The Ship – As the first episode of 1899 begins, a woman talks about the brain and how it is deeper than the sea. Maura Franklin (Emily Beecham) runs frightened. She sees a silhouette in front of her and calls it father before she is grabbed by two men who look like doctors or nurses. Maura yells that she knows what she saw and she isn’t crazy while being pulled away. She asks about her brother who was on the Prometheus. Maura thinks he found out what they were doing on this ship although she can’t remember it. The man tells her to wake up before she does. Maura has marks on her wrists that look like she was restrained previously. She checks a newspaper article about The Prometheus and how it is still missing after four months. She has a postcard from her brother who says he found out what their father did before asking her to meet him in New York. Maura is urged not to trust anyone.

She looks in the mirror and tells herself that she is Maura Franklin and was born in Morefield. It is October 19, 1899. Maura reminds herself that she is not crazy before leaving room 1011. After the intro, workers on the ship talk about the Prometheus. The workers force the Polack to climb up and fix the equipment. Once he is alone, he looks at a postcard of the Statue of Liberty. Olek gets distracted by the noises around him until the other workers yell for him to move the lever. Clemence (Mathilde Ollivier) talks to her husband about the missing ship. She thinks the chances of two ships sinking are low. Clemence realizes that Lucien (Jonas Bloquet) isn’t paying attention to anything she is saying. Ling Yi (Isabella Wei) wonders why they need so many knives only for Yuk Je (Gabby Wong) to tell her to pretend she knows what she is doing. As Maura enters and sits down, she overhears Angel (Miguel Bernardeau) and Ramiro (Jose Pimentao) arguing. Angel doesn’t know why he should calm down when no one can understand what he is saying anyway.

Virginia (Rosalie Craig) approaches Maura and sits down with her. She tells Maura that she is doing her a favor because there are already rumors circulating about her traveling alone. When asked about being a doctor, Maura says her focus is on the human brain. She goes on to say women in England are allowed to study but not practice. Virginia points out Dr. Reginald Murray (Richard Hope) who she describes as dumb as a stump. She asks Maura what is so interesting about the brain so Maura says it holds all the secrets to the universe. Virginia thinks some things are better untouched before pointing out the issues with the other passengers. She argues that they’re all running away from something and Maura is no exception. Krester (Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen) bursts into the room looking for a doctor for his sister. As the boy is dragged out of the room, Maura leaves in a hurry and follows them. She finds the men harassing Krester and telling him he doesn’t belong up there.

Once those men leave, Maura approaches Krester and offers to help. He leads her to his sister Tove (Clara Rosager) who is pregnant. Maura learns that she is seven months and she thinks the baby is dead. Krester is scolded for bringing her here because they didn’t need help. Maura listens to the baby’s heartbeat before saying it could be a tangled umbilical cord. She attempts to turn the baby. Anker is told that this is wrong because it is God’s child, but he isn’t sure what he can do. Once Maura finishes, she says the baby is fine before quickly covering her wrists again. Jerome (Yann Gael) walks around in the dark. Muffled grunts are heard coming from room 2101 as Lucien has sex with Clemence. Once he finishes, he is standoffish with her and complains about her playing dead. After she asks if it was her fault, he tells her to stop the act because it is pretentious. Lucien suggests she doesn’t love him and never did. Tove’s little sister thanks Maura and tells her that she wants to be a doctor just like her when she grows up. When asked if she has children, Maura reveals that she can’t have children.

Krester tries to give her a cross but Maura won’t take it. Maura begins panicking as she thinks about being restrained and experimented on so she rushes to the deck. She is approached by Eyk Larsen (Andreas Pietschmann) who asks if she got lost before putting his bottle in his pocket. Once she finds out that he is the captain, Eyk asks what she was doing down there. Maura isn’t sure that is any of his business. He tells her that she shouldn’t be there before his men arrive with a message. They’ve been receiving the same signal for 20 minutes and think it might be from the missing ship. Eyk goes with them and learns that they keep sending the same coordinates over and over. Wilhelm and Sebastian try to figure out how far away they are from the coordinates. Eyk finds it odd because the current should’ve taken them north instead of south. He orders the crew to change course so they can check out the coordinates. Olek tries to find out what is going on only to be told they don’t ask questions down there.

