Outlander

 The Tv Show

The photo is one of the promo posters of the earlier seasons. 

While waiting for the seventh season of this magnificent show, I think it's time to write a few thoughts about it. 

For those who haven't heard of it, Outlander is a historical drama series that's based on the novel series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. Right now, there are 9 books published and the author is working on the tenth novel. All books are quite long and I haven't had the chance to read them but they are on my to-read list. 

So, what's this show about?

The story starts when Claire, a nurse during World War 2, goes to Scotland with her husband after the end of the war. After a series of events, she travels back in time and meets the highlander, James Fraser, a proud Scottish who will do everything for his country. Their lives are bound together while Claire struggles to explain her feelings. Trapped in a world she doesn't belong in, she must survive during the troublesome Era of (years).

This show captured my interest from the first scene. The actors are all great, displaying their emotions in a natural way. The setting is captivating and the unnatural part of Claire's time travel fits to the storyline.

Season after season, the show handles different social and economic problems while showing bits of history. The later seasons focus more on character development rather than the long, action scenes that are most common in the earlier seasons. Many have complained about it as well as the slow progress of the story in seasons 5 and 6, but, personally, I found those seasons great.

We have the chance to get to know more about the internal conflicts and the emotional and psychological results of everything that happened in the previous seasons.

I hope the show ends in a proper way with a satisfying ending, preferably with the events of the last book. 

I'm looking forward to the trailer and, of course, the episodes of the new season. Stay tuned for a new review after the new season airs. 

Update: By the time I posted this review, the trailer for season 7 was out. It doesn't show a lot, it rather hints at things to come like (Spoiler) Claire's trial and possible death. It promises another suspenseful season with more character development. The new season is set to come in the Summer of 2023. 

I survived Auschwitz

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." – George Santayana

 

A few weeks ago, some family members bought this book for me. I'm interested in history and this book reminded me of Anna Frank. I'm not sure what I expected but this book was really mindblowing. 

Note: If you are looking for a fictional story to spend some nice time, don't pick this one. 

It's not a novel so don't expect nice language or complex sentence structure. If you've written Anna Frank's diary, then you can probably imagine what this is about. However, this story begins when the writer is already caught and sent to a concentration camp. 

Krystyna (that's not the name she was born with) manages to show the reality of the camp, the difficulties, and the obstacles toward survival. She doesn't try to make things look nicer. You will read about the experiments, the tortures, the living conditions, and the relationships between the people in the camp. I liked that there were chapters dedicated to gypsies or Greek Jews, for example. 

Page after page, I felt powerless and horrified by what Krystyna and so many others had to go through. I've read history books, yes. I've watched many movies and read many novels about it, but this book is different. The writer isn't afraid to speak, to show her sorrow and her despair. But she also shows strength, optimism, and hope for a better future. 

I found out that she has written another book "Empty Water", about two decades after she wrote this one. According to this description in GoodReads because she realized that people still didn't understand what had happened in Ghettos and during the resistance. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21124626-empty-water

I recommend this book to everyone. It's eye-opening, it's real, it's the legacy of a woman who survived. Now, it's our turn. We must learn and remember the past!

Warrior Nun

What led to its cancellation? 

Note: While this review doesn't contain major spoilers, proceed at your own risk. It's not meant for those who haven't watched the show. 

Warrior Nun is an American fantasy drama created by Simon Barry and based on the comic book character Warrior Nun Areala by Ben Dunn. The series debuted on July 2, 2020, while the second season was released on November 10, 2022. 

A few hours ago, it was announced that the show is canceled and there are no plans for a third season. Immediately, the fans started an online petition asking for another season and the conclusion of the show. But why was Warrior Nun canceled?

The protagonist is Ava (Alba Baptista), a quadriplegic, who discovers she now has supernatural powers which force her to join an ancient order of warrior nuns.

The series had a slow start but after the first half of the first season, it showed its power: it's an action-packed story that deals with topics like faith, angels and demons, and the supernatural. The performances were good, the choreography was great, and if you are looking for another "the chosen one" story, this might be the one. 

The reviews of the first season were generally positive, and soon the renewal came. However, one can wonder whether the recent pandemic was one of the main reasons why the show became a hit. However, more than 2 years passed until the release of the new season, and honestly, I barely remembered how the first season ended. 

But the perfectionist binge-watcher that I am, I had to give it a try, and today -a month after the last season's release and hours after the news of the cancellation hit the internet- I managed to finish season 2. I had to skip a couple of scenes though.

The ending of season 1 was never explained: how did they escape from the blood fight? Despite this, I liked the exploration of the different characters with the relationship between Ava and Beatrice becoming the highlight of the show. Kristina Tonteri-Young's acting during the fight scenes was one of the best things of season 2. The two, new characters (Michael and Yasmine) are great additions, but it felt that the writers tried to add so much information in these last episodes. 

