I really didn’t think 403 sucked that bad. I thought the Roger Bree parts were decent. Not the best ever or awe strickening (is that a word?), but solid.
The Jamie Claire parts just hurt me. That is not my Claire. My Claire hasn’t been around for a very long time, but S4 Claire is the sad sack of a human being teetering on an emotional precipice that was actually me when I found those books at age 39. I do not want to see that. I fought hard to shake off that misery.
Do I take these books too seriously? Fuck yeah I do! They saved me. Pardon the drama, but it’s the truth. Being a woman on the cusp of middle age with kids that no longer needed me to survive and hair that was more gray than not and wrinkles and a body aged who set aside a career to be available for others, I felt that my purpose was over. 40 and dead. I felt invisible. Pointless. Suddenly not the target market for anything besides pee pads and plastic surgery. It’s a sad hard place to dwell.
Those books, through Claire, showed me how much worth I STILL held and that life was not over, I wasn’t meant to just end up going forward. Book Claire taught me to let my hair down and seek joy and authenticity. There is nothing else out there glorifying the life of a woman beyond her youth. So when I say it hurts me to watch show Claire, that is literal. It’s giving me some PTSD and fuck that. I do not ever want to be that sad quiet pitiful woman ever again. I need to -see- that romantic fool Claire all the way. If the show won’t give me that, I’ll just tune out and read the books again.
Just a few thoughts on intimacy – and gravitational pull
Actors, acting. I’ve seen a lot of comment about the reduction in (scripted and) unscripted Jamie-Claire intimate moments, and a perceived general toning down of their interaction. Many are assigning responsibility for that to Sam and/or Cait, and I’m not saying that external factors may not be playing a role to some degree (other thoughts for another time). But let’s consider for one moment: what if “toning it down” is exactly what Cait and Sam have been *directed* to do on-set?
Think about it: this season, the Bree-Roger relationship becomes a major story arc – and it’s being pushed big-time in promo. The producers clearly want to hook viewers – especially a younger, more diverse demographic – with the satellite story lines (viz also: Young Ian. Rollo. Native Americans). However, the chemistry between Rik and Sophie is, shall we say, less palpable than it could be. Given that, I can fully see a decision being made to dial back on the SC JC chemistry in order to reduce the contrast and make the BR connection appear stronger, as production tries to build investment of viewers in that relationship.
Do I think that’s a wise decision, if so? No – the Jamie-Claire relationship is the center round which all the ancillary stories rotate: if the gravitational pull of the center is not strong enough, the objects around will fly off and be lost. Hopefully the producers realise that and re-ground the center in JC’s relationship before too much longer.
I just made a similar comment on another post, @silvercitysands. The writers are trying to pull a bait and switch in my opinion. I can’t imagine it will work.
Had a similar thought myself. It’s a stupid decision but one I can totally see them making. Even if not told to tone it down directly, the writers are definitely rushing JC scenes and depriving them room to breathe. Same effect
Tori