The first episode of The Terror begins with two British officers sitting in an Eskimo tent inquiring about an earlier expedition that went missing. The tone is sombre and the numbing cold is almost felt by the viewer, overcoming the heat of a burning fire. This sets the foreboding tone of the series as we are then plunged headlong into the original expedition, following its course across the inhospitable terrain, through ruthless natural elements and sometimes into supernatural horror.  The basic theme of the tale dwells on the age old subject of man versus Nature but it is presented with sufficient finesse, creating the perfect environment to narrate a harrowing tale.

In 1845 a British Arctic exploration led by Sir John Franklin which consisted of two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror started for the Arctic seas. Francis Crozier was placed in command of The Terror under Sir John. The expedition was lost with no live member being found to provide any details. Later investigations have resulted in remains being found and a number of theories were proposed to account for the disappearance of the men. Based on a work of fiction written by Dan Simmons revolving around this true event, the Terror has Ridley Scott as one its producers. The production values are high resulting in top quality visual effects providing a near perfect depiction of the merciless Arctic environment. These combined with excellent makeup effects to depict the results of cold and disease on a human body take the series quite close to setting new visual standards for a television drama.

Sir John (Ciaran Hinds) is shown ready to push his team to achieve the mission whereas Francis Crozier (Jared Harris) is the voice of caution urging his leader to reconsider the options. The Terror starts slow with the first couple of episodes involving multiple sessions of dialogues introducing us to the various characters in the drama. Still in some moments it does not fail to touch some chords of supernatural horror being played out in the human minds quite effectively. The ships become icebound in winter and when two native Eskimos turn up the series take a turn towards using the name of the ship as an irony to portray the events in the drama. The gradual decent of the men, who are being eroded by the harsh natural elements as well as by chemical elements hidden in their food and drinks, into a psychological nightmare is what makes the series compelling to watch.

Not being designed as a conventional horror-thriller, The Terror makes it viewers wait for the best elements of thrill and rewards them with some great moments. The violence and bloodshed often comes in casually from the harsh elements of nature rather than from other sources. The tension is build up gradually leaving the lives of the men hanging in balance with only their will to survive pushing them forward. The series picks up its pace with élan in the last few episodes, as each character is thrown in the cauldron of events with nature being the ultimate fire burning below. The actors are well balanced in their roles with even the smallest parts making an impact on the overall progress of the drama. Veteran actor Jared Harris as Captain Francis Crozier gives a great performance with Tobias Menzies as Commander James Fitzjames following him up closely.

There are some moments when a few themes are left overdone and some imperfect areas remain in certain characters. But those are few and can very well be overlooked given the visual and thematic impact the show creates. The way human beings behave when survival becomes the only instinct is well explored in the series. Each casually amputated feet or finger also portrays our helplessness when we are faced with the natural elements in their own terrain. Just as the men wait patiently for years for the ice to melt and make way for their freedom, the series uses the slow burning pace to get the ball rolling. Those who are willing to sit down with some patience, the series will not fail to reward them. In the heat of this summer you can experience some definite moments of chill with The Terror and it is highly recommended for viewing.

 

by Suvajit Banerjee

 

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