Roger’s Discovery In Outlander Season 7, Episode 10 Proves That Time Travel Is Never A Coincidence

Warning! Spoilers for Outlander season 7, episode 10 ahead!

Roger makes a miraculous discovery in Outlander season 7, episode 10, further proving that time travel is never a coincidence in this fantasy series. At the start of season 7, part 2, Roger heads through the standing stones at Craigh na Dun, believing that his son Jemmy has been taken by Rob Cameron to retrieve the hidden Jacobite gold. When he emerged on the other side of time, Roger expected to have landed in the 1770s, during Jamie and Claire’s present. However, he instead traveled back much further in time, but it seems it was no accident after all.

After heading to Lallbroch in Outlander season 7, episode 9, and discovering Brain Fraser (Jamie’s father) was still serving as Laird, Roger quickly realized that he and his companion, Buck, were in the year 1739. They ran into some other familiar faces as well, including Geillis Duncan and Dougal MacKenzie, and even witnessed these two lovers’ first meeting. Still, the most miraculous reveal of this Outlander episode came when Dougal handed over some mysterious “charms,” which turned out to be the World War II dog tags of Roger’s father, Jeremiah “Jerry” MacKenzie.

Roger Just Happened To Time Travel To Where His Father Disappeared To

Roger & His Father Both Unwittingly Traveled Back To 1739

Roger’s father, Jerry, was a pilot in World War II who went MIA after his plane crash-landed. His body was never found, but he was presumed dead following the war, and Roger went to be raised by his adoptive father, Reverand Wakefield. However, the fact that Jerry’s dog tags exist in 18th-century Scotland indicates that the man had actually somehow managed to go through the standing stones—an ability he would have inherited from his ancestor, Geillis, just as Roger did. Of course, Jerry could have really traveled to any time, and Roger could have lived and died, never knowing what had really happened.

When Roger began asking around about his son and Rob Cameron, the people around town told him of a Fairy Man who was seen wandering around in strange clothing. This implies that Jerry had only recently come through the stones, making Roger’s arrival at the same point all the more miraculous. Now, Roger is actually going to get some answers about his father, and both men’s presence in 1739 is sure to set various events in motion—which is especially meaningful since Outlander has already revealed that this is a key time and place for their family line.

Outlander Season 7 Hints Geillis & Dougal Met Because Of Roger & Buck

Roger & Buck Wouldn’t Have Been Born If They Hadn’t Traveled Through Time

One of Roger’s greater shocks in 1739, aside from the discovery of his father’s dog tags, was his run-in with Geillis Duncan. He had met Geillis in 1968 and saw the corpse of her murdered husband after she herself went through the standing stones. It wasn’t long after this that Claire revealed that Geillis is Roger’s own ancestor—something Roger would obviously dedicate to memory. Given Geillis’ appearance in Outlander season 7, it seems likely that, after going through the stones in 1968, her meeting with Roger in 1739 isn’t too long from when she first arrived in the past.

Roger arrived at Geillis’ home in Outlander season 7, episode 9 because his companion, Buck, was feeling ill. Buck, whose full name is William Buccleigh MacKenzie, happens to be Geillis’ own son, whom she conceived with Dougal MacKenzie (though neither Geillis nor Buck knows this yet in episode 10). To make matters even stranger, Dougal arrives at Geillis’ home to deliver the dog tags to Roger, having heard about the search for young Jemmy. It’s quickly apparent that this is Dougal’s first time meeting Geillis, and it never would have happened if Roger and Buck hadn’t been in her home in the first place.

Roger Didn’t Mean To Travel To 1739 – But It’s No Coincidence He Did

This Is A Key Point In Time & Space For The MacKenzies

Roger intended to find Jemmy when he went through the stones at the end of Outlander season 7, episode 8, and he assumed that Rob Cameron would have emerged in the 1770s since time travel up to this point had typically linked between these two parallel points between the 18th and 20th centuries. However, Roger instead landed in 1739, and it doesn’t seem that either Rob Cameron or Jemmy are anywhere near this point in history. Still, the significance of this year and its place in Roger’s history indicates that this was no coincidence.

The scene at Geillis’ house in Outlander season 7, episode 10, is really quite outrageous (in the best way). Roger and his several-times-great-grandfather Buck witnessed Geillis and Dougal, Buck’s own parents, meeting for the first time. This only happened because Dougal just happened to find the dog tags of his other descendant, Jeremiah MacKenzie, and thought to bring them to Roger, Jeremiah’s son. It’s as if 1739 is a predestined family reunion for MacKenzie’s across time, which means it’s absolutely no coincidence that Roger and Buck traveled to this particular year.

Outlander Continues To Demonstrate Destiny’s Role In Time Travel

Time Travel Is Never Quite An Accident In Outlander

Roger’s adventures in Outlander season 7 are certainly a standout example of destiny’s role in time travel since it’s no coincidence that all these MacKenzies from across time ended up in the same place. However, this isn’t the first instance in which something similar has happened. This goes back to Claire’s first jump through time, which took her directly to Jamie Fraser, her soulmate and the person with whom she would set in motion several important events. Still, even this is only the tip of the iceberg regarding how destiny seems to influence time travelers’ paths.

It’s clear in Outlander that time travel is a genetic trait. Claire can slip through the stones into time and space, and therefore, her daughter Brianna can as well. However, Jamie Fraser, Frank Randall, and the majority of other people on Earth at any given time cannot. This makes it all the more remarkable that Claire and Brianna met Roger, to begin with—or that Claire met Geillis Duncan in the 18th century. Outlander author Diana Gabaldon has confirmed that Claire has also met other time travelers, such as Master Raymond in France, who is originally from around 400 BC.

Master Raymond may very well be the original time traveler of Outlander, and it’s implied that all others, including Geillis and Claire (and their respective lines), are his descendants. If this is true, the fact that they continue to come together over the years at different critical points in time further indicates that their paths are dictated by destiny. Anything Claire and the others do in the past only ensures their own futures, and they are so clearly drawn to essential moments in their ancestors’ or descendants’ lives. So, events like Roger’s run-ins in Outlander are far from coincidental.

Outlander follows Claire Randall, a married nurse from 1945, who is transported back to 1743 Scotland. Amidst political intrigue and danger, she navigates life in the past and becomes torn between loyalty to her husband and the love for a dashing young warrior.

Cast

Caitríona Balfe , Sam Heughan , Sophie Skelton , Richard Rankin , John Bell , Duncan Lacroix , Tobias Menzies , César Domboy , Caitlin O’Ryan , Lauren Lyle , Grant O’Rourke , Graham McTavish , Paul Gorman , Charles Vandervaart , Stephen Walters , David Berry , Sarah Collier

Character(s)

Claire Randall Fraser , Jamie Fraser , Brianna Randall , Roger Wakefield , Ian Fraser Murray , Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser , Frank Randall / Jonathan Black Jack Randall , Fergus Claudel Fraser , Lizzie Wemyss , Marsali MacKimmie Fraser , Rupert MacKenzie , Dougal MacKenzie , Josiah / Keziah Beardsley , William Ransom , Angus Mhor , Lord John Grey , Mrs. Bug

Release Date

August 9, 2014

Seasons

7

Writers

Ronald D. Moore , Matthew B. Roberts

Directors

Metin Hüseyin , Jamie Payne

Showrunner

Matthew B. Roberts

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

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