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S01.E01: Go For Broke / S01.E02: Gore


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Episode one;

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The Royal Navy on a mission to find the Northwest Passage in 1847 is stalked by a mysterious predator. Two ships with brave captains and their crews of royal marines, all battle the elements and unknown adventure while remembering home and mission beginnings. An accident at sea cripples a Royal Navy expedition 200 miles from finding the Northwest Passage, forcing its captains to make a dire choice.

and episode two;

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After a long winter trapped in the ice, scouting parties are sent out in search of open water; one of the teams makes a frightening discovery.

 

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57 minutes ago, Lamima said:

Might have to put on the subtitles. 

I did that pretty early on, I wasn't understanding some of the things they were saying.

The production design is quite good, I'm cold just looking at where they are. Although I didn't see much breathe coming out of their mouths, unless I missed it  It looked like it was freezing every day/night. I saw it once and I thought maybe it was CGI.

I didn't finish all of the second hour but saw up to the part where the guy shot the Eskimo(?) then you saw some big shadowy thing running in the background.... so it was starting to get a lot more interesting now. 

Got to go back now and finish up.

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They pretty much had me as soon as I saw this was starring Ciarán Hinds and Tobias Menzies (Rome reunion for the win!), and Jared Harris.  Throw in a hell of a supporting cast featuring the likes of Ian Hart, Tom Weston-Jones, and Alistair Petrie, and it's must see television for me!

Pretty decent opener.  Still confused over a few things, but the production values are top notch, already enjoy the characterization and history between the main characters, and, again, the cast is spectacular.  Definitely looking forward to seeing more of Francis and John's past.

Right now, my favorite characters are Francis and the surgeon guy.  And I'm already enjoying hating James, because no one can do preening, sneering, smug dickbag like Tobias Menzies can! 

Edited by thuganomics85
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I hated it. I only watched half an hour and understood maybe 20% of what they were saying. I thought it was dry and boring and the ship scenes looked as unrealistic as a stage play, but my husband loved it.

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The book was thrilling, a favorite of mine in a genre which is NOT my favorite.  So far I find the cast excellent and the production amazing: the long shots, the aerials of the deck, the vastness of their icebound environment, all supply details which were shortchanged in my imagination.  I didn't anticipate that with the characters portrayed by actors, I find myself becoming a little more attached to some of them than I would like, knowing their fates.

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I admit because I'm apparently old now that anything that airs after 10 p.m. here on a school night is going to have me doing a certain amount of fading in and out, but a great cast and terrific visuals are definitely the way to hook me nonetheless.  It's been awhile since I last saw Jared Harris on Mad Men, so it's nice to see him again here.  Throw in Tobias Menzies playing his best sneering dickishness and self-satisfaction and delivering lines, as a friend once said of the late great Alan Rickman, as if he much enjoys pissing on you from a great height, and I'm good even if I shallowly don't think his hairpiece this go-round is.  I'm not sure I followed everything either, but I am enjoying the small touches of black humor that I think by necessity would be a part of a voyage like this.

This early in, the production values are terrific in painting visuals of just how alone and isolated these men are in the world.  The sense of scope and vastness is there.  The final shot of the two ships mired down separately from each other in the bleak whiteness at the end of the first half captured that overwhelming feeling I get every once in awhile in reading about periods of exploration when I contemplate that I need GPS to find a market in the next town while humans used to actually set out on these fantastical voyages on purpose not knowing if they'd actually find what they were looking for or if they'd ever make it back.

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I like it. Didnt put on the subtitles so I had trouble following some conversations but got the gist. Will have to put on subtitles next week. I feel the cold and isolation and underlying fear in some of the characters. Some parts are too quiet and can be boring but not enough to make me quit watching. As you all mentioned, the cast is fantastic. It's somewhat a The Lost feel, the early Lost, but arctic instead of tropical. 

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44 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

I admit because I'm apparently old now that anything that airs after 10 p.m. here on a school night is going to have me doing a certain amount of fading in and out, but a great cast and terrific visuals are definitely the way to hook me nonetheless.  It's been awhile since I last saw Jared Harris on Mad Men, so it's nice to see him again here.  Throw in Tobias Menzies playing his best sneering dickishness and self-satisfaction and delivering lines, as a friend once said of the late great Alan Rickman, as if he much enjoys pissing on you from a great height, and I'm good even if I shallowly don't think his hairpiece this go-round is.  I'm not sure I followed everything either, but I am enjoying the small touches of black humor that would I think by necessity would be a part of a voyage like this.

