Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 5 breakdown

Just the Outlander chapter

We start the chapter with Brianna and Roger arriving at Joe Abernathy’s place. It’s clear that Brianna is close to Joe, which isn’t all too surprising. Not only was Joe a close friend of Claire’s, but it’s clear that Bree and Lenny got along.

Something to note is that Lenny is back to calling himself Lenny. At least, he doesn’t correct anyone about his name to suggest that he still wants to be called Ishmael.

When Bree and Roger get there, Joe is struggling to get the TV working in time for the moon landing. He makes a comment about being surrounded by engineers, but one of them makes a point of the difference between mechanical and electrical engineers. However, Bree is able to get the TV working—she just plugs it back in.

While Brianna is working on the TV, Joe assumes the role of “dad.” Well, sort of. With Frank and Claire no longer around, Joe takes on a parental role in Bree’s life and he wants to make sure Roger is good for her. He does eventually agree that Claire said Roger is a good man, and he can’t see anything that goes against that.

I love that we get this moment. It shows the role Joe had in Brianna’s life, and it is important for later on in the series.

I also love that it’s the moon landing that they’re watching. It was such a major moment for the time, but it also connects back to the moment in Claire’s life before she went through the stones. She watched Apollo 8 go around the moon, while Bree and Roger get to see Apollo 11 land on the moon.

At the end of the chapter, Roger takes Brianna back to his hotel. It’s because he can’t figure out his way around Boston to get back to her apartment, so figures the hotel will be easier. This gives Roger a chance to show that he is a gentleman. He tries absolutely nothing on Bree, making it clear he is someone she can trust.

He does wonder if their relationship can work, though. As a historian, Roger is always looking to the past. As an engineer, Brianna is looking to the future. Can they make it work?