The Fight – As the fourth episode of 1899 begins, Jerome (Yann Gael) is taking part in a war. He helps Lucien drag a dead soldier into their trench before he says he doesn’t think they should do this. Jerome is worried that they’ll find them since he knows what they do to soldiers who desert the Legion. Lucien doubts they even know they’re still alive. Jerome notices that the dead soldier is wearing a medal like the one he placed in Clemence’s cabin. He is told that this will work. It is a 7-day walk to the nearest military post and he can be the wounded lieutenant while Jerome will be the hero who saved him. He thinks they’ll send them home after that. Jerome argues that they shouldn’t do this because the supply troops will be there any day now. Lucien pretends that Jerome is right only to hit him with his handgun just before Jerome wakes up. Olek (Maciej Musial) checks on him and Ramiro tries to calm him.

Franz (Isaak Dentler) enters and asks Jerome and Olek to come with him. They’re taken to the deck and told to throw more bodies over because they can’t imagine what those people die of. Franz forces them to do it at gunpoint. Maura (Emily Beecham) hears the men outside so she tells the boy that they just want to turn the ship around and won’t hurt them. She asks him to stay there before leaving. Franz returns to the control room to ask if they’ve found Prometheus, but they haven’t yet. It is suggested that they’re the ones who disappeared since the compasses are working again. Wilhelm says their bow was facing east at their last location, but it is facing west now. He suspects that means they’re not where they’re supposed to be. Franz wants the engine turned back on because their destination is west regardless. Einar and the others try to get answers about the deaths from Sebastian (Tino Mewes) before insisting the ship will go to America.

He tells them about the message they received from the ship company after returning from the Prometheus. He believes they wanted to sink the ship to ensure nobody got off of it alive. Sebastian tells them how people have started dying since the boy has been on their ship. Tove (Clara Rosager) is hesitant to tell them what he said so Krester does it instead. Iben (Maria Erwolter) says the devil wears a dress before asking Tove if she believes her now. She takes Tove’s rifle and tells her that the devil is not going to get his way. She leads the men out. While Maura sneaks around the ship, Eyk (Andreas Pietschmann) attempts to free himself. Ramiro (Jose Pimentao) helps him. They hear a gunshot nearby. Jerome and Olek discuss whether something could be wrong with the dead. Jerome wonders if this is what happened to the passengers of the Prometheus. They throw a body over as Jerome seems eager to try something, but Olek encourages him to keep his head down.

When Jerome tries to get another body, he sees the dead soldier and immediately panics. Clemence (Mathilde Ollivier) tries to find out where Lucien was last night and what the vial contained. Lucien (Jonas Bloquet) doesn’t think she cares although Clemence reminds him that she is his wife. She can’t understand why he keeps finding ways to hurt her. Lucien says it smacks you in the face the moment you think you’ve got it all. He tells her that he has been taking potassium bromide which is supposed to help with seizures. She knew nothing about the seizures. Lucien explains that he wriggles on the floor like a lunatic when he doesn’t take it. When he takes it, he can’t get an erection. He doesn’t have much time left so it could be days or weeks. Lucien frankly doesn’t believe she cares whether he is alive or dead. When he finds the medal, he seems concerned and begins asking her how it got there. Lucien pushes her against the wall before quickly apologizing.

Maura is taken to Franz as she tells him that she needs to speak to the captain, but Frank reminds her he isn’t the captain anymore. They argue about it while Maura tells him he is just a little boy toying with power. Ramiro and Eyk attempt to escape. Anker says he tried to hear God’s voice, but he doesn’t talk to him like he talks to Tove’s mother. He questions whether it could be true and if Tove was given a gift. He told her that the devil will try to take everything away from them. Anker tells Tove that they cannot let that happen. Iben and her group prepare to break into Maura’s room so they can confront the boy only to stop when Maura is brought back. Sebastian tells them to calm down because they all want the same thing which is the boy. Maura tries to convince them that he isn’t responsible for the deaths before Iben forces Krester to search her. He finds the key and opens the door, but the boy and the pyramid have gone missing.

Iben orders them to begin searching every cabin for the boy. She also wants the doors locked so nobody can come in or out. Once Maura is locked inside her cabin, she hears knocking on the floor. She finds a hidden door and the boy is hiding below. The workers question what is going on up there while one is wearing garlic for protection. Daniel walks down there and overhears them arguing about vampires and wolves. He messes with the equipment and manages to get it to turn on. Jerome begins climbing over the railing. Olek yells for the guards to tell him that he is gone while pointing in the opposite direction. They shoot but miss once they see him. As Jerome runs through the ship, he imagines he is back in the trench. He makes it to Clemence’s room where he tells her that he shouldn’t have come here. Jerome has seen this before when people take people who don’t deserve it. It never ends well so he is going to free the captain. She agrees to help him. Franz begins asking where Jerome went.

