Author Archives: A Novel Approach

Outlander – Rent

Dougal (Graham McTavish) in Outlander

Dougal (Graham McTavish) in Outlander

Rent, the fifth episode in the first season of Outlander on STARZ shoots the story ahead.  The reviewers who saw multiple episodes of the show before it even aired and reported there was no action or intense drama have me wondering what show they watched.

On her facebook page the day this episode aired Diana Gabaldon posted a picture of Graham McTavish, the actor who portrays Dougal with a note “All Dougal, All the time…”, and after watching the episode I can easily understand why — the plot gave him a thousand and one moments to shine, and he made the most of each and every one of them.

For those reading as we watch, last week we ended at approximately page 200, or the beginning of Part III / Chapter 11, well, I hope you have a boring week ahead of you in the real world, because STARZ, Ron Moore et al, packed this episode full of great stuff, much of which was out of the book, and suddenly we are gearing up for some of the events at the beginning of chapter 21 next week!

Set aside some time in a comfy chair and pull out your book, Chapter 21 starts on page 371 and that is the best approximation of where episode 5 left off and 6 will pick up.

Always keep in mind scenes are shifting around slightly, situations are changing, and part of the fun of reading the book as well as watching the show is seeing what so captivated everyone that it simply could be no other way, and what this amazing collaborative team came together on as a force of nature and suddenly one woman’s vision has been enhanced, and changed and now on the screen in vivid color we have these walking talking characters.  I try to find the chapter in the book that come closest to matching where the episode left off, knowing the book often contains subplots that could not make it to the screen, characters we seem to recall reading but not seeing, and so on.

As has been happening with each episode, there are changes being made, and so many of them work so nicely, there were a few here that strengthened a lot of relationships, and the actors, one and all, worked beautifully with the material they were given.  I love the looks they exchange, the nuances they have in their performances, the subtleties they are filling their roles with.  Rupert and Angus, and the clansmen Claire and Jamie travel with as Dougal collects the rents feel like genuine people and characters, as opposed to extras who happen to be on the screen at the same time, and for that I give everyone a great deal of credit, as that is much easier to do in a book than in a television show.

Scenes that in the book built up Jamie the one man Claire knew and trusted, were used in the show to flesh out the world, to build her understanding, to build the audience’s understanding of the people and the world, and to create a genuine quandary at the end of the episode so it ended on a question that could have been a simple yes or no but was, instead, a question that makes you want to tune in next week because Claire could answer it either way.  As the screen faded to black she is clearly debating her answer, and with seemingly good reason, a different situation entirely than the end of chapter 20, and yet they both clearly set her up for the beginning of chapter 21.

This episode is a prime example of why the actors, and the writers, deserve kudos and high marks for the fantastic job they are doing taking Outlander from the page to the screen.

And, as an added bonus in this post, a link for those who did not get a “Pocket Jamie” at Fan Expo or one of the other fun events promoting Outlander, you can download one from STARZ and the Outlander Community.  (Yes, I wish Pocket Jamie had gone to Casa Loma.)

If you are loving the music in Outlander, and want a lot of great information about it, and don’t mind reading an article with plot points and details laid out, surf over to Bear McCreary’s blog and read his article about The Way Out, the Gathering and Rent.  He mentions a detail I had suspected when I heard one of the songs:

“The Woman of Balnain,” the song that concludes this episode {The Way Out}, was actually the first music I ever composed for Outlander. The lyrics are by Diana Gabaldon herself, from her books, and getting to set them for this collaboration was the perfect way to start my experience on this series! I was thrown immediately into the deep end of the pool, and was asked to write a single piece of music that could accomplish the source and score needs for the scene, and be practical for Gillebrìde to perform on camera. – See more at: http://www.bearmccreary.com/#blog/blog/outlander-the-way-out-the-gathering-and-rent/

Highlight the space/text above with your cursor and it will magically appear… if you don’t mind a few details that should not qualify as storyline spoilers, but one never knows where others draw the lines, so I decided to err on the side of caution here, and conceal those details from the naked eye.

