What we, the audience, also understand is how far out of his way Sir John goes to not badmouth Francis. Sir John gets a lot of shit, not without reason, but of all of the people who have justified beefs with him (Silna; Silna’s father; the Inuit community of Nunavut; the more than a hundred men he leads to their deaths to spite knowing better), Francis is just not one of them. Sir John could have easily given Sophia the cold, hard facts about Francis, that Francis is an alcoholic, that he could very well spend all of Sophia’s money, which would legally be Francis’ money if they got married, on booze, that Francis is given to serious depression, that Francis has a temper, that in the event that Francis’ penis actually works, it’s probably worn down to a nub from venereal disease*, P.S. Sophia can’t divorce him in Victorian England. But Sir John doesn’t. Part of it is that he’d probably rather die than say any of that to his young, unmarried niece- and would probably think twice about addressing it directly with his wife, a sophisticated, mature woman of the world. Part of it, though, is that Sir John doesn’t want people to think badly of Francis. Sir John, as Francis’ commanding officer, has to be aware of Francis’ shortcomings, because that’s part of being a captain. But no one else has to. That’s part of being a captain, too, sitting on what he knows about Francis so that Francis can maintain his dignity as an officer, and as a human being.
In another story, Sir John might have been wrong about Francis, Francis revealing himself to be far more noble than an old snob like Sir John could imagine. While Francis does have moments of nobility, he does nothing that doesn’t confirm what have to have been Sir John’s worst suspicions about him. Even before the expedition totally goes to shit, Francis is drunk, sulking, avoiding basically everyone but Jopson. After Sir John dies, Francis becomes more avoidant, drunker, and angrier. He has Mr. Johnson whip the everlasting shit out of Hickey, far more than the punishment required for Hickey’s, very real, offenses, the extra lashes given because Hickey back-talks Francis, not telling Francis anything Francis didn’t already know**. He’s happy to send Edward to his death so that Edward can steal more whiskey for him. He punches James. He’s indirectly responsible for Mr. Blanky losing a leg and his eventual death. If that’s how he treats men, from ordinary sailors who are his responsibility to his second-in-command, how’s Francis going to treat his wife, a woman who’s basically his legal property? His relationship with Silna is complicated by her race, but she’s still a woman he feels owes him something, and he’s happy to threaten to eject her from the ships so that Tuunbaq can get her.
I love Francis, very much, but I harbor no illusions about what kind of person he is. Nor do the show’s writers, and it’s obvious how much they love him, too. I think the braver part of that love is showing him to the audience at his worst, and trusting the audience to accept him, to find in him the lovable qualities that the writers did. The Terror doesn’t lead the viewer to conclusions, doesn’t force characters into inorganic actions, doesn’t moralize or punish, doesn’t play favorites. That’s one of the things I love about The Terror. Narratively, nothing is wasted, and everything is earned.
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