![]() ![]() It is a continuation of what had happened to him from the time that he had been knocked unconscious. He swallows painfully and closes his eyes as “one of those silent movies” begins unbidden. Immediately, Roger tries to clear his throat. But when this doesn’t work either, Brianna speaks more softly, telling Roger that since 70% of communication is nonverbal, they don’t need words anyway. Brianna switches to a lighthearted approach, telling Roger that she will teach Jemmy all the American pronunciations of words - jumper will be used instead of sweater and the word “aluminium” will have the American 2nd syllable emphasis instead of the British third. Brianna suggests whispering, but Roger still refuses to try. Claire tries to encourage him to speak, reminding him that it will sound croaky at first but that this is perfectly normal. When she asks how he feels, Roger replies with a shrug and a raise of the eyebrow. His throat is healing and the scar has faded. She is encouraged by what she sees, telling Roger that everything looks good. Three months have passed and Claire has come to Bree and Roger’s cabin to examine his throat. The next scene returns us to colour and a close up of Roger’s face. In this, at least, his 20th century wish has been partially granted - those he loves are certainly surrounding him.īut all is most definitely not well. The movie ends on a tight close up of the group - Brianna, Claire and Jamie all laying their hands on Roger for reassurance. All is well” come straight from Diana Gabaldon’s novel. Brianna is kneeling over Roger, and her own dialogue appears on the screen:” Roger, can you hear me? It’s Brianna.” A close up shows us Roger’s eyes opening, and Jamie’s words “You’re alive. As Roger’s body is lowered down to Jamie, we see Jamie’s shocked face and a single line of dialogue appears on the screen: “He’s breathing!” Claire and Brianna rush over, and Claire performs an emergency tracheotomy in order to open Roger’s airway. The sequence is in black and white, with no sound other than the ticking of the film. Quickly we realise that this is no movie, but the continuation of the action from the end of the previous episode. If Roger is in fact dead, his last words would have been to his ancestor, Buck MacKenzie: “You let me go, Sir, and I’ll not speak against you, for your wife’s sake” - and one wonders whether he would have considered them to be sufficiently meaningful…Īs the movie ends, we see a projection screen set up and a silent movie, entitled, “Famous Last Words” begin. Roger’s most recent words and deeds, whilst noble in their intention of trying to protect those he loves, have also seen him left hanging at the end of a rope, with the hood over his head effectively making him nameless and unimportant in history. This is perhaps an illusion to the title of the previous episode - The Ballad of Roger Mac, which seemed to imply that Roger would indeed be historically remembered, but the comment also links specifically to his 18th century life. After a moment’s consideration, he says that history should forget his name, so long as his words and deeds are remembered by the people he loves. He jokes at first, praying a mock dying wish for his students to write structured arguments, with supportive evidence and legible handwriting, but he is pressed to answer seriously. The students ask what Roger’s last words will be. “Live a life worthy of them, especially your last words. “Make them meaningful,” Roger advises the group. Words have impact, so need to be chosen wisely. ![]() They have impact - once fired (or spoken) they can’t be taken back. Words shape individuals’ thoughts and deeds, in ways that define people. But Roger explains that people live and die by their words. One student, Morgan, suggests that it doesn’t matter - they are studying history after all, not creative writing. He had wanted his students to consider why people say what they say, he tells them, as well as considering what their own final words would be, given the chance. As Brianna sneaks into the back of the room, Roger brands their efforts “forgettable”. Tasked with writing about famous figures’ last words, the class hasn’t done as well as Roger had hoped. The eighth episode of the season opens on a classroom, with Professor Roger McKenzie returning essays to his Oxford students of 1969. ![]()
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