Outlander Love Affair ~ Protecting the Glorious Artistic Feast that is Outlander

 

 

I realize that I'm probably about to anger a lot of people but I've got to say it. I'm completely freaked out by the fact that Terry Dresbach, creator of the beautiful costuming that we have enjoyed on Outlander has felt the need to cry  "Uncle" ,  after trying to protect the exquisite beauty of the costuming work that she does to make every episode of Outlander so very special. 

I'm talking about the repeated  exchanges that I've witnessed on her Twitter account, by fans who feel that her work somehow belongs to us  and that if someone takes a fairly unprofessional shot of of the beautiful costuming that she's creating and it gets posted on FB, that she shouldn't feel like her work isn't being seen completely as she intends? Hasn't any one else noticed that quite suddenly, Starz isn't giving us the kind of teasing gorgeous photographs that we enjoyed when Outlander Season 1 was brand new and oh so special? They know the value of their brand and they don't want it cheapened.  

Granted, I come from a family of artists. I see what Terry does as sacred, not simply commercial. When I see the shots that are not being released by Starz, but by paparazzi and even passers-by, I feel almost like I've been cheated of something. I feel as if I'm not seeing them in the way that the artist intended, because I'm not seeing them as part of the whole beauty that is Outlander.  So I don't look at them and I don't post them on my site "Outlander Love Affair" I especially don't post them if I know that the creators of the show don't want them posted. I consider it my responsibility   as the leader of a fairly large group of fans to help keep the mystery , enchantment and the excitement alive. 

What I'm uncomfortable with is the sense of entitlement that I feel from a part of the fandom that seems to want to settle for Hamburger Helper when what Terry, Ron and company want to give us is an abundant visual feast. I don't want them to feel that we have so little respect for what they are creating for us that they feel compromised in any way. I want the highest quality product for my Starz dollars that they can produce. I want that if Terry and company says, "Please don't release that yet" that we respect that request and wait patiently for the quality that they've proved that  they will be bringing us. I'm not talking about the pics of  Sam and Cait with fans. I love those and I'm quite certain that those are not a problem at all. 

Think about it. If we'd seen The Wedding Dress or Jamie's glorious green velvet and his kilt  for months on end before "The Wedding", would we have been as astonished as we were when we saw it in all of it's glory, in the luscious setting with one gorgeous Jamie Fraser , would we have been so moved? 

The answer is no. We saw some lovely photographs a month or so before, but they served to whet our appetites and unlock our imaginations. 

                           These photos are the context in which I want to see the costuming.

It's all part of a gorgeous, glorious,  artistically profound whole.

Outlander is a multimedia feast. We have beautiful music, gorgeous settings, beautiful costuming and amazing acting, production and direction. Waiting for all of it to come together in one gorgeous tableau is a bit like waiting and planning for the first the first time that you make love with someone special and new. It's all in the imagination...the gray space between the ears. It's the space that brought Jamie and Claire to life for us all these many years in the descriptions in Diana's amazing books. 

Now Terry is an incredibly accomplished adult, married to an amazing guy, and she certainly doesn't need me to defend her.  Neither of them would know me if I tripped in front of them walking down the street. I bet though, that if I did, Terry would be one of the first to run over and help me up. She's caring in that way. I've been watching for months now as both she and Ron have been generous with us on their twitter feeds, interacting with us as if we mattered.

I've watched both of them be verbally attacked by fans who aren't satisfied, who feel the need to air every grievance that they have with the show, with the casting, with the time between seasons, and most recently, with whether or not Terry should be upset if her gorgeous work is seen before it's time and not in the light that she'd want it seen in. 

 She is a real person, with real feelings just like you and me. She shares a lot of her life with us, beautiful pictures of the places she goes and the people  and critters she meets. She's very tenderhearted. She adores her husband and she has to watch,  listen and defend herself and him on a very regular basis because somehow we think that we can demand that of her.  Has anyone ever stopped to wonder what that kind of life must be like?

Yes, it's glamorous, but it's without roots. She has to make a home wherever the work finds her. Her husband is often gone.  What I've noticed is that she's a nurturer, someone who likes to care for and connect. She's been very present all this time building a relationship with us, as a fandom which is more that I can say for any other TV show that I've ever fallen in love with. No one from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman ever wrote to me personally and thanked me for being a fan. 

Personally? I think that it's time to give that love and friendship back.  I'd love to see her treated with  the kindness that she's shown us by allowing us to be a part of her life. I love to see that her work, which is really art, is treated as such. I want my glorious Starz stills back. They show us the costuming as it's meant to be seen. 

It's a bit strange being a part of a fandom. I think that we forget in our lust to see the newest pictures of Sam and Cait, what is really going on. Outlander may be TV, but it's gorgeous TV. It's art, gorgeous, glorious art. It's the finest storytelling in the world come to life.

ALL FOR US!

I think it's worth waiting for.  

 

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Comments

[OquossocGal]

Thank you for trying to bring kindness and respect back to this crazy, out of control 'Droughtlander'!! I get it that people are passionate about the books, the show, the actors, the costumes, etc and want to see more, more, more.....but do we have to lose basic human kindness and good manners in the process? If it's important to Terry that her work and that of her staff be displayed to it's best within the context of the setting for which it was designed, then we should respect that. And I, too, totally enjoyed the surprise of seeing the wedding dress in context. We had opportunity after the fact to explore additional photos and details......as it should be.
Thanks again.

[Elizabeth Wolfe]

I completely agree! Terry is an awesome lady and to be honest, if I had a choice between hanging with her for an hour or Sam.....I'd probably take Terry!

It's too bad in this age of instant gratification and access we have lost our ability to wait for something great. To have that sense of giddy anticipation to unwrap it at the right time in the right place to have it be 'perfect'. I understand the desire to catch glimpses, but I too prefer to see them as they were meant to be presented. People have had some uncomplimentary things to say about one of Claire's dresses that has been seen - but they are seeing it out of context, without - as Terry wrote in her blog - being in it's proper place in the whole story.

There isn't much to be done about the leaks in this climate of instant gratification, 'entitlement' (don't get me started) and so much access to everything. What people CAN and SHOULD do though is treat Terry and Ron and all the other people bringing us this awesome show with respect and compassion!

[CdguidryCg]

Well said. I wish everyone believed like this. Thank you. 👏👏👏👏