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A Breath of Snow And Ashes Ocracoke Outlander North Carolina Season 5 The Fiery Cross

ONC Admins Choice Awards, Season 5, Mercy Shall Follow Me

May 2, 2020

Welcome back to the season five ONC Administrators’ Choice Awards!  Now until the end of this season, (we refuse to think about it), some of the ONC administrators and myself will be voting on our “Bests/Mosts/Leasts” from the latest Outlander episode.  We enjoyed this fun way to briefly recap each episode last season, and hope you enjoy it as we do! This week’s voting contributors are Tara Heller, Dawn Woo, Stephanie Bryant, Nancy Roach, and Cameron Hogg. So, without further ado, the winners for episode, Mercy Shall Follow Me are…

Cameron:  Brianna telling Bonnet, “I could never think any less of you.” I do love a good backhanded compliment. 😉

Stephanie: Bonnet talking to Forbes: “I suggest you start to behave more as my lawyer and less as my priest”

Nancy: I have to agree with Cameron on this one. “I could never think any less of you.”

Dawn: Jamie to Bonnet – “Know that whatever happens, the last thing you see on this earth willna be that of a friend.”

Tara:  When Roger beat the snot out of Bonnet and they bound him for Wilmington.

Cameron:  Agreed.  It was good to see Roger take care of things with Bonnet and finally get his part in avenging Brianna’s suffering.  

Stephanie: Seeing Bonnet’s face while slowly drowning!  Priceless!!

Nancy: When Roger beats up Bonnet. When Bree shoots Bonnet in the head.

Dawn: The scene with Jocasta and Forbes…when Ulysses saves Jocasta and then calls her by name and kisses her hand. Hmmmm….a hint of things to come??

Tara: I have to go with Sophie on this one. She really showed different emotions in this episode.

Cameron: As much as I disliked the character, I thought this was a really good episode for Ed Speleers.  Sometimes during his scenes in the past, I got a little too much of a Captain Jack Sparrow knock-off feel from him, but I think he finally settled into Bonnet as a distinct character, and he showed a lot of depth playing his various facets in this episode.  

Nancy: Ed Speleers as Bonnet.

Stephanie: I think Ed Speleers nailed it as Bonnet! As creepy as he was, he was that perfect mixture of charming and sadistic!

Dawn: Ed Speleers (Bonnet), for sure! He made Bonnet só despicable.

Tara:  When the whole Bonnet storyline came to a head. Not sure what they will do with S6 since his storyline was woven throughout the book.

Cameron: The way they presented the whole courtship angle in the time that Bonnet and Brianna were together and how she stalled and played along to try to save herself.  

Stephanie: I guess I was surprised Bree didn’t put up a struggle at all. It was played a different way then is in line with her character. Yet in hindsight, I get it. 

Nancy: Bonnet getting killed. It’s supposed to happen in Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Dawn: I was surprised the Bonnet storyline was ended prematurely.

Tara: Roger holding up Wylie and him acting like a woose! 

Stephanie: I thought it was cute when Roger asked Jamie, during the fight in the shed…. what took you so long, Jamie responded that Roger was doing so well without his help. Apparently not!!

Nancy: I agree with Stephanie on this one

Dawn: Bonnet- “What I need from you is something I can’t buy.” Brianna – “A moral compass?” (Loved that she got her digs in.)

Cameron: I missed that line at first, Dawn, but that is a good one!

Tara: I loved the beach scenes since that is one of my favorite places and Scotland coastline as a stand in for Ocracoke.

Cameron: I know this may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually really liked the ending scene with Roger and Brianna when she shot Bonnet.  Though things happened differently in the book, I thought for the changes that were made, that last exchange still worked.  When Roger asked Bree if that was revenge or mercy, it was an interesting look into what they both were thinking or feeling now that Bonnet is gone. Even after all that happened, I think that it was mercy and revenge that Bree was aiming for (no pun intended). I think she really took to heart the conversation that she and Jamie had last season about forgiveness, but it had to feel good to know that he was finally gone, and she was the one who ended it once and for all.  

