‘The English’ Recap: ‘The Buffalo Gun’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘The English’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One thing that fans of the Prime Video series, The English, can agree upon, is that it has taken us on quite the unique storytelling journey. Simply because a story that started out with an implication that it was going to be about the downward spiral that one suffers through when revenge slowly consumes their soul… transformed into a powerful character study about the moments that change our lives, and a brilliant story about the aftermath of Manifest Destiny’s impact upon the Indigenous Americans of the American West. Leaving all of us to wonder why exactly the revenge concept was somewhat removed from the forefront of the story and well, the next episode in this dynamic western opted to address that concern.
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That is… after handling some ugly business. Because Cornelia wasn’t doing anything else in this life without Eli at her side, and of course… he was behind fortress walls and preparing for a mission to bring retribution against Black-Eyed Mog to gain his freedom. Which meant that ‘The Buffalo Gun’ is a story that immediately dove into violence. The kind that saw Cornelia step in and work to help her new close friend… by handling the Mog situation herself. Wherein she was mostly successful in blasting that family into oblivion, since she hurt herself along the way, and because an assist from a young man that this family was keeping as a hostage… is what truly put an end to the family line. Which in turn, allowed for Eli to have his freedom and once this duo was reunited… it was back on the road to Wyoming, wherein quite the twist came into play.

In that, Eli and Cornelia were forced to meet with a man named Mackay, since he kidnapped the young man that helped Cornelia and followed her thereafter, in the hope that perhaps he could… ‘train’ the young man into a life of servitude in his own household. Which led to violence and ugliness and a painful reunion between mother and son and some revelations. In that, the revenge plot here has been lessened simply because… there’s no exploration to be had regarding what it looks like to be consumed by revenge, for Eli and Cornelia, are already there. Since Eli was quick to shed blood when needed with a powerful rage that spoke volumes to the pain and justice he needed to see in this life and Cornelia, is wasting away from her injury. Simply because she doesn’t care if she lives or dies, she just wants to complete the mission… and that is indeed the thought process of a pair of individuals that are truly consumed by the power of the vendetta.

Which of course gives life to new questions regarding this series. Such as… will the finale in essence be a grand tragedy that shows us that revenge truly cannot be escaped when one reaches this point? Or is there hope and salvation if the right things come into play, such as love and purpose, since Eli did make it clear that he cares deeply for Cornelia and obviously… she feels something for him, too. In fact, this episode did help us to learn how deep their bond has become, since feeling an emotion as positive as love nearly broke Cornelia in the middle of the night. Giving rise to the potential hope that maybe, just maybe… that can overcome the darkness and perhaps save them from taking any more lives when they reach their destination.

But of course, the only way to know for certain, is to continue the journey but before we do… we can celebrate another powerful and brilliant chapter in this tale. One that really did surprise us and stayed true to the commentary it’s been peppering in. Because once again, we were privy to the horrors and sheer indignity that Native Americans suffered through, and the sheer audacity that accompanied those injustices, courtesy of Mackay and his twisted line of thinking. But alas, that likely may be the last of the commentary we will receive on such matters. For we aren’t far from the answers we seek. For the next chapter in this saga, is the show’s finale and it will be fascinating to see which way our characters lean when this long and winding and difficult journey comes to its conclusion. Until next time.

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