Movies & TV Outlander The Outlander Series Finale Brings Jamie and Claire’s Love Story Full Circle Love is a time loop in a finale that puts new meaning into “meant to be.” By Natalie Zutter | Published on May 18, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share “Oh,” I said in a tiny voice when Raya Yarbrough’s voice came back on my TV screen, and I burst into tears as her original rendition of “The Skye Boat Song” carried us into the Outlander series finale. Despite how movingly the late Sinead O’Connor’s take on the Outlander theme song communicated the gravitas of aging while ending on a high note, it was still thrilling to be transported back to how we felt in the first season. There was the whole unknown arc of Claire and Jamie’s epic love story ahead of us, rather than the fond and complicated memory of it behind us. The series finale plays on that tension, as the modern nurse-turned-doctor and her Highlander-turned-printer/landowner/soldier look back on all they’ve built and face a potential ending, while begging the universe for just a little more time. Aside from some sentimental creative choices that verged on overly sappy, it’s a satisfying conclusion to the series and an elegant homage to Diana Gabaldon’s novels. Spoilers for Outlander “And the World Was All Around Us” Opening the extra-long episode on Jamie writing out his last will and testament was a lovely way to check back in with his children and grandchildren, in a way that was somewhat undercut by then wasting precious screentime on repeating various goodbyes that were already covered in previous episodes regarding whether Jamie would die on King’s Mountain. Or anyone else—it was a little hard to take seriously the women sending their husbands off to battle when we have a pretty good sense that there’s only one fighter whose fate we should be worried about. Despite all of Claire’s warnings to blackmailing abolitionist time traveling spy Ezekiel Richardson in the penultimate episode “Pharos”—that people like them could not change the past, no matter how hard they tried—I still kept expecting her insistence to join the battle at King’s Mountain to be the self-fulfilling prophecy that makes Frank’s book true. Would it be her distraction that led to Jamie being mortally wounded? Would she instead die? Image: Starz But no, they make it through the battle with minimal loss of life (RIP Hiram Crombie, you fucked around and found out), and it is a triumphant, dare we say cocky, James Fraser standing on the peak of King’s Mountain who gleefully demands Major Ferguson’s surrender, only to get shot in the heart. The moment is shocking because of how it falls outside the rules of battle; Ferguson should not be fighting anymore, should be conducting himself with honor. Jamie, stunned at making it through, has let his guard down; he deserves better than this coward’s killing shot. And there’s no way that Claire, battle surgeon extraordinaire, can patch him up in time on the top of a mountain, her bag of supplies having fallen away in the madness. So all she can do is forgive him and hold him as the light goes out of his eyes.  What’s interesting is Claire’s insistence on staying beside his body. That if she leaves, if she lets him out of his sight, then she’ll have to accept that she’s never going to see him again. But if she holds on to him, it freezes them in a morbid tableau. Image: Starz If the series finale had not come full-circle to ghost!Jamie standing outside of Claire’s window in Inverness, it would have been incredibly disappointing. I’ve seen some theories that this was Jamie sort of astral-projecting during his near-death experience at Culloden; you could also argue that this is his spirit in the 24 hours post-King’s Mountain, especially with his earlier comments about lingering in purgatory if Claire didn’t have them say a proper Mass for his soul. Regardless of whether this was the young Jamie who had just sent pregnant Claire back through the stones, or the one who lived to see his grandchildren, it’s equally poetic either way to follow his ghost from the window to Craigh na Dun—to touch the stones but not go through—to plant the forget-me-nots that would draw Claire to the stones the following morning, and set all of this into motion. The series admirably stuck to its narrative guns in never retconning Jamie’s inability to travel through the stones. But this little purgatorial loophole created a lovely paradox that reaffirms the core of Jamie and Claire’s love: no matter how time or distance strands them from one another, each period of separation will only last so long, and they will always find their way home to each other. Image: Starz Now, Claire bringing Jamie back and coming fully into her white-haired La Dame Blanche power was a wee bit cheesy. Balfe sells Claire’s guttural horror and denial; I almost believed that she was laying down next to him to die, if not for the dozen-plus dependents waiting for her back at Frasers Ridge. In post-finale interviews, the stars have spoken to the supposed ambiguity of the ending, but it seems clear to me that they both come back to life with the same breath. What undercuts this big moment for me is how it fits around the rest of the season’s tragic deaths. It is rather bizarre that the Frasers basically bookended this last season by losing two of their adult children in random and