‘Franklin’ Recap: ‘Pride and Gout’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Michael Douglas and Ludivine Sagnier as Doctor Benjamin Franklin and Anne Louise Brillon de Jouy in Episode 103 of ‘Franklin’ – ‘Pride and Gout’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Franklin’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we experience setbacks or failures regarding a quest we are on or regarding pushing forward a cause we support… we tend to find ourselves fired up. Because we want what we want and we expect to do better, so it makes sense that we use that fire to fuel us to move forward. But alas, it doesn’t always work out that way. Because sometimes, the failure dings our pride so deeply that all we can do is stew and fuss as we try to figure out how to move forward. Which is something that can happen to the best of us, and it most certainly has throughout history, as evidenced by the next episode of Franklin on Apple TV+.

For ‘Pride and Gout’ saw Doctor Benjamin Franklin in that unique mindset. Simply because, despite offering up a fiery moment to Temple at the end of the last episode, the reality of how hard his enemies were working against him in France wounded him deeply, and those wounds were aggravated further with news that Lafayette did not survive his first outing with the American Army. Making it seem as though this mission was nothing short of a fool’s errand. One made more difficult by the fact that the French still seemed disinterested in helping America in the slightest and to complicate matters further, only one boat of illegal arms made its way to the United States. All of which were indeed real downers that left Benjamin listless. 

Because he simply did not know what to do. He had never been in this kind of situation, nor had he ever faced such daunting odds and indifference. But thankfully, a heartfelt chat with Lady Brillion reminded him that he had nothing to lose on this trip and that he simply needed to find a win and find inspiration to get back and track, and he took that advice to heart, even though it wasn’t easy to find either one of those things. Because more bad news followed, in that, Philadelphia had fallen to the British, and a grand attempt to return to the city to curry favor, ended in outright embarrassment through and through. All of which just made it seem… as though this was going to be a failure of a journey. One that would cost the United States everything. 

But alas, that one win did come, and it was followed by more. Because news came back around that Lafayette had survived after all, and that the British outright surrendered at Saratoga, a huge blow to their army. And of course, the printing press was repaired and that helped Benjamin to find his fire again. Because now there was proof the war was winnable, that it was a noble cause and well, now he could use his skill set and get the word out and he started that process. Since he prepared a newsletter that would spotlight the truth and just like that, Benjamin Franklin was refocused and back and track. Courtesy of a story that properly reminded us of how we lose our way for a little while when we taste failure, and how no one is immune to that… not even one of history’s greatest men. 

However, while that made for a humbling and relatable, and inspiring tale. Since it takes quite the steel constitution to put up with what Franklin did here, we do leave this tale with some measure of worry. After all, we did come to learn in this tale that some of the failures and setbacks present here, came from Mister Bancroft. Who is playing both sides in the name of profit as he waits to see which side will come out on top, and that… is a huge deal that will cause trouble down the line. But for now, we can celebrate one healthy journey for the good doctor. One that showcased how important it is to let failure sit with us for a bit, because it can indeed give us great clarity and a desire to strike back when the moment is right. Until next time.

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