Season 2 took a political turn and a bigger dive into religion and the fight between good and evil. However, I didn't feel the impact of Adriel's influence to the world. Michael (Miguel) was introduced as a member of a bigger movement, whose fans appeared slightly at the end, with no further existence or explanation. 

Alba is the star of the show, but is her acting enough to save it? Well, the last couple of scenes promised another season which I would probably watch but I must admit that the news of the cancellation didn't catch me off guard. I wish the season was longer or at least, that the creators knew about the cancellation beforehand so that they could conclude the story. 

Call the Midwife

Αn Ode to Life

Call the Midwife is a BBC period drama set in the late 1950s and 1960s in the Poplar neighborhood in East London. The series focuses on the adventures of the midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House.

"Call the Midwife" was on my to-watch list for a couple of years, but I was slightly terrified by its number of seasons. (Currently, there are 11 seasons and 95 episodes available, while BBC has renewed the show for a 12th and a 13th season). However, I took a leap of faith this summer and decided to enter this world. 

I don't know if my profession or my sensitive and keen on drama side was the one that drew me to this show. But, I do know that "Call the Midwife" has left its mark on my soul. The stories are realistic, and full of raw emotions, and miracles. The music fits well with the scenes and I'm always happy to see the intro of the episodes. While it's not a historic show, some important historical events affect the storylines

It deals with sensitive yet important subjects like adoption, teen pregnancy, religion, poverty, birth defects, and abortion to name a few. The protagonists, the nuns and the midwives, struggle every day to help the people of their community, and even in their darkest times, helping and protecting the people of Poplar is what motivates them. 

Jenny, Trixie, Cynthia, and Chummy (the original four nurses) along with the nuns and the other characters that appear throughout the seasons remind me that kindness is a gift we must share with others, love shouldn't be taken for granted but should be given with an open heart, and that it's okay to break down as long as you remember to start again. 

The Hunger Games

Our future or a present we must escape from?

"Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous." -President Snow, The Hunger Games 

In 2008, Suzanne Collins published "The Hunger Games", the first book of a trilogy that would later receive many awards and be praised by critics. Soon, the movie adaptations would change the movie industry too. 

The main topic is survival in a world of oppression, poverty, and injustice. The rich become richer, and the poor are forced to send their kids to brutal games of death to please the "Capitol" and pay for a rebellion that took place years ago. The regime creates fear, and controls and distracts the "Districts" with "bread and circuses". Katniss, a young female, is forced to participate in the Games to save her sister from certain death. The girl with the bow sparks hope and becomes the symbol of rebellion. 

I've mentioned in a previous post that books let us daydream, and travel to magical worlds, however, I doubt anyone would want to travel there. This is the kind of book that is enjoyable, yes, but, also, a message to all of us; our present and future selves. 

Even though it's a work of fiction, one can notice the similarities with our modern world. Unequal distribution of power, money, and food is apparent in both worlds (Panem, and our world), while the media and the governments try to distract from what's important. Sometimes, they give us glimpses of hope, but, mostly, we watch and read about destruction, wars, famine, death. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. 

In the books, Katniss's actions sparked a rebellion. Is this happening in our world already or do we have a lot of work before we open our minds? 

Relevant or not, the Hunger Games have marked a new generation of science fiction and dystopian novels. Whether you like the writing style or not, whether you think that Katniss could act smarter in some instances or not, whether you're team Peeta or team Gale, "fire is catching", and let's hope, that the world won't burn. 

P.S. If you haven't read the books, I, totally, recommend them. The author published "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", the prequel of the trilogy, in 2020, and the film will be released on November 2023. I've yet to read this book, but I'll do it soon, and I'll be back with a new post. 

Until then, stay safe, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Welcome

Books have always been my way out of reality. Through reading, I could travel to magical places and be someone else. I could be the person I always wished I was and the person I could be in an alternate reality. 

Reading, soon, became a habit, but I always saw it as a gift. I've met people who cannot stay still for hours reading descriptions of people and places they don't care about. But I've also met people who understand the power of words and the pleasure of hiding between the pages.

This blog is an attempt to express my thoughts about books I've read and shows I've watched. And that brings me to the second topic of the blog: Tv Shows. I'm no expert, and I haven't studied anything related to filming, but I've watched many shows and still do whenever I have free time. By watching, people can also travel to other worlds and forget their problems and worries. 

Sometimes we need an excuse or a reason to "pause" our lives. Let's not waste those precious moments of daydreaming and let's share our thoughts about them. Because in this blog, I'm not the protagonist. The books, the tv shows, and the brave people who will share their thoughts by commenting will be the soul of this blog. 

I'm Cassie; a nurse, a writer, a reader, a dreamer, and this is my blog.

Welcome!