin anything for anyone on this series, I’ll stop now. This series definitely has it all. Action-packed fights in 18th century Scotland, lies, betrayal, a great time travel/historical fiction concept that is delivered extremely well, and sexy accents to boot!
Outlander is a serious contender for my favorite TV series of the year. I just hope the next season lives up to the first one! Only time will tell.
Have you seen Outlander? Did you enjoy it, or did you hate it? Got any great time travel shows to recommend? Feel free to share your opinion or recommendation in the comments. I’d love to start a dialogue!
Have a great day everyone!
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Several of my friends are addicted to this show and book but I haven’t read or seen this. I think I kept telling myself that I would eventually read it and then watch it. I don’t think that is happening, so I should probably just go ahead and watch it.
Great review.
Oh, it’s definitely binge-worthy for sure. I can’t speak for the books, as I haven’t read them yet, but I do plan on reading them one day. Hope you enjoy watching, it’s definitely worth it!