I’m as big a fan of JAMMF as the next gal. In the height of my Outlander obsession, I brought my Pocket Jamie overseas and forced my family to put up with me posing it with monuments and whatever food I happened to be eating. I bought a Heughligans anniversary t-shirt. I commented on way too many Outlander Facebook groups. I had an Outlander bumper sticker on my car (but due to too many questions about what “Dinna Fash” meant and the embarrassment that follows in explaining that, it has been removed). 2014 was a weird, slightly embarrassing time for me. But despite all that, my heart truly beats for Roger Jeremiah Wakefield MacKenzie.
Pocket Jamie visited Mr. Willoughby in China! Don’t judge me.
If you’ve only watched Outlander on Starz so far, you probably don’t know Roger Mac too well. You saw his chubby cheeks in a flashback with dear old Reverend Wakefield, you know he’s an avid historian, and you might be gathering that he has a bit of a crush on Brianna. But there is so much more to Roger, and let me tell you, he’s got it all. And I’m here to tell you why.
Who can resist a man in a chunky sweater?
*spoilers ahead for you heathen non-book readers
Reasons Roger is the True King of Men
The Boy Can Sing
I know it’s cliché to swoon over a guy prattling about on his acoustic guitar singing Dave Matthews around a bonfire, but deny it all you want, no lady can resist a man who can sing. And whether it’s an old Scottish ballad or some 60s tune, ya boy Roger Mac can sing. Isn’t Jamie tone-deaf? Not nearly as panty-melting. In times of trouble, you can always count on Roger Mac to soothe the masses with his bodhran and a quiet but moving song about war or something. And luckily for us viewers, Rik Rankin can sing! Or so I’ve heard – I haven’t fallen down the rabbit hole of stalking his entire life (yet).
I’m imagining this is Roger Mac’s album cover
He’s Hot
Yes, that is a purely opinion-based statement, but Roger Mac is hotter than Jamie. Sure, Jamie is 6′-4″ of red-headed muscle. But Roger is 6′-3″ which is just as good, and dark haired with dazzling green eyes. When has any lady been able to resist a man with green eyes and dark hair?! It’s the stuff fantasies are made of. It brings to mind a rogue pirate, which combined with Roger Mac’s lovely, non-pirate personality makes it even more attractive since he won’t go out to sea to plunder and leave you behind! I may be rambling here, but the point is that Roger Mac is hot y’all. Just trust me on this one. I guarantee only 3% of ladies fantasized about a redhead before Jamie and 97% are into green eyes always.
How can you resist this face?!
We Get to Feel His Angst
Roger is the first male character in the Outlander series to get his own chapters. Starting in Dragonfly in Amber, we see things from his perspective and while at first, that may have been infuriating (yes, yes, we all threw our book across the room with that beginning), personally, Roger and Brianna’s storyline has come to be my favorite. For the majority of Claire and Jamie’s love story, we get only Claire’s perspective on it, while for Roger and Brianna, we get both.
For some reason, I love the telling of a love story from a man’s perspective. I’ve concluded that this is due to feeling their vulnerability that’s usually kept hidden, but laid bare for readers. We get vulnerability from Roger in spades – Brianna isn’t sure if she likes him at first, while Roger is all in. So much so that instead of writing Claire off as a whacko for believing she lived in the 1700s, as any reasonable person would, he goes above and beyond to help this family reunite, sometimes sacrificing himself in the process. Their story starts off much less fantastically than Claire and Jamie’s does, but I find that realism more interesting. They aren’t thrown together by circumstance but have worked to grow their mutual attraction and interests into something long lasting that also transcends time. If Chapter 18 “Unseemly Lust” in Drums of Autumn doesn’t make you feel something, you’re dead.
Voyager brings us just a taste of everything that Roger has to offer. I’m excited to see the budding relationship between Brianna and Roger and see how Rik Rankin will fill the big shoes of the Roger of my mind. Hopefully, there will be some singing and lots more sweater-wearing.
