'Barkskins' Episode 7 Review: An ominous critical episode foretells a devastating finale
Spoilers for 'Barkskins' Season 1 Episode 7 'Bees in a Bottle'
And just like that, a very tense episode comes to an end. Wobik is on the brink of war as the threat from the Iroquois continues. Sitting on this timebomb are the French who have little idea about the Hudson Bay Company's deals with the Iroquois and have sent the nuns from the convent led by Mother Sabrine (Leni Parker) accompanied by Elisha Cooke (Thomas M Wright) and Charles Duquet (James Bloor).
Even though Rene Sel (Christian Cooke) was rescued last week by Claude Trepagny (David Thewlis) and Captain Bouchard (David Wilmot), the French think it is highly dangerous to return to that clearing to retrieve the bodies of the Frech priests. It is actually Bouchard's idea to test Cooke's "loyalty" to the town knowing well about Cooke's ulterior motives.
Cooke had only just received a fair warning from Gay Bill (Alex Ferns) in the previous episode to ensure the supply of the weapons is seen through. Now if he is to accompany this party to retrieve the bodies of the dead on behalf of the French, it will find himself far away from the good books of Gay Bill and no one wants to be there.
Before he left, however, Mathilde (Marcia Ga Harden) had something to share with him — a proposition for a deal. In the previous episode, Cooke and Delphine (Lily Sullivan) had shared a moment at the inn that Mathilde thought of cashing in on. When this same proposal is made to Delphine, it is met with expected results. Mathilde, the true businesswoman, ensures this is all for the expansion of the inn.
With the threat of the Iroquois inching closer in on the Wobik, the French must prepare to fight a deadly battle that will dictate their future in this new land. With the Iroquois, funded by weapons from the English, threatening to attack the French in Wobik, the English will be playing an equal role in the destruction. This can be noted with the shift in Hamish.
All this while, it felt like we were following the one moral compass on the show. But after his assassination of Randall Cross (Andreas Apergis), it hardly seems likely. Following that, he joins the other side — the Iroquois and the English — to fight the same war he was going to avoid. Cross' constant picking at him saying that he cannot work according to the company's sinister demands seems to have ticked something off in Hamish who concluded to silence him.
The penultimate episode of the limited National Geographic has left all lives at a critical stage. And what happens is going to decide the fate of the new world that is New France. The fight for land and power has now reached a stage where the only way ahead for any party is forward and they will stop at nothing from making that happen.
'Barkskins' airs on National Geographic on Mondays at 9/ 8c.