Ciarán Hinds as John Franklin, Tobias Menzies as James Fitzjames – The Terror _ Season 1, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan/AMC
The Méduse
The French ship Méduse (aka Medusa, to keep with the theme of cool ship names) was on a diplomatic mission to Senegal with a crew of 400 when it ran aground on a reef in the Atlantic. Though many managed to escape onto lifeboats, there weren’t enough to go around (when will ship-builders learn?) and approximately 150 men had to quickly improvise a raft. However, they had no supplies and no way of steering their hastily-built craft, and the situation quickly deteriorated. After weathering storms, brutal infighting, and cannibalism, only ten survived.
This would certainly be a different direction for The Terror to go; for one, the raft’s ordeal lasted only 15 days (instead of four years, as is the timeline of the Franklin Expedition in the show). It could be interesting to see how the show would handle a much faster timeframe — maybe some skipping around would be in order?
The Narváez Expedition
If sticking to the 1800s wasn’t a limiting factor, season 2 could follow the exploits of Panfilo de Narváez, whose expedition left Spain in 1527 with five ships and around 600 people (though about 140 of them would desert in Santo Domingo). The expedition was plagued by hurricanes before it reached the area now known as Tampa Bay, where Navarez set off on an overland trek which predictably faced multiple calamities. They ended up having to build their own ships when they reached the coast again, which didn’t end well either. Eight years later, only four people were left alive.
One difference between this expedition and Franklin’s is that we have an eyewitness — though the accuracy of Cabeza de Vaca’s account is up for debate — whereas the fate of the Franklin Expedition was a mystery. Having a greater idea of what actually happened could be a help or a hindrance, but there’s certainly a lot of fascinating material to dive into.
More monsters?
One big question about a potential season 2: would there still be a supernatural element? The Tuunbaq was present in the book which season 1 was based off of, but unless AMC decides to pick another supernatural survival horror novel, it might come down to simply a creative decision. Personally, I liked the supernatural element in season 1, and it would add a cool angle to any historical tale.
In the end, it’s hard to say right now what might be in the show’s future. But if it does get a second season, there are a ton of awesome concepts they could go with for their next storyline.
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Hey, how about a re-do of the Franklin expedition where they all make it back to England and have an OK time? Can we have that? Please? No? Alright. I’ll be crying in the corner.