A side question: why did explorers keep thinking there might be a northwest (or northeast) passage when as far as had been already explored was impassible? Wasn’t it obvious that if one existed it would be so far north as to be uselessly icebound?
Well, in the book, anyway, not everyone was 100% sure. Furthermore, not the entire region was mapped out yet, hence the expedition.
Franklin’s orders. Note that they weren’t actually sure where the ice or islands were.
Watched the first three episodes today. Good cast (Julius Caesar and Brutus back together again), and an interesting spin on the historic and disastrous voyage. My only quarrel was the anachronistic use of the word “technology” in reference to the ships, a word that was rarely used before the 20th century, and didn’t have the same meaning as it does now.
Game of Thrones, too, but they don’t share scenes.
Some questions, about differences from the book:
Captain Crozier needed to get something symbolically severed, but why his hand and not his tongue? The scene jarringly makes no sense, because one would not chop off the hand of an already injured man, as opposed to loading him, chain and all, onto the sledge. Moreover, in the book it seemed important that he voluntarily chose to sacrifice his tongue and stay in Canada over the alternatives open to him, namely going back to England, starting a new life in America, or taking his chances living among the Netsilik without undergoing any ritual.
As for Silna, why did she run off at the end to be alone among the ice floes? They said she was grieving for her father and for the death of the Arctic, but is that typical mourning behaviour for the place and time?
It also seemed completely gratuitous that a couple of scenes showed her being ordered around by the chief and by a shaman. Why portray this, especially when the book makes it explicit that she was “one of the God-Walking People’s most revered spirit-governors” and “a request from a sixam ieua was a command to even the surliest of shamans”?
I spent a good part of this past Sunday afternoon watching the remainder of the series and a large part of Sunday night thinking about it. I just cannot say enough about it. Definitely has to be the best thing I’ve watched in recent memory and should win many awards.
This is one of those times when I miss IMDB message board because I simply must discuss it and nobody I know IRL has seen it yet.
Couple of things I’m a bit confused about;
[spoiler]Why did Goodsir tell Crozier it was very important that he only eat the soles of his feet? I thought, when we see him killing himself, that it had something to do with whatever it was he ingested being toxic and that it would poison anyone who ate,um, his fleshy parts(?) But aside from one guy, I don’t think we saw any evidence that he made anyone sick.
Obviously Hickey was a psycho to begin with, but he never seemed to show any physical signs of suffering lead poisoning. Was his crazy ass behavior supposed to be attributed to that? Also, I get that he assumed the identity of the real Hickey but I didn’t quite hear the whole backstory. Was he already wanted by the police for another crime and got on the ship to escape?
When Crozier goes back to the original camp, what was the deal with (sorry, I forget the character’s name)the guy that had piercings / chains on his face?
There was a good deal of dialogue spoken in the natives’ language. Were there subtitles that I somehow couldn’t see (like maybe due to the aspect ration on my screen or something)? If so, did I miss any important details? Was Lady Silence’s leaving explained? I thought it kind of an odd choice to not let the audience know what was being said at such an important juncture in the story.[/spoiler]
Sorry if these are stupid questions. There are just so many layers and so much nuance, I almost feel like I need to watch it again to soak it all in.
So last night Hickey is going to be hanged and uses his last words to out Crozier. That felt like a weak reveal about the resignation letter. It seemed like Hickey was essentially saying “I know you are but what am I?” following Crozier’s speech that Hickey was going to cruise with a handful of men and leave the rest to rot and then likely kill off (intentionally or no) those who went with him. But Crozier’s letter seemed to be saying “Hey, I’ll resign as captain if it means we can get a rescue party going, like, now.” I just can’t imagine anyone hearing that and thinking “Yeah, that Crozier; what a jerk he is”.
Aside from that, my wife and I were amused with the idea that Murder Bear must be stoned on Peruvian right now. “Dude, did you ever really look at your paws…”
I guess I’m the only one who thought the woo parts dragged the book down and it could have stood perfectly fine as simply a story about the expedition - if fact I think it would be greatly improved.
The monster bear in last night’s episode looked vaguely like a “polarized” version of the extinct giant short-faced bear “Arctodus” to me. I wonder if that is what they were going for? Fascinating and terrifyin’ critter, fer sure…
I searched for that based on your post, so you still get all the credit.
Yeah, the paleontologists think that these extinct beasties were built to be fast runners, and that thing last night certainly seemed pretty darn speedy for a critter its size! It was fascinating to watch.
I’m surprised there isn’t more discussion about this show; it’s the best thing I’ve seen in a long, long time. I had binged the whole series shortly after it came out and there’s no one to discuss it with 
I also started reading the book, which is taking much longer than I had anticipated. This is one instance when I find the show much better than the source material.
Hurry up now, peeps, and finishing watching because I am bursting with spoilers!
The source material is real life 
(as in, this story is based on real-life events, in case anyone didn’t know. It just makes it that much more…terrifying? to me)
The premise is based on real life but the majority of the content is fiction. I do like the book,I just enjoyed the TV show’s made up parts more. I do agree that the thought of being in that barren land and all the things they must have gone through is absolutely horrifying, ice monster or no ice monster.
I’m enjoying the show but I don’t know if it’s a show that leaves me with a bunch of questions about motivations or questions about who’ll do what, etc. I’m just sort of along for the ride. This sounds worse than it is, but no one strikes me as especially complex. Hickey’s a scheming asshole and doesn’t come across as especially layered, the captain(s) trying to hold it together and remain Good English Officers while half a world away, the guy in love with Lady Silence, etc. Again, it’s not that it’s bad because it’s not, but I don’t know if I have a lot to say. That may change between this and the final episode, of course.
RIP Murder Bear. He died doing what he loved – eating white dudes.
For anyone who plans to read the book He doesn’t eat Hickey, as his soul is too rotten even for Murder Bear:p Presumably he’s still galumphing around in the arctic
I just watched the last episode. I notice they are now billing it as “Season 1”. As I watched the finale, I could see how they left enough pieces for there to be a Season 2.
The men left on the ship, Silence, Crozier, the creature, the men searching for him, the men looking for the NW passage
There are enough additional pieces that I think they could get 2 more seasons out of it comfortably.
I think it’s supposed to be more of an anthology series like American Horror Story where season two will be a different tale entirely.
Booo hiissss. 