the show gives basically no exploration of Robert Golding & his relationship with Hickey at all but play in this space with me. what we know to be true
- Hickey is introduced sharing a meal with Golding and the other ship's boys & trying to get them to question their place in the naval hierarchy
- Golding is by Hickey's side when he gets back from kidnapping Silna & says some awful shit about her
- Golding was part of the mutiny & trusted by Hickey enough to be left back with Crozier and given the task of luring Crozier to Hickey so he can capture him, something which holds great emotional importance to Hickey
- Golding lies convincingly on his feet, a very Hickey skill
- when things have gotten about as bad as they're gonna be Hickey threatens Golding, seemingly without a second thought, when doing so allows him to manipulate/exert power over Crozier
when taken all together it's very easy to infer that there was some kind of friendship there, at some point - maybe, given their age difference and isolation from family (because Golding is at sea, and because Hickey likely has none at all), a bit of a surrogate older brother/younger brother relationship. maybe Golding's skill at lying is something Hickey taught him. maybe the same can be said of his racism. maybe the trust Hickey places in Golding, and the trust Golding places in Hickey - which Hickey in the end betrays - is borne from this relationship. and would that be fucked up or what