Outlander Season 5: Was that really Roger at the end?

Outlander Season 5, Episode 7 ended with the mother of all cliffhangers. Bodies hung from a tree and one of them may have been Roger. What does this mean?

Not everyone has read the books. Some want to remain behind in the story. For those who want to do that, Outlander Season 5, Episode 7 would have ended with a major shock.

We will get into some book points but they’ll be at the end of this post and I’ll make sure you’re aware. The main spoilers are all about what happened in the episode. I want to make this fair for those who won’t want to know the spoilers.

During the end of “The Ballad of Roger Mac,” the focus turned to looking for Roger. He’d been missing since the night before when he sent a warning to Murtagh about the outcome of the Battle of Alamance. When he still hadn’t returned, they went in search and came across Regulators who had been hanged under Governor Tryon’s orders.

It didn’t take long for Jamie to notice that one of the men hanged was Roger. While there were bags over their heads, Jamie recognized the clothing that Roger was wearing and the “white flag.”

There are many fans hoping that this isn’t Roger, but it’s clear that it is. We’ll have to wait two weeks for the big reveal, but there’s no way that someone would have the time to dress a body up as Roger. What would be the point in doing that?

Something we can note is that Roger’s hand was through the noose. There is a very slim chance that he could survive if he wasn’t hanged all that long ago.

What happens in the books?

Now we’re getting into the book spoilers. Outlander Season 5, Episode 7 mostly stuck to the book storyline for Roger. There were some minor changes, but nothing to take away the focus of the current events. And nothing that should mean a change moving forward.

In “The Fiery Cross,” Roger is hanged. However, Claire manages to save him. While he is alive, his voice box is damaged so he can no longer sing.

It’s why there’s been so much focus on Roger’s ability to sing. This was one thing that kept him going, but now he’s not going to even have that. It’s a heartbreaking moment, and just another reason he’ll wish that he never stayed in the past.

But yes, it was Roger hanging. And in the books, he doesn’t die.

Outlander Season 5, Episode 8 airs Apr. 12 on STARZ.