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History Recap / HoratioHornblowerS1E1TheEvenChance

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** Pellew's first scene shows him as a hardass who has no respect for the kind of egotism and disregard for life that leads to dueling, but nevertheless fair, as he gives Hornblower a fresh start and a chance to prove himself by cleaning up Simpson's old division.

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** Pellew's first scene shows him as a hardass who has no respect for the kind considers duels of egotism and disregard for honor to be wasteful of life that leads to dueling, for no better cause than vanity, but nevertheless fair, as he gives Hornblower a fresh start and a chance to prove himself by cleaning up Simpson's old division.


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* ObfuscatingStupidity: Hornblower communicates with the ''Marie Galante's'' captain only in English and feigns ignorance when the captain tells his men to wait for the signal to seize the boat.

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The episode is adapted from the stories "The Even Chance", "The Cargo of Rice", and "The Man Who Felt Queer", with smaller pieces from "The Penalty of Failure" and "The Man Who Saw God".



* AdaptationDistillation: The novel's story "Hornblower and the Cargo of Rice" was followed by "Hornblower and the Penalty of Failure", a story that would have probably have taken up the rest of the episode if included because it involved capture by a French privateer which Hornblower managed to set on fire so the ''Indefatigable'' could catch up. It is reduced here to Hornblower plotting a false chart in the eventuality of the ''Marie Galante's'' crew seizing the longboat, which keeps the boat in the ''Indefatigable's'' range. Hornblower's self-inflicted penance for losing the ''Marie Galante'' remains when he decides not to reveal that he plotted a false course and lets Pellew think the French captain was a bad navigator, just as he refuses to take credit for setting the French ship on fire and lets Pellew think it started by accident.



* CompositeCharacter: Archie's fit on the way to the ''Papillon'' is taken from "Hornblower and the Man who Felt Queer", where one of the seamen complains of feeling queer (ill) beforehand and then falls into the same kind of fit, forcing Hornblower to take the drastic step of striking him with the tiller handle to knock him out, and the jollyboat is lost by genuine accident. In the novel, Hornblower is pretty sure he inflicted a fatal head injury.

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* BlessedWithSuck: Hornblower's excellent arithmetic skills make him the ''only'' midshipman to correctly solve the navigational problem Mr. Bowles gives them. Right after Keene mocks Simpson for putting the ship into Central Africa, he praises Hornblower for being the only one to get it right--and Hornblower does not look happy at all because he knows this is going to make Simpson go FromBadToWorse. (And he's right.)
* CompositeCharacter: Archie's fit seizure on the way to the ''Papillon'' is taken from "Hornblower and the Man who Felt Queer", where one of the seamen complains of feeling queer (ill) beforehand and then falls into the same kind of fit, seizure, forcing Hornblower to take the drastic step of striking him with the tiller handle to knock him out, and the jollyboat is lost by genuine accident. In the novel, Hornblower is pretty sure he inflicted a fatal head injury.



* DuelToTheDeath: After weeks of misery under Simpson's tyranny, Hornblower seizes on his thoughtless insult as an opportunity to end the problem permanently through a duel--although Hornblower can't stand the thought of flight through desertion or normal suicide, he could die with self-respect intact if it was in a fight, so Simpson's shooting skill doesn't worry him. Clayton knocks him out and dies instead. Pellew forbids Hornblower from getting into any more duels when Hornblower joins the ''Indefatigable'', but he lifts it when Simpson challenges Hornblower over his accusation of UnfriendlyFire. Simpson cheats, Hornblower declines to shoot him, but Simpson dies anyway when he tries to stab Hornblower and Pellew shoots him.

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* DuelToTheDeath: After weeks of misery under Simpson's tyranny, Hornblower seizes on his a thoughtless insult in a card game as an opportunity to end the problem permanently through a duel--although Hornblower can't stand the thought of flight through desertion or normal suicide, he could die with self-respect intact if it was in a fight, so Simpson's shooting skill doesn't worry him. Clayton knocks him out and dies instead. Pellew forbids Hornblower from getting into any more duels when Hornblower joins the ''Indefatigable'', but he lifts it when Simpson challenges Hornblower over his accusation of UnfriendlyFire. Simpson cheats, Hornblower declines to shoot him, but Simpson dies anyway when he tries to stab Hornblower and Pellew shoots him.


