The Ship is the first episode of the first season of the Netflix original multilingual mystery thriller, 1899. It was released on November 17, 2022.
Synopsis[]
Maura helps a pregnant woman. The captain makes a brave decision after receiving a message from a lost ship — and discovers something mind-bending.
Plot[]
Distressed and on the run inside a mental hospital of some sorts, Maura Franklin comes face-to-face with her father, who has her escorted away as she demands to know what he did to her brother, who was on the Prometheus and discovered what their father was up to on the ship, but she can't remember anything beyond that point, her memories having been tampered with. Maura awakens from her sleep by the sound of her father's voice telling her to "wake up." She manically jumps upward before looking down at her wrists, which appear to have severe bruising. She proceeds to pick up a newspaper, headlined with an article detailing the disappearance of the Prometheus, which has been lost at sea for four months. In the letter sent to her by her brother, he revealed that he found out what their father did and asked her to meet him in New York. Rolling down her sleeves to hide her wounds, Maura rehearses her persona, reciting her name and place of birth before joining the other passengers on the Kerberos.
Down in the engine room, Olek climbs up into the coal bunker to fix a stuck lever, during which point he is startled by the clattering of random coal while looking at a picture of the Statue of Liberty.
Like many others, Clémence is curious about the disappearance of the Prometheus, though her husband Lucien couldn't be bothered entertaining her suspicions or curiosities. Instead, he appears more interested in Ling Yi, a young geisha sitting at a nearby table, along with her servant, Yuk Je, who encourages her to at least pretend like she knows what she's doing and to hurry up and eat.
Maura enters the dining room and takes a seat at an empty table, not too far removed from that of Spanish brothers Ángel and Ramiro, the latter wishing to keep a low profile whilst Ángel on the other hand is very boisterous, for many reasons, but mostly due to the fact that no one outside of his brother can even speak Spanish.
Virginia joins Maura at her table, given that she was a woman traveling alone. Having traveled on her own for many years, Virginia is all too familiar with how easily one is judged, informing Maura that there were already rumors circulating. Developing curiosities of her own, Virginia asks if it is true that Maura is a doctor. Her focus is on the human brain, though women in England were only allowed to study, never practice. The brain drives their thoughts and behavior, holding all the secrets of the universe, Maura explains, but Virginia argues that some things are better left in the dark. Case in point, the passenger on the ship, including the Spanish brothers, the Cantonese-speaking travelers, and the French honeymooners, who clearly didn't marry for the right reasons, leading Virginia to conclude that they are all running from something. Suddenly the entire room simultaneously sips from their cups in a near-synchronized manner, all except Maura. Suddenly, a young Danish man named Krester comes barging into the dining room asking for the help of a doctor before being dragged away by Franz.
Deciding to help, Maura follows behind Franz as he escorts Krester back to the lower deck, but not before threatening to throw him overboard should he try another stunt such as that. With Franz returning to the upper deck, Maura offers her assistance to Krester, who brings her to his pregnant sister Tove, who is seven months along and is experiencing great pain. She demands that Maura get the baby out of her, with their younger sister Ada believing that the child has died. However, Maura assures them that the child is still very much alive, but that it has been turned around in the womb. Despite Krester's attempt to help, he is scolded by his mother, Iben, who did not believe they needed outside help and encourages her husband Anker to do something, but he allows Maura to work as so. The baby has seemingly gotten tangled up in the umbilical cord, and in order to save it, Maura has to turn it around despite Iben's objections and screams from the pain.
Back in the engine room, Jérôme emerges from the darkness after having sneaked onto the ship through the coal bunker. Dirty and without shoes, he creeps through the ship before finding a closet filled with sailor's uniform and boots.
Lucien and Clémence have sex in their cabin until he angrily pushes her aside due to her visible lack of interest, accusing her of simply lying on the bed and playing dead. He reminds Clémence that her parents are no longer around and tells her to drop her pretentious act of innocence. Their union was an arrangement, not a marriage, he remarks before exiting the room, leaving Clémence behind. Her look of feigned confusion turns into a more conniving smile.