awful ways: discovering that Faith was literally on her way to find them when she was brutally murdered, and then watching Fergus die in the print shop fire. To juxtapose those senseless losses with Claire intentionally bringing Jamie back feels odd. I don’t know if the books address such things (though of course in the books it was Henri-Christian, not Fergus, who perished), but it’s hard to glean any potential meaning in this medium. Image: Starz Bravo for book readers not spoiling how Tell the Bees That I Am Gone resolves, though there was the heightening of stakes between Jamie’s knee getting injured (ahh, “James Fraser falls”) and being shot in the actual heart. All season the show deftly handled these stakes, interweaving it with Jamie’s resentment over Frank, which slowly morphed into respect for the other man preparing Bree to live in the past, and Claire and Jamie himself for how to save him; and making peace with his respective jealousies between Claire’s other two husbands. For a warrior who has been through so much over the past eight seasons, Jamie grew even a little more in these final episodes. Knowing that there is one Outlander novel to come (no publication date yet, though), it makes sense to end their story here. That final ragged inhale presages the events of Blessing for a Warrior Going Out, whatever they may be. We could still lose Jamie, or Claire, or both; they may not live much longer than King’s Mountain, for all we know, but at least we got to see them triumph over time and mortality one more time. Image: Starz Gemstones and Forget-Me-Nots Why show that Fannie can time travel if you’re not going to do anything with it? Her grandparents don’t even know yet. My assumption is some sort of spinoff, since Bree and Roger are committed to staying in the past if Davy can’t travel through the stones. I did love the conversation with William last episode about how most of Outlander’s characters have been raised by two daddies and how that’s a very good thing. Claire writing down their life’s story is cheesy as a TV trope that’s been done too many times before to have real resonance. (I half-expected to see Jamie wearing Lauren Graham’s beatific smile from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life: “I’m going to call it The Outlander.” “Drop the The. It sounds cleaner.”) But for her character, and for their impossible love story? It makes a hell of a lot of sense. The post-credit scene was a bit too earnest for my tastes, with Gabaldon carting Claire’s diary around to her first book signing as “a wee bit of inspiration.” But then I read how the entire audience in the store (which was recreated as her local bookstore The Poisoned Pen from 1991!) was all the crew on the show, and I mostly came around on it. Still, I was expecting the old woman in the signing line to be Fannie time-traveling, or one of her descendants. Did the Outlander series finale live up to your expectations?[end-mark] The post The <i>Outlander</i> Series Finale Brings Jamie and Claire’s Love Story Full Circle appeared first on Reactor.

Column Babylon 5 Rewatch Babylon 5 Rewatch: “The Ragged Edge” Garibaldi’s alcohol problem complicates an investigation, and G’Kar is surprised to find himself a revered religious figure… By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on May 18, 2026 Credit: Warner Bros. Television Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Warner Bros. Television “The Ragged Edge”Written by J. Michael StaczynskiDirected by John CopelandSeason 5, Episode 12Production episode 513Original air date: April 8, 1998 It was the dawn of the third age… Sheridan is furiously signing copies of treaties for the member worlds of the IA. Unfortunately, the conference room is empty: the representatives of the IA member worlds are boycotting all meetings until their shipping lines’ security can be guaranteed. We cut to an Earth ship, Red Star 9, which is being attacked and destroyed, but a lifepod ejects with the pilot. Mollari and G’Kar return from Centauri Prime. G’Kar is confused as to why he’s receiving so much positive attention from his fellow Narns. They are bowing to him and treating him with an impressive reverence. Ta’Lon is awaiting him at his cabin, and he explains what’s going on as they catch up: concern over his traveling to Centauri Prime led to Narns on the station breaking into his quarters and taking possession of his (unfinished) book. And then someone—Ta’Lon isn’t sure who—had it printed. The Book of G’Kar has become a major bestseller on Narn, outstripping even The Book of G’Quan. G’Kar is mortified, both because it was done without his permission and because the book isn’t even finished yet. Garibaldi is awakened out of a sound sleep by Allan, who wants to know why he hasn’t shown up for their meeting. Garibaldi says he slept through his alarm, though the empty booze bottle next to his bed indicates another reason. The Rangers found the wreckage of Red Star 9, including that a lifepod is missing, which means the possibility of a witness to these attacks for the first time. However, the ship is believed to have been smuggling illegal goods for the Drazi, so neither Earth nor Drazi are likely to help with the investigation. Garibaldi, however, has a contact on the Drazi homeworld who can probably help. Sheridan authorizes him to head there, and says to take Franklin with him as backup. Garibaldi, however, says that his contact only knows Garibaldi—if someone he doesn’t know is with him, the whole thing will go sideways. So Garibaldi goes alone, after reassuring Franklin that this isn’t personal, they’re both still good friends, it’s purely a professional issue with the contact. G’Kar, accompanied by an unwelcome entourage of Narn fangoobers, meets with Mollari in the Zocalo. The latter is highly amused by G’Kar’s new status as a celebrity. