With Sam Neill at the helm in The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook, the Endeavour takes a refreshingly different tack
Viewers following the advance of the HMS Endeavour towards these shores via Foxtel’s new series The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook, have over the past fortnight enjoyed an unexpectedly fresh take on the young Yorkshire lieutenant’s first voyage of discovery. Did we really need a six-part, in-depth exploration of Captain Cook? Of course not. But fortunately, The Pacific isn’t much interested in setting the usual hoary course. Instead, with the rakish Sam Neill at the helm, the series provides an alternative rendering to the usual glorification of empire, and the result is surprisingly enjoyable.
The first two episodes, on Cook and his reeking ships’ company in Tahiti and New Zealand, often centre on the experiences of the pre-existing indigenous nations during their various interactions with the British expedition. Neill traces Cook’s journey himself, crossing the Pacific Ocean to the places Cook visited and to speak to people along the way. The unfamiliar approach enables different, far more engaging stories to be told.
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