Crusoe the Television Show

Episode 1: Rum and Gunpowder
Original Air Date: 10/17/2008
Length: 2 hours

The legendary castaway's story begins: A world and a wife left behind, a deserted island, and a native who will help him face a dangerous future. (TV-PG V)

Recap for episode 1

My summary: (Warning - Spoilers) In short, pirates land on the island looking for a golden cannon. They capture Robinson and force him to help. Spanish sailors also land on the island, looking for the pirates. There is much travel and running around the island before almost all of the visitors are killed. The only 2 survivors (other than Robinson and Friday) is Judy - the woman pirate, and Captain Santana - the captain of the Spaniards.

This episode is a nice introduction to the show and its characters. It introduces Robinson Crusoe and briefly explains that he has been marooned on an island. It also introduces his friend Friday, and explains how they met. There are a couple of flashbacks showing Crusoe when he was young, the death of his mother, and how he met his wife.

There is a lot of bridges, ziplines and other creations on the island. Not only does that give you an idea that Crusoe has been there a while, it also makes you wonder why he hasn't built a boat.:)

Episode 2: Sacrifice
Original Air Date: 10/24/2008
Length: 1 hour

Crusoe loses his wedding ring while trying to fix the source where Friday and he get his water. Friday blames the missing ring on a woman who he had a dream about the night before. Friday is convinced that they need to lay the womans spirit to rest.

Recap for Episode 2

My summary: (Warning - Spoilers) - Mostly a fun filler episode. It did introduce the fact that there used to be a tribe of people who lived on the island taht practiced human sacrifice and had an advanced understanding of creating bridges and devices. It was a little strange that Crusoe and Friday never can across any of their devices beofre, but I won't think to deeply about that.

Flashbacks were a bit more interesting. They delved more into Blackthorne and Crusoe's father in law. It seems that Crusoe owes Blackthorne for at least 2 loans. And, I found the checking of the marriage legality to be a bit more suspect than fatherly. Crusoe's father in law was what I expected. He was worried about his daughter's future, and having her marry into a family under a cloud was not helping that worry.

Episode 3: The Mutineers
Original Air Date: 10/31/2008
Length: 1 hour

Can Crusoe outwit an angry band of mutineers and use their ship to return to England? (TV-PG V)

Recap for episode 3

My summary: (Warning - Spoilers) - This story was a bit more substance. It seems that the writers have decided that only having 2 people on the island won't be as interesting. So, they have a bunch of people on a broken (but fixable ship). This show introduced Oliver/Olivia, the woman who was dressed as a man on Captain Taylor's ship. I don't know why anyone was fooled, It was obvious at first glance that she was a woman.

Flashbacks this episode were more filler. They introduced a judge that was against people in Crusoe's position. It also showed Blackthorne at the christening of one of Crusoe's children. (And another glimpse of Crusoe's dad, with no lines whatsoever.) There was also a flashback showing how Crusoe was scared at night on the island by himself.

Because the people on the ship are now stranded, those who didn't die in the first Mutineer episode will be showing up for the next episode. We'll see how they add to the formula next week.

Episode 4: High Water
Original Air Date: 11/7/2008
Length: 1 hour

High in the trees above them, Crusoe and Friday find an old boat--and perhaps their salvation.

Recap for episode 4

My summary:This episode had a nice mix of flashbacks and current day plots. The flashbacks showed how Crusoe got into debt, and how he tends to make bad decisions. (He is too trusting.) It also showed how Frday has been teaching Crusoe things like how to shoot a bow and arrow. The current day plot reinforced the friendship of Crusoe and Friday. It showed how they each valued each other far more than posessions or the chance of going home.

Episode 5: Long Pig
Original Air Date:11/14/2008
Length:1 hour

Crusoe and Friday must form a strained alliance with Santana to rescue Friday's father from being sacrificed and eaten by the terrifying cannibals who have returned to the island.

Recap for Episode 5

My summary: If it wasn't for the flashbacks, this episode would have fit fine around episode 3. There was no sign (or talk of) the mutineers. Dundee was around again... And, Captain Santana was back. The official summary pretty much explains the plot from the present. It was very straight forward. The flashback showed how much Crusoe was cheated in the last episode. He is now completely cleaned out. And, I don't see anything good coming from Crusoe leaving the city...his family is already suspected. I guess we will see next week.

Episode 6: Bad Blood
Original Air Date: 11/21/2008
Length: 1 hour

Friday develops an illness that causes him to act out violently, so Crusoe and Olivia search the island for a rare plant to cure him.

