Heather Allen

The people at STARZ know how to throw a bash for fans! This is the third event I’ve been to and I think this was the best–mostly because we had great seats!

The first event was in October 2013 when Ron Moore and Diana Gabaldon gave fans a sneak peak of the show and set, plus a catered lunch and lots of swag!

The second event was for the first episode screening. You can read all about that here.

The main event for Wednesday, April 1 was a screening of part two of season one, Episode 109: The Reckoning. But before we were allowed inside we stood in line for over an hour as security staff figured out how actually get the massive crowd of fans inside. It wasn’t so bad, in my opinion, because there were plenty of models/actors dressed up in kilts running around handing out flasks.

When we finally got our tickets we were allowed to view the costume exhibit. The detail! The accuracy! THE DRESS!! Everything was perfection and it was equally exciting that they brought the dress Geillis wears in Episode 112! Wonder what’s going to be happening then…let the speculation commence!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The tickets were given out randomly (I think) and my friend and I were lucky enough to be in the second row, main stage right! We were next to the aisle the actors walked down for the Q&A!!

The episode itself is one of my favorites. I was crying every time Jamie and Claire made up after a fight (twice). I was impressed by how they handled the spanking (we all knew it was coming), it wasn’t childlike or overly sadistic. The episode also had plenty of politics and Colum being a badass leader of Clan Mackenzie. The best part (other than the sex scene) was that the whole episode was from Jamie’s perspective. We get a clear idea of his thoughts about what direction to move in life, temptations back at the castle, and his morals. The voice overs were not onerous as Claire’s in episode one, plus I loved listening to Jamie’s rough and deep voice. There was plenty of Claire in this episode as well. She’s a fighter and will not be seen as weak in the eyes of her husband. He learns this very quickly when the voice over mentions his “expectations” for married life.

After being blown away by “The Reckoning” there was a brief Q&A with Gary Lewis, Lotte Verbeek, Graham McTavish, Tobias Menzies, Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, and Ron Moore. The Q&A was a bit of a disappointment because the moderator clearly had no idea what characters these people play and only a very basic idea of the plot. The questions could have been more thoughtful, interesting, and generated more of a discussion. After one question for each person on stage the day was over. 

The night could not have gone better. Seeing Sam and Cait and the rest of the cast from the second row was breathtaking. They are perfect humans and I’m jealous. The episode was more action packed than previous episodes, which is a nod to Diana’s writing style. I can’t wait to watch it again and see the rest of the season –and more seasons after that!