|_/-\ST P|_/-\CE 0N E/-\RT|-| EPISODE7 REJOICE 4

Episode 7: "Rejoice"
In early March, Scott and his three remaining companions' progress on the Great Ice Barrier is slowed by lowering
temperatures, stormy weather, continually deficient depot rations, scurvy, and Oates' deteriorating leg. Oates, at the end
of his strength, sacrifices himself on March 17 by crawling out of the Scott party tent and into a lethal blizzard, hoping
that his death will enable the others to complete their return journey. Scott, Wilson, and Bowers struggle onward. At
McMurdo base, Teddy Evans and his two men have returned, delirious with scurvy. Meares is not available for a depot-
replenishing dog run, and a young and inexperienced Apsley Cherry-Garrard is sent in this capacity. He arrives at One Ton
Depot with ample supplies and waits for Scott. With no sign of Scott, he debates whether to go further south with the
supplies or to depot them at One Ton and return to base. He chooses the latter. Scott, Wilson, and Bowers are a mere 11
miles from One Ton Depot when they are trapped in their tent by a blizzard lasting more than a week. Their food and fuel
exhausted, they die. In Europe, Amundsen is snubbed and mocked by English nobles and chastised by Nansen for "breaking his
word" and going to the South Pole instead of the North. Atkinson leads a search party in November, 1912 and finds the tent
with the bodies of Scott, Wilson, and Bowers. He deliberately misdiagnoses the scurvy of his dead colleagues and
attributes the deaths to wanton exposure. Word of Scott's death reaches England, and his diaries are published with his
wife's consent, but edited to remove any hint of failure of decision or behavior on the part of anyone involved in the
expedition.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• DRAMA

[VanDee2008]

@zsqpwxxeh Yes it was a "perfect storm" of bad luck with the weather - delayed start time due to the ponies, five days lost at Camp 30 due to blizzard, unprecedented falls in temperature.

But i think what also killed them was the era's credo of "mind over matter". No contingency plans; It never occurred to them that they might lose their strength when they needed it most. We can't judge these men harshly for this. To do so would be churlish; we've the benefit of hindsight. But it is sad.

[VanDee2008]

@zsqpwxxeh I did say I didn't believe in the "died of scurvy" theory myself; my point is that THE DRAMA is presenting that as the reason for the conspiratorial "cover-up" - literally and metaphorically - of the final tent.

Personally, I don't think there was a "cover-up" at all. I think the search party buried them there because they didn't want to spend days dragging three frozen bodies 170 miles back to camp.

And that's fair enough.

[TheSamohon]

Roald Amundsen was trained in Arctic condition by Nansen.

R.F. Scott was trained by the Royal Navy on Torpedo deployment.

Forgone conclusion really. Should have teamed up with Amundsen's party...

[monkeyboy4746]

I enjoy this debating of history, history should be debated. I need to read Amundsen's book (how were they able to take 150lbs weight off the sled?) It will not be long before the 100th anniversary of the Pole.

[zsqpwxxeh]

I believe Scott was being honest in ascribing the cause of their deaths primarily to bad luck, or more specifically bad weather luck. He was in command and was responsible for the success or failure of the expedition. Undoubtedly he made some bad decisions but the primary reason for this disaster was the blizzard.

[zsqpwxxeh]

@VanDee2008 They didn't die of scurvy; they froze to death (hypothermia). Scurvy weakened them physically, but it was the lack of fuel and food that was fatal. They just did not have strength for a final slog to the supply dump. Of course there is the question whether they could have recovered there to make it to the base camp, crippled as they were by frostbite.

[VanDee2008]

@monkeyboy4746 Wow that's grim! As you say, thematic elements could support a grisly reading, but they could be explained less shockingly (Bowers' gums bleeding from scurvy; that "murder novel" turned out to be "suicide".) This isn't the Franklin Expedition, with madness due to lead poisoning.

If any "cover-up" is shown here, it's hiding the news of the Polar party dying of scurvy (or perhaps helping themselves to the opium/morphia). Don't believe either myself, but they are poss theories.

[neil73]

@monkeyboy4746 That is a chilling possibility (if you excuse the pun). I can imagine a certain delerium setting in on the team (Evans suffered from it before dying) and Oates' diary stopped sometime in early February.

I doubt any enquiry will be opened about this, besides, Scott and the other 2 in that tent will be approximately 60 or 70 feet down in the ice by now; heading towards the sea

[monkeyboy4746]

@neil73 If it was cannibalism or murder/suicide then what they did starts to make sense. They could have hauled the bodies back easily since they were using the Indian army mules (mentioned in the film, but not shown). The filmmakers hint about it all through this series, "Dog eat dog, Mister", Wlison's body looks like it has been shot in the head, Bowers has blood in his mouth, Amundsen's men debate a murder novel. Someone will go looking for that tent under the ice, just like Franklin Exp.

[neil73]

@monkeyboy4746 Can you be a bit more specific? You mean like cannibalism or something?

I don't think Scott would have made in back even if they got to 1 ton depot; they were too far gone with frostbite and scurvy by then. If only he'd used dogs...