This early in, the production values are terrific in painting visuals of just how alone and isolated these men are in the world.  The sense of scope and vastness is there.  The final shot of the two ships mired down separately from each other in the bleak whiteness at the end of the first half captured that overwhelming feeling I get every once in awhile in reading about periods of exploration when I contemplate that I need GPS to find a market in the next town while humans used to actually set out on these fantastical voyages on purpose not knowing if they'd actually find what they were looking for or if they'd ever make it back.

I was going to put it off, and record a few more episodes before watching, but decided to just put it on this morning (quiet and rainy = perfect for watching something like this). I'm enjoying it, too, for all of the reasons you and others have mentioned. 

We also happened to lose the van in Cleveland, on Saturday, after I'd participated in a certain "walk". Dad couldn't remember where he'd parked it, and I was over walking after just ten minutes of looking, and panicking a bit, at the prospect of not finding it - and that was in a busy city, where I could get something to eat and drink, and get out of the cold wind, if needed. I was wishing I could link up to the GPS in the van, with my phone, to locate it. I can't imagine being stuck where these men are, and making that hike, dragging a boat, too!

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I liked it. I understood what they were saying well enough without putting on subtitles. Great cast, it was nice to see Tobias Menzies from Outlander, he plays the part of pompous ass so well. It’s amazing how these men survived in such wretched subzero conditions. 

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I really like it. I watched the stealth premiere of the first episode right after TWD last Sunday, and that got me hooked. I definitely had to turn CC on, though, and I was happy that I had another chance to rewatch the first ep - it very much helped  me to attach names to faces. Given that they were all in uniform and all bundled up for the Arctic with just their faces showing, I spent my first viewing on Sunday thinking, "Who are you again? Which ship are they on now?' Heh. It became much clearer to me on Monday's viewing. Actually for all my semi-grousing, I'm glad that they're not doing a lot of exposition up front. I enjoy finding out about the characters more organically.

2 hours ago, Apocalypso said:

The book was thrilling, a favorite of mine in a genre which is NOT my favorite.  So far I find the cast excellent and the production amazing: the long shots, the aerials of the deck, the vastness of their icebound environment, all supply details which were shortchanged in my imagination.  I didn't anticipate that with the characters portrayed by actors, I find myself becoming a little more attached to some of them than I would like, knowing their fates.

Was there a supernatural element in the book, too? Would that be considered a spoiler? Maybe we could get a spoiler/book thread for those of us who'd like to hear about the book version?

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I didn't understand a lot of what they were saying even with the captions on.  How does one gull around the world?

 

I read the book and, while I was reading it, thought it was boring and dragged on, but after I was done I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I've been thinking about giving it another try.

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I think it's doing pretty well for what it has to work with - they are in a bleak landscape and so you'll have tons of inside ship interactions and occasional guys looking out in the white, pondering things. 

I typically need the cc on, but for some reason I'm doing fine with this.  Second episode picked up the pace a bit with the team foraging out ahead, tho I am a bit confused - were they just using the dragged boat as a sled for their supplies? They never did get as far as non-iced water, but if they had, were they going to get out on the water or what exactly? If so, what good would that actually do?

29 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Man, this thing was dragging.  Right now, I only care about the dog, cat, and monkey.  I hate shows like these that have to drag animals along.  It usual doesn't end well for the animals, and I am an animal lover.  I wish the people on the ships were more like Thurston Howell III and just brought Teddy.

As for the monster, it looked very much like a polar bear or similar animal. 

I don't know what that dude saw when he was trying to free the propeller.  I don't know if it was a hallucination or something else altogether.

Agree on the animals, that part always bums me out as well. And I agree, think it was a polar bear.

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  1. I'm really loving this.  As far as being cold..i grew up on Lake Erie near Cedar Point and boy howdy its cold on that ice and the wind that blows....i read the book...I'm a nerd...and i loved it...this is following very close.  The cast is spot on and fantastic the cold creeps in from my tv set...i put it on my dvr and laid in bed to watch....i got up and dragged the dog in bed to stay warm.  I can tell you no matter what movie it is....the dog dies....i bet they eat him.......no no not spoiler....i wont do that...
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I agree on the animals. As a matter of fact when the first episode aired on Sunday I thought it was just a preview. As soon as I saw the dog, I changed the channel. I have always had a problem with my place on the food chain. I'm glad I gave it a second chance on Monday though. 

 

@seahag50

Hey there, I was born in Lorain and later transplanted to New England. Yeah, I remember the cold. :) 

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1 hour ago, Colorado David said:

I think it's doing pretty well for what it has to work with - they are in a bleak landscape and so you'll have tons of inside ship interactions and occasional guys looking out in the white, pondering things. 

