Around the World in 80 Days Review: Season 1 Episode 8

Around the World in 80 Days Season 1 Episode 8 is the last episode of the miniseries and in most adaptations would be a firm end to our characters’ story. But by the final scenes, we see this is only the beginning—and we’re going to be eager for more.

First, we have a circumnavigation to complete with a hefty bet on the line. Those terms should assure you that the show will do everything in its power to put the outcome in doubt, even knowing that those who have read Verne’s novel already have the answers.

Fogg and we finally realize that “Coward” postcard is from Estella, now living in New York and seemingly awaiting a meeting with him. So he puts the entire trip on the line to wait for her, while Passepartout and Fix anxiously wait for him in turn, their ship about to leave port.

In most circumstances, their eventual reunition would be fully appreciated for its bittersweet poignancy. Estella is all Phileas has hyped her up to be. She’s found and lost love again and is both righteous and forgiving towards her old beau. She’s found peace in that, and Fogg eventually does, too.

The looming deadline (highlighted by audible clock ticking in the background), though, dampens that a little. The emotion is paired with constant anxiety that he won’t make it in time and will abandon both his friends and his own goals at the very end.

He does make it, though only after a scuffle in the streets trigged by yet another effort on Bellamy’s part to stop him. Considering this ends with him watching a man die, it, too, feels like it should get more weight that it does. Here’s, it’s little more than a devise to spike our nerves.  

In these times, the only way to cross an ocean is by ship, and with all that’s happened and is going to come, these scenes are a very welcome pause. There’s even time for romance, as Passepartout spites some of the most overt racism we’ve seen yet by asking Abigail to dance.

It’s a heavy scene for being one that seals the deal for this couple; a sobering reminder that, with these adventures continuing, it’s going to be impossible to ignore the realities of being an interracial couple in these times. The bigots are both despicable and ever-present.

The ship is truly magnificent, and while is would be nice to spend more time on it, we’re now decidedly reaching the last minute. When yet another obstacle arises in an outdated arrest that keeps Fogg in custody just hours past their goal, you may well want to scream in frustration.

From here, the series takes almost exactly from its source material. Accepting defeat, the trip heads home, only to be told that they’ve lost one day along the way (science, time zones, etc.—we really do not have the time) and have an entire fifteen minutes to spare.

Let’s be frank. There is no realistic way an 80-day long journey would come down to a dash through the streets and an arrival exactly one second before the deadline. But what fun would realism be? The crowds even count down from ten for us.

Cue an epic celebration with only one holdout. The closing more than fulfils the goal of making Bellamy our main antagonist. He tries to back out on the bet and Fogg responds by giving him the money anyway(!) and kicking him from the club. Good thing this story will earn the globetrotter a lot of money.  

 We are left with three friends who couldn’t care less about the rush to honor them. Fogg, Fix, and Passepartout, are already more interested in another adventure. With the show renewed for season two, they will live beyond the story Verne created for them.

I can’t close out this series without acknowledging the cinematography. From the artistic paper cutouts in the credits to panoramic scenery (see a shot in this hour of the Brooklyn Bridge being built) to the final moments of our heroes running through the streets of London, it’s all a feast.

We can’t say what will come as this series takes some of literature’s best-loved characters totally into its own hands. There’s still plenty of the world to explore, and if time limits are no consideration, these three can see as much of it as they want. Where would you like them to go?

 

What did you think of this episode of Around the World in 80 Days? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Around the World in 80 Days airs Sundays at 8/7c on PBS

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