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* OhCrap:
** When Hornblower takes control of the ''Marie Galante'', he retreats to the cabin and starts shaking with the enormity of being completely in charge of an independent vessel, muttering "what do I do now?" to himself.
** He has a second one when he suddenly recalls Pellew's admonishment to the gunners--''not into the hold.''


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* RuleOfCool: Pellew might be an expert marksman, but the chances of him hitting a target from that distance with a musket are very low, and the chances of him shooting ''around Hornblower'' to nail Simpson in the heart are even lower. It is, however, an extremely well-timed dramatic interruption and adds that much more to Pellew's aura of being ''the'' captain.

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* CompositeCharacter: Archie's fit on the way to the ''Papillon'' is taken from "Hornblower and the Man who Felt Queer", where one of the seamen complains of feeling queer (ill) beforehand and then falls into the same kind of fit, forcing Hornblower to take the drastic step of striking him with the tiller handle to knock him out, and the jollyboat is lost by genuine accident. In the novel, Hornblower is pretty sure he inflicted a fatal head injury.



* DuelToTheDeath: After weeks of misery under Simpson's tyranny, Hornblower seizes on his thoughtless insult as an opportunity to end the problem permanently through a duel--although Hornblower can't stand the thought of flight through desertion or normal suicide, he could die with self-respect intact if it was in a fight, so Simpson's shooting skill doesn't worry him. Clayton knocks him out and dies instead. Pellew forbids Hornblower from getting into any more duels when Hornblower joins the ''Indefatigable'', but he lifts it when Simpson challenges Hornblower over his accusation of UnfriendlyFire. Simpson cheats, Hornblower declines to shoot him, but Simpson dies anyway when he tries to stab Hornblower and Pellew shoots him.



* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Hornblower's first scenes on the ship. On the one hand he is a very unlikely sailor, starting at a late age, unfamiliar with sailing, and seasick. On the other, he tries to fight back when subjected to Simpson's "Inquisition" and refuses to stay down even after having been thoroughly beaten.

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* EstablishingCharacterMoment: EstablishingCharacterMoment:
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Hornblower's first scenes on the ship. On the one hand he is a very unlikely sailor, starting at a late age, unfamiliar with sailing, and seasick. On the other, he tries to fight back when subjected to Simpson's "Inquisition" and refuses to stay down even after having been thoroughly beaten.beaten.
** Pellew's first scene shows him as a hardass who has no respect for the kind of egotism and disregard for life that leads to dueling, but nevertheless fair, as he gives Hornblower a fresh start and a chance to prove himself by cleaning up Simpson's old division.



* TapOnTheHead: Clayton knocks out Hornblower in order to take his place in the duel.

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* TapOnTheHead: TapOnTheHead:
**
Clayton knocks out Hornblower in order to take his place in the duel.'
** Hornblower thumps Archie with the tiller to stop him from having a loud fit during the cutting-out expedition (unlike the novel, the man he hits here survives).
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* AdaptationExpansion: Hornblower's father was said to be a doctor in the novels. This episode adds that Dr. Hornblower had Captain Keene as a patient at one point, and that was why Keene accepted his son as a midshipman.


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* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Hornblower's first scenes on the ship. On the one hand he is a very unlikely sailor, starting at a late age, unfamiliar with sailing, and seasick. On the other, he tries to fight back when subjected to Simpson's "Inquisition" and refuses to stay down even after having been thoroughly beaten.


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* NicknamingTheEnemy: Archie refers to the French revolutionaries as "Jonny Crapaud", one of many epithets for the French.


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* UnfortunateName: After Horatio says "my name is Hornblower", his new fellow midshipman responds "what an infernal piece of bad luck."


