Outlander

[Lance]

So is anyone else watching Outlander?

I absolutely love the adapted Robert Louis Stevenson version of the Skye Boat Song they use for the theme.

[Lianachan]

This has only just become available over here, as the UK government intervened to prevent it being shown before the Scottish independence referendum in case it swayed people towards a YES vote (at the same time as they were trying to ram as much British pish as possible down our eyes).

I've only seen the first two episodes, and doubt I'll watch any more. It's fucking awful. The opening episode portrays Highlanders as twee, superstitious simpletons, and the accents (even from cast members who actually are Scottish) are distractingly, annoyingly bad. Living in more or less exactly the place where it's set, and being an archaeologist who knows a lot about the area during the time it's set, doesn't interfere too much as it is after all a fictional story, so I don't mind the really shitty historical accuracy so much. Smug claims from the makers that it is historically accurate are annoying, though. It's Mills and Boon as it might be if edited by Walter Scott, selling a shit awful romanticised caricature of the Highlands. Pah.

The theme tune is good, I will give you that.

[Мастер]

British pish

I think we used to get that show here.

I've only seen the first two episodes, and doubt I'll watch any more. It's fucking awful. The opening episode portrays Highlanders as twee, superstitious simpletons, and the accents (even from cast members who actually are Scottish) are distractingly, annoyingly bad. Living in more or less exactly the place where it's set, and being an archaeologist who knows a lot about the area during the time it's set, doesn't interfere too much as it is after all a fictional story, so I don't mind the really shitty historical accuracy so much. Smug claims from the makers that it is historically accurate are annoying, though. It's Mills and Boon as it might be if edited by Walter Scott, selling a shit awful romanticised caricature of the Highlands. Pah.

So, you don't like it?

[Lianachan]

So, you don't like it?

Just the theme tune, and the fact that it has a go at using Gaelic.

[Heid the Ba]

British pish

I think we used to get that show here.

I saw 10 minutes of one episode and wanted to set fire to everyone involved.

I have never seen Outlander, not for any good reason I simply haven't come across it.

[Lianachan]

British pish

I think we used to get that show here.

I saw 10 minutes of one episode and wanted to set fire to everyone involved.

I have never seen Outlander, not for any good reason I simply haven't come across it.

It's only on Amazon Prime. Not even tits can save it.

[Мастер]

I saw 10 minutes of one episode and wanted to set fire to everyone involved.

I was attempting to make a joke, suggesting that "British Pish" was the actual name of a television show.

I have never seen Outlander, not for any good reason I simply haven't come across it.

I'm not sure I've even heard of it, until now.

[Lance]

This has only just become available over here

We saw the first half of Season 1 last fall. The second half just started back up a few weeks ago.

I've only seen the first two episodes, and doubt I'll watch any more.

I will say that it was bizarre in the very beginning but got better as you got into it. If you can manage to keep your dinner down and not puke, it might be worth giving it more of a chance.

Not even tits can save it.

Outlander or the British one?

Some Outlander episodes are replete with boobiosity and some of the scenes are pretty hot.

[Heid the Ba]

I saw 10 minutes of one episode and wanted to set fire to everyone involved.

I was attempting to make a joke, suggesting that "British Pish" was the actual name of a television show.

Apologies, though it does sound more Japanese than one of ours.

[Lianachan]

I saw 10 minutes of one episode and wanted to set fire to everyone involved.

I was attempting to make a joke, suggesting that "British Pish" was the actual name of a television show.

Apologies, though it does sound more Japanese than one of ours.

I also didn't pick up on the joke. I'd assumed there must have been an uber-patriotic game show for idiots in Singapore, too. At least Singapore actually is a country.

[Enzo]

Well, if it helps any, I saw it as a joke.

Then again, I see jokes often where they are not.

[Мастер]

At least Singapore actually is a country.

I hear people say it's the world's only involuntarily independent country. Is that true? Can anyone think of any others?

[MM_Dandy]

Vatican City, perhaps?

[Arneb]

In a sense, but it's rather that all the rest of Italy defected from the Vatican. The current cncordate giving the Vatican some state-like autonomy, IIRC dates from the time after the Italian unification in c19

[Heid the Ba]

Yeah, it is the rump of the Vatican States after the rest became Italy, and it would have done if hadn't been garrisoned and protected by the French.

I can't think of an area that was expelled from another, though there were elements of it in the Czech - Slovak split weren't there? Though that was more of a mutual decision I think.

[Arneb]

Definitely. they called it the Velvet Divorce (after they'd had a Velvet Recvolution in '89 without a single shot fired, in stark contrast to '68). Both parts wanted out, and all it came down to was a rather civil dispute over who gets what.

