S01.E10: We Are Gone

[Captanne]

As it turns out, in RL, Crozier was quite correct to assume that he could not return to England with his story.  Not only would he have to answer for being the only commanding officer to survive the loss of all his men -- but he would have to answer for the obvious cannibalism.  (He had to assume these relics would be found and they were -- not only by parties looking for the lost Franklin Expedition.  If he left the cannibalism out of his explanation, it would haunt him to the end of his days and quite possibly come back to haunt him literally when the Northwest Passage became what Barrow dreamed of; a commercially viable route to routinely reach Asia.)  

When the cannibalism was discovered in reality by one of the "rescue" teams, the English aristocracy was SO insulted by the news that even Charles fucking Dickens got involved.  The team (Rae, 1854) was denounced and treated worse than if they had come home with no news at all.  https://owlcation.com/humanities/ChCharles-Dickens-Dr-John-Rae-and-the-fate-of-the-Franklin-expedition

Edited May 31, 2018 by Captanne

[slothgirl]

On 5/30/2018 at 4:42 PM, lidarose9 said:

 

I love how nobody was who they seemed to be, and all pretense, all layers of personality were stripped away by the relentless misery and hopelessness. Hickey of course actually is an imposter, but it took time for his essential character became clear: a man who would literally do anything to survive... Crozier is the respected captain but also a lifelong drunk.... Fitzjames starts out looking like kind of a dick, but turns out to be a good guy... Franklin pretends to be a great leader, a wise man, an Arctic legend in his own mind, but really he's a fucking dumbass. Even minor characters have their secret stories, like Peglar and Bridgens. (I absolutely love how the show gives us no actual backstory for their relationship, but it is evident from Peglar's death that they loved each other very much.) 

The thing that grabs me most is the juxtaposition of the sense of extreme isolation, countless miles of empty nothing, in this hostile environment where humans have no business being at all. They could have been on Mars! VERSUS the feeling of claustrophobia, not just the men crowded inside the ships, but also the danger of being even out on the deck, creating even more psychological tension, of needing to crowd together to protect themselves. The ships on the ice were like forts, where the men could defend themselves, but were also prisons. It reminds me of how in lab experiments, when rats are crowded into small spaces they turn on each other and kill each other.   
 

I love both of these observations! It's going to be even more enjoyable doing a rewatch with all these ideas and concepts to ponder from the beginning

4 hours ago, Captanne said:

As it turns out, in RL, Crozier was quite correct to assume that he could not return to England with his story.  Not only would he have to answer for being the only commanding officer to survive the loss of all his men -- but he would have to answer for the obvious cannibalism.  (He had to assume these relics would be found and they were -- not only by parties looking for the lost Franklin Expedition.  If he left the cannibalism out of his explanation, it would haunt him to the end of his days and quite possibly come back to haunt him literally when the Northwest Passage became what Barrow dreamed of; a commercially viable route to routinely reach Asia.)  

On of the reasons I took away from this show, although it may have nothing to do with fact, is presented in his supposed final words.. He doesn't just say that "we are dead and gone", but that the Northwest passage doesn't exist. He tells them not to continue searching for it. 

He is trying to convince Europeans to stay away and stop looking, not just for their own safety, but for the safety of the Inuit and natural world. If he had returned, his message wouldn't have been effective. Of course, it wasn't effective anyway, but he could only try.

[Captanne]

Interesting observation about that last line. The irony is that Starvation Cove is across the Simpson Straight — which was the Northwest Passage link. Crozier (or his men) saw it and crossed it. They knew. At least, on the show, Blanky knew. Presumably, so did Crozier.  In RL, the bones of the men there represent crewmembers who knew — if they had presence of mind. 

[slothgirl]

2 hours ago, Captanne said:

Interesting observation about that last line. The irony is that Starvation Cove is across the Simpson Straight — which was the Northwest Passage link. Crozier (or his men) saw it and crossed it. They knew. At least, on the show, Blanky knew. Presumably, so did Crozier.  In RL, the bones of the men there represent crewmembers who knew — if they had presence of mind. 

My take on the scene where Crozier says that the passage doesn't exist is that he is motivated by a desire to halt exploration and exploitation of the area for the good of both sides, not by an actual belief that the passage didn't exist. 

[Captanne]

On 6/1/2018 at 11:20 AM, slothgirl said:

My take on the scene where Crozier says that the passage doesn't exist is that he is motivated by a desire to halt exploration and exploitation of the area for the good of both sides, not by an actual belief that the passage didn't exist. 

