I never thought I would need it, but Outlander Season 5, Episode 8 gave us a bond that is strong and works. We need more Roger and Young Ian moments.
Every now and then, Outlander surprises us with moments that we didn’t think we’d need. On Outlander Season 5, Episode 8, we got moments between Young Ian and Roger. And now we need more of them.
Roger and Young Ian don’t spend as much time together in the novels as I’d hoped; or even as I thought I would need. Yet the show put the two on the road together. Both hurting deeply, they ended up being each other’s salvation.
When Roger refused to talk, Young Ian did the talking for him. They communicated through other ways. When Young Ian was about to kill himself, Roger stopped him. It was Young Ian that encouraged Roger to speak; to stop “burying his weapon.”
Both men together were looking into a mirror. That’s what made their bond so strong so quickly. They both knew what each other were thinking. They knew each other’s pain. And they have both opened up in ways that they haven’t to anyone else. During the episode, they let down their guards, even just slightly.
Now we need more of this on Outlander Season 5. Both men have a huge journey of recovery ahead of them. Roger may think he’s through the darkness, but he’s just through the worst of it. Every now and then, he’ll experience a flash of the past. Meanwhile, Young Ian hasn’t moved forward. He’s just been saved from himself.
This GIF just soothes us. #Outlander pic.twitter.com/OgBHINs1vT
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) April 13, 2020
When it comes to the horrors of the past, the bond they’ve formed will help them. They’ll know that they can trust each other. That will especially be the case for Young Ian when he finds out that Roger hasn’t said anything to anyone. I don’t believe Roger would tell anyone what Young Ian had contemplated doing, anyway. I could be proven wrong but it wouldn’t be in Show Roger’s character.
I hope there’s more to come between Roger and Young Ian. One thing Outlander Season 5 has missed so far is Roger and Brianna bonding with other people on the Ridge except for Claire. We’ve had an episode for Brianna and Marsali and the odd moment between Roger and Fergus, but more is needed. Maybe Roger and Young Ian can be the start of that.
