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Was expecting sci-fi with the whole time travel theme but it seems a lot different. I watched the first three episodes and it seems real slow to develop. But I’ve heard great things about it overall. Not sure if I should continue. Convince me otherwise. It seems like it is very feminist themed and not a lot of action.
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The mechanism for the time travel is mystical / fantasy rather than science fiction. It’s more a vehicle for a sweeping period drama.
There’s not a lot of fighting action, but there is plenty of violence and brutality spread through, including graphic rape scenes. It’s well acted and beautifully shot, but I felt the writing in later seasons was more like an overly melodramatic soap opera.
It’s not sci-fi and it’s not an action show. It’s more a period drama than anything else. Personally I love it, but if what you’re looking for is a science fiction story, this is not it.
That what I thought until I finished the first season. I think the best possible description is romance with supernatural elements. The female characters have depth and complexity while the male characters are simplistic cardboard standees or cartoonishly evil villains. It confused me until I recognized it as a romance novel come to life.
It is a romance novel, it always was. Completely disagree with the male characters being one dimensional though.
The novels (which I love) are much more historical fiction/adventure/drama with comedy and some romance thrown in. They definitely aren't in the romance genre.
The show started out very close to the book storylines, but then veered way more towards romance/melodrama parts. I stopped watching a couple of seasons ago because it really went off the rails.
I can’t comment about the books because I just started reading them a few days ago for the first time, but I really don’t see that much of a difference between the different seasons of the show. Yes, some seasons have more important historical events than others, but that’s normal, there’s not important stuff happening all the tine.
It's not a romance novel, it's historical fiction.
It's much too traumatic to be romance.
It’s definitely traumatic, but it’s impossible to say that Jamie and Claire’s story is not a romance.
It's a tough show to recommend. Because on the positive it has a great cast, some terrific performances and amazing scenes. There is the huge elephant in the room of it's subject matter that often gets talked about among it's fans in hushed tones.
First and foremost Outlander is a historic romance series at it's core. The characters and setting all get explored in detail. The "traveling back in time" thing is more of a plot device in order to have fun with the narrative of a woman living in the past who is literally ahead of her time in the way she acts and thinks. Outlander is a messy romantic soap opera. It does deal with some time travel concepts like "can history be changed", but it is there to explore the characters and it is overall a very slow moving series.
Now to the elephant in the room: The show has A LOT of R**e. Like a lot of it. The author of the series said she wanted to be true to the time period. But this is just insane and made the scenes in game of Thrones look tame in comparison. I had to quit by season 5 because by that point over half the cast had been R***d once. It's usually a major storyline every season, usually taking up a third of each season.
The one scene in season one is especially brutal. Almost gave up there
My ex bf fainted watching those scenes. Very brutal. Very detailed.
I was addicted to it. BF also seemed to enjoy it.
Same. I'm always looking forward to the new season. Period drama paired with violence, romance, some politics and the slight mystery of the time travel the first two seasons: great combo for me!
But from what I remember the first few episodes are kinda slow. More about politics and building context. I think the violence/action happens later in the show.
It's a historical romance with a time-travel element. My wife loves it. I kinda hate it.
It is an excellent show. Be forewarned…if you continue, there are scenes and moments that are very difficult to watch. Overall, it is one of the best.
It is, for me
Basically a romance. It moved way too slowly for me and I quit after a couple of seasons. It's as if the writers were being paid by the word.
Same exact thing happened to me. I watched the first few episodes and gave up. Later I returned. You just gotta keep pushing through the episodes. Eventually you'll start liking certain characters more and more, like Murtaugh. The first two season are solid once you get into them. But it's not really hardcore sci-fi or time travel at all. Just sort of an action romance show, with good actors (mostly).
I have the same experience with it. Giving up then trying again, rinse and repeat.
Like other people have said it's more fictional historical drama than anything. I watched all of it and I don't like most tv shows. There is too much sex scenes in it for my tastes as well. Towards the end as in the most recent season it does get a bit too out of the period drama genre for me. Like they ran out of material. I don't know if they're making a new season.
