ZAPORIZHIAN COSSACKS IN 1670 (or, alternatively, a yapping about Bogdan's storyline in the third season)
I've been waiting for some new fictional depiction of Zaporizhian Cossacks for a very long time. With Fire and Sword premiered in Poland in 1999 (27 years ago!) - and since then, there hasn’t been a single film or series featuring 17th-century Cossacks. In Ukraine? Yeah, of course, plenty of them. In Poland? Literally none.
On the one hand, it's completely understandable - as a matter of fact, we're talking about Ukrainian history. On the other hand, the Cossack-related motifs appear in a considerable amount of Polish literary works and have been a source of inspiration for Polish writers for years.
Poles even refer to the Cossacks in everyday conversations (perfect examples being sayings, such as my beloved Kozak w necie, pizda w świecie, roughly translated to ‘A Cossack online, a pussy in the real world’). So, do they appear just as frequently as characters in Polish films and series? As far as I know, definitely not.
Let's finally move on to Bogdan’s storyline, which, in this season, I could describe using only two words: absolute cinema. Firstly, we finally got to see the Zaporizhian Cossacks in 1670. Frankly speaking, it would be a real shame to leave them out of a series set in 17th-century Poland. In the two previous seasons, we have seen many references to the Swedes; there were also Tatar and Turkish characters.
As for the Cossacks, I had the impression they’d been... forgotten? And it was such a shame as I've always considered them arguably the most interesting enemies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. I’d always been of the opinion that their story could be woven into the plot in a very compelling way. And this time, I’ve finally got what I’d been waiting for.
Also, the fact that Bogdan is the essential character of this subplot is the best thing ever. He already had so many adventures and an absolutely wild character development. He’s been literally everywhere. He's experienced everything and more. There’s no better place for him this season than the Zaporizhian Sich.
Besides - did you see that outfit? Oh, he's just stunning, iconic, absolute diva.
And while we’re on the subject of the visual aspects - the picturesque set design certainly deserves to be mentioned as well. It’s just clear and obvious that people with an exceptional taste and sense of aesthetics worked on that.
I’d always dreamt of something like this while watching With Fire and Sword. And I always was a bit disappointed that, even though the novel is full of vivid and evocative descriptions, the set design somehow had been treated as a secondary. Personally, I consider it a major letdown. In 1670, on the other hand, it has definitely exceeded my expectations. Well, let’s just take a look and appreciate it.
Another thing are With Fire and Sword references. Maciej lives a peak Lach experience in the Cossack camp. I have no idea if the creators did this on purpose, but here – we've literally got the scene in which Jan Skrzetuski makes his way through the Cossack and Tatar camp from the besieged Zbarazh.
And here - also, an allusion to the scene where Zagłoba tries to escape from a pigsty, where he’d been locked up by - well, let's guess who? - undoubtedly the Cossacks.
Another brilliant detail is the letter from the Cossacks to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed IV. It’s an excellently executed historical reference. And if we go by the theory that the letter is real and actually written in the 17th century, it even coincides (vaguely) with the timeline of the series.
I also think we should give credit to this gorgeous icon. And honestly? I’m a huge fan of the woke Zaporizhian Sich- I’d also lift the historical ban on women entering the Sich just for her. She definitely earned it.
As I draw to a close, I must touch upon one more practical matter. We’ve just got a Polish comedy which portrays the Ukrainian history in a positive light (and features Ukrainian actors, too). The Cossack storyline encouraged many Ukrainians to watch 1670 - and a lot of them enjoyed it. This is extremely important, especially given the current social and political situation in Poland. The anti-Ukrainian far right plays an increasingly significant role in our politics and, regrettably, many Ukrainians have recently become victims of brutal attacks by Polish nationalists. It's an unjust, horrible and painful reality to live in for so many Ukrainian people. And don't get me wrong, as Poles, we desperately need to draw conclusions from the history and right our wrongs. We need change, justice, and severe legal consequences for the perpetrators. We need education and a huge shift in mentality. But we also need to have things that don’t divide our nations anymore - anything. And even if, for now, it’s only something as insignificant as a silly, light-hearted Netflix comedy - I’m all for it.
Finally, I've got a very important question: Dear Bogdan, what on earth must you have done between those seasons to end up as a Cossack ataman? It would be an incredible lore too, such a pity that we would never find out...
