Outlander Review: The Ballad of Roger Mac (Season 5 Episode 7)

If Outlander does one thing well, it’s heartbreak.

That is why Outlander Season 5 Episode 7, “The Ballad of Roger Mac,” is easily the best episode of this season thus far.

Of course, that excellence doesn’t distract us from the fact that this installment’s success hinders on a chain of soul-crushing events that all lead to one emotional deathblow.

This series has always thrived in the face of war and this time is no different as heavy subject matter forces the writing and the actors to step up in big ways.

The pre-war preparations are what ultimately set this episode up for success on the battlefield.

After-all, this is the Jamie and Claire we fell in love with. The way these two gently guide the conversation in the tent from talk of Jamie’s father being proud of his son to a steamy sex-scene in celebration of Jamie’s 50th birthday is reminiscent of everything that made this couple work in the first place.

Their dialogue is thoughtful, natural, and hinders on cute banter even in the face of grave danger. Jamie and Claire have such a rich history together and it’s a nice change of pace to see the series honour the parts of their relationship that were forged in moments just like this.

But we should know by now, Jamie’s abs only come out when this show needs to soften the blow of an imminent tragedy.

Somehow, someway, Brianna and Roger manage to compile together a goodbye that could rival their parent’s.

There’s serenading, there’s a deep longing kiss, and Roger standing in a doorway looking back at his family one last time. It’s all grounded in the raw emotions of a woman seeing the love of her life off to war.

Considering the important role Roger plays in the execution of this episode, this series must craft a scene that reminds us of his fleeting musicality one last time, and of all that he has to lose if he were to bite the dust.

We may still be warming up to these two newlyweds, but Outlander has gone to great lengths this season to make sure when the time comes we’ll be just as invested in the sorrows of their tragedies as we would be in Jamie and Claire’s.

It’s a feat the show seems to have accomplished just in time. This game of hangman certainly packs an emotional punch that will be felt for seasons to come, regardless of Roger’s ultimate fate.

Outlander has always had an emotional ace up its sleeve when it comes to our fav Scottsman and much to our dismay, the series has finally decided to play its hand by sacrificing Murtagh.

But can one be angered by this character’s death when it comes in the name of telling a better story?

I am genuinely torn over Murtagh’s death. On one hand, I can understand this fight needs an emotional linch-pin — something to push this episode and Jamie to their breaking point. On the other hand, the choice to spare Murtagh’s fate at Culloden only to kill him off now feels like a decision of pure shock-value.

Regardless of the bitterness all shock-value deaths harbour, one cannot ignore the fact that Outlander uses this death to propeller its story forward and give Murtagh a proper send-off in the process. It feels far less cheap than the deliberate deaths on shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

There’s nothing cheap about Murtagh’s last words as he concedes that his stubbornness for Jamie’s mother and her wishes far outweigh anything Jamie could ever ask of him. He would have found a way to be on that battlefield with Jamie regardless.

We always knew we were on borrowed time with Murtagh and more than anything, I’m grateful that this dashing silver fox was given so many more lasts with his loved ones than he was originally promised on that Culloden battlefield.

The reason Murtagh’s death is so easy to come to terms with storywise (emotionally we are shattered) is that his death is not in vain. In fact, his death gives Sam Heughan some of the show’s best material to work with.

The issue with Jamie’s character has always been his lack of emotion, or rather the show’s inability to let the man vent in the more emotional moments of his troubled life. But Jamie spares no tears as he watches Murtagh take his last breath. His breathing is heavy, his words are incoherent and his only thought is to bring the dead man to Claire because Jamie truly believes she can work miracles.

This breaking point allows Jamie to finally stand up to the Red Coats that have forced him to fight against his fellow Scotsmen for nothing more than petty English honour. His tell-all speech to Governor Tryon is the payoff that ultimately justifies this episode’s tragic losses.

At that moment, Heughan allows us to understand him perfectly. This isn’t just a man that lost someone — this is a man that lost everything and is just coming to terms with that piece by piece.

And don’t think I’ve forgotten about Claire referring to Murtagh as a friend while caressing his pale face. It is both haunting and incredibly endearing to see Claire grieve quietly in the background. I will be crying over this moment for the foreseeable future, thank you.

The fight that has loomed over much of the last two seasons doesn’t hold back. Just like with Claire and Jamie’s ridiculous mansion of a house, Outlander spares no expenses when it comes to the battlefield.

Men are being pelted with cannonballs and Red Coats being thrown from their horse. There is blood and there is treachery at every turn. None of it is easy to watch, yet all of it is necessary to take this episode to the next level.

What allows this battle to stands out is the decision to have the audience watch from more than one perspective. At Culloden, we only had Jamie’s POV, but this time we have both Jamie and Murtagh’s POV propelling the story forward. This allows the audience to have emotional stakes on both sides of the battle. 

But ultimately, the biggest blow this battle deals comes before the fight even begins. The sight of Jamie being forced to put on a red coat is no easy sight to behold. The audience’s collective inhales can be felt in the devastation written all across Jamie’s face as the rest of his men look on in horror.

It’s a big moment for the series and it is one met with absolutely flawless execution — much like the rest of this devastating installment.

“The Ballad of Roger Mac” does not tiptoe through this important milestone for the series — arguably the most important milestone since Culloden in terms of scope. This episode is rash, it’s bold, and it’s damn good television.

Everything about this episode pays homage to the Outlander we’re too afraid to admit we miss. The men being chased through the woods by Red Coats instantly takes us back to those disorienting moments with Claire after she goes through the stones for the first time.

The choice to have Geillis and Dougal’s sinister offspring, William wear such a familiar face (no your eyes do not deceive you, that really is Graham McTavish!) and have Roger’s fate left up in the air quite literally, only propels this excellent storytelling to greater heights.

A cannon goes off and suddenly Outlander Season 5 has become this action-packed drama full of intrigue, high-stakes drama, and races to save the fabric of time. I want more — I want so much more!

What did you think of this episode of Outlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Outlander airs Sundays at 9/8c on Starz.

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