No it’s a really boring show, watch warrior on HBO max instead.
It was fun until like episode 6 or 7. Then it turned into soft-core rape/torture porn. It got really dumb.
So is „feminist themed“ and „not a lot of action“ good or bad?
If you're a man its pretty bad. Not to say there's anything necessarily wrong with a feminist show. But holy fuck was i bored. This was not a show for dudes. And that's what op is asking.
It felt like if game of thrones never got interesting and went for pure drama/ romance instead of having an epic, action packed adventure in the middle of it.
I’m a dude and loved it, and GoT was at its best with slow drama rather than the action I think
Another dude here that liked it. Didn't LOVE it, but it's a decent show to watch along with the wife. Not to sure I'd be watching it on my own, but it's a decent watch.
It’s kinda smutty. And Kilts. So I tease my wife by calling it her ‘kilt smut show’
It’s a little all over the place and overly sensational…
YES!!! It’s sooo good especially the first 3-4 seasons
As others have noted, it is not really a sci-fi show. There is some action, but it is not a pure "action" show.
I watch it with my partner, I think it peaked at season two but was still good until the most recent season which was okay at best though it's worth noting Covid obviously effected production.
I liked the first 2 seasons, which built up to the Battle of Culloden (which ultimately happens offscreen). Episode 35 (Season 3 episode 6) would have been a decent stopping point for the Culloden story arc. I love history and costumes, and the first two seasons have that in spades. My husband quickly stopped viewing this show with me though, as it quickly became apparent that the military aspect wasn't a main feature and it's targeted to a female audience. "Not a lot of action" is a fair assessment. My favorite episodes are the 5th and 7th episodes of season one, so I'd encourage you to give those a try. If those don't hold interest, I couldn't say that it gets better.
In season 3, there's a big time/setting/cast shift. Scotland wasn't really a part of it anymore, and the new storyline didn't draw me in. I stopped watching in season 4 or so.
Is it not just Braveheart for bored housewives with fantasies about men in kilts?
I watched a lot of it with my ex. The way they marketed it felt like I got scammed too to be honest. It wasn't that it was a bad show, it was that they marketed it as some epic, adventurous, sci-fi, action show with a heavy romance theme.
Its actually just a show written for "the female fantasy." Kinda slow, boring, not much action. When there was action, it wasn't interesting, but just served to push the plot forward. Not like there's not a million shows for the male fantasy, but this isn't our show bro, sorry to say.
The writing and direction was undoubtedly good. But what was advertised vs what we got were very different. nothing wrong with making an epic chick flick, But that's what this is. Just a long love story. I got scammed into believing, by my ex and the marketing, that this show was something it wasn't. It almost felt like game of thrones at times, genuinely good fantasy plot and setup, but then it just never kicked up...
You might feel the same way. I never finished it but I still remember the blue balls this show gave me thinking it was gonna get crazy any episode now...
Another show that loves to show rape and gore to attract weirdos. Just like Lame of Thrones
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That’s not true. BoJack Horseman didn’t start to get good until 7 episodes into season one and not really great until the end of season two. Sticking with it the payoff is fantastic but it took way more than three episodes to determine that.
It’s a beautiful period piece romance. Fantastic scenery, good portrayal of the Brutality of the era and yes , the struggle of not just women, but of those colonized. So if you are into that : It’s fantastic. If you are open to it, then it’s worth exploring
It's historical fiction/romance with time travel as the plot device.
as an FYI it has a LOT of rape, rape threats and torture. Almost every character male or female is raped and a rape takes place across three episodes in the first season.
YES! My hubby says this is the best show he has ever seen on TV! His taste runs from Star Trek, NCIS, comedy (like Big Bang). to Bridgerton (which surprised meI- He likes history, Night Agent. We are blown away by the photography, acting. plot, and the time travel is unlike anything we have ever seen. We become totally IMMERSED in this show. Do stay with it. It was our relief during the height of the pandemic.