Roger MacKenzie was hanged back in Outlander season 5, and this was a major moment in his character arc. Each of the characters in this romantacy series has faced a significant trauma at some point through their journey, and they were forced to decide whether life was worth living after. Of course, each time, the likes of Claire, Jamie, Brianna, and, of course, Roger found their way through the chaos and pain—but this is never an easy process. In Roger’s case, Outlander season 5 served as this pivotal moment in his story, and this has continued to have an impact even going into the series’ ending.
The big hanging happened in Outlander season 5, episode 7, “The Ballad of Roger Mac.” During this time in the series, Jamie was bound to the British crown and was forced to wear a red coat and fight against a group of rebels known as the Regulators in the Battle of Alamance. Brianna remembered that the Regulators were doomed to be massacred in the battle, so Jamie sent Roger to advise Murtagh Fitzgibbons to take his men and retreat. Unfortunately, Roger ran into trouble on his way back to the militia, ultimately leading Jamie, Claire, and Brianna to find him bound and hanged from a tree.
Roger Was Hanged In Outlander Season 5 Because He Was Mistakenly Deemed A Regulator
Buck MacKenzie Set Roger Up
When Roger set out to warn Murtagh of the coming battle, he removed the rosette that identified him as a militia man and put it in his pocket. This way, he could pass as one of the Regulators long enough to deliver his message. Roger successfully warned Murtagh (though it didn’t come to much), but on his way back, he ran into his direct ancestor, Morag MacKenzie. After a quick chat, during which Roger told Morag that she could come to Fraser’s Ridge if she ever needed anything, the two shared a hug. Morag’s husband, William “Buck” MacKenzie didn’t like this.
Of course, Buck had no clue that Roger was his own descendent. In a rage, he took Roger captive and stole the militia rosette from his pocket. Buck then passed himself off as a loyalist when the Battle of Alamance went south, and Roger was mistaken as a Regulator when the Redcoats took over the camp. Three men were randomly selected to be hanged for the Regulators’ treachery, and Roger was unlucky enough to be among them. When Claire, Jamie, and Brianna arrived at the hanging tree in Outlander season 5, it looked as if Roger was already dead.
How Roger Is Still Alive In Outlander Despite Being Hanged
Roger Barely Escaped Death
In Outlander season 5, episode 8, “Famous Last Words,” Jamie ordered Roger’s body removed from the tree. Jamie himself was the one who lowered Roger gently to the ground as the rope was loosened, and it was then that he noticed that the man was just barely alive. It’s later revealed that Roger had managed to slip his fingers into the noose just as he fell, saving himself from a broken neck and providing just enough room for a few final breaths. Claire performed an emergency tracheotomy to open Roger’s airway, and he soon regained consciousness. However, this wasn’t the end of this Outlander character’s suffering.
After Roger was saved, the Outlander episode jumped ahead three months to reveal that he had lost the ability to speak. Claire explained that Roger was healing nicely, but that the trauma of this terrible experience had caused a psychological block that kept him mute. Even worse than this, Roger was withdrawn from his family. Claire described it as shell shock, which we now understand to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Roger may have lived, but the experience of being hanged because of his own ancestor left him feeling as if a part of him had died after all.
Roger’s Hanging Has A Big Impact On His Character Arc & Singing After Season 5
This Was A Turning Point In Roger’s Story
Prior to being hanged in Outlander season 5, Roger’s voice was deeply important to him. He was a musician and loved to sing, especially for his young son, Jemmy (who was only a toddler at this point in Outlander). Additionally, Roger felt called to be a minister, and therefore depended heavily on his voice to shape the hearts and minds of his congregation at Fraser’s Ridge. Without the ability to speak, Roger felt as if he had lost all this. At one point, he stood at the edge of a cliff and considered jumping. However, he chose to step back when he remembered the last thing he saw before being hanged—Brianna.
He forgave his ancestor for nearly getting him killed, and in Outlander season 7, Buck and Roger went on their own adventure together.
Roger chose to live for his wife and son, and this allowed him to speak and sing again. He referred to his voice as his weapon, and Roger continued using it this way in Outlander. While it’s been two seasons and many years since this experience, Roger’s hanging has continued to have an impact. He had remained devoted to his family, but perhaps even more meaningful than this is that he has since become close to Buck MacKenzie. He forgave his ancestor for nearly getting him killed, and in Outlander season 7, Buck and Roger went on their own adventure together.
Where Roger Is Heading Into Outlander Season 8
Roger Is Entering The Final Leg Of His Story
Roger’s MacKenzie ancestors have remained key throughout Outlander’s entirety, and the same is true going into the final season. Though meeting Buck seemed disadvantageous in season 5, the man was key in Roger’s season 7 story. Buck accidentally slipped through the stones and found his way to the 20th century, becoming an odd yet heartwarming addition to Roger and Brianna’s family. Then, when Jemmy was kidnapped by Rob Cameron, Buck accompanied Roger through time to 1739, where they unexpectedly met with another MacKenzie—Roger’s father, Jerry.
Had Roger not met Buck and later forgiven him for the terrible trauma he had caused, then the adventure in 1739 might never have happened.
Had Roger not met Buck and later forgiven him for the terrible trauma he had caused, then the adventure in 1739 might never have happened. Had Roger not met his father, then Jerry wouldn’t have been sent back to his own time. Had Jerry not gone back to his own time in Outlander season 7, Roger wouldn’t have ever lived long enough to meet Brianna in the first place. Going into Outlander season 8, Roger and Brianna are preparing to return to the 18th century, and Buck will likely go with them. One way or another, this will bring Roger’s Outlander story full circle.