Captain Sir John Franklin was the Captain of the HMS Erebus and the leader of the failed Franklin Expedition. A British Royal Navy Officer and Arctic explorer, Franklin was a devout Christian and servant of the Empire, with his loyalty to both being the driving forces of his life. As an officer Franklin was well liked by many, but his past failures, namely his failed arctic expedition and his dismissal from the governorship of Van Diemen's Land, have led many of his colleagues to lose respect for him, something Sir John seeks to rectify by successfully navigating the Northwest Passage.
The exploits of Franklin and his crew, with his second-in-command Captain Francis Crozier serving as the arguable protagonist, are the subject of the first season of The Terror.
Biography[]
Sir John Franklin's past is slowly revealed through flashbacks and conversations between the crew. Some time before the Franklin Expedition, he had led a prior expedition to the Arctic on foot. The expedition ended in failure, with numerous men dying from starvation or the cold and Sir John himself only surviving by eating his shoes and scraps of wildlife, becoming derisively known as "the man who ate his boots." Despite this failure, however, he was appointed to the governorship of Van Diemen's Land (now called Tasmania). Adding to his misfortunes, he was dismissed from office, allegedly due to a rival "playing politics" against him. Following his dismissal, Franklin lived in disgrace and failed to achieve notable posts until he was offered leadership of the latest expedition to the Arctic. Surprised to be offered this position due to his age (he was 59 years old when he was offered leadership), Sir John viewed the expedition as his last chance at redemption. Thus Franklin sought to succeed by any cost necessary, as the success of the expedition would rebuild his reputation and ensure his name was remembered not for his failures but for a glorious achievement.
Sir John lived with his wife Jane Franklin and niece, Sophia Cracroft, acting as a father to her. This caused him to develop a strained relationship with fellow arctic explorer Captain Francis Crozier, who was courting Cracroft but whose propositions had been turned down repeatedly. At one point Sir John commented at a family dinner on how Crozier, being an Irishman, was unfit to marry into their family. This remark was overheard by Crozier himself, who exchanged a stare with Franklin before leaving his manor.
In the Show[]
His first appearance is in episode one at the bow of H.M.S Erebus, walking port side down the ship being greeted by various crew members. James Fitzjames tells John that daily compass observations are becoming bizarre, but Franklin assures him that it is fine because the magnetic North travels miles every day. Moments later, Second Master Henry Foster Collins says that Captain Francis Crozier aboard H.M.S Terror is signaling for an ice report. Franklin responds by ordering not to send James Reid but that Erebus's officers will have dinner on Terror. Later, he arrives on Terror and is greeted by Edward Little. After Fitzjames tells his story of being shot by a Chinese sniper, Franklin shares Reid's conclusions that the ice the ships are now passing is not part of the summer breakup, dismissing Crozier's concerns and being more interested in the fact they have discovered a new strait, which he names after Sir John Ross.
When David Young is overcome with an unknown illness, Franklin dismisses the possibility of scurvy. Alexander McDonald reports no sign of scurvy and suspects consumption; upon hearing this, Franklin orders Young moved to H.M.S. Erebus to be examined by Doctor Stephen Stanley. When Erebus is stricken by ice in its propeller, Lieutenant Graham Gore informs Franklin of the situation. In a flashback, he and his family accompany Crozier and James Ross to the theatre. He makes his next appearance when Henry Foster Collins prepares to dive, expressing enthusiasm at the prospect of diving in the Arctic, then congratulates him after he resurfaces, heedless of the horror Collins had witnessed.
The officers meet shortly after this. Franklin is aware of the thickening ice ahead but is optimistic about their ability to speed through to finding the Passage. When Crozier argues that the damage to Erebus has made it too dangerous to proceed at their now-slowed pace and proposes that they load everything onto the Terror to go for broke, Franklin hears him out but sticks to the original plan anyway. After Young's burial he gives a rousing speech to the crew of Erebus. He eats with Fitzjames, during which he pulls a piece of lead out of his mouth, before going to sleep, and in the morning he wakes to uncharacteristic silence. He emerges onto the deck and looks out into the frozen wasteland. He gives orders to Henry Le Vesconte to raise the anchor, James Reid to find out where they are in relation to king William Island, and John Gregory to draw the steam engine for winter, then looks out at Terror and Crozier's reproachful glare.
In episode two, he discusses the state of Erebus's engine with Gregory, then talks with Fitzjames about whose sledge party between those of Gore and Le Vesconte will find open water. He gives a speech to the parties before they depart. He later visits Francis Crozier on Terror in an attempt to repair their friendship, but their relations continue to be tested as Crozier's pragmatism clashes with his unerring optimism about the possibility of the pack breaking up. He later discusses that relationship with Fitzjames, blaming himself for Crozier's lack of faith. John Bridgens interrupts them to report that the first lead party is back; George Hodgson tells Franklin that some of their food has rotted. Franklin watches some of the crew playing football on the ice. A flashback follows, in which he talks with Lady Jane Franklin and Sophia Cracroft about Crozier's attempts to propose to Sophia and how she must rebuff him firmly.