Stephanie: I liked that Roger is finally gaining confidence to stand on his own. He’s earning Jamie’s respect. I like the way we are seeing Roger in a new light. Not as a frightened professor but as a 18th century badass, beating the crap out of Bonnet!

Nancy: I like what everyone else has said. I also want to mention two things I liked — I was happy to see Stephen Bonnet go for the plus size prostitute. I was also glad that they finally hinted that there was something romantic going on between Jocasta and Ulysses.

Dawn: When Bonnet has Brianna on Okracoke, and he asks her to teach him to be a gentleman and how to love. The relationship basically turns to that of Mother and Child. She scolds him about his table manners. She reads to him bc he can’t read. He exhibits such childlike behavior responding to her, esp when she “read” Moby Dick And he threw a tantrum about wanting to know how it ends. 

Tara: The Bonnet and the hussey going at it in front of Bree. I could have done without that.

Cameron: Again, I agree here… I get that it was to show his cruelty, but I’m not sure that scene was the only way to do that.  It reminded me of something that they might have done in the BJR storyline, so it wasn’t surprising, but still wasn’t totally necessary in my opinion.  

Stephanie: Yes! Bonnet and the prostitute… I can’t unsee that scene, ugh!

Nancy: I agree. Bonnet having sex with the prostitute in front of Bree.

Dawn: Ugh….The Bonnet And Eppie sex scene. I felt like I needed to Clorox my brain after that.

So, now that we’ve voted, it’s your turn! Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments who or what gets your votes for Episode 510, Mercy Shall Follow Me!

Fraser's Ridge Outlander North Carolina Season 5 The Fiery Cross

ONC Admins Choice Awards for Episode 509, Monsters and Heroes

April 25, 2020

Welcome back to the season five ONC Administrators’ Choice Awards!  Now until the end of this season, (we refuse to think about it), some of the ONC administrators and myself will be voting on our “Bests/Mosts/Leasts” from the latest Outlander episode.  We enjoyed this fun way to briefly recap each episode last season, and hope you enjoy it as we do! This week’s voting contributors are Dawn Woo, Stephanie Bryant, Nancy Roach, and Susan Jackson. So, without further ado, the winners for episode, Monsters and Heroes are…

Dawn: Ian’s speech to Jamie about losing a limb. He spoke of his admiration for Jamie and how courageous he now realized his father was. He scolded Jamie for his foolish thinking.

Stephanie: Agree with Dawn, Ian’s passionate speech to Jamie was incredible!

Nancy: Claire and Jamie entwined as Claire wills him back to life.

Susan:  When Ian tries to convey to Jamie that living life as an amputee doesn’t have anything to do with weakness. As a mother of an amputee, I understand what Ian is feeling.

Dawn: Roger to Jamie when they were discussing the pact to kill Bonnet: “But whosoever offends one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were tied about his neck, and he drowned in the depth of the sea, Matthew chapter 18, verse 3.” Jamie: “Verse 6.”

Stephanie: The foreshadowing from Lizzie “‘Tis a good day for dyeing,” right after we see Jamie bitten by the snake. Then Claire says “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you or Jamie,” more foreshadowing.

Nancy: Jamie “Whether I’m dead or you, whether we’re together or apart, I will always love you.” (🎬Cue Whitney Houston🎼)

Susan: When Jamie finally shows his trust and faith in Roger, “Unfortunately for you, the son must pay the for the sins of the father – for my mistakes, you must do this.”

Dawn: Caitriona Balfe-Her portrayal of Claire just seems effortless…natural.

Stephanie: Definitely Sam. He portrayed the snake scene and the aftermath with such raw emotions. 

Nancy: Sam Heughan stood out in this one. His performance as a sick, dying man was excellent! Caitriona’s performance was also moving.

Susan:  I’m the one on the fence–Caitriona and Sam were both excellent in this episode.

Dawn: the appearance of the buffalo/bison in the yard

Stephanie: How Jamie told Roger to kill Bonnet if he didn’t survive and Roger saying he didn’t know if he could do it. I would think Bonnet raping Bree would’ve made him angry enough for revenge.

