Were Brianna’s actions out of mercy on Outlander Season 5, Episode 10?

Outlander Season 5, Episode 10 was a major episode for Brianna as she came face to face with a dangerous foe. Were her actions at the end those of mercy?

We got a major storyline from Book 6 condensed and moved forward on Outlander Season 5, Episode 10. At the end, Roger wanted to know if Brianna’s actions were those of mercy. Was she just making sure a dangerous foe was dead? It’s certainly left up for debate.

Brianna doesn’t answer the question, but it’s clear that she feels both. After everything that Bonnet did, it seems odd that Brianna would show the man mercy, but it speaks volumes about her personality. She’s kind and considerate.

When she initially wants Bonnet to be punished by the law, she assumes he’ll be hanged for his crimes. It makes sense. He was going to be hanged in the first place. However, he managed to escape jail on at least two occasions that we’d seen. Possibly more. The authorities weren’t going to allow it to happen again.

However, Brianna had come to know Bonnet. Despite his dark side, she also saw a side of vulnerability. She’s a compassionate soul and didn’t want him to face his greatest fear: death by drowning. So, in a way, shooting him in the head was an act of mercy.

Yet, she also wanted to make sure this man was out of her life. Bonnet’s presence didn’t just put her at risk but put Jemmy at risk. Even without Forbes around anymore, Bree knew deep down that Bonnet could find another way to cause trouble.

It would seem unlikely, but there was a chance Bonnet’s men would come to rescue him. So, Brianna would want to make sure that couldn’t happen.

Of course, she wouldn’t really want to answer Roger. And did he really need to know? He’d only end up passing some sort of judgment on her reasoning, especially if she gave even a hint of it being mercy. But he hadn’t been through everything she just had, just as she hadn’t been through the hanging. They don’t get to judge each other’s actions, and Bree chose not to give him any ammo so he could.

Brianna’s actions are explained more in the book. She has the time to say why she chose to kill Bonnet, putting him out of his mercy, and why she regretted handing him over to the authorities, but there wasn’t the time for that on the show. And plus, I just don’t believe we need everything explained on-screen (or even in a book).

Outlander Season 5 continues on Sunday on STARZ.