003 - (Opinions about specific character(s): The most competent Terror Lieutenant (Jopson) and then the least competent (Hodgson) P . S . - not as a ship thing, just the two of them as characters, separately.
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Thomas Jopson
How I feel about this character: He is among my top fav characters from the show, which is saying a lot because there are a lot of great characters. But I appreciate that Jopson is one of the truly goodhearted people on the expedition, with zero ulterior motives other than helping his captain and his crewmates. I especially appreciate his characterization because he is genuinely kind without being two-dimensional, and man, what glimpses we get of his heartbreaking past (his mum) or his dangerous side (the threats to Hickey) only make him more interesting to meeeeee
Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Edward Little primarily; Francis Crozier, secondarily
My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: I waxed pretty eloquent about my feelings with Jopson and Crozier in this post, so that sums it up.
My unpopular opinion about this character: the temper. I think Jopson comes across as sweet as he is because 1) he’s good at what he does and 2) he knows how to fit perfectly into his role. When all that starts to crumble around him, we begin to see his true character (much the same way we start to see everyone’s true colors when shit goes down), and it’s interesting to see Jopson, who is still a kind and selfless man, start to get snippy and resentful. I think in the right circumstances, back home or under duress, he can be more high-strung than he initially comes across
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: couple scenes that I would have loved to see included if the show was longer than a ten-episode limited series: 1) the moment of realization from Jopson when he learns about Peglar and Bridgens because…something 100% clicked when he and Bridgens made eye contact over the sledge after Peglar collapsed and 2) I want a little more fleshing out about what happened immediately before or after the command meeting where Little and Le Vesconte suggest leaving the sick behind
Favorite friendship for this character: this is pure headcanon, but I love imagining how he interacts with other men in positions of service on the ship, such as the other stewards or Mr. Diggle
My crossover ship: I got none
George Hodgson
How I feel about this character: He is such a dark horse favorite that snuck up on me. Someone once pointed out that George is unique for being the only extroverted senior officer on Terror, and that…stuck with me, making me pay more attention to him and how he interacts with people around him. And here we are, I went from making Hodge jokes to really caring about this man.
Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: lol I’ve not really thought about it, but I did write him and Little having a musically-centered mutual crush for rare pair week, so there ya go
My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: literally any interaction between Hodgson and his fellow lieutenants. We don’t get to see much of it, but I love to think about what shenanigans and heated wardroom conversations Hodgson, Little, and Irving would have
My unpopular opinion about this character: He is neither weak for going with Hickey nor is he foolish. He is experiencing a horrific set of circumstances that even the strongest people out there wouldn’t be equipped to handle. He himself recognized that he was not made of captain material, but that doesn’t mean he is an incompetent or incapable officer (see: the cannon scene where he fires at tuunbaq)
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: give me the scene where he plays with the hand organ to the point where Little wants to disembowel him and throw the hand organ overboard PLEASE
Favorite friendship for this character: see answer above for Hodgson and the other lieutenants
My crossover ship: still none lol I don’t really crossover The Terror with anything else