The Terror episode 6 review: Burn it down
What, too soon?
In the early going of this episode, it was clear that everyone was pretty darn screwed, really to the point where the plans were considered to abandon the ships and then walk towards safety. Also, the food supply was dwindling and Fitzjames was willing to do something as simple as hosting a carnival-of-sorts in order to boost morale around the ships.
Basically, what we saw tonight (prior to the fires, anyway) was the Terror version of a classic bait-and-switch. Fitzjames and Crozier lured everyone into a false sense of happiness before the fires burned and yet again, the culture and mythos of this location came back in order to haunt them yet again. Lives are lost and now, these crews are now officially left in a position where they have no choice but to press onward.
Is there hope? We suppose that there is, if for no other reason than that there is no longer any reason to worry about the coldest part of winter. The sun is out (however briefly) — yet, there’s still the Tuunbaq to deal with. It may have been wounded, but do you really think that this means the end of the chaos? We have a hard time imagining so. This is really just the beginning of something more, a journey that is getting increasingly devastating with each passing day.
What The Terror is mostly amplifying when it comes to these stories is the descent of imperialism into survival mode. While these men were not necessarily the worst of explorers, they still had the dreams of conquest and of figuring out how to use the world in order to better themselves. this story is almost their punishment of that. It’s haunting, horrifying, and thoroughly entertaining — also, the closing sequence with the fire is probably, to date, the strongest one that we’ve seen on any episode to date.
Related – Be sure to check out some more insight on the series!
CarterMatt Verdict
The Terror remains one of the best limited series that is out there and, as a whole, we do think that it’s a visual marvel and a fantastic story of struggle. Do we wish that there was a little more time to deal with some of the individual crew members. We certainly think so.
We do love the series, but the question we’re left with at the end of this is simple: Is anyone going to be able to find their way out of this in one piece? Should they?
What did you think about The Terror episode 6 overall? Be sure to share some of your thoughts on the subject in the comments!
Meanwhile, be sure to also like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you want to score some other insight when it comes to the series. (Photo: AMC.)