The Terror - Season 1 Television Review

I'm ashamed to say that I have consistently underestimated AMC as I've always been a little apprehensive about cable TV restrictions on mature themes. One would think this would be doubly so when it comes to horror. My doubts have been entirely without merit time and time again as Walking Dead (the first season, at least) and Mad Men both demonstrated that there is good television to be had on this particular channel. Despite their quality, this may be the new reigning champ of defining quality TV on cable.

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Where to Find It: This is available for streaming on Hulu, however it is also available for rent/purchase each for season/episode on Amazon Video.

General Information 
The Terror is a horror drama series that was originally released on AMC on 25 March 2018. Its first season is primarily based off of the novel of the same name by Dan Simmons, which was in-turn based off of the very real disappearance of the characters the book/show is based on. The first season was developed by David Kajganich with several notable producers to include Dan Simmons, Ridley Scott, Max Borenstein, and Alexander Woo. Season one received the award for "Best Television Series - Genre) at the 2019 Satellite Awards. Critically, the season received high praise with a fairly positive 76 Metascore on Metacritic, along with an outstanding 94% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A second season, titled "The Terror: Infamy," was released on 12 August 2019, which tells an entirely new story akin to other anthology series like American Horror Story or Slasher. As of 16 January 2020, executives at AMC have discussed a third season to the series with one of the series' production companies, Scott Free.

One of the things I find most intriguing about this initial season of this series is the fact that it is at least partially based on true events. There really was an HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, commanded by Sir John Franklin, which was tasked with finding a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean around the Americas in 1848. For nearly 150 years, the ships and crew were never seen again with essentially only two notes found at a messaging point hinting that something had gone awry during the journey. The ships were discovered in 2014 (HMS Erebus) and 2016 (HMS Terror), however numerous mysteries remain. 

The Story

The year is 1848 and the expedition crews of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror have just entered the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in search of the Northwest Passage. This passage would grant England a new method of accessing trade in the Pacific and the expedition's leader, Sir John (played by Ciaran Hinds) is confident that the expedition's success is mere months away. Sir John's second-in-command, Captain Crozier (Jared Harris), is less optimistic as he warns of ice building up, however Commander Fitzjames (Tobias Menzies) believes this overabundance of caution to be little more than a dour attitude. Elsewhere in the crew, Mr. Goodsir (Paul Ready) and Mr. Collins (Trystan Gravelle) are each seeing signs that something potentially malevolent looms over the twin vessels. It is when the two ships become frozen in place that each man's quality is tested, but the elements are far from the only dangers out in the arctic.

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This isn't a simple sailing expedition

Something I have noticed when it comes to horror in television is that it is particularly hard to present something scary over a long period of time as viewers tend to adapt and adjust to the terror so that they become numb to it. This was one of many concerns going into this series, however it's clear that the writers understood this. Despite having a corporeal threat, the truly horrifying elements of this show are the atrocities that its human characters will commit as the series continues. Other shows may have overcompensated by turning themselves into a gore-fest (like Slasher), or simply accepted a lack of luster over time (like American Horror Story), however there is a great deal of restraint in what is shown and what is inferred throughout the plot. We never fully understand how the "monster" works, nor are we flooded with exposition to depict various character actions. The crews of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus are human and frequently react in human ways, and this is shown well before things turn disastrous.

Another amazing element of this show is how it treats its characters. Since this is horror, viewers can expect people to die, however that doesn't mean that the story lacks new characters or depth as the plot continues. There's an excellent use of background characters who may only be hinted at during the beginning, but then receive prominent positions by the end. This keeps things fresh as the season continues and also makes for surprisingly memorable characters despite the majority of the them being bearded English men.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
Considering this is cable television, I was quick to hold concerns that the special effects might be lackluster, as budgets are typically far more limited than more premium services like HBO. Once again, it's readily apparent that the showrunners took these limitations into consideration and acted accordingly. Sound design perfectly conveys the sailors' tenuous circumstances, and I even found the opening credits to be quite chilling. Elements that require large amounts of CGI, like the monster, are frequently kept hidden or out of focus, which lets the cinematographer get creative.

Speaking of cinematography, this is arguably one of the best shot tv shows I've seen in years when it comes to camerawork. The lense does a lot of talking in this, and its messages are powerful. A relatively short scene near the second-half of the season has two characters discussing a secret held by one of the two. The conversation is held outside beneath a cloudless sky on rocky ground. Although this particular character's secret isn't particularly earth-shattering, it's incredibly important to one of them, and this is stressed by the cinematography that surrounds the exchange. The framing signifies that this secret has now been revealed and is out in the open and the combination of acting, writing, and camerawork exemplifies how such a scene could only properly work on a screen. 

