July has arrived, which means we're a little over a month from the premiere of Ronald D. Moore's Outlander series on Starz! The cable network released their August schedule today and on it includes the first four episodes of the TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's popular novel. The first episode of Outlander will be titled "Sassenach"!
Those familiar with Gabaldon's book should not only know what that word means, but also how to pronounce it. "Sassenach" is a gaelic word used to describe a foreigner or English person. Both apply to Claire Randall, who couldn't be more foreign to this situation if she tried. Outlander's first four episodes are listed as follows:
“Outlander”– Saturdays at 9pm ET/PTAugust 9th Outlander, Eps. 101 “Sassenach” *Network PremiereAugust 16th Outlander, Eps. 102 “Castle Leoch”August 23rd Outlander, Eps. 103 “The Way Out”August 30th Outlander, Eps. 104 “The Gathering”
For reference, the first Saturday of the month (August 2) will feature the Season 1 finale of Power. And Starz also noted that they have an Outlander mini-marathon lined up for August 29, during which time the first three episodes of the series will air leading up to "The Gathering" airing on August 30.
For those who haven't read Outlander, the series centers on Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe), a British WWII combat nurse who's on vacation in Scotland with her husband Frank (Tobias Menzies) when she visits a strange rock formation and finds herself thrown back through time to 18th century Scotland. It's there that she's forced to marry the gallant warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), who -- vague spoiler alert -- affectionately calls her Sassenach. So the title of Episode 1 is not only a reference to the lead character and her place in her new time and unfamiliar surroundings, but an inside nod to the relationship that will develop between her and her new husband.
Ok, they're just episode titles, but seeing "Castle Leoch," "The Way Out" and "The Gathering" lined up like that likely has fans trying to sort out the timeline of this series by comparison to Gabaldon's book. There's plenty of time to do that. In the meantime, those who are able to get to San Diego later this month might be able to see the premiere episode sooner than August. More on that here. And be sure to check out one of the recently released videos promotion the series here. If that's not enough to keep you satisfied between now and August, keep an eye on the Outlander Instagram feed for great set photos, including this recent shot...
And this great shot of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan on set with an amazing view...
Outlander premieres Saturday, August 9 on at 9:00 p.m. ET on Starz.