I typically need the cc on, but for some reason I'm doing fine with this.  Second episode picked up the pace a bit with the team foraging out ahead, tho I am a bit confused - were they just using the dragged boat as a sled for their supplies? They never did get as far as non-iced water, but if they had, were they going to get out on the water or what exactly? If so, what good would that actually do?

Agree on the animals, that part always bums me out as well. And I agree, think it was a polar bear.

I think the guy underwater, getting the ice out of the prop, saw the dead guy floating (the guy who fell off the mast and drowned). That's what I thought anyway.

 

The boats they were dragging, that's called sledge parties. They basically used the boats as sleds to carry their stuff. They were looking for a pass or unfrozen waters. 

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

Man, this thing was dragging.  Right now, I only care about the dog, cat, and monkey.  I hate shows like these that have to drag animals along.  It usual doesn't end well for the animals, and I am an animal lover.  I wish the people on the ships were more like Thurston Howell III and just brought Teddy.

As for the monster, it looked very much like a polar bear or similar animal. 

I don't know what that dude saw when he was trying to free the propeller.  I don't know if it was a hallucination or something else altogether.

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7 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I hate shows like these that have to drag animals along.  It usual doesn't end well for the animals, and I am an animal lover. 

 

6 hours ago, Colorado David said:

Agree on the animals, that part always bums me out as well.

 

6 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

I agree on the animals. As a matter of fact when the first episode aired on Sunday I thought it was just a preview. As soon as I saw the dog, I changed the channel.

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one. As soon as I saw the dog, I kept worrying about if/when something bad was gonna happen to it.

 

7 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I don't know what that dude saw when he was trying to free the propeller.  I don't know if it was a hallucination or something else altogether.

I think it was the guy who fell overboard and drowned.

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I was skeptical whether I would be interested in this 19th century nautical tale but damn I'm hooked. I actually watched the 1st hour over again when it re-aired. I was surprised by the time jump in ep2. 

If ever a show could be described as atmospheric, it is this one. I swear sometimes when they showed the cold, barren landscape I burrowed just a little bit deeper into my slanket.

The particulars of navigating a ship through ice/glaciers are fascinating but hard to understand. I am also curious as to how they are keeping warm in those temps, where they are getting their drinking water (melting the ice?), where they are getting their food and how they are cooking it - their coal supply can't be endless.  Surprised they made it through the winter. 

Goodsir (what a perfect name) is my fave. He is just so endearing and likable. I absolutely loathe the doctor (who was so nasty about not treating the Eskimo), who I assume is his supervisor. A bit weird to see that a surgeon is seen as less respectable than a doctor in those days. 

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I liked the slow burn of this. The feeling of isolation and the cold so intense you can practically feel it through the screen. The first episodes definitely led to some frantic googling and nerding out (more appropriate for the other thread), but beyond that they set the stage for what I can only assume will be an increasingly desperate story. I don't feel like I know many of the characters after the first two episodes, and I agree part of that is trying to decipher who is who under 17 layers and/or understand some of the mumbled lines. I am excited to see where this is going, though. The only thing I didn't love from a storytelling perspective was the flashbacks. It felt a bit jarring and they interior shots were not so different from the interior of the ship to immediately signal a flashback. It would sometimes take me a beat to realize we were having a flashback. 

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1 hour ago, islandgal140 said:

I am also curious as to how they are keeping warm in those temps, where they are getting their drinking water (melting the ice?), where they are getting their food and how they are cooking it - their coal supply can't be endless.  Surprised they made it through the winter.

I know from reading the Aubrey-Maturin novels that those ships are huge, with a surprising storage capacity.  Whaling ships used to stay at sea for years at a time, but at least they were able to make stops at islands to stock fresh water, etc.  But Terror and Erebus can't do that, so yeah, where are they getting fresh water?  And would melted ice be okay to drink, or is the ice salty?

I'm also entranced by this, and will be rewatching the first two episodes -- and saving this on the DVR for a binge when it's over.  The casting is perfect and they're not overdoing the scary bits -- no "jump" music, for instance.  Everyone is behaving rationally.  That's so nice.

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I am conflicted. The acting is top notch with Tobias Menzies, Ciarán Hinds, and Jared Harris leading the way and cinematography is stunning, but the feeling of inevitable doom that hangs over the crew makes it difficult to watch. And I agree, why do they always have to bring a dog? Ugh.

It did look like a polar bear attacked the guy. I can imagine that humans wandering around unaware that there are predators make easy and tasty meals for them.