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Garibaldi arrives on Drazi and meets his contact, Tafiq Azir, at his hotel room. They seem to be old friends, and there is absolutely nothing in his demeanor that indicates that he’d have a problem with Franklin coming along for the ride. Azir says the pilot is in hiding and being sought out by the Drazi government, but Azir can set up a meet. He and Garibaldi share a drink or twelve. Garibaldi passes out, and Azir goes off to set up the meet. However, he’s shot right outside the door to Garibaldi’s room. Garibaldi wakes up slowly, and wonders where Azir is. He goes out into the hall to see a Drazi standing over Azir. They get into a fight, and Garibaldi tosses the Drazi over the balcony to fall to his death on the street. He then checks on Azir, who dies in Garibaldi’s arms. Going downstairs to meet with the pilot, Garibaldi is instead attacked by a group of hooded people, who have already killed the pilot. The Drazi authorities show up and the hooded figures beat a hasty retreat—as does a badly bruised Garibaldi, who manages to get a signal to B5 and asks Delenn to send a White Star to pick him up. Ta’Lon talks G’Kar into speaking to the fangoobers who are assembled outside his quarters. G’Kar himself has no desire to lead or to teach, but Ta’Lon believes he has important things to convey to his fellow Narns. G’Kar reluctantly agrees and invites the fangoobers into his quarters. One of the things G’Kar says is that Narn must move past their distrust of other species. A fangoober points out that, early in the book, G’Kar says that the Centauri can’t be trusted and that Narns can only trust themselves. G’Kar points out that that was early in the book, and time has changed that particular occasion. (This is what happens when people publish first drafts…) G’Kar demonstrates why fundamentalism toward his text is a bad idea, as he tells the fangoober to put his face directly into the book—and then G’Kar closes the book violently on his nose, by way of demonstrating that implicitly trusting all Narns isn’t what should be read from that text. Garibaldi reports to Sheridan, Delenn, Franklin, and G’Kar about what happened on Drazi. He got a small gold disc off one of his attackers, but he doesn’t recognize it. He does know that the ones who attacked him weren’t Drazi, and they were waiting for Garibaldi specifically. They have a leak. Mollari finally shows up, apologizing for being late, and also recognizes the disc as being a button that is worn by Centauri palace guards. When Mollari asks where Garibaldi got it, he lies and says he got it from a vendor in the Zocalo. Mollari says he got ripped off, as it’s not actually worth anything. Everyone else plays along, and once Mollari is no longer in the room, G’Kar informs them of the attempt on Mollari’s life back on Centauri Prime. If he knows that his people have betrayed the IA, it could endanger his life. Franklin meets with Sheridan saying he’s been given a job offer. Dr. Kyle—who had Franklin’s job on B5 before he was transferred to Earth—is retiring as head of Xenobiological Research and wishes Franklin to replace him. Franklin has agreed, especially this will make it easier for him to catalogue the medical data for all IA worlds. We close with Garibaldi passed out drunk in bed. Get the hell out of our galaxy! Sheridan laments that nobody told him how much of the job of president would involve paperwork. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The household god of frustration. Garibaldi’s alcoholism is directly responsible for his friend’s death. If you value your lives, be somewhere else. Delenn works primarily as Ranger One here, collecting their report on the destruction of Red Star 9 and rescuing Garibaldi from Drazi. In the glorious days of the Centauri Republic… Mollari laments that he used to look forward to returning home to Centauri Prime and dread going to B5, and now it’s the other way around. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free. G’Kar is now a bestselling author and unwilling celebrity authority figure, complete with devoted fan base. We live for the one, we die for the one. The Rangers are the ones who find Red Star 9’s wreckage, thus setting the entire plot in motion. Welcome aboard. Back from “Point of No Return” is Marshall Teague as Ta’Lon; he’ll be back in “Objects at Rest.” John Castellanos plays Azir while Mirron E. Willis plays the pilot. Trivial matters. Kyle appeared in “The Gathering,” and was transferred to Earth some time between then and “Midnight on the Firing Line.” While the pilot movie was his only appearance, he’s been mentioned a few times since. Ta’Lon references the speech he gave to G’Kar to convince him to stay on B5 in “A Day in the Strife.” Mollari was almost assassinated on Centauri Prime in “In the Kingdom of the Blind.” G’Kar started writing his book in “Messages from Earth” when he was in the brig after assaulting Vir and Mollari in “Dust to Dust” and learning that Mollari has been working with Morden and his “associates.” Not surprising, therefore, that the early part of the book includes passages about not trusting the Centauri… The echoes of all of our conversations. “I worry, Ta’Lon, that my shadow may become greater than the message.” “If that happens, I give you my word that I will personally kill you.” “And this is supposed to put my mind at ease?” —G’Kar worried about the future, and Ta’Lon not helping. