#which in turn affects edward's ability to confidently make rational and responsible decisions for the good of the men | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

boogiewoogieweeb · 5 months ago

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#YES EDWARD #see this to me feels like a glimpse of who he used to be #of the edward little that was deemed fitting for a prestigious naval expedition as first lieutenant #this is edward little when he's not being relentless ground down by an alcoholic captain and distrust and lack of respect #and the tightrope of covering for said alcoholic captain while not appearing to be insubordinate #when he's *actually* in a position of command #look i know they don't listen to him #but it's at a point when survival overcomes any thoughts of naval hierarchy or loyalty or anything except pure will to survive at any cost #it just makes me sad #as edward little always does #to think who he used to be #and who he became after being slowly but relentlessly eroded - @muchtodoonterror

THE TERROR ▸ 1.10 we are gone

#the terror #edward little #oh; those tags hit on every single point i've ever argued about edward #he is a man for whom duty and loyalty stand above all else #he earned his position as first lieutenant. we see it in the very first episode of the show; albeit subtly:#we see that crozier trusts edward with the day-to-day running of his ship long before things go pear-shaped;#(terror; whom we know is mother; lover & confessor all to francis. her care is not a task he would ever leave to a lesser man)#we see that edward is capable and dependable and has both his sense of authority as well as the men under his command well in hand #even later; out of all the men privy to crozier's decision to ween himself off alcohol; it is edward whom he chooses to lead #it's edward he trusts with the weight of the captain's pistol in his hand - the physical manifestation of the burden of leadership #edward is a competent lieutenant. this is a hill i will fight and die on until my dying breath #but competence means absolutely nothing in the face of odds so overwhelming as to break even the hardiest of men #crozier's own distrust in sir john leads to a breakdown of communication and lack of trust between him and edward #which in turn affects edward's ability to confidently make rational and responsible decisions for the good of the men #he is trying his level best; against a commanding officer who; in his illness; thwarts edward's every attempt at authority;#against the machinations of a man so far removed from the hierarchy of the naval structure that he's able to stand outside of it #and manipulate those within; against an unforgiving land and the dangers it poses; both natural and supernatural;#against the hubris of an empire which sends its sons off to die pointless deaths in service of its own grandeur and greed;#and all the while edward's main concern is the lives of the men under his command and the crushing weight of that responsibility;#aware at every turn of his own growing ineptitude - not because he has ever been unequal to the task;#but because there are so many factors playing against him that he cannot possibly guard against them all #and by the time he finally manages to regain some semblance of authority; some sense of agency that he had been steadily stripped of #in the face of everything happening around him; the rug is pulled from beneath his feet one last and bitterly humiliating time #is it any wonder then he chose to follow dundy? when it was made so transparently clear to him that no matter how hard he fights #to change the outcome of the situation; no matter how much he trusts to hope; that he will never succeed in saving them all?#what is left for the man for whom duty and loyalty mean everything when; in his own mind; he has failed to uphold both those values?#what is left; but to carry on; and live with the knowledge that you have been found so devastatingly wanting?

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