Ramiro tells his brother that they should bring less attention to themselves. Angel tells him that he is consumed by fear while he has no fear. He encourages Ramiro to have a chat with God and ask him why he turned him into a sheep. Ramiro notices that the ship is turning as he panics and says they cannot go back. Angel seems worried as well. Tove is awoken by her sister who says the others are outside looking for the ship. She reminds Tove of the story of the passengers who had all sinned because they killed a whale. The spirits of the sea got so angry that they sent a huge storm towards the skip and caused black waves. When they woke up the next morning, they had all turned into shadows. Tove tells her sister to stop that nonsense and don’t let her parents hear it. On Maura’s envelope, it says “what is lost will be found”. She visits the Captain and asks if she can step inside. Maura convinces him to tell her what he knows about the ship and the signal they’ve received.

While it is unlikely that the passengers are still alive, they could’ve made it if they rationed the food properly. Eyk questions if she knew anyone on the ship. He will address the guests in a moment. When she leaves, Eyk pulls out a letter similar to the one Maura has. It has the same words on the back. Virginia Wilson visits Yuk Je to tell them that they shouldn’t be talking. Eyk approaches the guest in the dining room to tell them about the signal they’ve received even though they’re not sure it is from the missing ship. The communication systems are rare on the company’s ships and there are no other ships from their company traveling this route. Angel is not happy that they’re changing course for that reason. Eyk says the ship carried more than 1,400 passengers and some of them still might be alive. Angel says they paid good money for this trip and were supposed to get to New York in seven days with no detours. Eyk says nothing before he turns around and walks away. Clemence approaches Lucien to ask why he is so worked up about this. He walks away without speaking to her.

Olek sits alone and looks at his postcard which has a New York address at the bottom. When Jerome approaches him, Olek admits he isn’t supposed to be there and offers to leave. Olek shares his bread with Jerome. Eyk joins Maura on the deck because she doesn’t want to talk about the weather, the decline of the empire, or the fact that she is a woman traveling alone. After he asks about her studying medicine, Maura reveals there are just as many rumors about him as there are about her. He tells her about the depth of the ocean and how man has mapped out every corner of the world, but what is beneath the water is still a mystery. Eyk doesn’t know what they’ll find. They hear someone shouting that there is a ship ahead. Eyk is told that they need to get back on course. It is recommended that they inform the company as soon as they make radio contact with the other ship. Eyk doesn’t agree so he asks for a boat to be lowered into the water. Once he picks three people to go with him, Maura says she’ll go too since he might need a doctor.

As they prepare to depart, Eyk is asked about taking the priest with them. He tries to talk Ramiro into going onto the Prometheus with them. Angel tells him that everything will be fine. As they step outside, they notice Olek and Jerome out there. They don’t seem to remember Jerome. Franz (Isaak Dentler) tells him to get back to his post before Eyk orders him to lower the boat. The sailors begin worrying because there are no lights on the ship. While they row towards the other ship, Krester asks Angel if he can have a cigarette. Once Krester finally takes it, Angel reminds him that he saw him in the dining room earlier. He tells him that he has an interesting face and the scar almost suits him. Krester eventually runs back down the stairs. The boat makes it to the ship before Olek is forced to climb the ladder first. Franz offers to go, but Eyk wants him to stay and Jerome to board the ship instead. He tells Maura that someone sent the signal so there must be survivors. Back on the ship, the crew realizes that they’ve stopped sending the coordinates.

They suspect the others must’ve seen them. Olek and the others begin searching the ship for survivors. Fabric on the ground gets Eyk’s attention. Yuk tells Ling that nothing will change so they should stick to their plan, but Ling complains that she can’t stand wearing this makeup and costume anymore. Yuk says none of this would be happening if she had just accepted her fate. She is told to practice her Japanese. Yuk reminds her that they only have to pretend a little longer. Eyk notices that someone destroyed the telegraph. Maura questions how they could’ve sent a signal. While they’re away, someone climbs onto the other ship. Maura follows a beetle until she finds a cabinet door that has been barricaded. Something begins banging on it. Maura prepares to open it while Eyke makes sure he is ready to defend them. They’re surprised when it turns out to be a young boy. The mystery man (Aneurin Barnard) uses a beetle or spider to unlock the door to room 1013 before going inside. The young boy hands Maura a black pyramid.