Cedar Cove – 16 Lighthouse Road

16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove, Washington) -- by Debbie Macomber

16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove, Washington) — by Debbie Macomber

Last night another episode of Season 2 of Cedar Cove aired on Hallmark Channel. I still remember the feeling I had when I first saw a commercial for the show last year. It was a show pitching the basic concept, without any real detail of character or plot, so much as it pitched, the town of Cedar Cove, and what an idyllic summer getaway Hallmark Channel would be offering. I remember watching Andie MacDowell riding her bike around this small coastal town, and being reminded of the Cabot Cove episodes of Murder She Wrote.  As Andie MacDowell waved at friends and greeted neighbors I was reminded of some of my favorite Angela Lansbury scenes, and I immediately wanted to tune in and find out what this show was about.

As more commercials aired, and I saw familiar faces Dylan Neal and Teryl Rothery filling in the cast, I grew more interested.  Then I tuned in to the episodes and was charmed by this small wholesome town with some genuine people and characters.  Episodes where a judge discouraged a quick divorce in favor of counseling and making certain a young couple was not taking an easy out when a marriage could possible be worked on and a love saved.  A divorce where instead of the children spending a week here and a week there, the children stayed in the house and it was the parents who alternated weeks in the house!  What a fascinating concept.

Barbara Niven and Bruce Boxleitner may be one of the most delightful couples currently on tv, rivaling White Collar’s Tim DeKay and Tiffani Thiessen as the Burkes.  Seeing a portrayal of a couple who not only cares about one another, but as clearly hit rough patches over the years, faced problems together and come out stronger is both an inspiration and a role model for those of us who know how easy it can be to give up, seeing proof that the work is worth it is reassuring, even if we know the couple is a fictional reminder of so many strong couples in our own lives that somehow get overlooked because they are outnumbered, or seemingly so, by the high divorce rate.

This weekend I sat down with a copy of 16 Lighthouse Road, curious if the source material would live up to the show that had captivated me, and called me back week after week, and admittedly curious just how much came from it.  (I should note I actually got the ebundle of the first four books in the series, since I saw the second book featured Grace, Teryl Rothery’s character who delights me every time she comes on screen.)

16 Lighthouse Road was a joy to read.  I could almost hear the actors reading the lines the characters had so smoothly translated from the book to the screen, though many details of backstory had changed.  In quite a few cases people seem to be younger on the screen, Justine‘s occupation/career path feels entirely different little things of that nature.  And in the book I missed Moon and his coffee shop, perhaps he appears in later books, if he is a creation of a show, then I give them kudos for a wonderful addition, and one that so perfectly fits with the town of Cedar Cove.

Last year I had run across a very good interview with Dylan Neal done by About.com, in it this exchange took place:

So I talked to Debbie Macomber and one of the things she said is that when she writes her books, she doesn’t really write descriptions of the characters, but in her head she has a lot of backstory so have you talked to her about your character’s backstory?

I purposely don’t read the books. This is my second book adaptation TV series and my approach is my boss is the showrunner, not the author. The showrunner’s job is to interpret the books to what we’re going to do. It may be exactly the same; it may be completely different. My job is to do what the showrunner wants. I don’t want to cloud my vision with what the author did.

Read more of the interview here: http://soaps.about.com/od/bbinterviews/a/Where-Are-They-Now-Former-Bandb-Star-Dylan-Neal-Is-In-Cedar-Cove.htm

I was reminded of that exchange as I read the book and noticed subtle changes to the drama, little things that in the proverbial sense perked up my ears and made me stop and think.  I wondered “why change this?”  “Was that something that worked better on the page than the screen?”  “Would this have played as well on screen, or taken too long?”  It intrigued me to think back to his comments and realize how confusing it might have been as an actor to go into a project thinking you had a full understanding of your character, only to have the writers, unintentionally, pull the carpet out from under you as they start changing details.