Episode 6 recap

My summary: This is a combination of a Crusoe/Olivia episode combined with a strong flashback sequence. In the flashback, the viewers are getting very strong hints that Blackthorn wants legal control of Crusoe (or his heirs). Blackthorn gets Crusoe passage on a ship, but later gives sneaky looks to another passenger. And, Sean Bean is back! Very good scenes between Crusoe and his father. The story in the present is pretty straight forward. Crusoe and Olivia run around, avoiding getting shot by Friday. Olivia seems to have fallen for Crusoe, but was turned down because he is still faithful to his wife. I did think that Crusoe's breakdown scene was very well done.

Episode 7: Heroes and Villians
Original Air Date: 12/6/2008
Length: 1 hours

As Taylor's commandeered ship readies to sail, Crusoe must work quickly to get it back in the captain's command and secure his passage home.

Recap for episode 7

My summary: In the current timeline, the mutineers finish fixing the ship a bit ahead of schedule. So, Crusoe and Friday spend the episode killing the majority of the mutineers. But, as you would guess, Captain Taylor decides to capture Friday so he could sell him to cover Taylor's depts. Crusoe has to decide to let them sell Friday and come home, or to finally get a passage home. You can guess what he chose. He did manage to get a letter to Olivia for her to deliver to Susannah. In the past we have discovered that Crusoe has surrounded himself with cheats. Blackthorn hired an assasin to try to kill Crusoe on the ship. (He failed.) His brother in law was working with Blackthorn to get Susannah to live with Blackthorn. And, Blackthorn probably killed Crusoe's mother. So...a bunch of info in this episode. Favorite scenes -- fire ants in Crusoe's pants, and when Crusoe saves Friday from being branded.

Episode 8: Name of the Game
Original Air Date: 12/20/2008
Length: 1 hours

Friday is reminded of his childhood trials when he designs a defensive contraption to protect the tree house.

Recap for episode 8

My summary:

Episode 9: Smoke and Mirrors
Original Air Date: 1/10/2009
Length: 1 hours

Crusoe and Friday find a survivor on the island -- one with a sadistic madness.

Recap for episode 9

My summary:

Episode 10: Hunting Party
Original Air Date: 1/17/2009
Length: 1 hour

Crusoe and Friday are being hunted. Meanwhile, back at home, Santana has reached Crusoe's wife.

Episode 10 recap

Episode 11: The Traveler
Original Air Date: 1/24/2009
Length: 1 hours

Blackthorne washes up on Crusoe's island

Recap of episode 11

Episode 12: The Traveler part 2
Original Air Date: 1/31/2009
Length: 1 hours

Robinson Crusoe: (Played by Philip Winchester)

• seen in ep1, ep2, ep3, ep4, ep5, Ep6, ep7
• Shipwrecked on the island years ago, only human survivor. (Dundee the dog may been on ship too.)
• He has covered the island with traps.
• Built a complicated tree house to live in.
• Married to Susana
• Has children
• trained with the sword
• only love in his life is Susana
• Crusoe didn't spend Susana's dowry, so Susana will have money just in case her father is right about what expect to happen to him.
• Has locks of his family's hair (was given to him just before he left on the ship).
• acceptable fighting with a staff
• had a locksmith next to his warehouse when he was at home. Locksmith taught him how to make a skeleton key.
• Can't build boats
• his daughter Sophie is blond, and loves stories
• was tricked into investing Susana's dowry money into his brother in laws privateering (legal pirating) ships.
• hasn't seen his family for 6 years
• was attacked in the street because of his parentage
• lost the privateering money (wiped out) when ship was captured by the Spanish
• asked for help from Blackthorn to get to the west country to get more stock. Sadly, that is where Monmouth was setting up his rebellion, so Crusoe was suspected
• life was saved by the lace maker, who let him escape out the back. The lace maker was killed for helping him
• got a copy of his fathers preachers bible with the family tree written in.
• agreed that Blackthorn could have legal control of his family if anything bad happens to him

Friday: (Played by Tongai Arnold Chirisa)

• Seen in ep1, ep2, ep3, ep4, ep5, ep6,ep7
• Marksman with a bow.
• Robinson Crusoe can not pronounce his name, so Crusoe calls him Friday, because that was the day he met him.
• can be make himself understood in 12 languages (Spanish, English ...)
• learned English in 6 months
• Can recite Paradise Lost
• Can't read
• knows how to build a raft
• was brought to this island tied up. It looked like he would have been killed if Crusoe didn't save him.
• "Trust me, trust your dog, trust no one else."
• Pledged his life to Crusoe because Crusoe saved his life.
• Used to be a cannibal
• has a strong belief in spirits
• Crusoe called him a "cannibal king". Friday said that someday he will tell Crusoe what that means.
• good fighting with staff
• good at camouflage techniques
• willing to use skeletons to scare people
• worried what people would think of him in England because of his color.
• dislocated his shoulder when falling into a large pit
• taught Crusoe to use a bow and arrow
• His tribe eats the bones of their relatives, not flesh. Gets the strength of the ancestors.
• very good at spear fishing