 

Absolutely agree.  

[lidarose9]

Either of these, adapted to arctic conditions with white or off-white fur, could have been a Tuunbaq:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/history/terrifying-mammals-that-may-have-greeted-ear/

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, lidarose9 said:

Either of these, adapted to arctic conditions with white or off-white fur, could have been a Tuunbaq:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/history/terrifying-mammals-that-may-have-greeted-ear/

Wow, that short-faced bear was very Tuunbaq-like.  It would need to be bigger, of course, and, as you say, white, but it would work.

[slothgirl]

23 hours ago, lidarose9 said:

Either of these, adapted to arctic conditions with white or off-white fur, could have been a Tuunbaq:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/history/terrifying-mammals-that-may-have-greeted-ear/

OMG.. that giant sloth hitting the ground was pure comedy gold!

(and yes.. I said all along that Tuunbaq's face looked more like a sloth than a bear)

Edited June 8, 2018 by slothgirl

[Captanne]

Apparently the creator of the mythical Tuunbaq beast was Neville Pages.  It's not a far leap to imagine that he's seen the research and these videos.  A lot of creative work went into her creation and design.  It's a shame that the effort just didn't come across on the screen (for me, at least.)  http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-the-terror-concept-designer-neville-pages-reveals-the-tuunbaq-design-process

Edited June 11, 2018 by Captanne

[bosawks]

I really liked that final shot with the sun halfway in the horizon.

Is the sun setting or rising for Captain Francis Crozier, or is he forever to remain in twilight.

[Captanne]

I think he remains in that "twilight" of Inuit mythology -- that was the point.  But, wow, is that open to wide interpretation, huh.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 5/23/2018 at 3:03 PM, slothgirl said:

I didn't get a good look at his stump to know how healed it was. I only know the impression I got of time passing, and it wasn't a few days.

In the time that Crozier healed it was also long enough for his beard to grow out. So at it would at minimum be weeks not days.

On 5/23/2018 at 8:25 PM, Earlwoode said:

 I find it fascinating that the ships were found just a couple of years ago.  If must have been longer than that since they started planning this series so it must be interesting to know the ships finally surfaced (so to speak).  Part of the mystery solved but a lot more to discover still.

I was reading some stuff today and it looks like when the writers were developing the show they actually had to make some changes to their story after they finished it because the wreck of Terror was found.

On 5/23/2018 at 10:30 PM, slothgirl said:

the 3 who were found (the mummies) were buried on Beechey Island. The ships reached and left Beechey before the start of this narrative on being stuck in the ice. There are several allusions to the fallen sailors buried on Beechey. I don't think Crozier's body was ever found, and I'm not sure if any others besides those 3 were found AND identified. That's why I was surprised when you said we know he died. I didn't think that history knew what happened to him specifically, although the assumption would be that he did die trying to reach "civilization"

Also in reading, a body carrying Peglar's book was also found and his book was recovered. Researchers aren't 100% sure who it is, although they have it narrowed down based on uniform. It likely wasn't Bridgers.

[foxfreakinmulder]

Finished watching today. Jared Harris is such a wonderful actor. I've only seen him in 2 other shows, The Crown and Mad Men, he was wonderful in those as well. I agree, the show didn't need the supernatural bear it had enough horror without that creature. I guess outside of finding those 4 graves, some bones and the ships no one will every know the journey these men went on trying to survive and find their way out. I didn't understand the rocky landscape why wasn't it snow and ice? Also, was it common for ships to have 2 life boats and carry all those tents and the camps had a lot of wooden products. Did they really have room on a ship to carry all of that plus supplies? I'm asking because I really don't know, it just seemed like a lot to me. Plus, that had to be hard as hell to pull a boat across rocks especially if you're weak from hunger.  Now that we know the Terror was found 60 miles from the other ship I wonder if some men did stay with the ship and if they tried to sail out of the ice and ended up stuck again or something happened to the ship and it sank, again that's something we'll never know.  I can't imagine what the 2nd season will be about, if it's just a search party I don't think that will interest me. I feel this story could have gone 2 seasons but without the bear and Hickey, with more character development of the men along with some flashbacks would have kept me interested, I like stories like that. The scenery was amazing it looked like they were on another planet and the overhead shot of the 2 boats stuck in ice was hauntingly beautiful. I think all explorers are/were brave, weather it's by sea or space, to leave home not knowing if you'll make it back to your loved ones takes a lot of courage. It's too bad these brave men had a such a sad ending.

