The Terror: The Show, the Book and the History. Episode 3 The Ladder.

[@johnnycool4549]

My favorite line from the book comes from Sir John's death right as he realized the small holes in the ground were the tuunbaq. "Then it blinked."

[@thenumbah1birdman]

Another interesting note: before tuunbaq leaves the seal, it sings to lady silence while she is inside the igloo. Silence can be heard singing the same tune in a later episode.

[@HypnoChode]

Your cadence is perfect for this kind of thing. Joy to listen to

[@asandwell]

As for the theory that Franklin's body was "pickled" for a return to England, Russell Potter thinks that unlikely given that, even preserved in rum or salt rock and with the aid of Arctic cold, Franklin's body would still have been subject to decomposition and stinking up the Erebus and would just generally have been regarded as unseemly. It does seem that his officers would have attempted everything in their power to give The Man Who Ate His Boots as dignified an interment as possible.

[@Smethells2023]

I am years late to responding to this comment, but Louis Kamookak was convinced he knew where Franklin was buried. He was planning to search for his grave in summer 2018, but unfortunately he died from cancer in March of that same year. Supposedly, others know the area he had in mind. Now that Erebus and Terror have been located, his grave should be a top priority. It must be found. My hope is that his remains would be well preserved, as the men on Beechey were, but I have concerns over the climatological changes we’ve seen in recent years. The Beechey bodies were exhumed in the 1980s when things were still cold and relatively stable up there. I often wonder (worriedly) what Torrington, Braine, and Hartnell would look like if we checked on them today. If Sir John was still in good condition, it would not only be fascinating from the perspective of mummification but also for what biological information we could learn on him (what he died from, for example). Whoever died afterwards that was also buried in a vault (with papers apparently) also needs to be found. I personally believe it was Crozier, leaving Fitzjames in command of the whole expedition.

[@thenumbah1birdman]

You can actually see the book version of the tuunbaq with the shaman's talisman: note the long serpentine neck.

[@kassarock4624]

It's also a pretty accurate replica of an actual archaeological artefact from the Dorset Culture, the peoples that inhabited that part of the arctic before the Thule Proto-Inuit migrated east from modern day Alaska. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset_culture

[@all_the_bad_news5614]

It actually looks like a bear body with a long penis as the neck and head....you'll never not see it now when you watch the show again

[@richardmalcolm1457]

I fully agree that the emotional outbursts and arguments by Franklin, Fitzjames and Crozier are extremely unlikely and even unrealistic for Royal Navy officers of that age (well, at least until things went completely to hell). But the writers were clearly trying to heighten the drama, I suppose. And I think you're right that the whole Fairholme relief expedition also does seem very unlikely, authorized or not. Even without a demon bear on the loose, their chances of actually reaching a Hudson Bay outpost were...pretty much nill. And Crozier would know that.

[@litorres4125]

I think men had survived 600 plus mile round trips through the Wild of northern Canada in expeditions before but this might have been pushing it a little, either way a small chance of success was better than none at all

[@phuttyyt]

Just a correction about Franklin's fate in the novel: he still goes down the ice hole, rather than being thrown in the sea, and is struggling to find air pockets below the ice when the Tuunbaq appears through the water and bites his face off.

[@stevegeorge6880]

Like, I don't know whether there's anything in the long long ago that would preclude it, but I bet you and Lindsay Ellis would do a kick-ass collaboration on a historical video essay if opportunity ever allowed.

[@lostbengirl]

That would be amazing.

[@asandwell]

One final comment on the subject of Sir John's death and burial. I've always found it odd that Fitzjames failed to mention what he died of or where he was buried, especially given all the other info he *does* mention in the note, such as the number of officers and men dead, that one of them was Franklin himself, the date of his death, etc. Why this is the case is a mystery to me.

[@MrWill9002]

Possibly due to lead poisoning from the canned food they brought

[@dylanchouinard6141]

I personally think it’s entirely logical; the victory point message was to alert authorities of many of the expedition were still alive, and that’s all it needed to be. The location of Franklin was probably unnecessary to that goal, whereas the time of death of the most senior officer of the group was. The only reason I can think of would be to eventually find it again and rebury Franklin in England….but given that they might have submerged his coffin with concrete I doubt that was their intention.

