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Ronald D. Moore Twitter Q and A and Episode 106 Twitter Aftermath

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Official Episode 106

I think it is safe to say that episode 106, “The Garrison Commander,” of Outlander definitely surpassed anything we had in our heads while reading the book.  It is safe to say Tobias Menzies had us all in awe of his performance as Black Jack Randall.  Twitter and social media exploded after the episode, unlike anything I have seen from the previous episodes.

Showrunner and executive producer Ronald D. Moore got on Twitter after the episode ended to do a brief Q and A while he waited on his plane back to Scotland.  Here is what he had to say about Outlander.

Q: Why were there women at the flogging? Is it really that entertaining? And why stay for the whole thing?

A: No movies, no

TV, what else are you gonna do on a Sat night in Ft Wiliam in the 18th century?

Q: The razor being a heirloom was whose idea?

A: Ira I think. But definitely came out of break session with the writers who all contributed to this and every episode.

Q: I had to listen to it three times to make sure I heard it correctly…did Jamie say he WAS a virgin?

A: Oh, yes….. the boy has much to learn….

Q: So…have you started working on your Emmy Acceptance Speech, yet?

A: You cannot imagine what bad luck you just brought upon me. Cleanse yourself with a marathon viewing of Sopranos.

Q: Did you have to cut anything because it was too gruesome?

A: No, just a question of how long to linger on any given shot.

Q: Isn’t the next episode called the Wedding?

A: Yes, but WHOSE?

Q: Why did the writers decide to expand on the Claire/Black Jack interrogation scene (compared to book)?

A:  I talk about this in podcast but basically it was such a memorable part of book it deserved to be more than couple of pages.

Q: Couldn’t understand what Jamie said in responses to BJR when first tied up!

A: “Afraid I’ll freeze to death before yer done talking” — I think.

Q: What have been the hardest scenes to film from S1?

A: Various locations were challenging due to weather.

Q: Loved the sound edit of the lashes as BJR was telling Claire!

A: That was an inspired touch from my post production producer, Elicia Bessette, who is absolutely the best.

Q: I cannot wait for the wedding!

A: Wedding? What wedding? Who said she’s gonna say yes……?

Q: For you as a writer/producer when is it okay to deviate from book? Does your opinion change as a viewer?

A: It’s always a judgement call, similar to any other show that I run: trust your gut and hope for the best.

Q: Are you concerned the BJR’s story will be too much? that there will be blowback?

A: We made our choice and I’m proud of it. (Your mileage may vary.)

Q: Haven’t heard one negative thing about it, which in the land of fans is pretty rare as you know.

A: That won’t last… but it’s nice while it does.

Q: Can you tell us how to pick Brian Fraser out of the crowd?

A: Nope, I’ll leave that for you to puzzle out.

Q: The wristwatch shown in opening credits?? wristwatches were not invented until late 19th century!’

A: I did that on purpose as a small reminder of the tie between Jack & Frank.

Q: What do you find the hardest part of directing these emotional episodes? Do you ever find yourself wrapped up like us fans are?

A: Hard on actors and crew. They’re in it for hours.

Q: Will the second season be the entire second book?

A: That’s the plan.

Q: Love the choice to have BJR tell the Jamie tale rather than Dougal? Ira’s idea?

A:  Something we came up with in writers room. Liked the idea of Jack’s POV rather than Jamie’s.

Q:  How did they do the makeup for his back?

A: Big prosthetic piece with small tubes to pump the blood. Some minor digital clean up, mostly our makeup dept gets the credit.

Q: Any word on when part 2 of this season will resume in 2015?

A: Not yet.

Q: Was Tobias’ slip on the floor during flogging scripted?

A: Don’t recall, might be in script or improv.

Q: Will there be mention of Jamie’s father at the flogging in another episode?

A: Yes, and you actually saw Brian in the crowd tonight.

Q: Who’s idea was it to kick Claire?

A: Ira’s idea. Deliciously evil and just plain wrong.

Q: By now you know you certainly didn’t ruin the book!!

A: Still have time…

____

Below are some of the tweets from the cast and crew that stood out from after the episode premiered.

 

 

Source: All credit goes to everyone’s respective Twitter accounts.