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The name of the place is Babylon 5. “As Mr. Garibaldi says, I think I’ll wait for the movie.” It’s weird, there’s nothing I can point to in this episode and say, “This is bad.” Indeed, there’s a lot of good here, from the serious damage being done by Garibaldi’s alcoholism to G’Kar dealing with his newly acquired fan base. But I’m also having a hard time dredging up any enthusiasm for the episode. Having said that, the episode is definitely well written. I particularly like the way Garibaldi is handling his alcoholism—or, rather, not handling it, but ignoring it and hoping it will go away. He also very carefully keeps Franklin at arm’s length. His excuse that Azir would balk at a person he doesn’t know being there sounds completely convincing, but it’s also total bullshit. (Credit to John Castellanos, by the way, who does an excellent job as Azir.) Garibaldi doesn’t want Franklin, a fellow addict and also a physician, to get too close for fear that Franklin will recognize that he’s fallen off the wagon the way Garibaldi saw that Franklin had succumbed to stim addiction in the past. Watching G’Kar get groupies is a delight. It’s also good to see Marshall Teague back as Ta’Lon and dispensing wisdom as he has in prior appearances. Ta’Lon’s one of those characters I wish we’d seen more of, but what we have seen has been excellent. And the Centauri plot moves forward, as our heroes finally learn who’s responsible for the attacks on IA ships. Still, the episode feels like inconsequential filler, even though it’s nothing like that at all. I had high hopes that things would feel better once the Byron story had come to a merciful end and stopped sucking all the air out of the show. Maybe it’s the direction from John Copeland; it’s only his second time ever in the director’s chair, following the similarly lackluster “Endgame.” Next week: “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father.”[end-mark] The post <i>Babylon 5</i> Rewatch: “The Ragged Edge” appeared first on Reactor.

News Lanterns Lanterns Trailer Shows Off Laura Linney, Superpowers, and Super Attitude We will refrain from making too many “It’s not easy being green” jokes while this show is on By Molly Templeton | Published on May 18, 2026 Screenshot: HBO Max Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: HBO Max Much has been made of the grounded, serious-business detective vibes of the upcoming DC Studios series Lanterns, which pairs a jaded Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) with newbie Green Lantern Corps recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). So, naturally, the new trailer provides a bit of the opposite: glowing green stuff. Hal uses his powers to create a shield against some kind of space laser (and a more personal shield against a lot of bullets); he also uses them to manifest a dollar bill for a jukebox. Did he just give John a little speech about knowing when to use said powers, then turn around and counterfeit money? Certainly not. (Certainly so.) This trailer would like you to know that Lanterns has some attitude problems among its mysteries and multiple timelines. It’s a classic setup—the experienced elder faced with a brash young upstart who thinks he can do everything better—but with a whole lot of extra green. At the trailer’s end, after the question “Are you afraid?” is asked a million times, John tells a mysterious Laura Linney, “I’ll do this better than he’s ever done it before.” Linney, looking stern, says, “Then go and get it, John Stewart.” This seems not very partner-like! Linney’s character has not been named; her casting was announced pretty much simultaneously with the trailer’s release. But also: Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) is here, possibly in jail, looking quite grumpy. We get a quick look at Garret Dillahunt, whose character William Macon has been described as a “modern cowboy.” And Kelly Macdonald plays the sheriff in the small Nebraska town where a shooting has caught Hal’s interest. We also get to see Hal’s Green Lantern getup, and some shots of a younger Hal, who young John watched on TV. Never meet your heroes, right? A lot of this trailer is focused on Pierre who, as John Stewart says he was “raised fearless,” does a lot of dangerous, possibly terrifying things over the course of these two minutes. If you have any doubts about this series, I strongly suggest you go watch Rebel Ridge, which will show you that Pierre can carry a whole movie by himself, and can convincingly do a lot of action. (It’s also just a very good movie.) Lanterns comes from showrunner Chris Mundy (True Detective, Ozark) and premieres on HBO Max on August 16.[end-mark] The post <i>Lanterns</i> Trailer Shows Off Laura Linney, Superpowers, and Super Attitude appeared first on Reactor.