He accuses Olek of helping him before Sebastian bursts in to warn them that they’re sitting on a powder keg that’s about to explode. He suggests giving the people what they want until they reach land in five days. When asked what that is, Franz is told it is an explanation of why people are dying and the boy. The lower-class passengers continue hunting for the boy. Angel asks who they’re looking for when they reach his cabin. When they try to take his watch, he pleads with Krester to tell them to put it back. Iben questions how Angel knows his name. Iben takes the pocket watch and drops it in front of Angel before leaving with the others. She tells Krester that she wishes he would’ve taken him instead of Ada. When Angel tries to stop Krester, he pushes his hand away and spits in his face. Maura tells the boy that the shafts were also on the Prometheus. He won’t tell her anything, but he uses a beetle to unlock the door for her. He begins leading her through the ship.

Once Franz’s men make it to the makeshift cell, they find it empty with the captain gone. Clemence and Jerome run into Eyk and Ramiro. After they remove Eyk’s handcuffs, he tells them that they’re trying to get to one of the lifeboats. He thinks he might be able to get to the Prometheus, fix the telegraph machine, and call for help. They agree to help him. Lucien returns to his cabin and checks his handgun. The boy continues guiding Maura using the beetle. Krester watches them walk through a door nearby. Maura catches up with the captain as they prepare to put the lifeboat in the water. Eyk demands to know what happened on the Prometheus. Franz arrives with his men and tells them to get out of the way. Krester tells them that they want the boy and nothing else. The boy agrees to go with them. Jerome goes for the hammer and gets shot. He wakes up locked in a cell in the trench with Lucien standing outside. Lucien tells him that he is going to return to France as a different man.

He’ll tell them where to find Jerome and claim he is a deserter. Lucien gives him the medal because he can trade it in prison. Jerome grabs him only to be punched in the face. He wakes up and checks the gunshot wound on his arm. Jerome grabs the hammer. Tove watches as the boy walks by with Franz and the others. She hopes Krester hasn’t gone mad and won’t sacrifice that boy for his mother’s love. Krester tells her that she must stop blaming them for what happened to her. More people are dying and she is only interested in her own misery. Jerome attacks two men and frees the prisoners. He tells Clemence and the others that they have no idea what he went through to get on this ship. He argues it is up to them to stop them because they’re out of control. Iben tells everyone how the devil is taking everything from them and how he comes in many disguises. Maura arrives and pleads with them not to do this because the boy is not the reason people are dying.

Everyone begins fighting. Maura watches as Iben tries to take the boy away. She throws the boy over the rail and into the water below. Daniel runs over to Maura to tell her they have to get out of there. Lucien finds Jerome hugging Clemence so he pulls a gun on him and tells him to let her go. While Eyk yells for his men to fall back, Lucien drags Clemence back to their cabin. Olek bandages Jerome’s arm and tells him that he was lucky. Maura tries to wrap her head around the fact that they killed the boy and he didn’t even fight it. Eyk pulls Maura to the side to ask her to tell him the truth now. When he confronts her with the passenger list that has her name on it, Maura says this is impossible. The cabinet nearby begins glowing before the door opens and the boy climbs out of it.

 

1899 Review

The Fight was a better episode of 1899 simply because things were happening and there was a brief fight between the two groups. However, it is starting to feel like the series added things as it went from episode to episode. At one point in an earlier episode, Krester and his people were locked in yet Tove was able to roam freely. In this episode, Clemence and Jerome seemed to be best buddies when they barely knew one another previously.

Many of these things are predictable since 1899 is following the same formula as so many other television shows. The performances remain a highlight of the series because everyone has done an excellent job with their respective roles. Although some scenes might be a bit too dark, 1899 looks great most of the time and the camerawork has been reliably good. If the series had been cut to six or even four episodes, it probably would’ve been more effective overall.

Unfortunately, 1899’s story has become a handful of generic personal dramas with a tinge of science fiction thrown in near the end of each episode, but the finale may still distinguish the series from others. The real question is whether viewers will brave through the tedious scenes to reach the finale or just jump straight to the end. The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of 1899 can be found on Reel Mockery here. Consider supporting our work by following this link.