‘The Terror’ Recap: ‘Punished, as a Boy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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We will face a great many challenges in our life, and we are taught at an early age that remaining strong when they drop into our laps, is the key to overcoming every last one of them, and there is a lot of merit to that particular line of thinking. Because when we keep our head up and forge ahead, we can certainly accomplish wonders, regardless of the odds that we face. But while the human spirit is indeed resilient, it most certainly can be broken and eventually shattered if it is continually assaulted, but how and when it is finally broken is up to the individual and it just so happens that all of these aspects of the human condition were put on display in the next episode of The Terror.
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For ‘Punished, as a Boy’ allowed for us to catch up with the crews of Terror and Erebus in November of 1847, in the midst of their second winter of being stranded in the Arctic and surprisingly, the men were holding up in decent fashion. In fact, when we first reunite with them, there’s a birthday celebration getting underway and daily life has settled into a routine despite their losses. But it didn’t take long for the horror to return to this tale, since whatever was lurking in the snow outside was emboldened and hungry, and it is precisely what put the two crews to the proverbial test, when it comes to what kind of abuse they can take, since it repeatedly began to successfully attack the men, regardless of whether or not they were safely aboard a ship.

Which led to some supremely disturbing moments and gore, wherein these men were forced to watch their crewmates die slow and painful deaths with wounds that no man should ever have to see, and it didn’t take long for these constant assaults to bring about panic and fear, to the point where some of the men wondered if there was someone responsible for their troubles, Lady Silence to be exact. After all, she was still out there, minding her business in the igloo she made months ago. But the lack of progress of fighting this creature, and her quiet presence near the boats gave the men something to focus upon as a potential fix to their problems and that prompted Petty Officer Hickey to lead a contingent of soldiers to capture her and bring her aboard Terror, against Crozier’s orders and that, led to some ugly infighting.

Because Hickey clearly made up a wild story about what he had seen to justify bringing her in, and to make matters worse, he disrespected his captain and pushed the envelope when it comes to his actions. Which prompted Crozier to take action and punish the man with lashes, the kind that ensured he wouldn’t sit for weeks on end and this, this was the culmination of the fear present within the men’s hearts, and the finest example of how they are steadily heading toward their breaking point. Because now they’re lashing out in every way they can, in order to stop the horror that is assaulting them, and Hickey’s insubordination truly serves as a harbinger of doom. For there is a fair chance that his lashings won’t teach him a lesson, and he may push harder to sow the seeds of insurrection in the weeks to come.

But for now, there is peace and there is quiet and this, this was just another magnificent episode. For this particular tale was all about subtlety, and I love how each and every character here showed us how hard they’re working to keep it together under pressure, and how the more delicate moments in this story demonstrated how they’re failing in that endeavor, especially Captain Crozier since command of this fleet doesn’t suit him in the slightest, but the drink certainly does. If anything, this just serves as a tense and unsettling transitional episode, one designed to show us the beginning of a downward spiral for brave men who are slowly succumbing to fear and that’s just brilliant and powerful and it’s only a matter of time now before they crack as they continue to be pushed to the brink. The only question left on my mind now is, what exactly will it take, to finally push them over the edge? Until next time.  

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