The Terror episode 1 review: Is AMC’s series with Tobias Menzies, Ciaran Hinds a winner?

AMC’s The Terror is really a show unlike any other that you are going to see on television this year. It is dark, it is moody, and it’s certainly capable of sending a chill down your spine — and not just because you are watching a crew on an Arctic expedition.

At the forefront of this series is something that is very true to history: The attempt to discover the Northwest Passage. The team, led by Sir John Franklin (Ciaran Hinds), finds itself getting close to this discovery within the premiere before colliding with a wall of ice. This is a crew having to make its home within one of the coldest places on earth. They are fueled by a desire to honor the Queen and their country; it is a quest for glory, and it could very well become a quest for pain due to what awaits these two ships in the midst of the ice.

The pacing for The Terror was similar to any great monster movie — slow, methodical, and altogether creepy as a result of it. This particular episode within itself was not necessarily monstrous, but it didn’t need to be. The premiere was more about establishing the story and the characters, whether it be Sir John (who captains the Erebus), Jared Harris’ Captain Francis Crozier (who is in charge of the other ship in the Terror itself), or Tobias Menzies as Captain James Fitzjames. He doesn’t have much experience at sea within the polar parts of the world, but he is smart, resourceful, and very ambitious. These three men are at the corner of this first episode, which was largely about the road towards the Northwest Passage and then also some of the tribulations faced along the way.

Take, for example, the threat of disease and what little can be done about that. To go along with that, there is combating some of the different politics and problems between the various two crews of the ship. Even though Sir John is the leader of the expedition, at the same time he is willing to listen to the advice of others. That doesn’t mean that in the end, though, he is willing to go along with any of it. He follows the beat of his own drum. He seems to have run out of time when it comes to crossing the passage and that will prove to be a problem for the crew.

CarterMatt Verdict

The true test of the power of The Terror comes via the performances. Harris, Hinds, and Menzies are all equally fantastic — should they all continue this momentum, they could all be in contention for some awards love come later this year. This show will easily give everyone some serious nightmares tonight, but also make you in awe of the visual spectacle that it brings to the screen.

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