[Fellaway]

9 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

I can't imagine what the 2nd season will be about, if it's just a search party I don't think that will interest me.

Season 2 will have a totally different story and cast (and creative team), with The Terror now just an umbrella title for an anthology series.  There's information and a trailer for the new season in the Media thread.

9 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

The scenery was amazing it looked like they were on another planet and the overhead shot of the 2 boats stuck in ice was hauntingly beautiful. I think all explorers are/were brave, weather it's by sea or space, to leave home not knowing if you'll make it back to your loved ones takes a lot of courage. It's too bad these brave men had a such a sad ending.

Agreed, on both counts.  Season 1 had amazing sets and cinematography, and the courage of these men made their ultimate fate all the more devastating.

[foxfreakinmulder]

Thanks for the information Fellaway. I read the media thread and now understand how the series will continue. I'll be on board for that, pun intended ;-). I wonder if it will follow in American Horror Story footsteps, which has a different story each season but uses some of the same actors?

[Kel Varnsen]

22 hours ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

. I didn't understand the rocky landscape why wasn't it snow and ice? 

I have been to the Canadian Arctic a few times for work, although never King William Island. During summer the terrain was a crazy mix of ice and snow and the kind of rocky gravel areas with almost nothing growing you saw on the show. They captured that part really good I thought to the point where I wondered where they filmed it.

I did visit the Arctic once in December and it was freaking cold. Watching this show it was hard to really wrap my head around how they delt with that, especially without modern clothing materials. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

2 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I did visit the Arctic once in December and it was freaking cold. Watching this show it was hard to really wrap my head around how they delt with that, especially without modern clothing materials. 

I think their clothing would've been heavy wool but I agree not warm enough for where they were. I couldn't get a sense of how cold it was when they were on the rocky landscape they didn't have any ice on their beards and I don't remember seeing a lot of campfires. Also, I think the wind would be pretty fierce which would make it feel even colder. 

[Captanne]

The biggest problem, I'd imagine, with the heavy wool is not a warmth problem but what it does to you when it gets soaked.  Not only would it be dangerous to wear in that condition, it takes forever to dry.

[Kel Varnsen]

4 hours ago, Captanne said:

The biggest problem, I'd imagine, with the heavy wool is not a warmth problem but what it does to you when it gets soaked.  Not only would it be dangerous to wear in that condition, it takes forever to dry.

The thing I think would be a problem is gloves. You can wear layers on top of layers for your body but for your hands if it gets to thick it eventually makes it so your hands can't do anything. Which I imagine would be a problem on a sailing ship where you need to work with your hands. So basically your hands would always be cold.

[foxfreakinmulder]

 I'm surprised we didn't see them in furs because I would think fur trading was big business during the 1700's. We did get that one episode of the shipmate having his toes amputated but yeah, fingers and toes would be the first to go. I remember about 5 or 6 years ago ( I live in CA so no one laugh) we had an artic freeze hit us and evening temperatures dipped down to around 18 to 20 degrees. Well, my sons school band was marching in the evening Christmas parade so of course I went. I bundled up in layers and had my winter boots on and gloves I got so cold I could barely move. Apparently I didn't wear the right kind of gloves because I couldn't move my fingers I even dropped my camera when I tried to hold it to take pictures. And my so called winter boots were useless because my feet were freezing. As soon as my son passed I went to my car and blasted the heater until he could leave. I know I'm a California weenie and it doesn't snow where I live but I can't imagine how they did it without the correct gloves and boots. Unless they did have them and we just don't know about it, maybe they were prepared for the weather.  

[Captanne]

One of the systemic problems with 18th Century England in the Discovery Service was their arrogance (alluded to in just about any book you read on the period).  It was this arrogance that led them to take English traditions with them rather than adapting to the environments like the natives did.  Rather than wearing stuffy British uniforms and dragging their equipment on sledges, they should have worn furs and used sled dogs.  

[paramitch]

What a strange and beautiful thing this show was. I was dreading it and anticipating it, and this finale was even more cathartic than I expected—profoundly sad, violent, spiritual, beautiful, and terrifying. There were shocking moments of horror in this that I will never forget, but there were also moments of sheer beauty and emotion that I will always be glad I watched.