ETA: This reminds me of the movie, The Thing, the original with Kurt Russell and Keith David. I love that movie. Like the original Aliens, it freaks me out everytime I watch it.

Edited by SimoneS
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On 3/26/2018 at 10:54 PM, Lamima said:

Might have to put on the subtitles. 

PLEASE let me know if you figure out how to do that.  I'm deaf and use subtitles for everything.  There aren't any for this.  I have to admit, I was frustrated that I spent $25 on this series and I can't understand it.  I'm doing the best I can.

The conversation between the Irish captain and his mate? friend? some guy? on the railing with the thunderstorms on the horizon (I could see them flashing) is lost to me.  Entirely.  I have no idea what they were saying.  I even sat close to the machine and turned it way up like I have to do with Duolingo sometimes.  Nuthin'.

 

I see that some of you found the subtitles -- help would be appreciated.  We're on the Roku Amazon Prime.

 

ANYway, the show.  I read the book a long time ago and loved it.  Someone said it's "thrilling" and that's right.  This, however, dragged for me and the CGI is amateurish.  I've been spoiled by Vikings, I guess.  I'm not familiar with any of the actors except Franklin's and I find them garbled and (see above).  I'm not interested in any of them.  

Overall disappointing at episode 2 but since I spent American Dollars on it, I'll keep at it through the end.  (May I recommend Fortitude for those who like cold and mysterious murders of unknown origin?  It's modern, though.)

Edited by Captanne
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Finally got around to watching this - had to turn CC on to understand it better. Normally I have no problem with accents but the dialogue is so filled with 19th century colloquialisms, and the sound quality is rather poor. The dialogue struggles against background noises a lot of the time. 

It's OK. It's got my interested piqued just enough to keep watching at this point. I'm not really sure where they're going in terms of fictionalizing some sort of paranormal element to the story - thus far that's been a weak spot. 

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On 3/27/2018 at 2:43 AM, thuganomics85 said:

And I'm already enjoying hating James, because no one can do preening, sneering, smug dickbag like Tobias Menzies can! 

I think that must be in the cv his agent distributes.

On 3/28/2018 at 12:10 PM, islandgal140 said:

A bit weird to see that a surgeon is seen as less respectable than a doctor in those days. 

A surgeon in the Navy at the time had only very basic medical training, usually just some anatomy.  They were still frequently butchers (literally, that was their pre-Navy profession), and not at all the equivalent to a doctor.  The expedition would've been fortunate to have an actual doctor along.

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(edited)

Did anyone catch the Rome reference, when Tobias Menzies character said "I felt like Ceasar crossing the Rubicon."   Was so funny to hear "Brutus" saying that with "Ceasar" sitting right there.  

I liked it a lot !  Random thoughts:

Dr. Goodsir my fave so far.    I definitely thought it was a bear that ate that guy.    Eskimo girl is interesting.    I needed the subtitles on as well.  

Edited by jnymph
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Quote

They pretty much had me as soon as I saw this was starring Ciarán Hinds and Tobias Menzies (Rome reunion for the win!), and Jared Harris.  Throw in a hell of a supporting cast featuring the likes of Ian Hart, Tom Weston-Jones, and Alistair Petrie, and it's must see television for me!

Yup, that’s what drew me to this show at first too.  Not only a Rome reunion but A Game of Thrones reunion too seeing as both actors are in that as well.  No idea who Jared Harris is but he is doing a good job as the other Captain.  So far, I've watched every episode I could find online so when can we discuss those? 

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Oh my god, the mumbling!  Stop the mumbling!  Didn't anyone teach these actors how to speak clearly and loudly???

I really wanted to like this, but I had no idea what was being said most of the time.

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22 hours ago, Token said:

Oh my god, the mumbling!  Stop the mumbling!  Didn't anyone teach these actors how to speak clearly and loudly???

I really wanted to like this, but I had no idea what was being said most of the time.

I would be lost without the captions, but they make it worth it.

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Ok...trying to give this another try...30 min in to the first episode, the dyng kid sees a grey, twisty elephant faced thing that turns into a chinese dude...its a vision I know...but what was the grey thing supposed to be?

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1 minute ago, Christi said:

Ok...trying to give this another try...30 min in to the first episode, the dyng kid sees a grey, twisty elephant faced thing that turns into a chinese dude...its a vision I know...but what was the grey thing supposed to be?

I watched the first two episodes on my iPad without captioning and found it fascinating but confusing. Noticed earlier that my DVR is recording tonight-yay! Unfortunately, I’ve got the grandkids till tomorrow afternoon. I’m really looking forward to a rewatch on a big screen with captions tomorrow evening. I remember the Asian looking dude; I thought it was an Inuit warning sort of a vision... 

