What was the tune being whistled in Outlander Season 6, Episode 5?
Claire heard someone whistling a song they shouldn’t know in Outlander Season 6, Episode 5. What was the tune, and what does it mean?
At the very end of Outlander Season 6, Episode 5, Claire heard someone whistle a tune she knew. It’s a tune that nobody else should know; one from her own time. This is a slight deviation from the books, but more to do with royalties than anything else.
The episode saw a man with dark hair being placed in jail. He has an emerald in his hand, so we can guess that he’s the man who tried to steal Flora MacDonald’s necklace. She did say that she was missing a gem. However, it’s not the gem that we’re concerned about right now.
It’s all about the song that he was whistling. What was it, and what does it mean for the series?
Someone whistled the Colonel Bogey March in Outlander
The song was the Colonel Bogey March. It was composed in 1914, although it has been used in a lot of ways since then. Many fans will know a variety of lyrics to the song, including some lyrics about Adolf Hitler.
One thing the use of the song tells us is that the thief is not from this time period. Nobody in the 18th century would know the song. That’s why it caught Claire’s attention. It has to be a time traveler whistling it.
The books do see a time traveler return. Wendigo Donner shows up in A Breath of Snow and Ashes at around this point, and he does steal something and end up in jail for it. He also turns up whistling a song. He whistles Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. Why would the show change this? It’s highly likely that the cost for the song is too much, so it’s just better for production to change it and save money to use elsewhere.
The storytelling still means the same thing. The person currently in jail is from the future.
Did you recognize the song used in Outlander Season 6, Episode 5? Where do you recognize it from? Share your thoughts in the comments below.