On this day in Outlander history: The first ever episode of Outlander

Opinions of the actors

Of course, this was the first glimpse of how the two who would become Claire and Jamie would be around each other. Some of the chemistry was initially lacking, but that may have been the lack of time for them together. A lot of the focus was on the 1940s before Claire went through the stones and found herself at Castle Leoch.

Overall, feedback of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan was positive. And we can’t forget the praise Tobias Menzies got for both Frank and Black Jack Randall. It was clear without the costumes that these were two distinctively different characters.

We Got This Covered also shared praise for Balfe, with little mention of the others. After all, a lot of the episode was about her in particular.

My first opinion of the pilot

I’d never read the books before starting the series. In fact, I only watched the series because I saw it on Netflix Canada and remembered it from friends telling me I’d like it. I thought I’d watch the first episode to see what it was like.

It was enough to draw me in. I didn’t overly love the voice overs of Claire narrating the story, but it wasn’t too distracting to get the story in place. Balfe and Heughan sold me enough on the characters without the vision of the book characters in my head and I adored Menzies’ two roles.

By the way, no matter how many times I watch, I don’t hear this “mine” at the Castle Leoch ruins that everyone keeps banging on about.

What did you think of Outlander Season 1, Episode 1? What are you doing to celebrate this day in Outlander history? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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