Warning: SPOILERS for Outlander season 7, episode 10 — “Brotherly Love”!Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) is on a mission inOutlanderseason 7, episode 10, and nothing will distract him from finding his son — except for maybe his ancestors. After accidentally winding up in 1739, he and his many-times-great-grandfather Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) end up at the door ofseason 1 villainess Geillis Duncan. Unbeknownst to Buck, Geillis is his birth mother, meaning that he and Roger bear witness to the beginnings of an affair that will result in their existence.
Comedy aside,Outlanderseason 7 also offers upanother important mystery in the form of Roger’s father. Thinking there may be a connection to Jem’s abduction, Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish) hands Roger dog tags with his father’s name on them — despite the fact that Roger always believed his father died in battle in the 20th century. The time travelers may not be any closer to Jem’s whereabouts, but perhaps each of their parents holds important clues.
Outlander Season 7, Part 2 Review: The Drama Pays Tribute To Its Past While Looking Forward To Its Future
With action, intrigue, and a propulsive pace, Outlander season 7, part 2, is gearing up to say farewell to viewers but intends to go out with a bang.
ScreenRantinterviewed Rankin and Murtagh aboutthe tangled family tree inOutlanderseason 7and how much fun they had playing around with it. The duo also discussed the impossibility of failure in Richard’s mission, as well as their favorite moments of leaning into the buddy comedy aspect of their dynamic on set.
Roger Is On A Mission With No Intentions To Fail In Outlander Season 7
“I don’t think he’s very forward-thinking on this side quest.”
Screen Rant: Richard, how does Roger feel about being separated from Brianna this time around, even as he is on a very important mission to find their son? I know he says, “I can’t look my wife in the eye if I don’t bring back our son.”
Richard Rankin: I don’t think he’s necessarily dwelling on the fact that he’s separated from Brianna. He’s on a mission, and I think he’s very determined to find resolve in that. He’s with Buck, they’ve got an objective, and I think that’s essentially what he’s thinking about. I don’t think he’s dwelling too much that he’s separated from his wife.
They’ve spent time apart. They can function, as I think we get to see, perfectly well without each other.
Screen Rant: But how confident do you think that he feels about being able to find Jem?
Richard Rankin: There isn’t a choice, I don’t think. I think when Buck and Roger are set off, they have something to do, and they’re going to do it. There isn’t an alternative, and I think when he says, “I can’t look my wife in the face,” he’s not entertaining the idea of failing.
Obviously, we get to see moments where we think that he might start to break down, and there’s some drama created through that. But I don’t think he’s very forward-thinking on this side quest.
“It was a lot of fun to play and very conflicting for poor old Buck.”
Screen Rant: Diarmaid, you get a really fun moment where we as the audience are getting to see Geillis and Dougal again. But you are seeing your parental units in a very different light. Can you talk about that?
Diarmaid Murtagh: I can. I get to see my parental units in a light that no child should ever see. Their parental units, which is glint in the eye and the moments leading up to one’s arrival in this world.
Yeah, it was a very fun one to play because Roger has the knowledge of who they are and who their child is. It was a fun one to play of just particles in the air moving and electrons charging, and “Why am I sick to my stomach? Am I curious what is happening in this room?” It was a lot of fun to play and very conflicting for poor old Buck.
Screen Rant: You both get to bring back the romance buddy cop element to the show by being on this side quest together. Did you have a favorite moment on set?
Richard Rankin: One of my favorite moments is probably when we woke up at the Stones. Roger’s kind of upside down, disoriented, talking to a beetle, I think, and Buck’s over on the other side basically having a heart. I think we found a nice balance of humor and seriousness there between the two of us that you could see where this relationship was possibly going to go in terms of its entertainment value of humor and drama. I like that a lot.
I think that was the day we arrived there, and in the scene we’re like, “Oh, have we made it?” And we’re like, “Yeah, we definitely we’re back to the right time.” And then a jet screams past in the background in one of the takes. Must see if I can get ahold of that just to see.
Diarmaid Murtagh: We’ve seen it on some blooper reels and things, but that has to go bigger.
But to your question, I think there was a great shorthand that developed between myself and Richard as actors, which I think really bled into and informed the scenes between Buck and Roger. They’re working through this impossible needle-in-a-haystack situation together, and they are passionate MacKenzie men. They have flares of temper, and they have their own little glib observations here, there, and everywhere.
But as they become more comfortable with each other and bonded to each other and trust each other more, that is a big thing given where their relationship began with the noose around poor Roger’s neck courtesy of good old cousin Buck. They are rebuilding from a low bar, but I think it is a very fruitful and enjoyable one for the audience.
More About Outlander Season 7, Part 2
Coming off the first half of Outlander Season 7, we find Claire, Jamie and Young Ian leaving the colonies and arriving in their beloved homeland: Scotland. The perils of the Revolutionary War force them to choose between standing by those they love and fighting for the land they have made their new home. Meanwhile, Roger and Brianna face new enemies across time, and must battle the forces that threaten to pull their family apart. As loyalties change and painful secrets come to light, Jamie and Claire’s marriage is tested like never before. With their love binding them over oceans and centuries, can the MacKenzies and Frasers find their way back to each other?
Check out our otherOutlanderseason 7, part 2 interviews here:
New episodes ofOutlanderseason 7, part 2 air Fridays at 8pm ET on STARZ.
Outlander
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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.
