Frontier Season 1, Episode 3 Recap: “Mushkegowuk Esquewu”
In the third episode of Frontier, there’s less blatant death and a little more scheming going on, as Michael also bonds with Team Declan.
Episode 3, “Mushkegowuk Esquewu”, marks the halfway point of the first season of Frontier. After opening with a quotation from Elie Wiesel in episode two, “Little Brother War”, this one opens with one from Ice Cube:
"“I believe our society has fell into a pyramid system where there’s people relegated to the bottom of that pyramid and there’s people that feel like they’re entitled to the top of that pyramid”."
Hmm, I wonder why this may become relevant?
Winter has suddenly arrived. Michael has donned a leather jacket, which is very much insufficient, and Declan tells him to get a coat before murdering a Low River Company guy and taking another’s ear. Remember: Declan is supposed to be our protagonist.
Meanwhile, back in Fort James, Benton, as always, really just wants Declan so super dead that Father Coffin won’t have anything to pray over. He also pays a visit to Grace Emberly, who exposits at him that he’s the acting governor now.
"Benton: “Sparing me the trouble. How thoughtful.”"
He casually makes a threat to her license and says that she’s working with Declan. She lies stone-cold, but Benton then orders that all non-HBC products must be removed. Chesterfield says he’ll work it out. Grace does not look convinced. Chesterfield does not make for a good partner, Grace.
Turns out that the man missing an ear only used to work for the Low River Company. Declan informs Malcolm Brown of Cedric’s death and how angry the Lake Walkers are. We can see how Malcolm and Declan may get along.
Unfortunately, before Malcolm can go make nice with the Lake Walkers, they attack. Sokanon and Michael free missing-ear-man and will pursue him to see who he’s working for. Declan declares that Sokanon needs to teach Michael, which is kind of weird. I guess Declan really does like him?
Meanwhile, Samuel Grant of the Many Coats, not wearing a coat this time, demands that Douglas Brown set up a meeting with Peter Carruthers, another pelt man. Since this Brown has a debt with Grant, the favor has to be done.
Frontier episode 3. Image is a screengrab via Netflix.
Michael and Sokanon are on the trail. This gives him time to talk more about Clenna. Also, he has to explain to Sokanon what an orange is, even though he’s never eaten one either.
Sokanon also crushes his dreams.
"Sokanon: “So you miss her because she looks good in a dress and you want to wear a top hat and suck fruit.”"
Chesterfield, while hiding some illicit pelts with Grace, uses her first name, and she looks approximately not at all interested. He, too, suspects she’s working with Declan, so he threatens her too. One of these days, Grace will just go completely over to Declan. Unfortunately, Spy Imogen also sees Grace leaving the hiding spot.
Samuel Grant of the Many Coats has his meeting with Carruthers and Douglas Brown. Carruthers does not take kindly to the offer of investment from Grant, finishes his drink (probably because it’s delightful), and walks right out. Grant throws a little tantrum after everyone’s out, and then sends his henchman after Carruthers.
Grace puts another iron in the fire by hiring Rivard to go deliver a letter to Samuel Grant of the Many Coats. She has to get rid of the pelts, after all, and Grant has the scratch to make it happen.
Frontier episode 3. Image is a screengrab via Netflix.
Meanwhile, Sokanon and Michael continue bonding, this time over the fact Michael hasn’t died yet. In fact, she also gets to explain more about Declan’s past! Her sister Nuna was his dead wife, and Declan and Nuna had a little boy. Benton had the two of them killed, and now Declan is the ear-slicing man we know today.
Spy Imogen pays a visit to Benton himself. Benton continues to be evil at her, but she doesn’t say a thing about the secret pelts she definitely knows about.
"Imogen: “Yes m’lord. I would never lie to you. I swear.”"
Surprise! Missing-ear-man Maclaughlan meets with Chesterfield and walks out with plenty of money. He’ll never spend it though, since the captain shoots him dead from behind. With this information, Declan and Malcolm head off to make peace with the Okimaw of the Lake Walkers, Kamenna.
Grace, meanwhile, gets a report that Father Coffin will soon take up drinking again from Spy Imogen, who admits she’s a spy too and wants to be on Team Grace instead, presumably since Benton can’t stop being evil. Grace neither accepts nor denies this offer.
At the Low River offices, Henchman Pond has summoned Carruthers to return a very much stolen pistol. He then shoots Carruthers in the eye in front of Douglas.
"Pond: “That’s gonna be a closed casket.”"
In other words, Douglas is now very much on Team Grant of the Many Coats.
At the Lake Walker camp, Malcolm doesn’t do well with groveling to Kamenna, but she, being nice, accepts peace. Machk walks in. He wants none of the peace…and so Kamenna says she will step down and let him be Okimaw if Declan and Malcolm go free. Unfortunately, he also says that so long as he’s Okimaw, they won’t be allowed back in the camp.
"Declan: “You won’t be Okimaw for long.”"
Tune in tomorrow for the next Frontier recap, “Wolves”.