#I should stress that I haven't gotten far enough in my reread to remember what happens when Hodgson joins the mutiny

[saints-who-never-existed]

What are your thoughts on the relationship between Terror's lieutenants? Both in canon (book and show) and whatever ideas you yourself might have.

I'm wanna know what you think their reactions to Jopson's promotion or to John's death were. But I'm especially interested in what was going on before the walk out, just how they interacted in your mind onboard the ship.

I got curious because of the music fragment from the book where Little and Hodgson argue, and because of Kajganich's comments about Hodgson probably being Little's closest friend on board.

Thanks and cheers!

So this got real long real fast! Not even sure I fully answered your question, friendo. I just thought too long about The Lads, got emotional, and produced this deeply-passionate word vomit. Enjoy!

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On the one hand, it’s frustrating that we see so little of the relationship between the three of them, either on-screen or in the book. But on the other, it’s fantastic in that it leaves so much room for interpretation!

I think no one will be surprised that I have absolutely made the most of those few scant snippets and references, and interpreted a deep, abiding, loving friendship from them… :')

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I see their relationship in the book as the more straightforward and positive of the two.

The Hodgson and Little Musical Disagreement is an excellent example and I’m glad you mentioned it. Not only does it show a softer side to Little, who in the book is a much simpler, stoic kinda guy, it also gives us the pleasure of guessing at his reasoning. Does he just like to see Hodgson happy and is willing to compromise to make that happen, or does he know that his garrulous friend just won’t shut the fuck up until he gets his way? Who knows? Take your pick! Either way, it shows they’re buddies who care enough about one another’s happiness not to sweat small stuff like that. (My own personal headcanon is that Little secretly quite likes Hodgson's shite music. He’s definitely got a sense of humour in the book, even if quite a sarcastic one, so it's not hard for me to imagine book-Little as the Roy Kent of the Expedition with a lighter side he's at pains to keep hidden.) We also have, for example, Irving doing Hodgson a solid and pulling a double-watch when the latter is ill which again shows a willingness to be there and make sacrifices for one another. And one of my favourite little snippets comes early on, during Tuunbaq's attack on Strong and Private Heather. By the time Crozier even makes it out of his cabin to investigate, the three lieutenants are already there, arms full of weapons and 100% ready to rock so not only are they friends in my mind but they’re a tight and efficient unit on a practical level too, a well-oiled machine.

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There’s definite friendship and a strong working dynamic in the show too, though I do think you have to search even harder for it in many instances. And I definitely see a more complex, bittersweet edge to their relationship in general.

They still care about and make sacrifices for each other – think of wee Irving, for example, taking one for the team and breaking the bad news to Crozier about all the men abandoning him for the flagship. (He says that Little asked him to but I choose to believe he's a good, caring, Christian boy at heart and did it himself to relieve his friend after a tough night). There’s definite trust there too. There's a teeny wee fleeting moment I like where the booze-hunting party returns to Terror with Silna and the late Mr Hornby. Little briefs Hodgson, asks him to deal with the former, and specifically expresses trust in him ("She'll be fine with Lieutenant Hodgson") which is well warranted - Hodgson sees that the job is done right away and with minimal fuss. Another little example that springs to mind from that same episode is a deleted line from the script. After the hatch is smashed, Crozier asks who's on deck and Little answers immediately, painfully aware that Hodgson is up there, painfully aware of all that’s at stake.

I think the biggest factor in the stymieing of their in-show friendship is The Horrors in general, but also Crozier specifically. Not to turn this into one of my patented anti-Crozier rants but I think he affects the men under him in two ways.

Firstly, at his worst, he’s an extra enemy for them to deal with, an extra problem. In many ways I think it brings them closer – Us vs. The World, Us vs. Our Boss’s Bullshit – but it’s almost for the wrong reasons, if that makes sense? If nothing else, it doesn’t leave much room for tenderness or levity or relaxation or any of the other things that make up friendship. Secondly, I think he infects them with his secretive, insular nature. That’s the most heart-breaking thing of all to me – all three of them are suffering so much in their own ways but we see no real indication that they're getting sufficient chance to confide in one another about it. They just keep it all bottled up inside with no outlet for it.

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That's another difference, I think, between book and show, and it's what I'll end this absolute diatribe on in specific relation to Irving's death - that fatal lack of catharsis.

I've just reread the chapter that includes Irving's funeral and genuinely had tear in my eyes at the end. Hodgson is distraught, having witnessed the grisly aftermath of Irving's murder and while we don't directly see a reaction from Little, the chapter ends with he, Hodgson, and a variety of other officers dismissing the men so they can take on the responsibility of burying Irving themselves. They couldn't protect him in life but they find value and seek a practical outlet for their grief by doing what they can to honour their friend in death.

Whereas in the show, they get no such luxury. They don't get a real chance to stop or process anything. They don't really get a chance to do anything productive with their grief. They do try - I think both attacking the Netsilik and arming the men in camp stem from a deep and frustrated need to feel like they're doing something, anything. But it's just not enough - that kind of reciprocal violence isn't a worthy substitute in the first place for the simple act of love that is burying one's friend.

When it comes to the show, I still think the love was there. It didn't change anything. There was nowhere for it to go. There were too many forces against it, bottling it all up. But when it comes to the show and when it comes to those three, the love was absolutely there.