[@TheWorstThingEver]

I just started watching this series last night after learning it features Nive Nielsen. I had heard of the show before, but only the title and didn't realize what it was about. These videos have been fascinating. Thanks!

[@misssunbeam]

That's David Bryant, not Solomon Tozer.

[@richardmalcolm1457]

@3.00 "Even if something like this happened, it didn't happen like this." This one's actually on the show writers, not Dan Simmons, who has the basis of this whole scene (in much longer form) in his novel. And Simmons, to his credit, ends it with Sir John Ross promising that if they don't hear from him by 1848, he'll come to look for him himself. (Which, as you point out, he actually did.) I think the writers left it out to heighten Franklin's anxiety and insecurity and avoid ending the flashback on a hopeful note. But it's a real injustice to Sir John Ross - who, while he presciently predicted that an expedition like Franklin's would be foolhardy, would not have berated his friend like this. Instead, he'd have berated Sir John Barrow (and probably did).

[@johnlavery3433]

I think that the funeral witnessed by the Inuit was probably Franklin’s

[@richardmalcolm1457]

@@johnlavery3433 There's been speculation that it was Franklin's; though given the rarity of visits in those days by Inuit to the NW of King William Island, I suspect (though we cannot be sure) that it was more likely Crozier's funeral.

[@johnlavery3433]

Unlikely. The Inuit observed the ships firing their guns, and we know from the victory point message that Crozier was still alive when the men abandoned the ships

[@richardmalcolm1457]

@@johnlavery3433 Franklin died on 11 June 1847, when the ships were still locked in the ice 20 km NW of Point Felix. So this is a difficulty that has to be resolved: Inuit could not have seen cannon salutes from the ships unless they ventured out onto the pack ice to visit the ships (presumably, in company with some shore party) - which is no impossible, but seems less likely. This in turn assumes that Franklin was buried at sea, with a hole cut in the pack ice, rather than buried on shore - and of course, we have no idea where Franklin was buried, since Crozier's April 1848 note does not say.

[@richardmalcolm1457]

@@johnlavery3433 By the way, just so we're on the same track, is it the Peter Bayne testimony hat you have in mind? Quote: "Many of the white men came ashore and camped there during the summer; that the camp had one big tent and several smaller ones; that Crozier (Aglooka) came there some times, and he had seen and talked with him; that seal were plentiful the first year, and sometimes the white men went with the natives and shot seal with their guns; that ducks and geese were also plentiful, and the white men shot many; that some of the white men were sick in the big tent; and died there, and were buried on the hill back of the camp; that one man died on the ships and was brought ashore and buried on the hill near where the others were buried; that this man was not buried in the ground like the others, but in an opening in the rock, and his body covered over with something that, “after a while was all same stone”; that he was out hunting seal when this man was buried, but other natives were there, and saw, and told him about it, and the other natives said that “many guns were fired.”"

[@asandwell]

I also just remembered something else: you point out that Sir John Ross is erroneously depicted as English rather than Scottish on the show. Dr. Harry Goodsir was also Scottish in real life but is likewise portrayed as English.

[@Leicestercityrules24]

Also interestingly, Clive Russell the actor was born in England but grew up in Scotland so could easily have played him correctly.

[@asandwell]

Thank you DiamandaHagan oh so very much for this review/analysis! Been eagerly waiting for this practically ever since the last review. As always, these Terror episode breakdowns and comparisons with the real Franklin expedition are a delight to watch and listen to :) Here's hoping you do the rest of the series in the same vein. You're doing a superb job!

[@joshua3367]

Bro these videos are literally everything I wanted from the retorspective of the show. Thank you. "The Terror" is one of my all time favorite books and I just finished the show. I was worried it wouldn't live up to my expectations at all so I waited some years for my expectations to drop to nil. 😂 I figured a AMC show wouldnt be able to truly display the true horror and graphic nature of the book, and it doesn't but it tries and it tries very well. The show is amazing though and so are these breakdowns. I look forward watching your whole series.

[@DiamandaHagan]

HOPE YOU ENJOY! Check out my other Polar History vids too!

