Frozen history, a prologue of horror
The American drama "Polar Spirit", produced by AMC, is full of horror and suspense elements, based on the best-selling novel of the same name published by Dan Simmons in 2007, which revolves around the historical events of Sir John Franklin's missing expedition.
It tells the tragic story of two British Royal Navy expedition ships, HMS Fear and HMS Doom, in their search for the Northwest Passage in the mid-19th century.
At that time, when there was no modern communication and navigation technology, the officers and men of the two ships were faced with extreme natural conditions and unknown horrors.
As soon as the episode starts, we can feel the oppressive atmosphere.
The crew struggled to navigate the vast sea of ice, surrounded by icebergs and icebergs, as if the whole world had been frozen in ice.
Even more frightening than the sea of ice, however, are the unexplained paranormal phenomena and the escalating panic among the crew.
In the name of exploration
In the 19th century, Britain's global exploration activities were unparalleled, and its continuous excavation and discovery of uncharted territory not only established Britain's status as an empire on which the sun never set, but also accompanied by great sacrifices.
Among the many expeditions, the second polar voyage of the Horror and the Spectre was the most tragic in British history, with a total of 130 crew members killed.
AMC, the TV station that produced The Walking Dead, created the show based on the novel of the same name, once again bringing this tragic polar expedition to the audience.
皇家海军惊恐号（HMS Terror）
A historic warship, built in 1812, originally commissioned as an anti-shore assault ship.
During its service, the Horror participated in several important battles, including the Battle of Baltimore during the American Revolutionary War.
During this campaign, the ship shelled Fort McHenry, which inspired American lawyer Francis Scott Key to compose the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
In 1828, the Horror was incorporated into the Naval Reserve Fleet, and in 1830 it was refitted to join the Polar Expedition Fleet.
In 1837, the ship was trapped in ice in northern Canada for 10 months, and although it eventually returned to the shores of Ireland, its hull was so badly damaged that it almost sank.
In 1839, the restored Horror joined the Spectre on a polar expedition directed by explorer James Clark Roth.
During this expedition, Francis Crozier served as the commander of the Horror.
The expedition was fruitful, not only discovering the magnetic North Pole, but also recording a large number of plant and animal species.
To better adapt to the polar environment, both the Horror and the Wradodo underwent extensive renovations, including the installation of state-of-the-art 25 hp steam engines and fore and rear steel decks.
In 1845, the Horror embarked on another polar expedition with an abundance of supplies, such as 2 tons of tobacco leaves, 8,000 cans of canned food, 7,560 liters of wine and 1,200 books.
However, in August 1845, the Horror and the Erebus were last sighted in Baffin Bay, between Greenland and Canada, and have not been heard from since.
It wasn't until 2016 that the wreckage of the Horror was found, and this history was finally answered.
HMS Erebus
A gunboat of great historical importance, built in 1826.
During its short service life, the Wrado was quickly transformed into a ship designed for polar expeditions and participated in polar expeditions led by James Clark Roth.
The Nether, due to its newer years of construction and technical advantages, has played a key role in polar expeditions.
During Ross's first polar expedition, the Wrath served as the flagship, showcasing its superior performance and advanced design.
In the following expeditions, when Sir John Franklin took command, the Wrath continued to serve as the flagship, leading expeditions deep into the unknown Arctic.
Unfortunately, the Wraith, like its sister ship, the Horror, ended up being abandoned in Victoria Bay.
During the 1845 expedition, two ships and their crews disappeared and became part of the tragedy of the famous "Franklin Expedition" in history.
The whereabouts of the Wrath remained a mystery until 2014, when its wreckage was found in the Victoria Channel in the Canadian Arctic, a discovery that added an important piece to the history and kept the story of the brave sailors alive.
Character introduction
James Clark Ross
A prominent Scottish naval officer and early polar explorer, who appears several times in the play, his life is closely linked to the North Pole.
Born in London on April 15, 1800, Rose joined the Navy at the age of 11 and was influenced and mentored by his uncle John Ross to participate in Arctic expeditions from an early age.
Four times during his career, Ross collaborated with Sir William Edward Parry to explore the Northwest Passage to the United States, which took place between 1818 and 1833.
During his expedition to find the Northwest Passage, Sir Ross demonstrated his leadership skills and deep understanding of the polar environment.
His efforts not only led to the advancement of geographical discoveries, but also laid the foundation for later scientific exploration.
In 1849, Ross led an expedition to the Arctic with the aim of ascertaining the whereabouts of Sir John Franklin and his troops.
Although his search on the west coast of Greenland was affected by harsh winter weather and stranded in the Lancaster Channel, Ross's expedition is still seen as an example of bravery and perseverance.
James Clark Ross died on 3 April 1862 in Alisbury, England, but his name is immortalized in history for his contributions to scientific exploration.
To commemorate his achievements, the 2007 plastic 2 Antarctic dollar banknote features his portrait in recognition of his contributions to polar exploration and scientific research.
Sir Ross's life is the epitome of adventure and adventure, and his story continues to inspire countless explorers and scientists today.
Francis Croce
An experienced polar explorer, he served as a deputy on James Clark Roth's polar expeditions and was elected to the Royal Society in 1843 for his contributions to the study of polar magnetic fields.
