Media Review – Outlander

Directed by David Brown

Clare is on holiday with her husband in Scotland in 1945 when she’s suddenly transported back two hundred years in time. Clare is caught in the middle off England’s occupation of Scotland in the 1740s, married off to the hottest man who’s ever worn a kilt, and is forced to find a way in to get back to her home in the 20th Century – all while making sure she doesn’t get burned at the stake as a witch for knowing the future. Outlander is a wild ride of a TV series, based on the book series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. So far it has five seasons which makes it a wonderful historical drama morsel to sink your teeth into. It is full of amazing performances (my personal stand out is Tobias Menzies as Black Jack Randall, a villain so disturbed that I can’t watch Menzies act in anything else without seeing Black Jack!), broad Scottish accents, and beautiful costumes in every era featured on the show from the court of Louis IV of France, to colonial America of the late 1700s, all the way to America in the 1960s. While this series isn’t always for the faint of heart (it often features steamy sex scenes, bloody battles, and on the occasion sexual violence), fans of historical dramas, sweeping romances with lots of pining, and ripped guys wearing kilts will definitely find something to love about this series.

To see ‘Outlander’ on our online catalogue, click here.

Media Review – West World

Directed by Jonathan Nolan

There is honestly not a more wonderfully fun pairing than old world cowboys and new world sci-fi, and West World brings it in spades. Set in the near distant future, West World is a wild west themed adventure park where all the hosts are androids. Guests to the park are encouraged to live their wildest fantasies, including falling in love with or even shooting dead the park hosts. But something is going horribly wrong, because the staff are noticing that some of the hosts aren’t acting right. Things start going pear shaped as an upgrade in the hosts allows them to recall their previous experiences, previous deaths, and previous programming. And at the heart of it all is a mystery: a maze that, if solved, might change everything. What I loved most about this series was clever little details scattered through that always leave you feeling a little off kilter so to remind yourself that West World is just a game. The soundtrack often features a player piano doing renditions of modern tracks by artists like Radiohead, the Rolling Stones, and Amy Winehouse. And there are moments throughout where you’re not quite sure if you’re looking at a human or an android – especially when the androids start to remember and make their own decisions. It’s a smart series with a brilliant cast and a fourth season on the way.

To see ‘Westworld’ on our online catalogue, click here.