[@richardmalcolm1457]

@2.44 "Few people with any degree of influence even thought an escape plan was even necessary." (This is a wink at Dr Richard King, isn't it? :)) You know, it really *is* amazing that this seems to be the case, because it's not just bloody obvious in hindsight - I mean, consider how many *previous* British Arctic expeditions had seen ships frozen in for multiple winters, mangled and even crushed by ice, crews forced to march - why, you mention the most obvious one (Ross's) yourself. You'd think the Admiralty would have learned something by that point. Perhaps the problem was that they'd gotten away with it too many times, sort of like NASA did with the Space Shuttle before they got burned.

[@carbo73]

There's a detail wrong with the operation of the camera. I own and use several wood & brass cameras, although more "modern", so to say. Dry plate 1890's cameras, not daguerrotype cameras. But as far as I know there's a fundamental issue in how they misuse the camera. The doctor just stares at the ground glass in the dark for several seconds. But that's not taking any picture. The ground glass is just there to focus. And then he should had to replace it with a holder with the actual plate, a bronze silvered one in this case, and expose it for a lot of time, probably a minute or more. But not with his head under the dark cloth, that's for sure.

[@DiamandaHagan]

This is why I love comments :). So many people know shit I don;t.

[@somelad4215]

“The marines where waiting for the tunnbaq to pop its head out to blow it off” as my dad said “we were Tough not smart.” 😂

[@harrysecombegroupie]

Another excellent video on one of my favourite tv shows! One little nitpick though: that marine isn't Solomon Tozer. I don't remember that character's name, but Tozer's the Cool Hat Guy at 00:35. EDIT: Also (and feel free to banish me to the monkey enclosure), while press gangs were definitely a thing, I'm pretty sure 'pressed into service' is a euphemism for 'coerced into sex' in this context, hence Hickey's reaction implying it was actually Gibson who initiated the proceedings. Nevertheless, loving your work as always : )

[@DiamandaHagan]

You're totally right, apparently all marines look a like to me! If I remember I'll put that into episode 4. 'Pressed into service' was being used as euphemism for sexual assault but I was giving an explanation of the term itself. This is why I can't do this academically, I can;t be clear for shit.

[@harrysecombegroupie]

@@DiamandaHagan There are so many hairy-faced, rugged up white blokes in this show it's hard to tell them apart at times + I totally see what you meant about the reference to press gangs now. Thanks for both appeasing my obsessive tendencies and sending me on an hour-long Gabber tangent.

[@asandwell]

I'm also curious, DiamandaHagan, to hear your opinion on Dr. Stanley setting himself and the carnival on fire in 'A Mercy' when you get to that episode.

[@MrsChirpyBird]

Thanks for this info! Just FYI, the Marine in the beginning is not Tozer. Love these videos!

[@thatchannel195]

Hello what's the news from the other provinces?

[@asandwell]

I just remembered a nitpick I have with this review, besides the one pointed out elsewhere regarding your confusing Sgt. Bryant with Sgt. Tozer. You say that Fitzjames knew Gore for years and that it's more likely he would have had an emotional reaction to his death instead of Sir John's. Actually, from what I understand, Fitzjames and Gore met for the first time on the Franklin expedition. The two of them did serve in the Opium War in China, which I'm guessing is what you're referring to, but not at the same time. Gore was there on the HMS Volage from 1838 to '40; Fitzjames on the HMS Cornwallis from 1841 through the end of '42.

[@asandwell]

By the way, for the other users on here, Le Vesconte is the officer to the left of Crozier at 11:31--11:33

[@danielmonroe1722]

Love this series, please continue

[@tucmakukla]

The ROV exploration of wreck of Terror might show a camera tripod and possibly camera itself - the copper plates may be down there? :)

[@asandwell]

I'm reading, for the fourth or fifth time, a really good book about John Ross' voyage in search of the Northwest Passage aboard the Victory that you allude to in this review. 'Fury Beach' by Ray Edinger, it is. And for many years now I've thought that the Ross/Victory expedition would arguably make for a better movie or tv show than the Franklin expedition. At least Ross' journey had a happy ending(only three fatalities among his twenty-five-man crew). Angus Macfadyen would, IMO, make a *great* John Ross.

[@GriffinPilgrim]

Everytime I watch one of these I feel the need to turn my heating on...

[@austindapker]

Awesome! I was so excited to see that you posted another video, I just finished the first season. Apparantly the second season will be a fictional story based in an American internment camp for Japanese citizens during WW2.