Nancy: Even though I knew it was coming —Jamie appearing to die for a moment and Claire bringing him back to life.

Susan:  Marsali giving birth to Felicite in the woods on a family excursion–did that happen in the book? My memory ain’t what it used to be.

Dawn: Jamie to Claire when she talked about doing the autopsy on the cobra bite victim: “You should work on your bedside manner, Sassenach.”

Stephanie: Little Jimmy saying “Shit” repeating what Roger said.

Nancy:  Opening scene where Roger is initiating sex with Brianna, Jemmy interrupts. Roger saying “Shit! Something stung me” and Jemmy repeating, “Shit”. Jamie pounding on the door and calling for them. Jamie asks, “Roger Mac, you there?“ Roger mutters under his breath, “Where else would we be?”

Susan:  Jemmy repeating a bad word after his Da–been there, done that!

Dawn: The discussion between Jamie and Claire at the end where he was talking about his decision to live or die:  “There is a war coming. God has given me a duty.”

Stephanie: I think Roger stepping up saving Jamie and the bonding the two had, due to Jamie getting bitten, was definitely great to see in this episode.

Nancy: The whole episode was wonderful. It just goes to show that the best episodes are the ones that follow the book. I also loved that this episode provided a bonding opportunity between Jamie and Roger.

Susan:  Seeing the connection between Claire and Jamie again–it’s been missing in the show. That’s what I love about them as a couple–their love literally transcends time and space, and it was comforting to see them as they are written.

Dawn: Another great episode. I can’t find anything.

Stephanie: Only thing I didn’t care for was the way the buffalo flung Bree in the air. She definitely wouldn’t have gotten right up after that!

Nancy:  Maggots—not a fan.

Susan:  Marsali having that baby in the woods still doesn’t sit right with me–it just didn’t fit in this episode for me.

So, now that we’ve voted, it’s your turn! Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments who or what gets your votes for Episode 509, Monsters and Heroes.

Outlander North Carolina Season 5 The Fiery Cross

ONC Admins Choice Awards, Season 5, Famous Last Words

April 18, 2020

Welcome back to the season five ONC Administrators’ Choice Awards!  Now until the end of this season, (we refuse to think about it), some of the ONC administrators and myself will be voting on our “Bests/Mosts/Leasts” from the latest Outlander episode.  We enjoyed this fun way to briefly recap each episode last season, and hope you enjoy it as we do! This week’s voting contributors are Dawn Woo, Mitzie Munroe, and Cameron Hogg. So, without further ado, the winners for episode 8, Famous Last Words are…

Dawn: Scene where Ian has buried his weapon and is about to drink the poisonous tea and Roger kicks it away. Ian tells Roger he buried HIS weapon – his voice. Roger tells Ian to pick up his weapon and fight. They are rescuing each other. It almost parallels the scene when Roger is being rescued from the Mohawk camp. Ian saves Roger. But it also provides Ian with the adventurous life he yearns for. They save each other.

Mitzie: Jocasta singing at Murtagh’s cairn. I had hoped at some point we would hear Maria singing in some fashion on the show so I was tickled to hear her sing on this episode, though it was so somber a song.

Susan:  When Roger finally overcomes his silence while out in the woods with Ian, even if Ian attempting suicide was the reason for him for finding his voice.

Cameron: It was in the scene between Ian and Roger, when Roger says he had buried his weapon, but now he knows it’s time to dig it up again and fight. 

Dawn: Brianna- “A sheet of paper is not made to fly. But sometimes we have to adjust our expectations to bend and reshape ourselves. There’s a reason the 1st anniversary gift is supposed to be paper…and after the pressures of 60 years, it’s diamond-the hardest substance on earth. I want our marriage to grow into something that strong.”

Mitzie: JOCASTA: “How careful we’d be if we kent which goodbyes were our last.” That spoke volumes to me; as to what’s happened in the past and to what’s still to come.

Susan:  Jocasta telling Jamie about last goodbyes–very true words.

