AMC
Showrunners: David Kajganich, Soo Hugh
In September, an awful truth was brought to light.
Ever since contact was lost with the Franklin expedition, an 1845 attempt by the British Royal Navy to find a path through the Arctic鈥檚 Northwest Passage, historians and scientists have tried to find out what went wrong. Investigations discovered hints of the horrors the sailors may have faced, including pack ice, hypothermia, lead poisoning and starvation. Eventually, the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, the mission鈥檚 twin ships, were located.
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But another, more personal challenge endures, that of accurately identifying the remains of many of the 129 souls lost. New research by Douglas Stenton at the University of Waterloo in Canada and his colleagues has done just that for James Fitzjames, a senior officer on HMS Erebus. Most significantly, it is the first time it has been possible to identify an expedition member whose body was cannibalised.
It is a sorry tale, and I wouldn鈥檛 blame you if you shied away from learning more about the expedition. But if, like me, you have a lingering fascination with the fate of these men, watch the first season of AMC鈥檚 horror anthology series The Terror, from 2018, which is based on the ill-fated mission 鈥� and adds a supernatural twist. It isn鈥檛 a literal retelling of the tragedy, but it is a beautifully crafted show, and a fitting tribute to the sailors.
We have been trying to piece together what happened for years. The show is part of that continuing history
At the heart of The Terror鈥榮 version are three officers. One is Fitzjames (Tobias Menzies), here characterised as the dashing, somewhat arrogant favourite of John Franklin (Ciar谩n Hinds), the amiable but glory-hunting leader of the expedition. The crew of HMS Terror are led by Francis Crozier (Jared Harris), Franklin鈥檚 melancholic second-in-command, who is among the vanishingly few polar veterans on either ship.
All three are limited, flawed and buckling under the social stigma of those times: of being illegitimate, a failure or Irish, respectively. The world that broke and bent these men into shape has sent them to carve a path through the ice, straight into a sea of troubles.
Among these is the Tuunbaq, a polar bear-like creature inspired by Inuit myths. A lesser show would have turned this into a symbol of evil, but in The Terror, it is simply a manifestation of nature鈥檚 indifference, its 鈥渟avagery鈥� just one of the abominations ahead, not least the men themselves. Their distrust of the Inuit communities also dooms them as much as their encounters with the Tuunbaq, horrifying as those are.
We know from an epigraph to the series that all the sailors are destined to be lost. Remarkably, The Terror makes you forget that: each death and indignity is as keenly felt as if the men鈥檚 fates were uncertain. That is the result not only of excellent writing and an exemplary cast, but the loving way the series includes ephemera the expedition left behind, clues that would later prove vital.
We have been trying to piece together what happened to the Franklin expedition for years. The first season of The Terror may be a drama, but it is also an important part of that continuing history because it speaks vividly to our fascination with the men who died, not simply the particulars of their doom. I struggled against feelings of dread to watch it again for this review, but once I began, I felt compelled onwards to its harrowing conclusion.
I am confident you will, too.
Bethan also recommends鈥�
Creator: Simon Donald
Sky Atlantic
Set in the sleepy (fictional) town of Fortitude in the Norwegian Arctic, this horror series hinges on a thawing glacier and some truly terrifying polar bears.
Editor: John Miller
Courtesy of the British Library, this collection of classic horror short stories is a perfect accompaniment to The Terror.
Bethan Ackerley is a subeditor at 麻豆传媒. She loves sci-fi, sitcoms and anything spooky. Follow her聽on聽X @鈥宨nkerley
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