Anyone else wanna say Tobias MENSES? Just me? OK.

So, after a lull in casting news (has it really been over a MONTH since we got confirmation about Sam?) we finally got a new cast member in Outlander. Tobias Menzies will be playing BOTH Frank AND Black Jack Randall.

So who is this Tobias guy?

As soon as I saw this news I knew exactly who Tobias was because he played Mr. Elliot in one of my favorite adaptations of Persuasion (which is my favorite novel from my favorite author, so … I’ve seen it a lot.) I can’t find any good clips of him AS Mr. Elliot online, so let me just say this. Mr. Elliot is a total skeeze. He comes off as gallant and suave and stuff, but underneath he’s sleeping with floozies and scheming for sweet Anne Elliot’s money and title. He’s a complete ass.

 

What’s he been in?

Other than Mr. Elliot, I’ve only seen him in sweet, squishy roles. He has most recently been Edmure Tully in Game of Thrones, who’s this bumbling, soft-hearted idiot who sucks at archery and warfare and getting a wife on his own. And he was Brutus in HBO’s Rome which was kind of whiny role too. I mean, he had his moments of treachery and everything but he like … cried while he did it. Do we get the word BRUTAL from Brutus? Because that makes no sense, if so.

OH, and he was in a James Bond movie. Which I didn’t see. Because I’ve never seen a James Bond movie.

What do we think about him as Black Jack/Frank?

So, what we haven’t seen Tobias Menzies play is a totally amoral sadistic libertine and psycho. What will be so awesome is that he gets to play both roles. We will have sympathy for him as Frank, the husband who is left behind with no idea what happened to his wife. And then we will love to hate him as ruthless and merciless Black Jack. I love that they cast one actor for both roles. Move over, Nina Dobrev. This is the real doppelganger.

Let’s take a look at him

SPOILERS AHEAD …

Frank, in the waiting room of the hospital after hearing Claire’s story of where she’s been … and why she’s pregnant. I call this the “totally shell-shocked” face.

Black Jack, getting a sadist-boner when he realizes torturing Claire is going to torture Jamie as well. I call this the “all the blood has rushed to my psycho-bits” face.

Frank Randall, at Oxford (probably after bagging some skanky co-ed). I call this the “hope my wife screwed somebody else too” face.

Black Jack being surprised by Jamie coming to rescue Claire. I call this the “sexually conflicted douche” face.

Frank, during the war, probably thinking about all the foreign babes he was banging while trying to kill Hitler. I call this the “that wasn’t worth the clap” face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Black Jack being … well, himself. I call this the “devil incarnate doesn’t bother with things like consent” face.

Oh, Black Jack. We will LOVE to HATE you.

 

 

Also, my second thought after “That’s Mr. Elliot!” was that Tobias has this really crowded mouth like his teeth are too big for his face hole. It makes it really interesting to watch him speak. I don’t know, it just LOOKS like a villain’s mouth.

 

A Caveat: don’t go scrolling the Tobias Menzies tag on tumblr unless you REALLY want to see his peen.

 

So what do you guys think? I think the Starz people are EASILY two for two. This is shaping up to be a great cast. SO EXCITED.