Cameron: John Bell- being a book reader, I knew what happened while he was away, before he opened up a bit to Roger and in more detail. With that context, his portrayal of Ian’s homecoming was really perfect, displaying how complex those emotions and that adjustment would have been.  I’d have to go back to the books, but I feel like that piece of his homecoming was highlighted here, even more so than I remembered it in print.  

Dawn: Richard Rankin/Roger – Without words, he portrayed so well being lost in his own hopeless, helpless hell. 

Mitzie: Richard had few speaking roles this time but had to deliver numerous lines using pure emotion and I felt he did beautifully with his eyes, hands and general presence. 

Susan:  Rickard Rankin was great, showing Roger’s pain and frustration without words.

Cameron: I think they did a nice job of setting up the assumption that Roger was the one who intended to use the water hemlock, but the twist of shifting that storyline to Ian was well done. 

Dawn: Ian’s return. I loved the fear factor involved when Jamie and Claire first saw him atop the Ridge after he killed the boar-such an ominous figure. Even after they recognized him, there was a presence about him…foreboding figure. 

Mitzie: Young Ian’s arrival. I knew he’d be back, but thought it would come next episode and have this one stay focused on Roger, but I was very happy to see that he has finally come home to the Ridge.

Susan:  Ian’s return

Dawn: Ian’s return/John Bell’s performance. He truly looks like he is in a deep, dark place…the anguish on his face. He definitely portrayed that pull between being “relieved” to see family again and not being with his Mohawk family. He just looks torn and lost. 

Mitzie: We almost have it all with Ian’s arrival. Especially when they are having a big family meal, at the big table, in the big house, but without Roger (and yes I wish Murtagh could still be in the picture), and perhaps LJG not leave as of yet, it was just a fleeting glance, but I loved seeing its potential. It really could have been something to see, that big ol’ table packed with all the Frasers and extended family and friends. I hope we get to see something similar very soon. I need that feel good moment after these past few episodes.

Susan:  It was good to see Ian, though his homecoming is sad for him, everyone else is thrilled to see him, after thinking they’d likely never see him again.

Cameron: I didn’t love the silent movie scenes as a device to tell the story, but it was a unique way to incorporate Roger’s flashbacks.

Dawn: I did not like how they “slid” the Tarot cards in the episode with Marsali playing with them….as superstitious as Leoghaire was…seemed like a “forced scene”. And I’m not sure that viewers will be curious enough to explore the meaning of The Hanged Man to know how it relates to the story. In the book, it is Brianna dreaming about her friend playing with the Tarot cards and telling her about the  The Hanged Man. It represents the process of surrender and sacrifice. Self-surrender leads to transformation of the personality. The person has to accomplish his own regeneration. I’m not sure the tv audience would connect that. It just looks like it is an awful coincidence that the card is coming up in the scene.

Mitzie: Using the silent film effect to convey Rogers PTSD flashbacks. I felt like it robbed me of my opportunity to fully connect to the hanging event and how traumatic it was emotionally for Roger. As a viewer, I understand it was Roger’s way of disconnecting from what happened, but as a viewer it also disconnected me and I just couldn’t get through the effect to sympathize with Roger’s situation. 

Susan:  I didn’t care for the silent film/hanging scenes to portray Roger’s PTSD. I get what they were trying to do, but it didn’t do much for me.

Mitzie: Marsali drawing The Lovers tarot card and then comments about having too many bairns. That was cute.

Susan:  I laughed at Marsali’s comment about her many babies, too.

So, now that we’ve voted, it’s your turn! Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments who or what gets your votes for Episode 508, Famous Last Words.

