Outlander: 10 Saddest Things About Roger

Roger MacKenzie might have started out as an adorable goof in the hit STARZ fantasy drama Outlander, but he soon went on to reveal layers of his personality that didn’t make him a favorite with fans.

Yet, despite being a polarizing character, Roger is a good man with a sense of humor, and fans would agree that he didn’t deserve some of the rather heartbreaking things that have happened to him on the show. Here are ten such things about Roger that are truly sad.

10 Roger’s Adoptive Father Passed Away

Roger MacKenzie had been adopted by the Reverend Reginald Wakefield, whom Claire knew through Frank. The Reverend’s place in Inverness played an important role in Claire’s life, being almost inseparably associated with the first time she passed through the stones into the 18th century.

The Reverend was a kind, reasonable man with a good sense of humor. Roger loved him deeply and was devastated when he passed away quite suddenly. It was at the Reverend’s wake that the older Roger met Claire and Brianna for the first time.

9 His Parents Were Killed In World War II

Roger’s parents, Jerry and Marjorie MacKenzie, were both killed in the Second World War, and Roger was adopted by the Reverend soon after their passing. Since Claire mentions that Roger was about eight years old when she first saw him at the Reverend’s, it is likely that Roger wouldn’t have a lot of memories of his biological parents except the fact that they died in the War.

8 His Relationship With Bree Has Been Rocky

Roger’s relationship with Bree has never been entirely smooth. The two had a major argument when Roger popped Bree the all-important marriage proposal without any warning, and Brianna was naturally taken aback.

Later, the two fought on the very night that they were handfasted in a Scottish ritual wedding and Roger left Brianna alone. This, unfortunately, had terrible consequences, as Bree was sexually abused shortly afterward. Even later, Roger had moments of doubt when he found out about Brianna’s rape and pregnancy. Suffice it to say that their relationship was nowhere near as ideal as Jamie and Claire’s had been.

7 He Isn’t Meant For Life As An 18th Century Farmer

Roger had been a professor of history at Oxford University before he traveled 200 years into the past to find Brianna. He is also a top-notch singer and essentially a poet and scholar at heart.

As a result, it’s difficult for him to adjust to life in the 18th century. He is neither a good shot—something most other Highlanders in Frasers’s Ridge are—nor is he used to the tough life, never having had the necessity in the 20th century of learning the trades and skills of a farmer, a hunter, or a builder. He is just not meant for the quick decision making that makes one master of their land in this completely different historical time that he finds himself thrust in.

6 Jamie Isn’t A Fan Of Roger

The fact that Roger doesn’t show a lot of leadership skills is a constant source of annoyance to his father-in-law, Jamie Fraser.

Jamie has accepted Roger into his family fold for Brianna’s sake, but, as such, he is not terribly impressed by this bard who doesn’t seem very capable of taking care of his land or his women, a quality that is considered mandatory in a hot-blooded Highlander at the time. Jamie also continues to be skeptical of Roger for having had doubts when he had first learned of Brianna’s pregnancy.

5 His Son May Or May Not Be His

Roger cares for Brianna’s son, little Jemmy, a lot but the fact remains that he might or might not be Jemmy’s father.

Bree had been with Roger the night they had been handfasted and then been subjected to sexual violence the same night. She ended up conceiving Jemmy immediately afterward, making it difficult to identify the father. Now, the fact that Jemmy can time travel might indicate that he is after all Roger’s son since time travel in the Outlander universe seems to genetic. But, there is still an element of doubt regarding the little one’s paternal identity.

4 Roger Was Mistakenly Sold Off To The Mohawk

Brianna’s maid Lizzie had mistakenly identified Roger as the person responsible for sexually abusing Bree. Of course, she couldn’t have known about Bree’s encounter with the notorious Stephen Bonnet since Bree never opened up to her, but that one mistake almost cost Roger his life.

Jamie and Young Ian beat Roger up brutally as retribution for what he had done to Brianna, without bothering to check the facts with Bree herself. Roger was then sold off to the Mohawk tribe who kept him enslaved, causing him tremendous suffering. He would most likely have died had he not been rescued by an embarrassed Jamie, Young Ian, and Claire.

3 He Was Nearly Hanged To Death

Being sold off to the Mohawk wasn’t the only terrible thing to befall Roger MacKenzie. Roger had taken up the task of alerting Murtagh and keeping him from fighting in the Battle of Alamance. However, although he did accomplish what he had set out to do, he was mistaken as one of Governor Tyron’s men by the farmers and hanged from a tree, like other hostiles. The incident left Roger severely traumatized and unable to speak for a good while.

2 Roger Misses His Own Time

Roger, finding himself stuck at a dead-end 200 years ago in North Carolina, had been quite desperate to return to his own time in the 20th century.

Not only is he unsuited for life in the wilderness, but he has also been in some very difficult situations which would have been unlikely to happen to him in his own time. However, when he, along with Brianna and Jemmy, finally attempted to go back, the stones kept them where they had started off in the 18th century rather than returning them to their own time period. Roger seems to be accepting of his fate now, but he might still prefer his own time if given a choice.

1 Roger’s Ancestors Were Known For Notoriety

This is not as heartbreaking a fact as it is something Roger Mac might not be too proud of. He is a descendant several generations over of Dougal Mackenzie and Geillis Duncan, both of whom were notorious for their rather dubious moral standards.

Moreover, in season five, Roger encountered a few more of his ancestors, William Buck MacKenzie, his wife, and son, although he wasn’t aware of the connection. But, it was this William MacKenzie who had him strung up from a tree and nearly killed. It thus goes without saying that Roger’s ancestors weren’t the most pleasant of people and his own outbursts might have been inherited from them.

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