I'll remember this for a long time. I already want to rewatch it, because the atmosphere, production, performances and music were so incredible. (And what a loss to the world composer Marcus Fjellström was. His score was magnificent, and such a legacy for someone gone too soon. I was glad the show was dedicated to his memory.)

I thought the Tuunbaq was an eerily terrifying and beautiful adversary, and am pretty much the only one in this forum who thought it was effectively done. But more on that farther down!

Meanwhile, thanks (almost 2 years late!) to everyone for the incredible conversations here. I’ve enjoyed them all after each episode, and they really contributed to a richer enjoyment for me.

On 5/21/2018 at 7:55 PM, slothgirl said:

Great review that also cleared up a few things for me:

https://tv.avclub.com/for-its-masterful-final-act-the-terror-stares-death-in-1826214184

Sean's analyses have been brilliant, and have given me much to think about. I agree with his take that this show was ultimately about death -- or my take, about mortality, and specifically, about the experience of death and how we humans choose to meet it. It's no coincidence that, time after time here, we've seen death from inside the man experiencing it, feeling and seeing that death with him. From the horror of the sick boy Young in the first episode (and his vision of the Inuit shaman), to the dreamlike violence of Captain Franklin's final moments, to the stark serenity of Goodsir's final visions, to the cruel hallucinations of poor Jopson... and then there were the deaths witnessed from the outside... Collins's terrifying view of the drowned sailor's body under the ice, the gentle kindness of Crozier's final moments with Fitzjames, of John's with Henry, of Crozier's face as he watched the Tuunbaq die...

It was, for me, all about death and ultimately about how we as sentient beings process death — how we experience it, and face it. Which is why, for me, this was always a morality play about how we live the lives we have, and experience the deaths we are given. Do we rise to our best selves, as Crozier, Fitzjames, Goodsir, Blanky, Jopson, and Henry and John all did... or do we sink to the potential evil within all of us, as did Hickey, Tozier, the Doctor, the mutineers, and ultimately Little?

The "Terror" of this show was never the Tuunbaq, it was the potential for darkness that lies in the hearts of all human beings.

On 5/21/2018 at 9:07 PM, SimoneS said:

It was crushing when Francis was looking at the boots that Hickey was wearing and recognized James' initials. They had unburied and ate him. It hurt me more that Francis was so positive that his men would come and rescue them. He also still optimistically believed that he could turn some of the mutineers back onto the right path.

This destroyed me. I loved Fitzjames and that realization that he was stripped in death sickened me even more than the realization that they had devoured his poor remains. Despite Crozier asking the men to "bury him deep" in hopes of avoiding that. Freaking Hickey, man. I hate him so much.

On 5/21/2018 at 9:54 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Even Lady Silence; who we finally found is named Silna; has a tragic end, as she is basically booted from her camp after the Tuunbaq dies.  And her reaction to seeing Goodsir's half-eaten body was crushing.  Nive Nielsen really did a lot with her facial expressions alone.

I felt exactly the same way about Nive Nielsen's gorgeous performance. She was so subtle and moving, showing emotions and yet communicating that she was a person whose emotions were contained and controlled. Her reaction to poor Goodsir's body broke my heart. But I loved her rescue of Crozier, as well as her compassionate final moments with the body of Tuunbaq.

On 5/22/2018 at 7:18 AM, Fellaway said:

The whole show was devastating.  Honestly, this is one of the most haunting, impactful shows I've ever seen.  Just load up a boat with Emmys, it deserves them all.  It's definitely a show that bears rewatching, if only to go back and look for them now that I have a better sense of who all those secondary characters are and I can put names to faces.  But, also, I think this is a show where no detail is superfluous.  It may not mean something now, but down the line, it'll tie right back in.  This is one show I'm going to be watching again, many, many times.

Watching the show two years later, I was so unhappy to see that it didn't garner a single Emmy or nomination. I mean, this is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. I've been talking about it with my friends ever since I binged it this week. I can't believe the cast and crew were not honored with anything, but then again -- just goes to show you how empty awards can be.

On 5/22/2018 at 9:53 AM, Sighed I said:

One thing I do want comment on is the opening theme. I don't remember which one it was, but several episodes back I remember hearing the theme and thinking it had changed somewhat, but it was a subtle enough difference I thought maybe I was imagining it. After hearing how altered it was last night, I realize it wasn't my imagination after all. This show is so multilayered with so many beautiful touches. Start to finish, The Terror is sublime.

