'Barkskins' Episode 4 Review: Wobik finds itself under immense stress as the Iroquois return
Spoilers for 'Barkskins' Season 1 Episode 4 'The Law of Two'
'Barkskins' returns with Mathilde (Marcia Gay Harden) taking over the inn. She burns the midnight oil and keeps straying men off her property as she houses the young girl rescued from the massacre. The innkeeper with a thick skin surely knows her way handling the men of Wobik. As Mathilde deals with advances from men following the death of her husband, there is mounting pressure on the police to solve the murder. That lands Constable Bouchard (David Wilmot), a man desperate to maintain law and order in the lawless land of Wobik, inquiring with Elisha Cooke (Thomas M Wright), who denies any involvement in the massacre and even whereabouts of Gus (Matthew Lillard) and his son Thom (Kyle Breitkopf).
A large part of the episode dealt with Melissande (Tallulah Haddon) and Delphine's (Lily Sullivan) new marriages. Just as she had wanted, Melissande married a wealthy man with land, Monsieur Claude Trepagny (David Thewlis). On the other hand, Delphine hopes she has married a kind and loving man, who, as is revealed later in the episode, can keep up with the secret she has been hiding. There are tender moments between Trepagny and Melissande but they lack any depth only highlighting how they share charged feelings for each other because of the same vision for their futures. Throughout their screen time together, Tallulah's Melissande has been keeping a secret from Trepagny lest he denounces her. She notices Mari (Kaniehtiio 'Tiio' Horn) outside Trepagny's house and knows instantly that her plans for family and legacy might be hampered by this unknown woman.
But the horrors of Wobik are far from over. After leaving their dead hanging on display for three episodes now, the Iroquois have returned to avenge the murders and the encroachment on their land by the English and the French. Wobik is yet to pay the price for the killings, and as the law and authorities scramble to find the person responsible, the Iroquois have put things into motion. At the same time, Hamish Goames (Aneurin Barnard) and Yvon (Zahn McClarnon), upon their return to Quebec City, find out that the massacre had been an inside job all along and some people on the inside are only more informed than the rest.
'Barkskins' is entertaining throughout. It does not rely on tropes, and, at the same time, maintains a comfortably thrilling pace that it has set for itself. Much like last week, this week also saw Barkskins's latter episode being more interesting than the previous one. With every episode, it answers some questions, but with those answers arises new bigger doubts that keep you hooked. Man fights man in a battle for survival, land, legacy.
'Barkskins' airs on Mondays at 9/ 8c on National Geographic.