During the 1839 Ross expedition, Croce gained valuable experience in polar expeditions as Ross's lieutenant, and in 1841 he was promoted to captain of the Horror.
During Sir John Franklin's polar expeditions, Croce continued to command the Horror.
He had a deep reverence for the polar regions, and was helpless and angry with Sir Franklin, who was in a hurry.
After Franklin's death, Croce took over the expedition and made the difficult decision to abandon ship and walk on the ice.
Although they traveled hundreds of kilometers in extremely cold weather, the whole team was tragically killed, and this tragic expedition became known in history as the "Franklin Expedition".
In the play, the role of Captain Croce is played by Jared Harris.
Harris comes from a family of actors, his father is the famous actor Richard Harris, who played Headmaster Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter film series.
Jared Harris himself is best known for his villainous roles in several films and TV series, including Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow Game, which is more well-known to domestic audiences.
Through Harris's superb acting, the character of Captain Croce is endowed with rich emotions and deep character in the play, making the story of this historical polar explorer even more fascinating.
Sir John Franklin
Leader of the Arctic expedition.
During an overland expedition from 1819 to 1822, he led a team of 20 people in a major disaster on the Copperman River in Canada's Northwest Territories, killing 11 people, and the survivors had to devour lichens and even try to eat leather boots in order to survive.
In 1836 he was appointed Governor of Tasmania and his term ended in 1843.
Still, Franklin's passion for finding the Northwest Passage remained undiminished.
In May 1845, he led 127 men on a voyage to find a shipping route aboard the Spectre and the Terror, but have not been heard from since.
They were last seen in the northern part of Baffin Bay in July of the same year.
Franklin's widow then organized a team led by Francis Leopold McCullintock to investigate John Ray's report.
In the summer of 1859, McCallingtock found documents left by Deputy Franklin's on King William Island, which showed that the ship had been trapped in the ice since September 1846.
The crew abandoned their ships on April 22, 1848, and Franklin himself died on June 11, 1847, leaving 24 dead by the date of record, with the remainder scheduled to head south to the Buck River on April 26.
A number of human remains and a large number of abandoned items were found in the site in Merculingtoke.
In the play, the role of Sir Franklin was played by Ciaran Hinds, an experienced British actor.
Hinds has performed well in numerous films and British dramas, and Chinese audiences are probably most familiar with his role as Dumbledore's younger brother in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the Savage King in Game of Thrones.
Evil spirits, what exactly is it?
In this drama, the actions and decisions of the crew are always the core force that drives the development of the plot, and the presence of evil spirits is more like a catalyst, which exacerbates the contradictions and conflicts between the crew, but does not change the framework of the relationship between the main characters.
Why?
First of all, the first time evil spirits hurt humans was a direct response to the expedition members shooting shamans.
During this incident, the shaman's fall caught the attention of Miss Silence, who remained with the shaman, and the expedition members were soon counterattacked by evil spirits.
Secondly, the appearance of the shaman itself is a warning to the crew.
At the beginning of the episode, the shaman appears in the form of a ghost to the dying crew and warns them to leave.
When the shaman is shot, Miss Silence conveys the same warning.
Moreover, the second attack by the evil spirits was also out of revenge for the shaman's irreverence.
The shaman's body was hastily disposed of, and Goodseer suggested digging a separate grave for the shaman, but was ridiculed and rejected by the other crew members, and the shaman's body was even insulted.
Subsequently, the evil spirit enters a revenge mode.
In the third episode, the crew leaves out some items while sorting out the shaman's relics, which fall into a deep pit along with the shaman's remains.
Miss Silent leaves after failing to obtain what she needs, and the evil spirit brings her a seal carcass.
In the fourth episode, Heckie is punished for violating military rules by taking Miss Silent back to the ship.
In the fifth episode, Captain Francis asks Miss Silence why the evil spirit put Captain John's body in the shaman's tomb, and Miss Silence says that the evil spirit is out of her control.
Next, the evil spirit was wounded on the mast, but then entered a period of relative calm with the crew.
Miss Silent performed a sacrificial ritual, and while it was uncertain if the ritual worked, the evil spirits did not attack the crew after the ceremony.
Finally, the last attack of the evil spirit was triggered by Hickey's actions.
Hickey kills two of his companions and blames an Eskimo family, killing their entire family and reviving the spirit's revenge.
To sum up, the evil spirit's behavior is predictable, it is not the center of the plot, and it cannot even be considered an important supporting character.
Each of its attacks is an act of retaliation after the crew has committed unethical behavior.
Therefore, the real driving force of the show lies in the complex and changeable human nature, as well as the choices and behaviors of the crew.
THE END
In this day and age, the Arctic is no longer a place of mystery, and people with a certain economic base can easily visit the Arctic on a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker for a fee.
However, in the middle of the 19th century, this polar region was still a mysterious territory on Earth that had not been set foot by humans.
For the explorers of the time, the courage they showed to sail wooden sailboats into this forbidden area of life is unimaginable to modern people.
By watching this drama, we may be able to feel a little bit of the difficulties and crises encountered by those true explorers.
The narrative of the series is very calm, if you can calm down and look back, the pathos of historical facts, the darkness of human nature, and the fear of the unknown will definitely bring you an impact.
Thanks to the producers and actors, they brought us a well-made and good film and television drama, which is worth watching with "patience".