Ada extends her gratitude to Maura for saving her sister and expresses how she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. However, the language barrier, Maura being English and Ada Danish, makes it difficult for the two to understand each other. Ada asks if Maura has any children, placing her hand over Maura's stomach, which seems to provoke flashbacks of a green bug in Maura, who, despite being a little rattled, explains that she can't have children. As a show of gratitude, Krester offers Maura a metal cross, however, she pushes him aside, overwhelmed with flashes of various images in her head. Maura rushes back to the upper deck for some fresh air, where she clings to her golden necklace. There, she is approached by captain Eyk Larsen, who asks what she was doing in the lower deck, informing her of the rule that prohibited passengers in first class from going down there. They are interrupted by Sebastian and Wilhelm, who inform the captain that for the last 20 minutes, they've been receiving a repeated tickertape message, possibly from the Prometheus.
Upon further inspection, Eyk discovers that they are receiving coordinates, approximately seven hours away. And so, he instructs his crew to change route in search of the missing ship. Meanwhile, down in the engine room, the workers, more specifically Olek, begin to wonder why the ship is turning.
Ramiro advises Ángel to be more careful and avoid drawing attention to themselves. However, the difference between the two of them is that Ángel didn't have the fear that so often consumed his brother. It is then that they notice the ship is turning, breeding that very same fear in Ángel that just moments earlier he claimed not to have, as the brothers fear that they are headed back to Europe.
Ada wakes Tove from her sleep to inform her that the ship has turned and that everyone else is outside looking for the Prometheus, which has been reportedly sending signals to the Kerberos. Ada recalls the story of the ghost ship Tove once told her, how all the passengers had sinned by killing a whale, so the spirits of the sea got so angry they sent a huge storm toward the ship and caused black waves. And when the passengers woke the following morning, they'd all been turned into shadows. Perhaps that's what happened to the Prometheus, Ada theorizes, but Tove insists it was just fairy tales.
While drinking in his cabin and eyeing his family portrait with his wife and daughters, Eyk receives an unexpected visit from Maura, who asks if they found the Prometheus. He tells her that they received a signal that may have come from the ship, but Eyk is doubtful the passengers are still alive, at least not all of them. Her line of questioning leads him to ask if she knew someone aboard the ship, but Maura claims she was simply curious about when they would be returning to their course. In any case, Eyk promises her he will address the current situation in the dining room within the hour. Once Maura exits, Eyk opens his drawer and grabs a letter addressed to him, nearly identical to the letter Maura received from her brother.
Virginia knocks on the door to confront Yuk Je and Ling Yi after seeing the two of them talking at breakfast. She reminds them that they are never to speak and demands that Ling Yi to cheer up.
As promised, Eyk rallies the passengers in the dining room to reveal that they received coordinates from another ship six hours ago. While not certain, they believe that the signal was from the Prometheus, angering many of the passengers who paid well and were assured that they'd be taken directly to New York without detours. Eyk reasons that some of the passengers on the Prometheus may still be alive, however, the passengers of the Kerberos couldn't care less, especially Ángel, who is more vocal than many.
Lucien abruptly exits the meeting in the dining room and flees to the middle deck, where his hand begins to seize. As he attempts to take his medication, Clémence approaches, forcing him to hide his ailment. She questions his rush to arrive in New York, but he pushes her away.
Olek has ducked off from the rest of the crew, taking a break inside a known off-limits compartment of the ship. While eating and looking at a photo of the Statue of Liberty, he is startled by Jérôme, who he assumes is a crewman due to his stolen wardrobe. However, Jérôme isn't concerned with Olek, only his food. Clearly starving, Olek hands it over without conflict. Jérôme then introduces himself.
Eyk joins Maura on the deck of the Kerberos and asks if it's true she studied medicine. She replies that there are just as many rumors about Eyk as there are about her. She then questions what he expects to find on the Prometheus, but he isn't sure. Almost as if on cue, the Prometheus emerges on the horizon.
Maura, Eyk, and the rest of the crew gather on the deck and shoot in a flare in the sky as they approach the seemingly deserted ship. Sebastian wishes to get back on course and inform the company of their position, but Eyk seeks to investigate, leaving the Sebastian in charge of the ship during his absence, while ordering Franz, Wilhelm, and Eugen to join him, as well as Maura, who offers her medical assistance. On their way to the lifeboat, they cross paths with Ramiro, who Eyk insists join them given that he is a priest.
