Roger sent Brainna a letter through time in Outlander, and the fact that this actually got to her is pretty outrageous. The MacKenzies have been separated for most of Outlander season 7, part 2, since Roger went to the past to find young Jemmy while Brianna remained in the 20th century. In episode 15, Brianna was prepared to head to the past to tell Roger that she had found their son, but she didn’t know when Roger was. Luckily, she found a 200-year-old letter from her husband, allowing her to focus her time traveling on 1739.
Roger traveled through the stones in Outlander season 7 because Rob Cameron kidnapped Jemmy. The abductor made it look like he had taken Jemmy to the 18th century, so Roger wasted no time going after them. However, while thinking of his son, Roger thought for a split second about his father. This brought him to the year 1739 when the older Jeremiah MacKenzie accidentally landed after disappearing from World War II. After saving his father, Roger eagerly continued his search for Brianna. However, when this took longer than expected, Roger had to find a way to communicate with his wife.
It’s Ridiculous That Brianna Would Find Roger’s Letter At That Very Moment
The Compartment Opened For Seemingly No Reason
Roger’s solution to his time-traveling communication problem in Outlander season 7, episode 15, was to write Brianna a letter and stash it away in Brian Fraser’s desk at Lallybroch. He knew this very same desk still stood in the Fraser castle over 200 years later, so this seemed to be his best chance of telling his wife which year he had landed in. Miraculously, Roger’s plan worked. As Brianna sat at the old desk, a secret drawer popped open, revealing the centuries-old letter addressed to her. This happened right at the nick of time, and Brianna could then aim her time traveling accordingly.
Outlander has never had to stick within the boundaries of realism, but this is taking things a bit far. Roger’s letter sat undisturbed in Brian Fraser’s drawer for over 200 years but just happened to be revealed precisely when Brianna needed to find it. Episode 15 does not explain why the compartment opened at that moment, and Roger has no real reason to believe this would happen. To be fair, he at least doubted that his plan would work, but an outrageous amount of luck was ultimately on his side.
The Outlander Books Made Brianna Finding Roger’s Letter A Bit More Believable
Roger At Least Had Hope The Desk Would Be Searched
Luck and destiny have always played a strong role in Outlander, but there is typically some effort put into making people’s fateful decisions make some sense. In the Outlander books, Roger hides a letter to Brianna in the desk at Lallybroch, just as he does in the TV series. However, Brianna herself doesn’t find it there. In the book version of the story, Brianna took her children to the United States and had Lallybroch rented out. Brian Fraser’s old desk had to be removed from the castle, but the massive thing had to be taken apart to get out the door. The letter was found and forwarded to Brianna.
Brianna actually receiving the letter was still luck more than anything, but this version of the story at least made more sense than the secret compartment popping open at just the right moment.
The Outlander books never actually describe Roger’s efforts to write Brianna a letter and hide it in the desk, so the whole situation is shrouded in a bit more mystery. Still, the implication is that Roger had reason to believe that the desk would be taken apart in his absence. He and Brianna had made extensive plans for Lallybroch, so Roger had something to go off of. Brianna actually receiving the letter was still luck more than anything, but this version of the story at least made more sense than the secret compartment popping open at just the right moment.
Outlander Season 7 Left Out The Best Part About Brianna’s Letters
Another Letter Found It The Desk Was More Interesting
In addition to Brianna’s outrageous luck making little sense compared to the Outlander books, there was another disappointing detail within this scene. In Outlander season 7, episode 15, Brianna only found one letter. However, in the books, there were two letters addressed to Brianna hidden within the Lallybroch desk. The second was from Frank Randall, Brianna’s adoptive father, and it warned her that she may be in danger of being hunted down by conspirators thanks to her link to the Fraser prophecy—the one that Geillis Duncan nearly killed her for previously in Outlander.
Frank’s letter was a far more intriguing discovery than Roger’s. This massive reveal implied that Frank had deduced far more about Brianna’s story than it had seemed before his death. It even suggested that Frank’s car crash hadn’t actually been an accident. The big mystery following Brianna’s discovery was how Frank could have possibly known that Brianna would someday live at Lallybroch or when the man would have had access to the desk to begin with. Sure, the fact that Brianna found Frank’s letter in the Outlander books is still miraculous, but at least it made for a far more fun mystery.