Alamance Outlander North Carolina Season 5

ONC Admins Choice Awards, Season 5, “The Ballad of Roger Mac”

April 3, 2020

Welcome back to the season five ONC Administrators’ Choice Awards!  Now until the end of this season, (we refuse to think about it), some of the ONC administrators and myself will be voting on our “Bests/Mosts/Leasts” from the latest Outlander episode.  We enjoyed this fun way to briefly recap each episode last season, and hope you enjoy it as we do! This week’s voting contributors are Tara Heller, Dawn Woo, Mitzie Munroe, Nancy Roach, and Traci Thompson. So, without further ado, the winners for episode 7, The Ballad of Roger Mac are…

Traci: The birthday conversation. A great part of the books, and this kind of Jamie & Claire intimate scene was needed in such an emotional episode. 

Tara: I agree with Traci! I’m glad to see show Jamie and Claire still have the moments that make them Jamie and Claire.

Dawn W.: The scene where Jamie gives the coat back to Tryon. Total disgust and repulsion and anger.

Mitzie: Claire seeing Jamie off to battle. I love their exchange – “Will you wish me luck then?” “I can’t let you go without saying something. I suppose good luck will do. I love you soldier.” “Good luck will do, and I love you does so much better”.

Nancy: I have to agree with everyone.Those intimate moments between Jamie and Claire are so special. I also liked when Jamie angrily throws the red coat on the ground at Governor Tryon’s  feet.

Susan:  Jamie not only gave his “coat” back to Tryon, he spoke loud and clear when he dropped it on the ground. (And Tim Downie has made such a great William Tryon!)

Traci: A lot of them, but I’ll go with a tie between 1.) “There might be a day we part, but it won’t be today.” and 2.) “I’d never betray your mother, no matter who asked.” 

Dawn W.: I love the book lines but I think Jamie’s response to Claire before he went to battle….”Good luck will do. But I love you does so much better.”

Mitzie: Tryon’s – “Fire! Fire, God damn you! Fire on them, or fire on me!”

Nancy: Again I have to agree with everyone on the lines. I also liked some of the humorous ones that really need to go under the funniest award. Jamie to Claire: “As for taking stock, I have all my teeth…none of my parts are missing, and my cock still stands up in the morning.” Morag: “I’ve a thick skull.” Roger: “ I’ve a thick skull too. It runs in the family.”

Susan: “Whatever tomorrow brings, I’m grateful to see it.” Jamie speaking of being older than his father–I remember the day I become just one day older than my mother–she died when she was 40–I can’t imagine dying that young, especially when you have a family to care for, and I totally related to Jamie’s feelings here.

Traci: Sam Heughan, hands down. How many ways is it possible for the man to look absolutely gutted?? But Caitriona too – she reflected his emotions like a mirror.  

Tara: Definitely Sam. So much face acting this episode. So many emotions.

Dawn W.: Sam Heughan…not just his words, but his body language, his demeanor, his facial expressions…wow!

Mitzie: Sam! So much emotion, all across the board! From swoon worthy bedroom eyes to utter disgust and hatred to heart retching anguish! WOW! Bravo!

Nancy: Again I agree with everyone. Sam Heughan. His impassioned plea to Claire to fix Murtagh, was heartbreaking. He ran the gamut of emotions from the start of the episode to the finish. 

Susan:  No doubt about it–Sam Heughan.

Traci: Of course, Murtaugh. I knew it was coming, but not… like that.

Tara: Other than Murtagh, Graham McTavish as Buck 🙂

Dawn W.: I was most surprised with the appearance of Graham McTavish as William Buccleigh. I was not expecting Murtaugh to be killed during the battle. I was expecting his death at another event.

Mitzie: Seeing Graham McTavish playing the role of William “Buck” MacKenzie. Best kept secret this season! I loved it! It makes me giddy thinking we could see more of him and his current character in future seasons (wink, wink).

Nancy: Graham McTavish playing Dougal’s son. When I first heard his voice and saw his face, I thought, “Wow, they really did a good job in casting Buccleigh McKenzie. He really looks like Dougal!” Then I realized it was Graham. They did a great job of keeping that secret from all of us.

Susan:  Surprising for me was realizing that the young man who shot Murtagh was one of the  soldiers that Jamie was encouraging earlier that morning.

Traci: Hard to find a bright spot in this one, but Jamie checking himself out under the sheet is always good for a chuckle. 

