Why Brianna and Roger not traveling wasn’t a waste of time on Outlander

There are many who think Brianna and Roger’s storyline with the time travel was a waste of time on the Outlander Season 5 finale. It certainly wasn’t, and here’s why.

There are many Outlander fans who feel like Brianna and Roger’s storyline throughout the last two episodes of Season 5 was a waste of time. They spent all that time discussing time-traveling only to go nowhere. However, it definitely wasn’t a waste of time.

For those who only want Claire and Jamie’s story, I get it. Moving onto other characters isn’t entertaining. However, the books include the other characters so much more as they go on. It isn’t right to cut out those storylines just to keep the focus on Claire and Jamie. That’s not the way life works. So, Bree and Roger need some time, and they certainly need some development.

Home is where the heart is

That’s exactly what the last two episodes of Outlander Season 5 offered. We got to see both Bree and Roger agree that they needed to go back to their own time. It was safer. It was the time they were supposed to live in. To them—especially Roger, who never ever planned to remain in the past—it makes sense.

This storyline also makes it easier to tell Young Ian the truth. He has questions about Otter Tooth’s journal. He wants to understand the secrets that Claire and Jamie have held back for so long. We get to see him become part of the small trusted group, and as much as he’s angry that he can’t travel, he’s honored to become part of that group.

Then there’s the character development for Brianna and Roger. Not traveling brings up where their hearts lie. They were both thinking of home. In their heads, home was in the future. In their hearts, home is where Claire and Jamie are. Home is where Marsali and Fergus are. Home is Young Ian, Rollo, Lizzie, the Beardsley twins, the Ridge, and so much more.

During the episode, Roger accepts that this is home. He says that they wanted the stones to take them home and they did. Just not the home he thought of in his head. He’s not going to argue with the mystery of the stones.

Moving forward with the story

Now, the family can focus on building a life in the past. They can work on their skills to survive in the 18th century. Roger can figure out what he’s supposed to do in a world that he wasn’t raised for. Brianna can figure out a way to make engineering work.

Not traveling is hugely important for their character developments. It’s hugely important to move the story forward. Sure, this isn’t how it happened in the books but the books and the show are two very different things and need to be kept separate. For the show, this storyline was definitely needed.

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Giving viewers a break

Finally, there’s the fact that the Outlander Season 5 finale was a harrowing episode. It was heartbreaking to watch everything happen to Claire and could have been extremely uncomfortable viewing. Outlander has always tried to break up the trauma.

Even during the final two episodes of Season 1, the show broke up some of the trauma. We got moments of Jamie in the monastery and there were snippets of Claire figuring out what to do next. It wasn’t all focused on Jamie’s time with Black Jack Randall.

During the Season 5 finale, we were able to take some time away from Claire’s ordeal. The fantasy world was a great way to show Claire’s survival but there was still that reminder that Claire was facing the scariest moments of her life.

Brianna and Roger’s story helped to give us a breather during the episode when we needed it. And yes, some fans really needed it.

What did you think of Brianna and Roger’s storyline? What does this mean for Outlander Season 6 for them? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander is available to stream in full on STARZ.