Think back to my comment above about Justine, in the book she is a highly organized number cruncher.  On the show I adore the character Justine, but feel she is more of a mid-twenties woman still trying to feel out where her true occupational passion lies.  On the screen I do not consider her a career woman who has worked a path and achieved a goal, yet in the book I did feel that way about her.  In both cases I liked her, respected her, and enjoyed her journey… but there were times when I felt like I was witnessing two sides of the same coin.  There was a point in that character’s evolution where she could have gone left or right, for the screen she went one direction, for the page the other.  Each was fascinating, and enjoyable, but he results were different in that aspect of her life.

Cliff Harding & Grace Sherman (Sebastian Spence and Teryl Rothery) (C) 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Katie Yu

Cliff Harding & Grace Sherman (Sebastian Spence and Teryl Rothery) (C) 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Katie Yu

As I reached the last page of 16 Lighthouse Road I was disappointed.  I did not want my visit to Cedar Cove to end!  Thankfully, I had bought that 4 book bundle, and as I clicked to what would have usually been an about the author page I instead turned to the first page of 204 Rosewood Lane, and before I knew it I had read 4 chapters into Grace’s book.

Teryl Rothery (as Grace Sherman) and Sebastian Spence (as Cliff Harding) have been amusing me endlessly since they first appeared on screen.  I simply can not wait to sit down and read more of their story, and in this case I was thrilled Cliff had not been created for the television show — it means I have pages and pages ahead of me in which to enjoy their fun exchanges.

And I adore the banter between Jack Griffin (aka Jack Griffith, played by Dylan Neal) and Judge Olivia Lockhart (Andie MacDowell).  Those two are a delight to watch on the screen, and their characters are an equal joy in the book.

If an hour a week in Cedar Cove is not enough.  If you have already watched every episode (Season 1 is out on DVD for those who did not see it when it aired on Hallmark Channel last summer).  Remember Debbie Macomber started this all with novels that contain the charm and essence which fills these episodes.

Here is a link to a Hallmark Channel Cedar Cove video you may enjoy if you’ve never watched the show:  Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove – Video | Hallmark Channel #cedarcovetv

To keep up with Hallmark Channel, Cedar Cove, and the cast of Cedar Cove, here are some useful Twitter handles:  @HallmarkChannel, @CedarCoveTV, #CedarCoveTV,
@AndieMacDowell3, @DylanNealStudio, @TerylRothery, @SpenceSebastian, @BoxleitnerBruce, @BarbaraNiven,
@SarahSmyth24, @Brennan_Elliott, @Corey_Sevier,
@hayleysales, @_TomStevens, @AtleastLevesque, @Jesse_Hutch,

Members on this cast have an incredible resume, please take the time to check each of them out on IMDB, it was impossible to pick one credit to put beside any one of them.  With actors from Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dawson’s Creek, Arrow, Stargate SG-1, First Wave, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Babylon 5, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Strong Medicine… and that just scratches the surface of what a few of these talented folks have been a part of, so if you feel like some of those names and/or faces rang a bell, there is probably a reason.  Take a moment to click over to the Internet Movie DataBase and jog your memory.

Outlander – The Gathering

Outlander's Dougal

Outlander’s Dougal

The Third episode of STARZ Outlander is aptly titled The Gathering, and what a gathering it is! Not only do Colum’s clansmen gather to give him their oath, but they participate in a boar hunt as well.

This episode takes those reading the book through the end of the tenth chapter, and Part II of the book (page 200), though the book blatantly states what the show only implies, that not only will Claire (Caitriona Balfe) be going on the road with Dougal (Graham McTavish), but so will Jamie (Sam Heughan).

While this was a brief forty pages in the book, and the first two episodes covered 80 pages, this episode felt like it stayed close to the book in a great many respects.   Again scenes were added, fleshing out parts of the story that were there all along, but they flowed seamlessly with the book and I suspect many of those who have not read the book in over a decade thought them original material.

Author Diana Gabaldon in Outlander the TV Show on STARZ, based on her novel Outlander

Author Diana Gabaldon in Outlander the TV Show on STARZ, based on her novel Outlander

The Gathering was a fantastic episode for several of the relationships, with action and drama, and moments that quickly remind the audience that the 1700s contained very different realities and perils than the 1940s.