Judy: Played by Georgina Rylance

• seen in ep1
• Came on the island originally with English pirates.(Gentlemen of fortune)
• Good with a sword
• Her father made a map to the gold cannon by carving on a man's back (soot and a rusty nail).
• Known to be ruthless.
• Might be able to read (knew what the map said).
• Father was a thief and a pirate.
• father went crazy in prizon, even forgot his own name before he died.
• barely knew her father.
• People say she was born in the Spanish prison, she says she might as well have been.
• attracted to Crusoe
• father's crew stole gold from the Spanish
• Spanish soldiers sent in a woman to tempt her father to tell where the gold was hidden. Judy was the result.
• left island with Captain Santana

Captain Santos Santana:

• Seen in ep1, ep5
• Speaks English and Spanish
• 23 years in the service of Spain
• Part of the Spanish Coast Guard
• was willing to merge interests with the pirates to get the golden cannon
• left island with Judy.
• was captured by cannibals
• made friends with Friday's father - Baillom
• was hurt by the cannibals, might be dead
• promised to come back for Crusoe and Friday once they get to Santana's ship

Dundee:

• seen in ep1, ep2, ep5, ep6, ep7
• Black and white dog of Robinson Crusoe.
• Dundee was either on Crusoe's ship, or already at the island during the shipwreck. (He can be heard barking after the wreck.)

Jacob Moore: seen in Ep3

• head of the mutineers
• Nolan's brother
• killed by Friday

Nolan Moore: seen in Ep3

• brother to Jacob
• discovered Olivia was a woman. Expected "favors"
• killed by Olivia in a way that looked like an allergic reaction.

Captain Taylor: seen in Ep3, Ep7

• was the original Captain of the ship the mutineers took over
• His wife and daughter are on the ship with them.
• decided to try to sell Friday, and went back on his deal with Crusoe.
• has major debts
• left island with his ship and Olivia

Oliver/Olivia: seen in Ep3, Ep4, Ep6,Ep7

• Is pretending to be a Brazilian boy, helps out the ship's doctor
• was more than willing to kill Crusoe when he discovered she was a woman
• Killed Nolan Moore after he discovered she was a woman.
• often gets hit by the ships surgeon
• quite often drugs the ships surgeon
• fell in love with Crusoe
• Killed the ships surgeon
• left island on Captain Taylor's ship
• has a letter that Crusoe wants to be sent to Susannah

Will Atkins: seen in Ep3, Ep4, Ep7

• One of the mutineers
• After all the trouble on the island, decided to try to leave (and strand Jacob)
• Is trying to repair the ship so they can leave the island
• was captured by Crusoe
• is in irons in Captain Taylor's ship

Baillom: seen in ep5, ep6

• Friday's father
• friends with Captain Santana
• was captured by cannibals, but was helped by Santana, Friday and Crusoe
• His ep6 appearance was only a halucination

As most of you know, Crusoe has been cancelled for a while now. There was some hope that it may be picked up again, but with Philip Winchester now in "Strike Back", it would be very hard for that to happen.

Hulu has also stopped showing the full episodes, and NBC seems to have taken the episodes down from their site. The only way you can see the show is now by buying the DVDs.

Crusoe's Father: (Played by Sean Bean)

• Seen in ep1, ep2 (no lines), ep3 (no lines again), ep6
• told son to draw strength from better times
• was alive when Crusoe left the mainland
• He thought his wife killed herself.
• was at Crusoe's wedding (was the only time he was seen in ep 2. Didn't even speak in that scene.)
• quick view of him during the christening, (again didn't speak)
• Gave his son his preachers bible when he found out that Crusoe was going to the new world

Crusoe's Mother:

• seen dead in ep1
• died by drowning.
• Washed up at Limehouse Reach
• Gravestone has the wrong name. (Father tried to change it, but stone was already made.)
• was probably killed by Blackthorn

Jeremiah Blackthorn: (Played by Sam Neill)