News hope Na Hong-jin’s Alien Invasion Film Hope Gets a First Trailer—and a Possible Sequel The new film from the director of The Wailing is coming this fall By Molly Templeton | Published on May 18, 2026 Screenshot: Neon Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Neon Hope, the new film from director Na Hong-jin, has already been described as “Cannes’ craziest movie” after its premiere at the French festival. The rest of us just get a teaser—for now. There may be more Hope down the road: Na has already written a sequel. “So if I have the opportunity, I would indeed make a sequel if possible,” he told Variety. Hope stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon Jung, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton. Fassbender, Vikander, and Russell are playing aliens, which becomes quite interesting when you watch the teaser. These aliens are … well, the actors are not recognizable (though one may wonder if the aliens can change forms). Na’s teaser isn’t shy about showing the aliens, which look kind of like if you crossed a hairless version of the creatures from Attack the Block with a lanky T-rex, then maybe removed some skin. They have very big mouths and very big claws. Here’s the synopsis: In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village. In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions. Na told Deadline that he watched a lot of American action movies for inspiration, from Duel to Jaws to Die Hard to Lethal Weapon. “I wanted to reference from the eighties and nineties for that sort of lone hero cop style to be reflected in my movie,” he said. Reviews from Cannes have been mostly enthusiastic; The Hollywood Reporter said, “It’s a great feeling to know from a movie’s first frames that you’re in the hands of an assured genre auteur. The rare action thriller that takes place almost entirely in broad daylight, Hope pulls you in immediately with its virtuoso camerawork, pulse-pounding score, adrenalized pacing and sharply drawn characters.” Neon is releasing the movie in the U.S. this fall, but a specific release date has yet to be announced.[end-mark] The post Na Hong-jin’s Alien Invasion Film <i>Hope</i> Gets a First Trailer—and a Possible Sequel appeared first on Reactor.

Books SFF Bestiary Epic on the Riverbank: Revisiting The Wind in the Willows Like all great children’s stories, the adventures of Mole and Rat and Mr. Toad speaks to readers of all ages… By Judith Tarr | Published on May 18, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share In 1908, a newly retired banker published a compilation of stories that he had told to his young son. Kenneth Grahame was already an eminent writer in among the demands of his day job, but every writer knows, you’re only as successful as your last book. This new work was rejected by his regular publisher, and reviews at first trended toward the negative. This is a trope. Great work unrecognized at the time transforms into immortal classic. After its slow start, The Wind in the Willows became one of the most beloved children’s books of the twentieth century. It’s still going, a quarter of the way through the twenty-first. I can’t remember the first time I read it. I do recall what was in it, and that edition was abridged. It contained the main set of stories but left out the shorter interludes. Mostly it was about Mole and Rat and the boat, and Mr. Toad’s adventures with motor cars. Rereading it, with the missing parts now included, was an interesting experience. It didn’t shape my youth; it was one of a multitude of books that I read because they were there in the library, and I would read anything I could get my hands on. Its characters are familiar from other writers’ works and reviews as much as from their original appearance, not to mention such acts of homage as A. A. Milne’s play, Toad of Toad Hall. This combination of characters and story resonates deeply with whole generations of English and English-adjacent writers and poets. Like all great children’s stories, it speaks to all ages. It takes them back to a time that probably never existed, but they dearly wish it had. The series of linked stories recounts the adventures of a small cast of anthropomorphized animals. The Mole, bored with his annual spring-cleaning, gets it into his head to wander off until he finds the river. There he meets the Water Rat, a hospitable and obliging sort who invites him to share his house and join him in his forays in boats and along the river. There are frequent appearances by the Otter, a big, bluff fellow with a distinctly playful side, and the strong, often stern, but gentle and kind Badger. And then there’s Toad. Toad lives in Toad Hall, on a great estate, and he has, not to put too fine a point on it, issues. He’s good-hearted, we’re frequently told, but he has no filters. He gets obsessions. He becomes addicted, and needs interventions. He gets himself into terrible predicaments, which his friends have to get him out of, but he never really learns anything (though he insists early and