After Gore's lead party returns without the Lieutenant, he immediately notices the Lieutenant's absence. He witnesses Harry Goodsir trying to save Lady Silence's father and gives permission for the operation to go ahead. After the shaman dies, Franklin tells Fitzjames to take Lady Silence off the ship and Stanley to restore the sick bay, then orders Francis to stay on Erebus until they know what happened to Graham Gore. He and the captains interview Goodsir about Gore's fate.
His last appearance is in episode three. Lieutenant Des Voeux says that Franklin approved dumping the shaman's body down the firehole. While eating with the officers of Erebus, he fixates on the absence of Lieutenant Gore, then remembers two parallel conversations. Sir John Ross, the veteran captain, has warned him that he must develop a rescue plan, that death is slow and the cold will drive the men against him. His wife Lady Jane, however, has buoyed his spirits by gifting him Jacko the monkey and assuring him that he will best his critics with the accomplishment of discovering the Northwest Passage.
Crozier interrupts Franklin as he writes a eulogy for Gore, asking permission to send out a sledge party to reach Fort Resolution. Franklin denies him and grows angry over what he perceives as alarmism; he thinks the sledge party will lower morale and needlessly risk the lives of eight men, and he has become tired of Crozier's criticism of his actions. Later, he visits the hunting blind with Goodsir to offer them a drink. He takes a photograph with David Bryant, Solomon Tozer, William Heather, and two other crewmen. He instructs the marines to be merciless, then accepts their proposal to remain behind and take a shot should the bear show itself. It does arrive while he waits, but from an unexpected angle; the blind is torn apart as Bryant is suddenly killed. The men open fire and Franklin starts making his way back to Erebus, calling out as he goes. Fitzjames and a number of marines run to his aid. However, the creature attacks him from behind as he crests a hummock. He is dragged towards the firehole that the shaman's body was thrown down and, in pain and confusion, flashes back to the hall where Ross warned him about the Arctic's dangers. He finds his right leg severed before he too is dropped into the ocean, disappearing into the water to his death.
The men of Erebus and Terror recover only the leg for burial. The entire expedition gathers for Franklin's funeral, at which Captain Crozier, having ascended to overall leader, delivers the eulogy that Franklin had written for Gore.
Personality[]
Sir John Franklin, as a devout Christian and loyal British subject, was very well liked by his companions. However, his previous failures had lost him their respect, and this caused him to believe that his last Arctic expedition would be his final chance at glory. This influenced his decisions during the expedition itself, as often Franklin would refuse to delay or halt the expedition even if it was the safer option. This led him to make the fateful decision that stranded both ships in the ice; rather than abandon H.M.S. Erebus to spend the winter in a Canadian harbor and slow the expedition's progress, he took the risk to continue forward and hope to get through the ice before the winter froze it solid. When presented with the option to send men to get help, Franklin also refused, as this would not only risk lives but mean admitting his expedition was a failure. Sir John's refusal to admit the expedition was failing led him to place emphasis on decorum and procedure over important matters of safety, such as when rather than sending men to get help he instead dedicated himself to writing a eulogy for Lieutenant Gore.
Franklin's dedication to his religion also led to him making some foolhardy decisions. His faith that God would see him through often led him to make irrational choices based on the belief that God would help him succeed no matter what. This often led him to comment that God would help him or his crew when faced with difficulty. For example, when Franklin and Commander Fitzjames heard the strain the ice was putting on the ship, Sir John reassured Fitzjames they would succeed and commented that, "Our loving father will see us through, whatever morning brings." Some of this faith was joined with his unshakeable belief in British exceptionalism and its imperial right, as he believed God favored the Empire and had granted it dominion over all places its men went.
Despite his ego, Franklin was very good-natured towards his subordinates and had no malice towards those who disliked or disagreed with him. He blamed himself for failing to convince Crozier of his suitability to lead. He also cared for the lives of his crew and was greatly distressed as their losses mounted, being especially shaken by the death of Lieutenant Gore. As previously mentioned, he cited a refusal to risk men when he denied Crozier's proposal for a rescue party, although this was based on the arrogant idea that the expedition would survive its entrapment without further damage. In addition, his desire for glory was accompanied by a genuine appreciation for exploration, best demonstrated by the fact that he envied Master Collins for being able to dive and see beneath the ocean.
Trivia[]
- Sir John Franklin is the only member of his expedition with a known date of death. It was recorded in the 1848 additions to the Victory Point note that he died on the 11th of June, 1847, only two weeks after the original note reported "all well." His cause of death is currently unknown.
- Currently, the whereabouts of Franklin's body are unknown.
- One of Franklin's medals, the engraved butt of a pistol, four spoons, and five forks are the only remains that have currently been found of him.