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Im sure it was! But it showed his face as a twisted gray thing, before the Asian man.  I paused an stared at it, and still couldnt figure it out, even tho the lighting was clear enough.

Looked like an elephant without a trunk, and his teeth all twisted to one side...or a gray rubbery yin/yang symbol maybe?

Im obviously cluless! lol

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2 hours ago, Christi said:

Ok...trying to give this another try...30 min in to the first episode, the dyng kid sees a grey, twisty elephant faced thing that turns into a chinese dude...its a vision I know...but what was the grey thing supposed to be?

It was a mask. Of what, we don't yet know. And the man was Inuit, not Chinese; they're in the Arctic above North America, after all. ;)

Edited by Sighed I
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12 hours ago, Sighed I said:

It was a mask. Of what, we don't yet know. And the man was Inuit, not Chinese; they're in the Arctic above North America, after all. ;)

With the man being a vision, and it being the first episode I didn't know...but of course you are right.  Maybe the Twisty Mask is from China LOL 

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I rewatched and paused on the “twisty elephant face”. Googled Yupik shaman mask and looked at the images. I think that is what the dying man saw. Many of the masks had twisted faces and crooked mouths- fascinating and very creepy. (I probably spent an hour down that Inuit/Yupik rabbit hole. Love the internet!)

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image.png.3056a1a092283955c5fca27a013bbf15.png

On 4/29/2018 at 8:42 PM, Crone said:

I rewatched and paused on the “twisty elephant face”. Googled Yupik shaman mask and looked at the images. I think that is what the dying man saw. Many of the masks had twisted faces and crooked mouths- fascinating and very creepy. (I probably spent an hour down that Inuit/Yupik rabbit hole. Love the internet!)

 

 

image.png.f97e3f001b7b291d13683eb8bbdc2e49.png

@Crone 

One of the Google masks does kind of resemble the Tuunbaq. (That was the first still photo of it I could find.)

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Just watched the first episode on Amazon prime and so far I really like it. I have spent a little time in the Canadian Arctic and the considering the show is probably not shot on location I thought it captured the look and the atmosphere pretty well. And the feel for how cold it must have been. I can't imagine dealing with an arctic winter with 19th century clothing. Although I am curious how future episodes are going to look when they hit the time of year where the sun never comes up.

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On 3/28/2018 at 10:10 AM, islandgal140 said:

I was skeptical whether I would be interested in this 19th century nautical tale but damn I'm hooked. I actually watched the 1st hour over again when it re-aired. I was surprised by the time jump in ep2. 

If ever a show could be described as atmospheric, it is this one. I swear sometimes when they showed the cold, barren landscape I burrowed just a little bit deeper into my slanket.

The particulars of navigating a ship through ice/glaciers are fascinating but hard to understand. I am also curious as to how they are keeping warm in those temps, where they are getting their drinking water (melting the ice?), where they are getting their food and how they are cooking it - their coal supply can't be endless.  Surprised they made it through the winter. 

Goodsir (what a perfect name) is my fave. He is just so endearing and likable. I absolutely loathe the doctor (who was so nasty about not treating the Eskimo), who I assume is his supervisor. A bit weird to see that a surgeon is seen as less respectable than a doctor in those days. 

100% agree.

The ships (two huge frigates) were stocked for 3-5 years so had a huge amount of food, supplies, canned goods, spirits, water, and more prepared for the journey. And the ice would also provide endless fresh (very drinkable) water.

On 3/28/2018 at 11:56 AM, AuntiePam said:

I know from reading the Aubrey-Maturin novels that those ships are huge, with a surprising storage capacity.  Whaling ships used to stay at sea for years at a time, but at least they were able to make stops at islands to stock fresh water, etc.  But Terror and Erebus can't do that, so yeah, where are they getting fresh water?  And would melted ice be okay to drink, or is the ice salty?

The ice is seriously pure fresh water, fresher and purer than they have access to even in civilization. They basically can keep chipping off the upper parts of the pack ice and icebergs and have unlimited fresh water as long as they are there.

On 4/28/2018 at 7:41 PM, Christi said:

Ok...trying to give this another try...30 min in to the first episode, the dyng kid sees a grey, twisty elephant faced thing that turns into a chinese dude...its a vision I know...but what was the grey thing supposed to be?

It's not a Chinese dude, it's an Inuit (indigenous "Eskimo" man). The mask is meant to be a subtle signal to us that something supernatural is happening, and the men are in danger. 

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