As an added bonus, and insider gift for keen-eyed fans of the book, the author Diana Gabaldon was in the Castle this week interacting ever so briefly with the characters she gave life to.

The first season of Outlander will be 16 episodes, and with the announcement that Outlander has been picked up for a second season based on the second book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber, (and is expected to be 13 episodes?) we feel confident all 850 pages, and all 41 chapters of Outlander will be deftly handled during this first season which is, thus far, unfolding quite nicely.

Longmire – The Cold Dish

For three seasons on A&E Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) has been the determined Sheriff of Absaroka County Wyoming.   His friend Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) has shown audiences what a true friend is, being the man who will stand by Walt when his world feels as though it is falling apart, because his wife has passed away, and having his back in all situations.

Vic Moretti (Katee Sackhoff) if a no nonsense deputy (undersheriff?) with the skills the county needs in the Sheriff’s department to help solve crimes and uphold the laws, but also to support their Sheriff and balance his skill set.  She may not be a local girl, but she brings city cop training, knowledge of ballistics and Crime Scene solving into the mix.

These are all characters that Craig Johnson brought to life in his series of novels that began with The Cold Dish.  With nearly a dozen Longmire novels, seven of which were in print before the series began airing, the characters had taken form and the relationships were clearly defined… and many aspects translated directly to the show beautifully.  Yet there are aspects that were clearly changed, noticeably and yet not in a negative way, just in a way that as I read I stopped and said, “hmm, I see what you did there,” and took a moment to wonder why.

In the Longmire from Book To Screen Deluxe Teaser, which predominantly contains sample chapters from the books, there is a foreward by Craig Johnson which talks about some of the changes that took place, and the process of going from his original books to the Television series.  He specifically addresses the age change of the title Character Longmire, who is older in the novels than on the TV show.  The change was made, quite simply, to afford the show more seasons, and while they did make him younger, they did not do it so dramatically or drastically that I found it distracting.  And I felt that while they shaved some years off of his age, they did not shave off so many that negated the possibility of his back story, they simply changed the details of it, and it still works, because he is old enough to have still had time to have had a job before he was Sheriff, to have lived a complex life, etc.

I felt they also changed aspects of the relationship between Longmire and Lucian Connally… and as so often happens when I have the opportunity to read source material I want to go back and rewatch the entire series from start to finish and get a better idea of how close the two works are to one another.

I started reading The Cold Dish, the first Longmire novel, days after I watched the season 3 season finale.  I was in awe of how the season ended, knew I had the Longmire novel at hand, and wanted to spend more time with the Longmire characters, so the timing, in that respect, felt perfect.

Throughout the novel I was aware I had seen this basic plot on the show, and yet it felt… different… there was a familiarity to it, without a full on sense of deja-vu, which I appreciated.  I felt like I was along for a ride with old friends, without feeling like I knew what was coming around every turn, and there were no surprises in store for me.  By the time I got to the end, I was certain I had encountered the crime before, and yet, while I have a fairly good memory for the who-done-its, Craig Johnson had surprised me, and I wanted to know what I had forgotten.

After a little digging around I found that I was correctly recalling similar plot points were in the tenth episode of the first season, and yet, I do not feel it would be fair to say that the episode was pulled directly from this novel — so while each might give you hints and things to think about while enjoying the other, I’m not convinced either will help you solve the who-done-it in the other.  And yes, to me, that makes each twice as powerful.

I for one am grateful there are nearly a dozen more books for me to read in this Penguin Mystery series.  While I cross my fingers, and join the multitudes hoping for a fourth season, at least I’ll have some reading material to keep me from missing Longmire and his pals too much.

For more info, you may want to visit: Craig Johnson’s Website

Longmire, A&E’s contemporary crime thriller set in Big Sky country, is based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by bestselling author Craig Johnson. The series stars Australian actor Robert Taylor (The Matrix) as Walt Longmire, the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, along with Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Gallactica) as his right-hand deputy Vic Moretti, Lou Diamond Phillips (Numb3rs), Bailey Chase (Damages), and Cassidy Freeman (Smallville)