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* VomitDiscretionShot: Hornblower ducks behind a table to throw up from seasickness.
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* EarlyBirdCameo: A number of the ''Justinian's'' crew are mentioned to be transferred to the command of "Black Charlie" Hammond, who first appears in the next episode.
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* TapOnTheHead: Clayton knocks out Hornblower in order to take his place in the duel.
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* DeadlyDeferredConversation: When Hornblower says that Simpson attempted to shoot him, Lieutenant Eccleston says that they will handle it once they get back to the Indy. Eccleston is killed moments later.


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* YouAreInCommandNow: After Chadd is killed, Eccleston, who is severely wounded, puts Hornblower in command. While Simpson is a senior midshipman, he is not part of the Indy's crew and Hornblower had just accused him of attempted murder.
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* GuileHero: When the French prisoners seize control of the jolly boat, Hornblower drops his compass over the side. He later reveals to his crew that he plotted a false course on the map for just such an eventuality, allowing them to be found by the Indy.
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* MortalWoundReveal: Midshipmen Clayton and Simpson duel. Hornblower's friend Clayton shoots Simpson and it looks like he has killed him, celebrating with "Got you, bastard!" Next moment shows Clayton with deadly BloodFromTheMouth. His injury from the duel is much more serious than Simpson's injured arm and Clayton dies later that day in an inn.

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* BlatantLies: In a classic sign of abuse, Hornblower appears one morning with severe bruises on both sides of his face, and he claims he "fell."

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* BlatantLies: In a classic sign of abuse, Hornblower appears one morning with severe bruises on both sides of his face, and he claims he "fell.""fell".



* VillainousBreakdown: During their final duel, Simpson shoots Hornblower in the shoulder before the command to fire is given. This gives Hornblower a free shot. However, when Simpson breaks down and begs not to be killed, he expends his shot in the air and says that he's not worth the powder.

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* UnfriendlyFire: Jack Simpson tries to kill his shipmates in the middle of a raid by setting knocked-out Kennedy adrift in a boat and shooting Hornblower (he hits him in the head and he falls from a mast into the sea). Kennedy goes M.I.A. and is presumed dead. Hornblower is saved by Finch, a lower-deck sailor from his division. Unfortunately, Hornblower has no proof that is was Simpson who shot at him. The dispute is solved with Simpson's challenge to a duel.
* VillainousBreakdown: During their final duel, Simpson shoots Hornblower in the shoulder before the command to fire is given. This gives Hornblower a free shot. However, when Simpson breaks down and begs not to be killed, he expends his shot in the air and says that he's not worth the powder.powder.
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* BerserkButton: Hornblower is finally pushed to confronting Simpson when he is accused of cheating at cards.
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* ArtifactTitle: In the short story, Hornblower compensates for his inexperience with a pistol by stipulating that one be loaded and other unloaded, without him or Simpson knowing which is which, and firing from point-blank range--thus, each duelist has an even chance of victory. He uses the phrase "even chance" here but it's more in reference to the fact that he considers his own death as desirable as killing Simpson.


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* FateWorseThanDeath: The only thing that keeps Horatio from killing himself or deserting is the thought that Simpson would "win".
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* BerserkButton: Hornblower is finally pushed to confronting Simpson when he is accused of cheating at cards.


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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Pellew notes that Hornblower's duel does not reflect well on him, but also says that he does not judge his opinion of an officer on hearsay.
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* BlatantLies: In a classic sign of abuse, Hornblower appears one morning with severe bruises on both sides of his face, and he claims he "fell."
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Midshipman Horatio Hornblower is given his first assignment in the Royal Navy, and must deal with a tyrannical superior officer.
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* DamageControl: Hornblower realizes that the supply ship is holed and attempts to repair the damage. Unfortunately, it's too severe and they're soon forced to abandon ship.
* EpicFail: Hornblower and the other midshipmen undergo navigational training. Simpson's solution apparently would have put the ship into Central Africa.
* VillainousBreakdown: During their final duel, Simpson shoots Hornblower in the shoulder before the command to fire is given. This gives Hornblower a free shot. However, when Simpson breaks down and begs not to be killed, he expends his shot in the air and says that he's not worth the powder.

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