often that he is going to change, he is, he’s going to turn over a new leaf this time, really, seriously). These are animals, we’re told explicitly. But they live in elaborate houses. They wear clothes and wield tools and carry weapons. They read books, write poetry, compose songs. There are humans in this world. The animals live alongside them. When Toad steals a motor car and goes on a wild joy ride, the car belongs to a party of humans, and it’s humans who chase him, catch him, send him to trial, and lock him in a dungeon with a twenty-year sentence. He makes his escape by winning over the gaoler’s daughter and impersonating a washerwoman. The impersonation is such a success that he has difficulty resuming his original identity. Clearly Toad is the same size as a human (hence his ability to steal a car and drive it recklessly across the country), and has a face and voice that convinces humans that he’s [a] one of them and [b] a woman. When he is outed, he gets some blowback of the “Eeeuuuwww, slimy toad!” sort, but in general humans and animals coexist along parallel and mostly compatible tracks. They have their own spheres and concerns, but they’re not fundamentally in conflict. They’re all in the world together, if not usually in the same spaces. Toad Hall may have originally been human-built. Toad’s father took it over and bequeathed it to his feckless son. Humans don’t seem to have contested the takeover. The Badger’s Sett has a similar history. Badger and his family have expanded and renovated it, but originally they seem to have been colonists. They found it and claimed it. This is very much a reflection of the late British Empire. Mole leaves the home he built himself and goes traveling, and moves in with Ratty, where he stays indefinitely except for a brief return to his old home. He realizes he missed it, once he sees it again, but he goes back to being an expatriate. He can go home when he wants to, but he prefers the wider horizons of the river and its environs. So many of the underpinnings are invisible. Food and clothes mostly just appear. Money is almost always there, without a clear sense of where it comes from. We get an occasional glimpse of the infrastructure that has to exist in order to support these privileged animals, especially during Toad’s washerwoman era (and what an education that is for that son of the landed gentry), but for the most part it’s just there. All of these animals can go where they like, do what they like, help and hinder each other, go exploring, put on elaborate parties, and it’s all just part of the world they so comfortably live in. It’s not a completely secure world. There are Things in the Wild Wood, which emerge and cause no little damage. Bad behavior has consequences, and sometimes they’re serious. But everything rights itself sooner or later. Reading these stories as an adult is interesting not just because I see so much more of what’s underneath, but because of beloved authors and works that took inspiration from Grahame’s world and characters. There is so much of Grahame in C. S. Lewis’ Narnia. His Talking Animals are the direct heirs of Mole and Rat and Badger and Toad. He takes them to great lengths and overlays them with explicit Christianity, but they’re still recognizable. Tolkien’s debt to Grahame is less obvious. He has a broad range of sources and inspirations, not to mention the whole concept of building a world on an invented language. And yet hobbits and the Shire have a distinct flavor of Grahame’s animals and their river and the dark Wood that borders it. One little Easter egg is the fox in the Wood. In The Fellowship of the Ring, a fox sees the hobbits sleeping in the wild, wonders what on earth they’re doing there, but never learns any more about it. She’s in Grahame, too, in a similar, rather random scene. Hobbits in some ways are an intermediate species between Grahame’s animals and human beings. They’re small, closer to the size of real rats and moles and badgers, with furry feet, but their land and their culture are quite like the world of Grahame’s stories. Mole, like Bilbo, sets off on an adventure that changes his life forever; he does go home eventually but he doesn’t stay there. He chooses adventure. The Scouring of the Shire has certain echoes of the re-taking of Toad Hall—and it’s had the same history of mixed reviews. Some critics see it as a fizzle rather than a grand finale. They would prefer a more heroic ending, with a bigger apparent payoff. I don’t doubt that Tolkien’s work would have existed without Grahame, but it might not have been quite the same. Grahame’s world is a distillation of the one he lived in, the end of the Victorian era and the beginning of the Edwardian, before the First World War broke that world in pieces. For Tolkien and Lewis, who lived through the war and then the one after it, it’s as remote and as poignant as Tolkien’s Elvenhome when the Two Trees were in flower.[end-mark] The post Epic on the Riverbank: Revisiting <i>The Wind in the Willows</i> appeared first on Reactor.