Outlander: Season Three (2017) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline: What if your future was the past?

A married British combat nurse time-travels between World War II and 1743 Scotland, where she falls for a Scottish warrior.

Storyline: Follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world in which her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire's heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives. Written by Starz

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, November 14, 2016 Time travel has always facisnated viewers and, whether as the primary driver of a series or a one-off episode, numerous past movies and TV shows have dealt with its whims of fancy and, much more important, its more deeply rooted and complex implications, not to mention the physical, emotional, maybe even spiritual tolls on those who make the journey, live the new life, and understand beyond man's linear existance forward. Outlander tackles time travel with a somewhat different approach. Series protagonist Claire doesn't travel through time with the intent of changing the past (as is the case in programs like 11.22.63 and Quantum Leap) or to stop someone else from doing so (Timecop, Back to the Future Part III). Instead, she falls through time by mistake. Her only goal is to return to her present (1945 England), but that doesn't stop her from learning of, and indulging in, all the past has to offer and when presented with the opprotunity, attempting to change the future and the spare the lives of the people she has grown to love.

Official synopsis: Claire and Jamie arrive in France, hell-bent on infiltrating the Jacobite rebellion led by Prince Charles Stuart and stopping the battle of Culloden. With the help of Jamie's cousin, they are thrown into the lavish world of French society, where intrigue and parties are abundant but political gain proves far less fruitful. Altering the course of history presents challenges that begin to weigh on the very fabric of their relationship - but, armed with the knowledge of what lies ahead, Claire and Jamie must race to prevent a doomed Highland uprising and the extinction of Scottish life as they know it.

In an interesting narrative and structural decision, Ronald D. Moore begins Outlander's second season in Claire's present (1948) and then goes back in time as a flashback to Claire's stay in 1740s Paris. The season spends much of its screen capital in the past, leading up to the events of the first episode of the season before moving the final episode forward to 1968. While the book didn't exactly follow this pattern, it allowed the show to progress in a manner that worked better for the screen rather than the page while maintaining the broader integrity of the original works.

The lavishness of 18th century France makes a startling change in backdrop from season one to the beginning of season two. Once again Claire, and now Jamie as well, are outsiders pretending to be Jacobites while they work to subvert the uprising. A "sassenach" or "outlander" is, by definition, someone from the outside, essentially a "foreigner" or a "stranger." In season two, both Claire and Jamie become the outlanders, physically as they pretend to be Jacobites in the French court and emotionally as they each struggle with their personal demons and hope to become whole once more with one another. Season two sees plenty of character growth as Claire and Jamie face new challenges and must overcome them if their relationship is to survive. Both Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan do admirable jobs of showing their character's emotional depth from the end of season one throughout season two. Tobias Menzies also demonstrates a command of two related, yet still disparate, characters while playing his dualing roles in the past and the present.

3.01 The Battle Joined - In 1948, a pregnant Claire moves to Boston with Frank. Their relationship is tense, and she struggles to adjust to her new life as a housewife. She gives birth to Jamie's daughter. In 1746, Jamie and Rupert have survived the Battle of Culloden, but Jamie's wounds are grave. They are caught by redcoats, and Rupert is executed. Jamie is willing to meet his own end, but he is recognized by Lord Melton, the elder brother of the boy whose life Jamie spared before Prestonpans. Bound by honor, Melton sends Jamie home to Broch Tuarach, expecting him to die en route. September 10, 2017

3.02 Surrender - Baby Brianna has brought Claire and Frank closer, but the memory of Jamie still stands between them. Searching for fulfillment, Claire enrolls in medical school as the only woman in her class. Jamie has survived, but with the English searching for him, he lives in a cave as a recluse. Soldiers come to Lallybroch repeatedly, harassing Jenny and Ian for information on Jamie's whereabouts. When Fergus loses a hand in a run-in with redcoats, Jamie arranges to be "caught" so that Jenny can claim the reward, and the English will leave his loved ones alone. September 17, 2017

3.03 All Debts Paid - Claire graduates, but now that Brianna has grown, Frank wants a divorce so he can marry his mistress and move back to England. They are poised to battle over where Brianna will live, but Frank is killed in a car accident. Jamie is serving time in Ardsmuir Prison, where he is the de facto leader and spokesman of the Scots imprisoned there. His uneasy relationship with the new governor of Ardsmuir, John Grey, evolves into a friendship. When the prison is shuttered, Murtagh and the rest of the prisoners are sent to the American colonies as indentured servants, while Grey paroles Jamie to a private estate called Helwater. September 24, 2017

3.04 Of Lost Things - Claire and Brianna research history to track Jamie to Ardsmuir, but when the trail runs cold, they return to America. Serving as a groom for the Dunsany family, Jamie is blackmailed into sex by heiress Geneva. When she and her earl husband die, leaving their newborn son Willie an orphan, Geneva's sister Isobel keeps the secret that the child is really Jamie's. Years later, when the young earl's resemblance to him is becoming obvious, Jamie leaves Helwater, with Willie in the care of Isobel and Grey, who are engaged to be married. October 1, 2017

3.05 Freedom & Whisky - In December 1968, Roger arrives in Boston having discovered a clue to Jamie's whereabouts in 1765. Brianna urges Claire to go back and reunite with Jamie, and mother and daughter have a tearful farewell. In Edinburgh in 1765, Claire finds Jamie in a print shop. October 8, 2017

