The Terror

Starring: Jared Harris (10 episodes), Derek Mio (10 episodes), Tobias Menzies (10 episodes), Kiki Sukezane (10 episodes), Paul Ready (10 episodes), Cristina Rodlo (10 episodes), Adam Nagaitis (10 episodes), Shingo Usami (10 episodes), Ian Hart (10 episodes), Naoko Mori (10 episodes), Nive Nielsen (10 episodes), Miki Ishikawa (10 episodes), Ciaran Hinds (10 episodes), George Takei (10 episodes), Christos Lawton (10 episodes), Matthew McNulty (9 episodes), David Walmsley (9 episodes), Sebastian Armesto (9 episodes), Liam Garrigan (9 episodes), Jack Colgrave Hirst (9 episodes), Hira Ambrosino (8 episodes), Lee Shorten (8 episodes), Alex Shimizu (8 episodes), Stephen Thompson (8 episodes), Ronan Raftery (7 episodes), Mikey Collins (6 episodes), Edward Ashley (7 episodes), Alistair Petrie (6 episodes), Charlie Kelly (6 episodes), Kevin Guthrie (6 episodes), Declan Hannigan (6 episodes), Anthony Flanagan (5 episodes), Aaron Jeffcoate (5 episodes), Greta Scacchi (5 episodes), C. Thomas Howell (5 episodes), Trystan Gravelle (5 episodes), Charles Edwards (5 episodes), John Lynch (5 episodes), Sian Brooke (5 episodes)
Directed by: Tim Mielants (4 episodes), Edward Berger (3 episodes), Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (2 episodes), Michael Lehmann (2 episodes), Frederick E.O. Toye (2 episodes), Josef Kubota Wladyka (2 episodes)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, Horror, Adventure
2018-2019

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2

Summary: Season One depicts the fateful voyage of The Terror, which disappears while searching for the Northwest Passage. Season Two follows a supernatural event at a Japanese internment camp run by Americans.

Review:

Tim: It's difficult to write about this anthology series from AMC. The first and second seasons are so different in so many ways, it makes writing about the series as one as impossible. The first season was incredible, some of the finest television I've seen. The second season was a colossal bore, a season with big ideas and disappointing execution. I'll have to tackle these one-at-a-time.

I loved Dan Simmons' The Terror. It's a long book, but a brilliantly written one. So, when they announced AMC was doing a television series, I was ecstatic. And, the season does the book justice. We get to see the lost voyage of the Terror in the Arctic. We get to see the cruelty of humanity and the threat of something supernatural. The claustrophobia of being stranded on the ice, the secretive intentions of the crew, it all comes vividly to life on screen. The 10 episodes do a fantastic job of translating the book onto the screen. I loved the first season.

A few other major strengths- the visuals in the first season were extraordinary. They didn't really film this in the Arctic, but it looks so vivid and real. I loved the visual effects to bring this to life. That was part of the appeal of the book and it shows up here, too. Imagine being stuck in the ice, hundreds and hundreds of miles from civilization. There's no way to communicate. You have dwindling supplies. The elements seem to want you dead. And, there may be something beyond the boundaries of human understanding out on the ice, too. It's a wonderful story and the visuals here bring that to life on screen.

The cast is exceptional, too. I won't go into detail on everyone, but just hit a few highlights. Captain Crozier is one of my all-time favorite characters. I learned to love him in Simmons' book and I can't think of a better actor to bring him to life than Jared Harris. Harris is wonderful in this role- he's tough, but fragile. He's intelligent, yet lost. He brings all these elements of Crozier to light. Harris delivers the best performance of the cast and it's something truly special. Ciaran Hinds was excellent as John Franklin, too. Hinds is a very talented actor and worked well in the role. Adam Nagaitis was superb as Hickey. Hickey emerges as one of the most memorable characters of the book and Nagaitis ensures this is true in the series, too. His performance is challenging and stark and absolutely a standout. Paul Ready was wonderful as Mr. Goodsir. His role was so critical to the story and Ready gives a strong performance, making an emotional connection with the audience.

The Terror ended its first season and I was just blown away by what was done on screen. It was excellent television, an especially strong season that effectively translates a massive book onto the small screen. So, when AMC renewed the series for a second season, I was excited. The idea of it being an anthology that followed historical events tinged with horror and supernatural events sounded excellent. I was really enthused when I heard the second season would take place in an American-run Japanese internment camp during World War II. This is one of the many tragic, dark aspects of American history and I was so ready to see it illustrated on screen. If the season ended up half as good as the first one, I was in.

Unfortunately, half as good was a gross overstatement. The second season was filled with great ideas. I just disliked the execution. The season moves at a glacial pace. I was totally in the first two episodes and the following eight seemed to drag on ad infinitum. I cared about the idea of the story, but it was so dull that it was hard to stayed focused and care. It wasn't very interesting. The story was meandering and confusing and the second season never really gave us a reason to care.

I thought Derek Mio didn't do a very good job in the lead- he could never make me care about his character. Things seem to happen to him and he just kind of moves forward. It wasn't very inspiring. This one of the biggest issues with the season. Mio might have talent, but he felt wrong for this role. He wasn't helped by the script. I loved seeing George Takei here, but he doesn't get much to do. Shingo Usami was decent. The rest of the cast felt fine. It's hard to gauge their talent when the story fails them so completely.

I could go on, but the point is made. The second season was such a enormous letdown, AMC never really followed up with the series. It's early 2022 as I write this and I'm sick of waiting to see if AMC will officially cancel or renew the series. It's ridiculous that we're coming up on 3 years with no news. I'm honestly hoping it's cancelled forever. The second season was so bland and failed so completely to capitalize on the inherent strengths of the story that I'd probably skip a third season. It's frustrating to me that the first season was one of my favorites ever and the second one just ruins the legacy. It makes it hard for me to remember how much I loved the first one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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