Is Roger going to die on Outlander Season 5?

Outlander Season 5, Episode 7 left us with a major cliffhanger. Was that Roger hanging from the tree and does this mean he’s really going to die?

We’ve been left with many questions after Outlander Season 5, Episode 7. Many of the questions surround Roger’s fate. Was that really him hanging from the tree? If it was, does that mean he’s dead?

Now, let’s be honest. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen in the show. I have no idea what is about to happen as I’m not directly connected to it. What I can tell us is what happens in the books and the storyline the show is likely to follow.

So, with that in mind, there are some spoilers for “The Fiery Cross” in this post. I know people say you can’t really be spoiled when a story has been out for almost 20 years, but not everyone has read it. Some people like to watch the show first. So, with that in mind, I’m always going to give you fair warning when I go into a book plot. After all, book plots do not a show plot make.

Yes, that was Roger MacKenzie

There’s no way around it. Roger was hanging from the tree. Jamie, Brianna, and Claire all recognized his clothing and the white cloth that Jamie gave him. It wouldn’t make sense for someone to dress someone else up in Roger’s clothing.

Plus, there’s a quick clip in the Inside the World segment for the episode. Buck is wearing the yellow flower that the militia wore. It’s clear that he’s used the yellow flower to get through Tryon’s army alive.

Doesn’t someone hanging mean that they’re dead? Well, it does depend on when those bodies were hung, but since they’re all stationary, it likely means they’re dead. But there’s one thing to note about Roger’s body. His hand is through the noose.

His hand could save him

In the novels, the hand through the noose is an important plot point in this story. It helps to move the noose away from Roger’s windpipe, helping to save his life.

However, this doesn’t mean Roger is completely out of the woods. He does suffer a damaged voicebox and he can no longer sing after this. This is why Outlander Season 5 has focused on Roger’s ability to sing at this point; his love of singing. It foreshadows the loss that he’ll feel when it’s gone.

Then there’s the trauma experienced after. Roger hasn’t wanted to remain in the past. And while being in the past, he’s been knocked out and mistaken for people on two occasions. The first was in Season 4, when Jamie didn’t even stop to ask Roger who he was (okay, slightly different storyline in the book, but this is about the show) before selling him to the Natives. Now, he’s hanged as a Regulator before he has a chance to say who he really is.

This whole event is going to have a major knock-on effect for Roger, as it would for anyone. But it’s also going to bring Roger and Jamie closer as Jamie gains a new appreciation and respect for his son-in-law (and may feel a little guilty about why Roger was hanged).

I can’t see the show diverting here

While the series did save Murtagh at Culloden, that change didn’t really have a major knock-on effect. It was possible to put Murtagh into the Regulator storyline and make that storyline feel more powerful and connected. It brought a deeper layer to a story that I just didn’t feel all that much in the novels.

The idea of the show killing Roger at this point in Outlander Season 5 just doesn’t make sense. Roger plays a huge part in the story moving forward. He’s still in the novels. We need him moving forward, so I think Roger is going to live but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be okay.

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