Dawn W.: Roger always has a way of slipping snide comments in. I loved it when he called William Tryon “Billy Tryon” when he was talking to Bri before he left Hillsborough.

Mitzie: I didn’t really have a haha moment but I think one of Jamie’s looks could be seen as somewhat amusing in a comparison. After Jamie dons the red coat and grabs his hat back from Myers, he had a look on his face that my husband best equivalates to a Carolina fan being strong-armed into a Duke jersey after losing a bet; and when he walks by his fellow UNC pals, that look on his face says “Don’t…. you…. freaking….. say…. a…. word”! LOL! Once my husband said that I thought it kinda fit and I giggled.

Nancy: As I mentioned under best lines, Jamie taking stock of himself on his birthday and Roger Mac bumping heads with Morag.

Susan:  Roger mentioning that his thick skull ran in the family.

Traci: Jamie, Jamie, and Jamie. 

Tara: The way the writers and producers brought everything crashing down in one big episode and did it mostly by the book, might I add. Fantastic!

Dawn W.: I went back and tried to skim over the chapters that this episode covered. There were a LOT! I agree with Tara….so much material beautifully blended plus having to add Murtaugh’s storyline. I think it’s the best episode in the series…Faith being right up there with it.

Mitzie: The final moments we got to spend with Murtagh and Jamie’s anguish at losing his Godfather. It was so heartbreaking seeing Jamie go through all those emotions and also for Claire. Murtagh was so dearly loved by them both and this was an expected and fitting ending for our beloved Murtagh.

Nancy: Best overall goes to Toni Graphia for giving us an episode that followed the book. I agree with Dawn that this is the best episode.

Susan: The entire episode was the best moment for me–so well done, so much compressed into an hour of great, great television.

Traci: Overall, it was just too much…war, death, hanging, Jamie in a red coat, even Claire’s precious syringe & penicillin stomped into the ground…have mercy!! 

Tara: The way we are literally left hanging, for two weeks!

Dawn W.: I was hoping they’d stay true to the book and use Morag to deliver the news Jamie about Roger being hanged.

Mitzie: Bree’s dumbstruck stance at seeing Roger hanging. I think I would have preferred her screaming her bloody heart out, saying “GET HIM DOWN!!! CUT HIM DOWN!!!!!” Jamie was just so slow at getting him down. I didn’t like that passive, air of resignation that said “Whelp, he’s gone. Nothing we can do”. I did not like how that played out.

Nancy: I didn’t like when Buc McKenzie slammed Roger in the forehead with the butt of his rifle. I also agreed with Mitzie about Brees’ underwhelming reaction to discovering Roger hanging. I expected all of the Fraser’s to be crying, screaming and rushing to cut his body down.

Susan:  I’m still thinking about what I liked least, and it’s hard to come up with anything.  Maybe how perfect Claire’s hair is pinned back when she wakes up in the morning?

So, now that we’ve voted, it’s your turn! Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments who or what gets your votes for Episode 507, The Ballad of Roger Mac.

Fraser's Ridge Hillsborough Outlander North Carolina Pre-Revolutionary War Period Season 5 The Fiery Cross

ONC Admins Choice Awards for Outlander Episode 5, “Perpetual Adoration”

March 20, 2020

Welcome back to the season five ONC Administrators’ Choice Awards!  Now until the end of this season, (we refuse to think about it), some of the ONC administrators will be giving awards for different aspects from the latest Outlander episode.  We enjoyed this fun way to briefly recap each episode last season, and hope you enjoy it as we do! This week’s voting contributors are Dawn Woo, Mitzie Munroe, Stephanie Bryant and Nancy Roach. So, without further ado, the winners for episode 5, Perpetual Adoration are…

Mitzie: The appearance of the long awaited, theatrical debut of ADSO!!!!! That little bit of fluff has certainly stolen my heart since the teaser stills had been leaked last year!

Dawn W.: The scene between Jamie And Claire on the porch at the end where she is telling him about Graham Menzies and how she never would’ve found him if it hadn’t been the sequence of events that resulted from knowing him.