3.06 A. Malcolm - Claire and Jamie are reunited. She shares photos of Brianna, and he tells Claire about Willie. She also learns that Jamie prints subversive material, smuggles wine and spirits, and lives in a brothel. Claire is reunited with an adult Fergus, and meets some of the prostitutes in Madame Jeanne's establishment. While Jamie is out, Claire finds herself in danger from an intruder. October 22, 2017

3.07 Crème de Menthe - Claire's attacker falls and suffers a critical head injury, and she is unable to save his life. Ian arrives looking for his son, Young Ian. Jamie claims he has not seen the boy, though young Ian has been working for him. Young Ian confronts an intruder at the print shop, who discovers Jamie's treason. The shop is soon consumed by fire, but Jamie saves the boy. October 29, 2017

3.08 First Wife - Jamie takes Claire and young Ian home to Lallybroch. Claire discovers that Jamie married a twice widowed Laoghaire, who accidentally shoots him during a confrontation. Jamie recovers thanks to the penicillin that Claire has brought. Ned Gowan negotiates a settlement with Laoghaire, and Jamie decides to retrieve the treasure on Silky Isle to pay for it. Young Ian swims to the island in an injured Jamie's place. Jamie and Claire are horrified to see the boy forcibly taken aboard a ship and carried away. November 5, 2017

3.09 The Doldrums - Learning in France that young Ian's ship is heading for Jamaica, Claire and Jamie pursue it on a trading ship, the Artemis. At sea, Fergus reveals that Laoghaire's daughter Marsali is aboard, and they seek Jamie's approval for their marriage. The British man-of-war Porpoise stops them and seeks help, her crew stricken with a plague. Claire determines that the disease is typhoid fever and trains them to stop its spread, but the ship carries her off with the captain's promise to leave her in Jamaica to wait for the Artemis. November 12, 2017

3.10 Heaven and Earth - On the Porpoise, Claire struggles against suspicion from some of the crew, but eventually manages to stop the spread of the disease. She discovers that the captain knows Jamie's true identity and plans to have him arrested in Jamaica for treason and murder. When they go ashore, she tries to escape but is apprehended by the captain. That night at sea, a woman named Annejke encourages Claire to jump overboard using an empty barrel as a raft, as the current will carry her towards land. Meanwhile on the Artemis, Jamie is confined after threatening the captain, wanting him to sail faster in pursuit of the Porpoise. He tries to get Fergus to help him take control of the ship, but Fergus instead persuades the captain to let Jamie rejoin the crew after he promises not to mutiny again. November 19, 2017

3.11 Uncharted - Claire swims ashore, and walks inland, struggling to survive the harsh tropical environment. She is found and taken in by Father Fogden, a runaway priest. In passing, he tells her of a cave in Jamaica where people have been known to disappear. A few days later, the Artemis reaches the island, needing to make repairs after a storm, her captain having died. As the ship is about to sail, Claire attracts Jamie's attention from the beach using a mirror. Back on the island, Fogden marries Fergus and Marsali. The next day, Jamie, Claire and the crew set sail for Jamaica. November 26, 2017

3.12 The Bakra - Young Ian is being held prisoner in Jamaica by Geillis. She makes him drink tea that compels him to tell the truth about Jamie and the treasure. Jamie and Claire reach the island, and Claire gets into an altercation at the slave market. Jamie buys her the slave, Temeraire, to defuse the situation. They attend a ball thrown by the new governor, who they discover is Lord John. Claire is reunited with Geillis, who offers to help with their search. At the ball, Margaret Campbell prophesies that a king will rule Scotland again when a two-hundred year-old child is killed. Fergus sees Captain Leonard arrive, and warns Jamie, who flees. Temeraire tells Claire and Jamie that Geillis is holding Ian. On their way to Geillis's villa, Jamie is arrested by Leonard. December 3, 2017

3.13 Eye of the Storm - Claire is captured whilst searching Geillis's slave houses for Ian. The governor's troops recover Jamie from Captain Leonard, and Grey sets Jamie free after Leonard is unable to produce any evidence of his alleged crimes. Meanwhile, Claire tells Geillis about her return to the 20th century, and Geillis realises that it is Claire's child who must die before Scotland wins its new king. Jamie frees Claire, and they rescue Ian from Geillis, who is killed during the struggle. The group sets sail from Jamaica, but are shipwrecked in a storm. Jamie saves Claire from drowning, and they are washed up together on the shore of Georgia. December 10, 2017

Discs 1 (05/03/18)
Discs 2 (05/03/18)
Discs 3 (05/04/18)
Discs 4 (05/08/18)
Discs 5 (05/09/18)

[CSW] -4.7- Prepare to enter a world unlike any other. It is well filmed and pays great attention to detail, every piece of clothing, the music, the lighting... you feel the chill damp wind in the forest, taste the salt spray of the ocean, feel the height of the cliffs; you catch the nuances in every scene. Beautifully acted, beautifully filmed, this is exquisite. This series is the most fascinating I've ever experienced--and I do mean "experienced" at the gut level. It is so well done that you can't help but become completely immerse in the story, the action, and the characters. It is brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. You will fall in love with the characters, even minor ones. It is simply outstanding.
[V4.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box


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