[@asandwell]

I just went back and re-read William Battersby's biography of James Fitzjames. It's possible you're confusing Lt. Gore with Lt. Le Vesconte in this video. The two of them certainly met on the HMS Cornwallis during the Opium War and remained good friends from then on. I can certainly picture Fitzjames taking *his* death hard, and vice versa.

[@asandwell]

One last thing DiamandaHagan, where did you learn that Sgt. Tozer was Jewish? I haven't been able to find that in any book or anywhere on the Internet.

[@veselinnedkov643]

"Not sure why they made him English though - he was Scottish" Yeah, him and Goodsir, and I believe Irving too...

[@asandwell]

My father, who's interested in the Franklin expedition--albeit not to as great an extent as myself--thinks it highly probable that Sir John took his own life. What do you guys think?

[@dylanchouinard6141]

It seems unlikely to me. Franklin was a deeply religious man and would probably have been against the idea of taking his own life. Diamanda also pointed out that Sir John probably took a long time to die, which wouldn’t be consistent with a death by his own hand.

[@asandwell]

@@dylanchouinard6141 I had not thought of either of those points. Thank you for drawing my attention to them!

[@dylanchouinard6141]

A Sandwell no problem

[@MrWill9002]

@@asandwell that is true but remember, those men were suffering from lead poisoning from the canned foos

[@namelessguard6435]

I really enjoy your Terror reviews, keep up the great work 👍

[@MrWill9002]

Well in terms of Franklin's confrontation with Crozier, well in all fairness there may have been lead poisoning affecting his thoughts

[@lufsolitaire5351]

He, at least in the show had tried and tried to be friendly and patch things up but had been rebuked by Crozier, plus he was tired of Crozier and his naysaying and doubting of the wellness of the expedition. He was also close with Lt. Gore and while idk if that was true in real life, at least in the show it’s depicted that Gore was a good friend of Franklins. And then also the lead poisoning.

[@MrWill9002]

@@lufsolitaire5351 That’s what I said. And Gore and the naysaying is partially a factor that much was obvious but hey Crozier has the most experience of exploring the Arctic by sea out of the two of them so…

[@juliet7703]

Fascinating but what is "botcholism"?..sorry for the misspelling

[@Hellsinger89]

I'm almost done the book, but I gotta say I give the miniseries the edge in terms of which is better.

[@nomisunrider6472]

You should do more historical fiction series after this one is done.

[@falloutghoul1]

Another Terror review? An excellent evening indeed. :D

[@quinnzykir]

The title reminds me of a Protomen song

[@gideonhorwitz9434]

I wish they made the Tuunbaq a regular polar bear it’s already scary enough as the actualy hunt humans And the show goes along and the mental state of the crew deteriorates the bear takes in more supernatural qualities. I dot find it scary,once I got a good look at its design I did find it more disturbing with the combinations of animal and human features.

[@golgothavirus]

yay more Terror

[@PCCC89]

I thought that "pressed into service" was a euphemism.

[@joshuabale4923]

Thay seargeant you showed in the 1st part of the episode is David Bryant, not Tozier.

[@springtime1838]

Great as always

[@dewittbourchier7169]

It is not inccurate to portray Scots as speaking with an 'English' accent as received pronunciation is used throughout the British isles to help facilitate understanding. Especially spending a long time in England Scots often being to lose their accent.

[@asandwell]

Interesting! I did not know that. Incidentally, I've noticed that in all my reading on the Franklin Expedition and 19th century Royal Navy Discovery Service voyages in general that a seemingly disproportionate number of Royal Navy Surgeons were Scotsmen. Do you know why that was? If not, perhaps DiamandaHagan himself does!

[@dewittbourchier7169]

@@asandwell I do not know that myself.

[@kassidymiller3223]

I've been looking everywhere for your review of The Passion of the Christ 😟

[@anaiglesias9972]

I love this videos

[@kramermariav]

Another Terror review? It's Christmas!

[@sonofthewolfguardianofthef1214]

Of you play the theme at twice speed you are not a decade older than you were when the show started

[@waynefurnell5354]

That's not tozier at the start of the video and the crew don't steal the tunnbaq charm the put it back on hes body

[@traplogic5717]

Poo farts is all yew awwfor'd ser.