Stephanie: Definitely Graham Menzies, reminding her of so much she pushed away and left in the past. Bonus: Seeing wee Adso!

Nancy:The much anticipated appearance of the adorable Adso.

Mitzie: Cait has this one for me! She wore lots of hats this episode.

Dawn W.: It’s a tie: Roger and Claire. 

Stephanie: Marsali and her expressive face!

Nancy: Both Cait and the actor playing Graham Menzies stood out to me in this episode. I do love when Cait does a voiceover of what Claire is thinking.

Mitzie: “Eureka”! It was so foreign to hear Marsali repeat it after Claire.

Dawn W.: The priest in the church to Claire: “No one’s lost who’s not forgotten.”

Stephanie:  Mr. Menzies “You have Scottish blood running through you somewhere” Like he sensed something about her, awoke her from a dream.

Nancy: I liked Claire’s passage at the end where she talks of standing before God to ask him all her questions about the universe. “But I won’t ask about the nature of time because I’ve already lived it.”

Mitzie: Well, I totally didn’t see Jamie killing Knox so abruptly; with his bare hands. I didn’t expect Knox would live to a ripe old age, but thought the correspondence from Scotland would have been intercepted by Fergus and thus delayed Jamie’s forced hand and Knox’s demise to possibly a battle casualty. DANG! Jamie is going down a dark path!

Dawn W.: The manner in which the tonsillectomy was performed. It didn’t seem well thought out. Kezzie must have no gag reflex whatsoever!

Stephanie: The storyline going back and forth to her Boston days before she went to Scotland, the beginning of her return to Jamie. Bonus surprise to see Dr. Joe Abernathy!!

Nancy: Jamie’s choking Knox was shocking and a little “Mafiaesque”.

Mitzie: The only thing that somewhat chuckled me was Rogers remark to Claire about almost shooting her, but followed that he would have most likely missed. Oh, poor Roger.

Dawn W.: I agree with Mitzie. Claire surprising Roger in the woods. “I probably would’ve missed you, but still….”

Stephanie:The beginning of the episode with Claire and Marsali finally finding the penicillin….”EUREKA”

Nancy: I agree with Stephanie. Claire teaching Marsali to say, “Eureka”.

Mitzie: I thoroughly enjoyed all the flashbacks. From the collage of past season snippets to Claire’s days in Boston. It was neat seeing so many memorable moments from the past 4 ½ seasons threaded together in a handful of seconds. And then the addition of more insights from Claire’s Boston days to help us understand what really led her back to Scotland and then to Jamie was really nice to watch.

Dawn W.: I was really drawn to the whole conversation that Jamie and Knox had once the Ardsmuir papers arrived. I think I was ready for Jamie to take a stand for Murtaugh and be the real Jamie, the protector and leader of his family.

Stephanie: Jamie doing what he needed to do to protect his family. This was the Jamie we all know and love from Scotland.

Nancy: Again I liked Claire’s flashback to her days as a surgeon in the ‘60’s and her interaction with Graham Menzies, Joe Abernathy, and Briana. Something about Claire’s look reminds me of the movie, “Valley of the Dolls”.  I also loved the opening and closing scenes with Claire seeking solace in the church sanctuary. 

Mitzie: Knox’s death face. Wide eyed and gapping? Something about it didn’t seem right or natural.

Dawn W.: Claire using the hypodermic she brought back with her. Isn’t anyone wondering what that is or questioning it?? 

Stephanie: Didn’t care for Bree’s explanation of why she went to see Bonnett. It was lame in my opinion.

Nancy: Jamie’s killing of Knox. I know he’s killed in the past to keep Dougal from divulging his plans before Culloden,  but he displayed more compassion and conflict of conscious shooting the nasty Mr. Beardsley than with choking Knox. It brought to mind the movie, “The Talented Mr. Ripley” where Tom Ripley killed anyone who discovered his secrets.

So, now that we’ve voted, it’s your turn! Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments who or what gets your vote for “Best” Awards for Episode 503, Free Will. Leave it in the comments!