Miracuously, none of the two resulting states, escpecially not the smaller one, fell back to the stone age, although I am told that is what invariably happens when a smaller country secedes from a larger one. They are stil very much not living on trees there, and I can't fo the life of me see why not.

It's probably all just because of the money the Gemans and British are throwing at them via the evil EU.

[Heid the Ba]

Miracuously, none of the two resulting states, escpecially not the smaller one, fell back to the stone age, although I am told that is what invariably happens when a smaller country secedes from a larger one. They are stil very much not living on trees there, and I can't fo the life of me see why not.

It's probably all just because of the money the Gemans and British are throwing at them via the evil EU.

Smaller countries, like our example Singapore, rarely seem to prosper. I choose to think of Mactep as doing missionary work among the poor and uncivilised, swapping trinkets for whatever they grow there.

[Lance]

You guys are missing some pretty good stuff!

In the latest Outlander episode, a Highlander took a bound RedCoat by the back of his hair and slowly, with a purpose, cut his throat ear to ear. It was off-camera to begin with but the gurgling got our attention.

I would think you guys would be all over stuff like that.

[Lianachan]

I watched the third episode recently, to give it a bit more of a chance. I'm still in the "aw hell no" camp I'm afraid.

[Lance]

As we watched this week's episode, Cyndi had an interesting question. A bad of ~100 Jacobites were making their way through the highlands to join up with a larger group. We saw them making their way through the hills and valleys, over nice looking grass. Now, it wasn't manicured lawn grass by any means, but it wasn't unkempt and a meter tall either.

So, why does the grass in the highlands look so nice all the time?

[Lianachan]

Everything in the Highlands looks so nice all the time. You should know this.

Oh, and Outlander Tourism is now a thing in these parts. I shit you not.

[Lance]

Everything in the Highlands looks so nice all the time. You should know this.

Sarcasm? It was a serious question.

Oh, and Outlander Tourism is now a thing in these parts. I shit you not.

I would do this if we could afford it. We like the show a lot.

[Lianachan]

Everything in the Highlands looks so nice all the time. You should know this.

Sarcasm? It was a serious question.

Ah, sorry. It may have not come over well, but it was intended as humour, not sarcasm. I took it as a humorous question. Given that you're actually asking, you can probably just add it to the list of historical/situational problems with the show. I don't know where they were walking from or to or what kind of group it was, all of which would determine their route and preferred terrain. If you can provide any of those bits of info, I could have a go at a proper answer.

I would do this if we could afford it. We like the show a lot.

Let me know if you ever make it over! I live in the middle of it, and one of my archaeological specialisms is in the British military in the 18th C Highlands. I'd be delighted to show you around.

[Lance]

Everything in the Highlands looks so nice all the time. You should know this.

Sarcasm? It was a serious question.

Ah, sorry. It may have not come over well, but it was intended as humour, not sarcasm. I took it as a humorous question. Given that you're actually asking, you can probably just add it to the list of historical/situational problems with the show. I don't know where they were walking from or to or what kind of group it was, all of which would determine their route and preferred terrain. If you can provide any of those bits of info, I could have a go at a proper answer.

Okay, I took it as sarcastic humor. Not in a bad way...

I didn't get any location names. And even so, stated locations might not be the same as filming locations. So let me ask this: Are there some grasses there, that because of location and climate, only grow to a short height?

I would do this if we could afford it. We like the show a lot.

Let me know if you ever make it over! I live in the middle of it, and one of my archaeological specialisms is in the British military in the 18th C Highlands. I'd be delighted to show you around.

I certainly will. Within the next few weeks we will either be homeless or doing much better. I just don't know which yet.

[Lianachan]

The most likely cause areas of good ground with short grass in the middle of nowhere, particularly on hillsides or remote glens would be shielings. That's an area of seasonal pasture, where women (mostly) would take animals up into the hills in the summer. The humans would stay in buildings, often wee crappy things but sometimes much grander, but the ground would be cleared and the animals would make sure it was well manured. The practice had mostly died out by the time Outlander is set, but it did still go on in some areas (including around here). Whether it was still going on in the Outlander universe doesn't really matter, as the ground in most of those areas is still excellent to this very day, with nice short grass - particularly if they're in areas where sheep can be found. Outside those areas, the wilds on hillsides are mainly heathery moorland until you get high enough up for a more Alpine environment, with mosses, scrappy heathers, etc..

Hopefully, you'll get the latter of the two options you mention!

Edited afterthought - I was surveying a Bronze Age agricultural landscape on Sunday. I took this photo, which (as it happens) shows the kind of shieling landscape I'm on about.