'Barkskins' Episode 2 Review: Gaps left by Episode One get filled in well-knit series of events
Spoilers for 'Barkskins' Season 1 Episode 2 'The Turtle King'
Throat slitting, lies and land grabs — the English and the French might be at peace at the moment, but the threads are barely held together and the pressure is mounting. Looks like many people are expecting — nay, hoping — for a war.
After Hamish Goames (Aneurin Barnard) and Yvon (Zahn McClarnon) return with the mysterious girl they found at the site of the massacre, they cause chaos in the town. People are very surprised to find that the massacre has two survivors — a girl and a priest, who seem to be in immense distress.
This leads to tension between Elisha Cooke (Thomas M Wright), the English barrel maker and smuggler, and his aide Gus Lafarge (Matthew Lillard). How were there survivors in the massacre is beyond Cooke, who is livid at Lafarge's inability to have carried their plan to fruition. In a devious ploy for land grab, Cooke had ordered Lafarge to clear the land and blame the Iroquois for the killings. But now, Cooke is now more than worried about the survivors.
Back at the inn, Mathilde Geffard (Marcia Gay Harden) starts caring for the young girl rescued by Hamish. She comforts her, cajoles her, never being too inquisitive. But the girl remains shaken and doesn't speak.
Neither does the priest. To silence the two witnesses, Cooke orders Lafarge to make sure they are taken care of. In a desperate attempt, he asks his son Thom Lafarge (Kyle Breitkopf) to get the young girl out and promises to meet him as a designated spot. This attempt goes awfully wrong after he is killed — or at least gravely injured as Yvon and Hamish don't find his body.
Elsewhere, Charles Duquet has escaped from his contract with Claude Trepagny (David Thewlis). After Rene Sel's (Christian Cooke) first search attempt fails, he is asked to not go.
Duquet, in a series of extremely adventurous and impressive survival events, finds himself with the Kanien'kehá:ka (Iroquois). They first humiliate him by offering him food after peeing on it, but given Duquet's persistence, he cowers for more food. Eventually, he is taken some place which makes Duquet nervous.
Back at Trepagny's land, there is a spark between Rene and Mari (Kaniehtiio 'Tiio' Horn). A French and Wendat Nation woman who lives with Trepagny, Mari suspects that he is planning to marry a French Filles du Roi and wants to take matters into her own hands. Trepagny receives a letter that immediately cheers him up. He is now eligible for a French wife.
On his way back home from the town, where he also complained about Duquet's breach of contract, Trepagny has company on the dark road. Thom is waiting for his father, who on account of being dead, never arrives. Instead, Trepagny, who is in good spirits because he is now eligible for a French wife, shows up and frees the kidnapped young girl from Thom.
One episode in and there is already so much happening in 'Barkskins'. 'The Turtle King' will keep you on your toes, eager for what is to come next. 'Barkskins' runs at an eased pace enough to keep the viewer fully engaged, doing guesswork. Episode One was a whirlwind of characters that albeit interesting had a lot going on. With this episode, we see them in a brighter light — some darker than others though.
'Barkskins' airs on National Geographic on Mondays at 9/ 8c.