In the second episode of Frontier, there’s still exposition and murder, but this time some intrigue and talk of actual fur trading.
The first episode of Frontier opened with two screens’ worth of introduction. The second episode opens with a quotation from Elie Wiesel: “We must take sides…Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented”. Profound words, considering the times we live in, and a rather intriguing choice. Welcome back to Frontier.
The pre-credits scenes also don’t manage to avoid bloodshed, though at least no one actually dies on screen before the still ridiculous credits take over. It seems that our theme of this episode will be the Lake Walker Tribe. We see another small company, the Brown brothers’ Low River Company, kidnap Kitchi, the chief’s grandson.
Back at Camp Harp, both Michael and Father Coffin are not having a good time. Even with a noose around his neck, the young Irish lad keeps trying to talk his way out of it. With just one touch of a heated knife from Declan, though, Michael spills everything, including the deal with Benton.
"Declan: “I hope you paddle better than you lie.”"
Miss Emberly, meanwhile, has to deal with the return of Captain Chesterfield, who also has not had a good time. She patches him up, or at least tries to, but he goes all Beauty and the Beast on her. Also, she points out that he could very well become the new governor of the territory.
Still from Frontier episode 2. Image is a screengrab via Netflix.
Speaking of the governor, Benton gets him out of the way with the help of some young soldiers and a noose of his own. He doesn’t even bother to give his rousing antagonist speech before the governor dies! It’s a bit like putting the cart before the horse.
"Benton: “I want two things: total domination, meaning our competitors crushed, our monopoly restored, and I want Declan Harp on this ship alive.”"
As for Grace Emberly, she finds a drunken Brown brother and Kitchi in her storehouse. At this point, although she does deal with the antagonists, she also has a talent for getting information, like the name of Samuel Grant of the Many Coats, and did save a boy’s life. Keep her in the shades of gray column.
Samuel Grant, for his part, hasn’t given up on his exposition. Transporting pelts is expensive, and he tells the other two brothers Brown of the Low River Company that, even though they should know this. Grant also tells us that everyone wants to deal with the Lake Walkers, which we’ve also figured out.
Benton, when he gets this information from Imogen, makes her kneel and pick her pay up from the floor, then nearly crushes her foot. Seriously, we get it: Benton is the worst. He then once again gives exposition about how valuable Kitchi can be for negotiations to Chesterfield, and tells his minion to be discreet. Since Chesterfield swoops in to Grace’s storehouse with several officers and murders Cedric Brown, we don’t think he quite heard that warning.
For all the talking everyone’s doing about reaching the Lake Walkers, our purported protagonist meets with them first. In the meeting, we once again hear about Declan’s ancestry: half-Irish, half-Cree. In order to win the trade deal, though, he’ll have to find Kitchi.
Grace has no compunctions about sending Mary after Chesterfield even after spending most of the episode trying to get him to work with her, apparently having forgotten that the two didn’t have a great time in the last episode. She also has a connection with Declan.
"Declan: “I came here to see you.”"
He apparently has the power to make everyone spill their guts to him, because Grace tells him everything and actually gives us meaningful exposition. Turns out that he had a wife, and she’s dead, because of course she is.
Still from Episode 2 of Frontier. Image is a screengrab via Netflix.
Michael further ingratiates himself by volunteering to go where Kitchi is being held and open the door for the rest of Declan’s group later. When he does see Benton, he actually does what he said he would do and lies through his teeth.
"Benton: “Do not be seduced by Declan Harp. Your own life will be in peril.”"
Michael also makes good on his word to help Team Declan in the raid. We get a few shots of murder, and then Michael uses his girlfriend’s hairpin to pick Kitchi’s chains. A clean escape doesn’t happen, though, and there’s a lot of death, including that of Samoset, part of Team Declan. For all the murdering he does in character, Jason Momoa manages to inject a lot of repressed emotion here and when he returns Kitchi to his grandmother.
Even at the end of the episode, though, Declan can’t help some exposition. The Lake Walkers can provide an army, presumably to help fight Benton. In the night, Michael discovers Kitchi with a slit throat, and someone drags him off while the snow blows.
I’m guessing that these repeated cliffhangers are meant to inspire binge-watching.
Tune in tomorrow for the recap of episode three of Frontier, “Mushkegowuk Esquewu”.