Marcus Fjellström's gorgeous subtle, minimalistic score, combined with some of the best sound design I have ever experienced on a show, really provided the finishing touches to "The Terror" as a superb work of art. I loved the revelation of how in this final episode the high notes from the score had been muted (so that it felt like a more minor, melancholy version). I almost wonder if this was progressive in the final episodes, so at some point I am going to compare them all.

On 5/22/2018 at 9:57 AM, slothgirl said:

I never really liked the disjointed purpose of Tuunbaq. If he's primarily restoring the natural balance, what's with devouring souls? If he's deliberately devouring souls... why? And does that make him evil in some way? The scales of natural order are not good or evil.. by definition they are balance. I think devouring the souls was an unnecessary twist as was the weird magical ability to stack pieces of bodies. Or if Tuunbaq represents the worst of mankind, then it's not a force for balance. 

I've said this in earlier episode discussions, but for me I still think of the Tuunbaq as a kind of avenging angel of the land itself, meeting with rage and violence the thoughtless corruption, invasion and brutality of the Englishmen (and their disrespect and casual blasphemy of the spiritual lives of the Inuit people who inhabited the land). For me, the Tuunbaq is not the worst of mankind -- we already have that in abundance with men like Hickey and the mutineers. But rather I feel it is a force outside of good and evil, a wild element that answers to neither side. It's interesting that the Tuunbaq we see here is one Silna admits she cannot control, so it is pure wildness, off the leash, a creature answering to a sense of justice we can't see or quite understand. I loved it.

On 5/22/2018 at 5:18 PM, Earlwoode said:

I don’t see it like that. He could have just killed him. Picked up gun and shot him.  I’m sure HIckey wouldn’t have suspected the mild mannered doctor would do something like that.  After all, he wasn’t tied up like Crozier or chained.  Nope, I see it as murder, pure and simple..

I was talking about the other mutineers.  They weren’t murderers, just desperate men like they all were.  They were cannibals yes but then the last group of non mutineers that Crozier came upon also resorted to cannibalism.  If Silence had offered them food and help, I doubt they would have said no at that stage.  With the  exception of Hickey, of course, who was by then stark raving mad.

Earlwoode, in the spirit of debate, you have constantly defended Hickey's actions through most of the episodes, even when those actions included cold, blatant, murder and cannibalism. So here for you to condemn the actions of Goodsir, of an undeniably good man, as "murder, pure and simple," just feels hypocritical to me. In what universe are Hickey's selfish, cruel, violent, murderous acts excusable for "survival," while Goodsir's are pure "murder?" Especially when Hickey is simply killing them as fodder and still they condone it?

You keep excusing the cannibalism, as the men needing to survive, and that all things are excused for survival, but this can be done with honor and grace (for instance, as in the events of the Andes plane crash, in which the men who survived pledged that they would eat their dead as an act of sacrament and respect, and offered their own bodies if needed after death as well).

But this was no sacrament, this was selfishness and abomination. Hickey and his men did not treat this as a tragic necessity—in fact, they delighted in the cruelty of their actions, excused it. Hickey killed his former lover and then ate him with a smile, then chained his prime supporter and sat above him on a throne. He showed no sadness or regret for anything he did at any time, from the first episode to the last. He was less human than the Tuunbaq.

Also, I went back and rewatched the entire series, and the very first things we see Hickey do in Episode 1 -- before any catastrophe, before starvation, include:

1. In Hickey's very first scene, he gives a monologue to his shipmates at supper mocking the fact that the dog can walk the quarterdeck, that this is grotesque (he subtly implies the dog is a waste of food) and that they are less than dogs to the officers, that they deserve better. He is already preaching mutiny, division, and sedition on a voyage of volunteers.
2. His second big scene, Hickey is burying Young under orders, and he sees the sparkle of the ring on Young's finger, and climbs down to cover the coffin as an excuse to steal it. We see Hickey pocket the ring and then smile to himself, and he licks his lips with his tongue, slowly, almost as if he has eaten something delicious.

I do not think Hickey was ever "stark, raving mad." I think he began the voyage as a psychopath... and ended the same way.  I just cannot imagine any world in which his actions were defensible. And I was glad Goodsir was so brave that he was willing to eradicate the evil of Hickey and his camp with his own self-sacrifice. But YMMV.

On 5/23/2018 at 8:43 AM, Captanne said:

I have followed the Franklin Expedition (IRL) for years so I'm aware of the Inuit tales about Crozier's survival.  For me, the show was very clear that he survived. Also, the beautiful scene at the end was a wonderful homage to his life choice -- rather than to return to England where he would surely be vilified, he elected to stay with the Inuit and adopt/adapt to their way of life. 