Maura, Eyk, Ramiro, Franz, Wilhelm, and Eugen enter the lowering deck to find Jérôme and Olek. Still dressed as a crewman, Franz instructs Jérôme to return to his post, but Jérôme doesn't respond. The sailors the began to question why the sea is as still as it is, referring to the old saying that the sea knew when the dead were nearby. Wilhelm and Eugen decide to stay behind, with Jérôme and Olek taking their place.
Locked behind gates leading down to the 3rd class, Krester asks Ángel for a cigarette. He obliges, but first, Ángel places the cigarette in his mouth before handing it over to Krester, who reluctantly accepts. Ángel recalls seeing him in the dining hall, taking a particular interest in the scars on his face, which he attempts to touch before Krester nervously pulls away and retreats down into the lower deck.
Maura, Eyk, Ramiro, Jérôme, Olek and Franz cross over to the Prometheus in a lifeboat. Franz seeks to join them on the ghost ship, but Eyk orders him to stay behind on the lifeboat. He reminds Eyk that he's been a part of his crew for 12 years, insisting that Jérôme stay behind instead, but Eyk reiterates his initial command. Meanwhile, back on the Kerberos, the signal sending coordinates suddenly stop.
Maura, Eyk, Ramiro, Jérôme, and Olek make their way through the Prometheus, room-by-room. On the floor of one of the sleeping quarters, Eyk finds a white ribbon with blue flowers. He picks it up in disbelief and pockets the ribbon, as if it holds some form of sentimental value.
Yuk Je informs Ling Yi that nothing has changed and that they stick to the plan. However, Ling Yi doesn't know how much longer she can endure wearing the makeup and costume, to which Yuk Je replies that had Ling Yi simply accepted her fate, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Yuk Je then instructs her to practice her Japanese, playing a Cantonese to Japanese recording. Yuk Je assures her that they will only have to pretend a little while longer. "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."
Back on the Prometheus, the crew have found the bridge, where Eyk discovers that someone has destroyed the telegraph, leading Maura to question how a signal could've been sent. Meanwhile, Daniel, soaked and wet from having swam from the Prometheus, climbs aboard the Kerberos, unseen.
Entering the dining room, Maura notices a green bug on the ground. She follows it to a cabinet, it's handles barred from the outside. Something or someone is inside and is banging to get out. With their weapons drawn, Maura slowly approaches and unlocked the cabinet, discovering a young boy hidden inside. They ask if he is alright and who locked him inside, but he chooses not to speak, instead unwrapping a small, black, tetrahedron pyramid-shaped object in his hand and giving it over to Maura. Meanwhile, Daniel makes his way through the Kerberos, choosing the room next door to Maura to hide out in, using a green bug in his pocket to unlock the door.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Emily Beecham as Maura Franklin
- Aneurin Barnard as Daniel Solace
- Andreas Pietschmann as Eyk Larsen
- Miguel Bernardeau as Ángel
- José Pimentão as Ramiro
- Isabella Wei as Ling Yi
- Gabby Wong as Yuk Je
- Yann Gael as Jérôme
- Mathilde Ollivier as Clémence
- Jonas Bloquet as Lucien
- Rosalie Craig as Virginia Wilson
- Maciej Musial as Olek
- Clara Rosager as Tove
- Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen as Krester
- Maria Erwolter as Iben
- Alexandre Willaume as Anker
- Tino Mewes as Sebastian
- Isaak Dentler as Franz
- Fflyn Edwards as Elliot
- Anton Lesser as Henry Singleton
Co-starring[]
- Vida Sjørslev as Ada
- Alexander Owen as Landon
- Ben Ashenden as Darrel
- Richard Hope as Dr. Reginald Murray
- Joshua Seelenbinder as Eugen
- Niklas Maienschein as Wilhelm
- Philipp Rafferty as Lead Man
Soundtrack[]
| Song | Artist(s) | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| White Rabbit | Jefferson Airplane | The crew on the Prometheus find a boy, and Daniel sneaks on to the Kerberos. |
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Behind the scenes[]
Episode guide[]
| |
|---|
| Season 1 |
|
"The Ship" • "The Boy" • "The Fog" • "The Fight" • "The Calling" • "The Pyramid" • "The Storm" • "The Key" |