I hadn’t plan to write a single blog post about every chapter, but as this one is set solely in 1968 whereas the following ones will play out in 1755, it makes sense to do a single post.
Part Three: When I Am Thy Captive
07: A Faith in Documents
in which they find out what happened to Jamie and we learn more about Claire’s years in Boston
There are actually two stories in this chapter. The first one can be incorporated into a TV plot easily, I think. Claire, Bree & Roger have already learned about “The Dunbonnet” legend and suspect it to be Jamie. Fiona only confirms it and adds the bit of the legend, she happen to have learned from her grandmother. Convenient, right ;-)? As they might reduce Fiona’s part in the TV version, maybe Claire, Bree & Roger discover the bit about Jamie and the reward for the Lallybroch people some other way. It all could be told in a few lines and a short scene. The same goes for their search through the prison rolls until they find Jamie’s name in the Ardsmuir records.
The more interesting part of this chapter are the memories / flashbacks of Claire’s time in Boston. How and when she started to study medicine and become a real doctor and how young Bree and Frank dealt with the situation. I’m not sure how much of the scenes from the book will actually make it into the TV script or if Ron and the writers might change it. Add something or write some new scenes about it all together. What I like to see remaining from these scenes is the fact, that Bree (and Frank to some extent) have a difficult time adjusting to Claire’s need to become a doctor and her subsequent absence in their daily lives. But also how difficult it actually was for Claire as a female medicine student in the late 50s. It’s not really addressed in this chapter yet, but will be later on and I think it might work well to just deal with all these aspects in one go and not spread it out throughout the show. I don’t know…
I also think it’s important to see that Frank supports Claire in her decision and why and also that Frank really really loves Bree and will do anything for her, despite knowing very well that she is not his biological daughter. I’m sure they might actually expand on that and show us what kind of man Frank is. I’m equally sure all the Frank haters will go nuts if they do ;-)
Some thoughts on technicalities:
- Still no new sets, because we’ve already seen the house in Boston and the Manse.
- No new characters yet either, but mentions of Joe Abernathy, which will be an interesting role to cast as well.
Thanks for your thoughts about the book and how it might be the same or different for the show. I’m enjoying reading your blogs about rereading Voyager (and everything Outlander!) ! I have one small question… When did the Starz series show the Boston home in the production? I’ve read that it will probably be an apartment, which is okay, but a single family home (IMHO) would suit the Randall family better.
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoy my rambling about how I would do the adaption ;-) Gary Steele posted a photo of a two-storey structure on Twitter some time ago and I just guessed that it might be for the Randall’s Boston home. I honestly can’t quite see them in just an apartment. Frank earned enough money to buy a house and I think a house would be much more traditional (aka proper for a professor’s family *g*)
I actually remember that picture from J. Gary Steele, Susanne!! I do appreciate you “jarring” my memory!! I’m glad that you agree that they should be in a house, but I’ll take the show anyway it happens.. I just love it!! Since I was in college in the 60s (whew!) many of the professors, especially the heads and top profs of the departments, gave cocktail parties (without the cocktails for students) for important people on campus. However, I do believe from my interpretation of the books that the Randalls didn’t live on campus. As I said, I’ll be happy just to see them in Boston.