'Barkskins' Episode 6 Review: Survival is primal but is easily threatened by greed in the Nat Geo series
Spoilers for 'Barkskins' Season 1 Episode 6 'The Wobble'
There is no doubt that Episode 6 'The Wobble' is the best episode yet in the National Geographic series. Packing a punch of everything from suspense, thrill, murder, blood and gore, the show even hints at the potential of romance. Having ticked all boxes, the episode sheds clarity on the vicious plans that are currently in motion in Wobik. The wobble that Captain Bouchard (David Wilmot) had pointed out two weeks ago is now finally starting to come from under Wobik as it stands on uneven grounds. Who will perish and who will survive, no one can tell. As each party gears up with arms and artillery, the end is near but who is wise enough to cut their losses and walk away?
The plan is simple. As Gay Bill (Alex Ferns) lays it out for Elisha Cooke (Thomas M Wright) when threatening him — the English will help arm the Iroquois, who will attack the French and possibly help the English drive them out of the land altogether.
The Iroquois may have joined hands with the English against the French but Ratahsénthos has a personal vendetta against Captain Bouchard. And given how vicious he is, the Captain might have a hard time getting out of that duel easy. In Wobik, barrel maker Cooke now knows that he is not pitted against a daft fellow. Charles Duquet (James Bloor) is no ordinary servant — he is as shrewd and cunning, perhaps even more, than him and knows how to arm himself well. As surprising as it was for Cooke, it wasn't so much for viewers who knew Duquet never gives up.
What a complete mess the search party for René Sel (Christian Cooke) and Father Gabriel (Domenic Di Rosa) get themselves into — an inevitable disaster that will soon be known to be the event that endangered all of Wobik. With Gay Bill by their side and the English funding them with arms and whatnot, the Iroquois is prepping up.
Here is the impressive thing about 'Barskins' — so far, it set the layout for a nail-biting narrative through a cast of immensely talented actors playing eccentric characters that are put in high-pressure situations. The series indicates that men act with a greed they nurse deep inside them but also under the influence — and/or fear — of the greeds of other men. Each man in a position power in Wobik right now is not only acting under the influence of that power but is drunk with ambition.
At the same time, it must be pointed out that the French accents that are played out by English actors albeit comical in some instances are rather difficult to grasp on and fully follow. Survival is primal on 'Barkskins' and with its latest episode, the National Geographic series proves that in 1600s Wobik, that is the most difficult thing to do.
'Barkskins' airs on Mondays on 'National Geographic' at 9/ 8c.