Tag Archives: Showcase.ca

Fan Expo Canada in Toronto – A Week Away

With Fan Expo Canada just a week away it is time, as an attendee, to start not just anticipating, but getting ready, and that means hitting the website and rejoicing that the schedule is up! The floorplan is up! And something called a locations guide is up! Yup, time to download some documents and see just what kind of fun awaits us!

A quick glance at the floor plan for the exhibit hall reveals Showcase, Space and eOne (BroadChurch, Rookie Blue, and Haven, among other projects) will have good size booths — and that right there is one of the major reasons why I have decided to venture to Toronto and check out this convention.

Space is, from what I have gathered, the Canadian equivalent to SyFy in the United States, airing Face Off, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge, as well as Doctor Who, Orphan Black, Sharknado, Wizard Wars, and The Last Ship.

Showcase, based on my limited exposure to it on a trip to Canada is a television channel I would have to have if I lived up north. I tuned into it at my hotel and fell in love! The Showcase Channel currently airs Continuum, Defiance, Outlander, Dominion, Haven (made by eOne), Rizzoli and Isles, Beauty and the Beast, Helix and Game of Thrones, just to name a few shows currently featured on their home page. To say Showcase airs the shows I watch and love might actually be an understatement.

Outlander – Castle Leoch

Claire and Jamie in Outlander S01E02 Castle Leoch

STARZ Outlander‘s second episode, Castle Leoch, incorporates large portions of the chapters 4 through 9 (about 4 pages into chapter 9, or approximately pages 81-162) of the Diana Gabaldon novel Outlander, but begins to feel less like an attempt to precisely translate the novel to the screen, and more like an effort to capture the most powerful and dynamic pages of the book, and present them in the best possible way in moving images.

In episode two it feels like scenes are shifted in position, aspects and conversations changed. Where in episode one minor characters from the novel did not appear, here it felt like a minor character or two was added to facilitate tension, drama, and keep both characters and the plot on track and focused. And yet, even as I was aware of all of these subtle and nuanced changes, none of them felt as though they were in violation of the book, or characters, but rather like I was simply being exposed to a different and equally compelling edit of the same story — making me glad I’ve already read these chapters, and am now enjoying the STARZ presentation.

Outlander is an epic story, set at this point predominantly in the 18th century, but the show uses a nice technique of flashing back to Claire’s twentieth century memories as she tries to adjust to her life, and use what knowledge she has, in every respect, to survive in this new life.

Watch Outlander on STARZ to catch up, and tune in each Saturday night at 9 PM ET/PT

Outlander Theme Song

From the moment the first episode of Outlander aired on STARZ fans have been gushing about the theme song which so beautifully captures the characters, the time frame, and the culture of the show.

In answer to the question, is the song (by Bear McCreary) available, can it be heard/purchased, I have found it available at Rhapsody.com. It is also available at the iTunes store, search for Outlander – Main Title Theme (Skye Boat Song) [feat. Raya Yarbrough] – Single, by Bear McCreary. (Press play in the player below to hear a 30 second clip, members of Rhapsody can signin and hear the entire song.)

Outlander — Fans are praising the first episode

Outlander Bandannas and Novels

Outlander fans across the internet are cheering the first episode of the show, which aired on STARZ last night. An abridged form of the story readers have loved for over two decades, the television is breathing life into beloved characters, giving longtime fans a reason to re-read a book they love, and new fans a reason to find a book they may not have read before.

Yes, as you can see in the photo above, a special re-release of the book came out as a tie-in to the show, with the images of the STARZ cast members on the cover.

Outlander STARZ Promotional Photo – Claire

With roughly 900,000 viewers, yes, that is 900 thousand folks, having tuned in to see the first episode BEFORE IT AIRED, we are eagerly looking forward to hearing how the show rated when it hit screens live last night.

What can already be said is that Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan beautifully stepped into the roles of Claire and Jaime and led a talented cast in this period piece.

Time and again it felt like the pages of the book had simply come to life.

For those who have not read the book(s), and do not see having time to do so before this season wraps up, is that a problem? After all, we keep pointing you over to the books, don’t we? No, of course not! Having read the books simply gives the added interest of wondering how closely they will be followed, of seeing what makes its way from one medium to the other — and if what you imaged, curled up with the novel in your hands, is what this grand collaborative team brought to the screen.

Reading the books might also help set expectations. I started to devour the book before the show aired… and about half way through, loving the characters, loving the grand journey they were on, I realized this is a long (yes, with a page-count of 850 I did see my own remark coming) tale. It unfolds in a natural manner. There are no grand space battles in the 1700s. This is not a steam punk tale with future-technology from generations even ahead of our own imagination having been brought back in time.

This is a very real feeling drama about a woman from 1945, with an understanding of nursing from that time period having been flung back in time 202 years and trying to survive, and find her way home.

Now take a moment to imagine how many survival skills you have that would help you survive (or heal others) 202 years ago. I made that remark to one friend and he immediately wanted to ask his teenage son if the he knew whether potatoes grew on a tree or in the ground!

Having now watched the episode twice, I enjoyed the voice-over technique employed for Claire equally both times – it balances the sense that this came from a book beautifully with the new medium, and keeps the story on track and moving forward. Had those portions been altered — been forced into conversations, or the actors been told to try and convey everything through expressions and manner without the aid of those voice-overs, I believe the show episode would have suffered.

If you have not already watched the first episode of Outlander, this is a show that looks like it will play well as individual episodes, giving a satisfying story in each hour — and yet, at the end of the season, I can already see I’m going to want to set aside a weekend to watch the series in full as the grand epic tale it is.