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The arctic feels like another planet

Similarly, two other masterfully done shots ones where horrible acts are being committed. These shots are exceptionally long and purposefully uncomfortable. Once again, the camera is speaking to the viewers, but these heighten the horror to new heights. When a key character is mauled, the focus isn't on the beast, but instead on the face of the character. We see the utter terror carved on their features, and the realization that this will not be quick and painless sears this scene into the viewer's mind. Similarly, when a crewmember is flogged for disobeying orders, the uncomfortable lashings are watched from beginning to end with no breaks or cutaways. The viewer is there for the full experience, and this leaves an indelible impression afterwards.

The Acting

Going into this, I was only aware of a handful of the actors involved. Obviously, Jared Harris is the main draw, but it was seeing the dynamic duo of Ciarin Hinds and Tobias Menzies together again that drew me to this show. I absolutely loved them in HBO's ROME series, and they certainly don't disappoint in this either. Harris is an international treasure as he plays the alcoholic second-in-command, and I really enjoyed seeing Hinds' optimistic portrayal of Sir John.

With those big names discussed, I think it's important to mention some of the other lesser known names that deserve high praise. Despite his character's lowly position within the crew, Adam Nagaitis nearly steals the show as the smirking Mr. Hickey. Nagaitis navigates an incredibly intricate character that the audience will most likely detest, but does it with such panache that Mr. Hickey remains one of the most memorable characters of the season.

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Adam Nagaitis is fantastic as the enigmatic Mr. Hickey

Further accolades should be given to Nive Nielsen who is essentially the only woman in much of the season. Nielsen is further challenged by the fact that her character does not speak English (which is why her character is quickly named "Lady Silence"). This required an actress to perform with mainly body language and facial expression, and Nielsen rises to this challenge with aplomb. In addition to her performance, Paul Ready provides a soothing and clear voice to the madness of this season that invokes an emotional response in every episode he's featured in. These two performers carry much of the show and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Harris, Hinds, and Menzies. 

The Best of the Best: Episode 7 (Horrible from Supper) is outstanding in both terms of storytelling and cinematography.

The Worst of the Worst: The fate of that poor monkey and dog.

Calhooey Score: 10/10 - Outstanding

Would I Recommend?

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You don't want to miss out on this one

Season one of The Terror sets a new gold standard for horror in television that will not be easy to overcome. The storytelling and dialogue is elegantly written, with topnotch performances by everyone involved, which is only more impressive with many of these names being relatively under-the-radar. I haven't seen a cable television series this impressive since Mad Men, and I think everyone should see this if they aren't too squeamish.

Spoiler Comments

• Having re-watched a few of the first episodes, it's fascinating seeing how the show hinted at the lead poisoning at the beginning. Obviously, one of the crew dies from lead poisoning, but we actively see Sir John pluck some of it from his mouth in the opening shots of him dining with Commander Fitzjames.
• Tobias Menzies must have been having some serious ROME flashbacks when he donned that Roman legionnaire outfit.
• I was actively terrified when Mr. Hickey was hunched over the corpse of Petty Officer Farr, before he killed Lieutenant Irving. The fact that he stripped down to his skivvies (likely to hide the bloodstains on his clothes) made it all even more disturbing!
• Hearing Collins cackling in the fog was terrifying. The reaction of some of the men was equally disturbing.
• Almost equally disturbing was when Collins began to rant about how the smell of burning human flesh made him hungry.
• I never quite understood Mr. Hickey's rationale for sneaking aboard the expedition. Unless he was already wanted for murder, why didn't he just enlist like Captain Crozier said?
• I think the worst fate of the crew was arguably Lieutenant Jopson. He died alone and in despair, believing a lie.
• I can't help but wonder if the Netsilik actually did Captain Crozier a favor by helping him survive. After that horror, I think I would've rather died than bear the trauma of what happened.

References

(1) Rotten Tomatoes. (n.d.). The Terror season one cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_terror/s01.

(2) Edmunds, D. (2020, November 29). Ice breaking gif. GoodReads. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3974.The_Terror.

(3) The Terror. (2018). Crozier and Fitzjames image. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2708480/mediaviewer/rm2306359808/.

(4) Theterroramc. (2021, April 9). Adam Nagaitis gif. Tumblr. Retrieved from: https://theterroramc.tumblr.com/post/647994930577506304.

(5) TigerDroppings. (n.d.). Mr. Blankey with pipe gif. Retrieved from: https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/movie-tv/wtf-that-was-the-same-actor-actress-and-we-roll-on/18608878/page-109/.