|_/-\ST P|_/-\CE 0N E/-\RT|-| EPISODE 5THE GLORIES OF THE RACE 1

Episode 5: "The Glories of the Race"
Scott's expedition, consisting of his own four-man group, three support parties, and two dog teams driven by Cecil Meares
and a Russian, becomes stalled in a days-long blizzard midway through the Great Ice Barrier. Irritable and abrasive, Scott
argues with Oates over the timing of pony-slaughter. Oates insists that the ponies be used, ill though they may be, to
the foot of the Beardmore Glacier and then be killed, but Scott wishes to kill them earlier to prevent suffering. Oates
does not see how pony suffering can be prevented either way and persists in asserting that the ponies be utilized as
planned, all of the way to the foot of the Beardmore. Scott grudgingly bows to Oates' opinion. Amundsen, meanwhile, has
had favorable weather and efficient pulling by his teams of dogs, and he and his four companions cross the Barrier in just
a few weeks and ascend a glacier, with their dogs pulling the heavy sledges. Near the top of the glacier, with the plateau
very close, Amundsen orders the butchering of some of the dogs for a supply of fresh meat, for dogs and men. He and his
men eat the dog meat to prevent scurvy. Amundsen's group then journeys on the plateau and finds an eerie area of
pressure-formed fissures. Dog teams are sent back to base by Scott once his expedition has reached the Beardmore.
Resentful of the effective performance of the dogs as compared to the faltering ponies, Scott has antagonized Meares with
endless and groundless insinuations of incompetence, knowing that he will be dependent upon Meares for another dog run on
the Barrier to replenish the depots. Meares opts to quit the expedition upon return to McMurdo and not to lead the depot-
replenishing dog run.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• DRAMA

[eastlight]

The music is completely out of context at 08.28

[spacecowboy006]

eating the dog meat would have also worked to prevent scurvey, which scott's team all had before they died

[eastlight]

@telfud2 At last, someone agrees with me for once!

[telfud2]

@eastlight Exactly!

So out of context.

Serious lack of continuity in an otherwise good docu-drama.

[flirtwithapokerface]

I think the actor who played Amundsen did an excellent job playing the pragmatic explorer.

[cochranexyz]

@eastlight LOL. Totally! It's a "love theme" kind of thing.

[pinz2022]

To do justice for all involved: What's left out of this are Amundsend's ruthless calculations that he would have to shoot such-and-so-many dogs out of his teams once he had gained the top of the (10,000ft+-) Antarctic Plateau and cache their bodies for the trip back. He and his men admitted to eating the dog meat to relieve the monotony of their canned pemmican rations.