 

1899 Review

Although it took a while, the pilot episode of 1899 finally got marginally interesting late into the episode. The last eight minutes or so may be enough to convince viewers to stick around for at least another episode. However, 1899 is going to be trying for many viewers because it will require a lot of effort, concentration, patience, and enthusiasm to finish if all eight episodes continue at this glacially slow pace. Another issue viewers are going to have is trying to familiarize themselves with the many characters and some may hate having to read subtitles, but the latter is unavoidable.

It may be too early to say right now, but the story certainly has the potential to get better and creepier as it progresses although its originality can be disputed. After the first episode, I am worried that 1899 is going to be too ambitious in various ways especially the cast, languages, and countless topics being covered. Attempting to mash all of these things into each episode may create a frustrating experience that takes away from the main story of the missing ship and its passengers.

There is obviously a lot to digest so it may end up being too much for viewers not willing to put in a lot of effort to understand the characters. It doesn’t help that the first episode didn’t give a lot of motivation to get really invested in the story or characters, but there is still time for that to change. The opening episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of 1899 can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out site beneficial? Consider supporting our work or contacting us by following this link.

1899 Cast – Who Is In 1899?

Netflix’s 1899 was released on November 17, 2022. The story follows a diverse group of immigrants on a steamship as they travel from London to New York. Their ship will take a detour when their captain begins receiving coordinates that could lead to the Prometheus which is another ship that has been missing for several months. What will they discover when they reach those coordinates?

Emily Beecham as Maura Franklin

Maura Franklin, who is portrayed by Emily Beecham, has already caught the attention of other passengers for traveling alone. She has received a letter from her brother saying he found out what their father did so she boards the ship to meet him in New York. Maura studied medicine and specializes in the brain. The English actress has regularly graced the small screen in hit titles such as Unforgiven, The Runaway, The Fear, The Village, and Into the Badlands.

Andreas Pietschmann as Eyk Larsen

Andreas Pietschmann portrays Eyk Larsen who is the captain of the ship carrying the passengers from London to New York. When his ship begins receiving messages with coordinates, he decides to turn the ship around to investigate believing it could be the missing Prometheus. The actor was born in Germany on March 22, 1969. Besides appearing in Dark, he is also known for being in The Perfect Mother, Kitz, and Wilsberg.

Clara Rosager as Tove

Tova, who is played by Clara Rosager, is a pregnant passenger on the ship and kin to Krester. Her parents seem to be devoutly religious. Clara Rosager was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is likely best known for being in 12 episodes of The Rain and eight episodes of Devils.

Maciej Musial as Olek

Olek is a Polish worker who seems to have a mystery of his own. He carries a postcard with the Statue of Liberty on the front and a New York address on the back. Musial was in two episodes of The Witcher as well as several foreign projects.

Rosalie Craig as Virginia

Virginia is a busybody who makes it her business to know everyone else’s business. Earlier in the first episode, she tells Maura that the other passengers have already spread rumors about her because she is traveling alone. The English actress, Rosalie Craig, portrayed Lucy in Anatomy of a Scandal with 1899 being one of her biggest roles.

Mathilde Ollivier as Clemence

Clemence is in a loveless marriage with Lucien who realizes that she doesn’t love him. The tension in their marriage is quickly displayed in the first episode as Lucien ignores and belittles her. Ollivier was born in Paris, France on September 20, 1994. She appeared in nine episodes of Nona and Her Daughters.

Miguel Bernardeau as Angel and Jose Pimentao as Ramiro

Angel and Ramiro are brothers who seem to be hiding something from the other passengers. Ramiro claims that he is a priest while Angel is the exact opposite since he is boisterous. The brothers panic at the thought of going back to London as if their lives hang in the balance.

• Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen as Krester
• Aneurin Barnard as Daniel
• Alexandre Willaume as Anker
• Isabella Wei as Ling Yi
• Yann Gael as Jerome
• Fflyn Edwards as Elliot
• Maria Erwolter as Iben
• Cloe Heinrich as Nina
• Joshua Seelenbinder as Eugen
• Isaak Dentler as Franz
• Gabby Wong as Yuk Je
• Jonas Bloquet as Lucien