‘The Terror’ Recap: ‘Horrible from Supper’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

A little while back, we briefly discussed the fact that the men of the good vessels Erebus and Terror were being tested like never before, and that eventually, circumstances would push them to their breaking point and ugly moments would come from crossing that threshold. But the men have faced some incredible odds since we first discussed that possibility, leaving all of us to wonder, what exactly does it take to truly break a man? What act prompts him to turn on his fellow compatriots and do horrible things? Well it just so happens that the moment to explore those questions has arrived at last on The Terror and ‘Horrible from Supper’ revealed that sometimes, it isn’t a grandiose act that finally pushes a man over the edge.
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But, before we dive too deeply into what exactly prompts people to snap, I do want to take a moment and discuss perhaps the only real beautiful moment we’ve seen on this series. Because this particular tale featured the moment when Captain Crozier and Captain Fitzjames abandoned their respective ships and seeing Crozier be wistful and appreciative of his time on Terror was a wonderful way for us to explore the captain’s sense of duty and nobility and well, it was a fine way to open up this story since things took a turn for the worse once the crew began their journey back toward civilization. Because one crew member in particular, transformed into something twisted before our very eyes, all due to the fact that Captain Croizer wasn’t quite forthcoming about the danger the men were ingesting.

Because despite Dr. Goodsir’s warnings and evidence when it comes to the tins, Croizer demanded the men keep eating from them for the time being, at least until they could find game. But seeing Goodsir avoid eating from the tins, and keeping Lady Silence from doing so as well, got Hickey’s suspicions flowing. And an unfortunate disaster at the new base camp, wherein a crew member gave into the madness and was put down in a shouting match, only confirmed to Hickey what we already knew about the food. If anything, that was the last straw for Hickey, and knowing only pain and deceit from his leaders prompted him to decide it was time for a different way, especially when facing insurmountable odds for survival.

Which means that Hickey decided to start working behind the scenes to build a coalition for mutiny, and part of his plan involved a practice run. So, while he and Lt. Irving and Mister Farr were out and about on a hunting run, Hickey saw a grand opportunity to see how easy it is to kill a man in cold blood. And he quietly dispatched Mister Farr, and when the Lieutenant returned, he handled him in the same brutal manner and just like that, Hickey has stepped into the darkness. Which, is a terrifying prospect to say the least because with no witnesses present, and likely a hell of a lie on Hickey’s part, fear will take hold, the Tuunbaq will be of concern and Hickey will use all of these elements to get others to join to his cause and this will likely tear the crews apart.

Either way, this is another episode that completely and utterly took me off guard, simply because I really wasn’t expecting it to end in such darkness. Because Hickey snapping was ugly and raw and haunting, and how it plays out on screen was unsettling to say the least. But this is what I was waiting for, that moment when the crew would being to spiral downward into madness and mayhem and Hickey will apparently be the catalyst for this and with three episodes to go, I would imagine things are going to get extremely ugly as the darkness takes hold, so it’s best I brace myself for one wild ride toward the finish line. Until next time.

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