Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on the Complications of Fraser/MacKenzie Family Ties in 'Outlander' Episode 7

Episode 706 of Outlander ended with a minor cliffhanger last week when Roger (Richard Rankin) confronted the “nuckelavee” that Jem (Blake Johnston-Miller) and Mandy (Rosa Morris) have been complaining about and – ta dum – it turned out to be Roger’s relative William Buccleigh 'Buck' Mackenzie, the illegitimate son of Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish) and his time-travelling mistress Gellis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek).

Buck, as viewers will remember, is the man responsible for Roger’s being hanged following the Battle of Alamance, when he turned him into the Red Coats out of spite, thinking Roger was lusting after his wife, when Roger was actually just doing a kindness for a family member. Back in that season, the role of Buck was played by Graham McTavish, but since there’s going to be some time traveling this season and Dougal will be reintroduced as part of that story – which we won’t spoil, the role of Buck was recast with Diarmaid Murtagh, so Graham could resume his role as Dougal.

The interesting thing about Roger encountering Buck in the future – especially with Buck being very much a fish out of water -- is that Roger is able to forgive him, whereas Bree (Sophie Skelton) is having a much harder time with absolution.

New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon has an interesting take on that conundrum, and she shares it exclusively with Parade.

Related: Outlander Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on the Complicated Relationships Between William, Claire, and Young Ian on Season 7's Sixth Episode

“Well, Bree hasn’t (almost) been a Presbyterian minister; she doesn’t feel religiously constrained to forgive her enemies,” Diana says. “Besides that, though, Roger is (reluctantly) fascinated by the sudden arrival of a) another time-traveler (whose presence also adds substance to the theory that time-travel is indeed genetic), and b) a relation. Both these considerations feed Roger’s intense curiosity about How Things Work (in terms of time-travel) and Who He (and his family) Is/Are. Growing up as an orphan leaves one with a lot of unfulfilled curiosity, and suddenly…here’s a way to fulfill some of it. Also, how could a historian resist the opportunity to talk to someone historical who (now) knows he’s ‘historical’?”

Buck will be a big part of Roger’s upcoming storyline – again no spoilers here – so we asked Diana why she brought him back into the story, and how does she define him: Is he an onion or a mushroom? Those are her terms for characters, and she says that Buck is an onion, meaning he has layers to be peeled.

Related: Outlander Star Sophie Skelton on What it Means for Brianna to Be Back in the Future

“He operates on two levels: as a plot device and a thematic link,” she explains. “He got Roger hanged, for starters (which opened a whole lot of follow-on in terms of the destruction and recovery of Roger’s self-image), and now is providing a sounding board and source of physical assistance in the search for Jem (personal redemption -- a child's life for a child's life). Meanwhile, there’s a lot going on about the nature of family ties and obligations: How important are the people in your family that you don’t know, and maybe never will?”

“As Buck says, ‘You’re all my sons, aren’t you?’

“He’s also the means of revealing how the relationship between Dougal MacKenzie and Geillis Duncan came about, which causes us to consider the unsuspected complexities of the past.”

Related: Outlander Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on Why Jamie Is a Hero on Season 7's Fifth Episode

One of the intriguing things about Buck is through his lack of knowledge as to how relationships between men and women have progressed since the 1770s, he immediately pegs Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) as someone to watch out for. He is basing his opinion on what he considers Rob’s inappropriate behavior toward Brianna, but then Mandy jumps on the same bandwagon when she says, “The bad man took Jem.” Which he did.

And Diana agrees that they are judging him correctly. “Rob’s a wrong-un, no doubt about it,” she says. ‘All other considerations aside, actions do indeed speak louder than words, and while Bree was (quite reasonably) not a Rob fan to begin with, she and Roger really should have had more reservations about him. (He’s really smarmy, too—great acting!)”

Related: Outlander Star Charles Vandervaart on What it Takes to Play Jamie Fraser's Son

The episode also takes place in September 1777 with the Battle of Saratoga. Jamie (Sam Heughan) is on the side of the Patriots, while his son William (Charles Vandervaart) is fighting for the British.

General Simon Fraser (Angus MacFadyen) gives permission to Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert) for William to carry dispatches, which would mean that William would miss the fighting. So, William pleads his case to the general and gets permission to join the battle, but when it’s over, he may be wishing he hadn’t. First there’s the immediate death of Lieutenant Sandy Hammond (Henry Ashton), then the brutality of it all, and finally the hypocrisy of General Burgoyne claiming victory, which rings hollow to William.

“Well, William is (painfully, like everyone who goes to war) learning the real costs of war, in terms both of personal loss and general disillusionment—an army may have ideals, but seldom lives up to them,” Diana says. “And seeing how the sausage is made…well, as the Brigadier observes, ‘You’re a different man, now.’”

As the episode closes, we see Jamie, who was supposed to be out of harm’s way as a member of the riflemen, lying on the battlefield with his eyes closed. But there’s more story to be told for Jamie, so we know he isn’t dead.

Next, Outlander EP Maril Davis Teases What Will Happen in the Final Season (Season 8)