We’ll talk next episode about Philip and whether he is as horrible, horrible a person as he seems in every popular and historical English language account of him between 1580 and 1980 (Sneak preview: the answer is: Mostly!)
But for now, sit right back and enjoy reading about the various crimes of Malyuta Skuratov-Belskiy. He’s basically the Gold Standard in homicidal, sadistic henchmen. Ivan took to him immediately and made him chief of the oprichniki, and the two spurred each other on to ever greater heights of human torment and wanton senseless bloodshed.
But it looks like Malyuta is Totally Over It now, so that’s good, right?
– Count Dolby von Luckner
I don’t know how Frederick is going to find himself in Brandenberg. I’ll just have to keep reading to see.
–Geoff
I think Newton’s analysis is basically true. Given the same four adventurers, if Newton himself had been the leader Frederick and Peter would both have been pragmatically sacrificed hundreds of episodes ago. If Abe were the leader, they wouldn’t have gotten in half the jams that they have by virtue of Frederick’s Inspired Notions, and Frederick would have left out of boredom, Peter out of lack of werebeaver blood on his hands, and Newton to seek more stimulating intellectual climes. Then, if Peter were leader, well, we shall see about that, won’t we?