• Seen in Ep1, Ep2, Ep3, Ep4, Ep5, Ep6, Ep7
• found Crusoe's dead body in morgue.
• wanted to adopt Crusoe when Crusoe's mother died.
• Crusoe called him uncle
• Gave him a $1000 loan to allow Crusoe to marry. Payment was that he would be the god father to Crusoe's children.
• He is a second son, so he normally wouldn't have inherited, but his brother died.
• Never married, no children (at least so he claims)
• Gives another loan to Crusoe after at least 1 child was born (Just before anouncement of the King dying) because Crusoe's business was getting slow
• Checks to make sure that Crusoe's marriage was valid.
• seen in Judge Jeffries court
• seen at christening of Crusoe's child
• spent lots of money financing a museum
• was in the bar where the duke of Monmouth was trying to start a rebellion
• Gave Judge Jeffries a list of everyone at the Monmouth rebellion -- including Crusoe. He said he wanted to be informed if Crusoe was arrested. (He could have just not put him on the list. It is strange if he wants to protect him.)
• helped Crusoe leave the city to get stock - gave him a pass.
• Got Crusoe a boat out of the city, and agreed to legally control Crusoe's family if something goes wrong (like Crusoe dies)
• hired someone to kill Crusoe (who failed)
• killed Crusoe's mother

Susana Crusoe:

• Seen in Ep 1, Ep 2, Ep4, Ep5, Ep6, Ep7
• Robinson Crusoe's wife
• Met Crusoe when young (at his mom's grave)
• Mother died when she was young.
• Calls Crusoe "Robin"
• Her father doesn't like Crusoe, because he has no money.
• her father owns one of London's largest cooperages.
• talked Crusoe into investing her dowry into her brothers ventures
• Went to Blackthorn to help Crusoe escape
• was disowned by her father because she wouldn't turn against Crusoe
• was kicked out of the warehouse by her brother
• is living at Blackthorns home

Susana's father:

• Seen in: ep 2, may have been in Christening scene in ep3, but I didn't spot him.
• Thought Crusoe's family was on the wrong side of the civil war (30 years ago)
• Expects Crusoe to be an enemy of the crown if things change
• knew that Susana's brother was cheating Crusoe, and offered to let Susana to come home after the privateering ship was seized
• Disowned his daughter after the rebellion

Judge Jeffries: seen in Ep3, Ep4

• Very tough judge. He is against the type of people Crusoe is.
• Blackthorne gave him a list of people who were in the Monmouth rebellion meetng.

Samuel Tuffly: seen in Ep4, Ep5 (and maybe 2), Ep7

• Crusoe's brother-in-law
• looks like a decent man, but wasn't honest
• convinces Crusoe to help (4000 pounds of the dowry money) with some type of ship deal that ended up being a privateering ships.
• deal was that each ship was seperate -- no sharing losses or profits
• kicked his sister out of her home to help out Blackthorn

Philip Winchester:

(bio from NBC's website)Philip Winchester stars as the optimistic and resourceful Robinson Crusoe in NBC's new show "Crusoe." The action and adventure drama is based on the classic novel by Daniel Defoe.

Winchester was first discovered when the television movie "The Patriot" was casting in his then home state of Montana. He won a supporting role in the movie at the age of 14. He later went on to train at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Following his training Winchester moved on to star in several theatre productions as well as television and film roles.

Winchester's film credits include "Thunderbirds" (2004) with Bill Paxton, "Flyboys" (2006) and "Shaking Dream Land" (2006). Next, Winchester will be seen in the films "King Lear" and "Soloman Kane." Winchester has also been seen on television on "CSI Miami."

His birthday is March 24.

Philip's IMDB page
Philip's wikipedia page
Philip's Squidoo Lens

Tongai Arnold Chirisa:

(bio from NBC's website) Tongayi Chirisa stars as Robinson Crusoe's faithful friend Friday on NBC's action and adventure drama "Crusoe." The drama is based on the classic novel by Daniel Defoe.

Chirisa is currently an AFDA (the South African school of motion picture medium and live performance) student, studying for his bachelor's degree in live performance. This 25-year-old Zimbabwean actor has had a very successful career in his home country. Chirisa has been nominated for, and won, many NAMA awards over the last five years.

He played the part of Detective Trevor Davies in the ever-popular Zimbabwean soap "Studio 263." He has appeared in many feature films; among the most well known is "Tanyaradzwa" in 2004, for which he won the Best Actor for Film and Television Award. Chirisa is experienced in theatre, and he is a phenomenal singer. He recently played the lead in the comedy feature film "Mr. Bones 2." Chirisa also made a dramatic appearance in the miniseries "Rough," directed by British director Andy Wilson.

Tongai's imdb page
Tongai's wikipedia page

Sam Neill:


(bio from NBC's website)

With a career spanning more than 30 years, Neill needs no introduction as one of the most distinguished actors of his generation, having worked around the world on more than 70 feature films for the big screen and TV, alongside some of the world's hottest acting and directing talents including Steven Spielberg and Jane Campion.

Early film credits include performances opposite Meryl Streep in the Oscar-nominated "A Cry in the Dark," for which he won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for best actor in a leading role, and in the horror thriller "Dead Calm" (1989) opposite Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane.

Sam's IMDB page
Sam Neill's wikipedia page