This is beautifully put, and I agree with it. I was powerfully moved by Crozier's final revelations, and felt that he had found a peace had had lacked in all his time among the English.

On 5/23/2018 at 10:58 AM, Sighed I said:

I hated Harry's death, of course, but if he had to die I'm glad it was of his own choosing and not from being victimized by Hickey, as I feared might happen. I loved that his last thoughts reflected his wonder and intellect. It was beautiful in its simplicity and an interesting contrast to the understandable chaos of Franklin's final moments.

As mentioned upthread, Edward's gruesome self-piercings were a shout-out to real life events. I read (elsewhere, I believe) this was something some sailors/pirates did when they knew they were doomed, in hopes of bribing the discoverer to bury their corpse.

I thought Goodsir's final moments were eerily beautiful and pure, but also... no thoughts of people? No memories of loved ones, of moments? Just things? He was a doctor -- healing humans was his business. The fact that Hickey killed any belief he had in mankind is just so heartbreaking to me.

On Edward Little's piercings, I found this and thought I'd share -- it's fascinating: https://visionsnorth.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-main-with-chains-attached-to-his.html.

On 5/23/2018 at 1:23 PM, true north said:

Seriously, that last shot is an absolute genius move on the part of the showrunners. I've read in an interview that they did mean it as Crozier hunting seal the way Simmons described it in the book, but they also didn't want to explain it in any way, leaving viewers to come to their own conclusions. And it's amazing how different those conclusions are, even if you only look at this particular discussion. This shot is almost like a Rorschach test, in that we all process what's going on differently based on our own experiences.

I loved that final shot and I sat there still and full of wonder after it was over for several minutes. And then I rewatched it again. I loved the harmony and balance of the idea that the careless white invader Crozier had become part and parcel of this beautiful place and its people; that he was now a caretaker of that land himself. That he would kill only according to Inuit laws and only for food, etc. I absolutely think he found a peace there, and a closure, that he would have lacked forever back in England.

On 5/30/2018 at 1:42 PM, lidarose9 said:

Also, I prefer to not see the creature as anything supernatural. To me, it was the last of its kind, a species on the brink of extinction. The people living there had had a relationship with these animals in the same way they did with the caribou, seals, walruses, and the woolly mammoth, if you go back far enough. They'd created rituals around it. It's what they did. The British explorers  happened to bumble onto the scene just as one of the last creatures was spending its last days on earth.

I want to say this is one of the most intelligent, well done series I've seen in years, maybe ever. Masterful script, masterful acting, especially Jared Harris, holy cow that guy was great. And the look of this show was absolutely gorgeous, so vivid, so stark. It is visually so memorable, emotionally so moving. I have been fascinated by the Arctic all my life, thanks to having read a children's book called "Two For The North" by Farley Mowat (called "Lost in the Barrens" in Canada) in 6th grade. And there is something about those 19th century explorers that fascinates me. So for me this show was a bonanza all the way around. 

Beautiful post, @lidarose9. And I love your idea of the Tuunbaq as a creature that was not supernatural, just the last of its kind (which is honestly scientifically not unprecedented). It would add a different frisson to what we saw.

Also, Farley Mowat! So brilliant. (I will never get over "Never Cry Wolf.")

On 6/11/2018 at 4:10 AM, Captanne said:

Apparently the creator of the mythical Tuunbaq beast was Neville Pages.  It's not a far leap to imagine that he's seen the research and these videos.  A lot of creative work went into her creation and design.  It's a shame that the effort just didn't come across on the screen (for me, at least.)  http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-the-terror-concept-designer-neville-pages-reveals-the-tuunbaq-design-process

I am sitting at a very lonely table, because I found the Tuunbaq both effectively used in the action, terrifying as a force against them, and weirdly beautiful. I was shocked at how saddened I was by its death here. After so much carnage and awful violence, there was still something pure about it, and I understood why Silna and her people mourned deeply at its loss.

I don't think the Tuunbaq was evil, but weirdly righteous, filled with a kind of dying rage at what the Englishmen represented to its people. Compare the death count of the Tuunbaq to the death counts of the men against themselves. Hickey and his men, for instance, or the Doctor at the Carnivale. Both killed far more than the Tuunbaq. It's interesting to consider.