Aahana Swrup
The period drama show ‘Washington Black’ presents a story about a life-changing adventure that is as brimming with excitement and wonder as it is with danger. In the show’s dual timeline narrative, George Washington Black, aka Wash, finds himself in a number of predicaments both as an 11-year-old boy and a young man. As a child, born, raised, and put to work in a plantation, Wash finds an opportunity for freedom when his paths cross with Christopher “Titch” Wilde, an eccentric scientist. After the latter recognizes the young boy’s potential, he takes him in as his scientific mentee. However, as an adult, the inquisitive protagonist builds a new life for himself in Nova Scotia, far away from his past, and his mentor remains nowhere to be seen. Thus, given the amount of trouble the duo gets into, both while together and far apart, they’re always one misstep away from their fateful demises. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Titch Knocks on Death’s Door in the Arctic Cold
As a man of science, Titch continues chasing after the impossible, eager to make his father’s inventions come true under his own hands. That is how the young idealist finds himself in his family’s Faith plantation in Barbados. After previous failed investment opportunities, he’s finally ready to ask his brother for shelter, capital, and even slave labor. Even though the latter should go against his beliefs as an abolitionist, he seems resigned to enact the cruel exploitation of others in the name of his own progression. Shortly after his arrival at the estate, Titch meets Wash, and the two strike up a partnership of kind, rich in friendship, but also the inherent power imbalance at play.
Yet, their bond proves to be true when an incident in the plantation threatens to frame young Wash for the suicide of Titch’s brother, Phillip. Off-the-bat, the scientist begins making preparations for him and his protege to run away together on their recently finished Cloud Cutter. This jumpstarts a series of adventures, involving Caribbean pirates and even a run-in with the illustrious Nat Turner. The two stick by each other’s side through it all. Thus, when the chance comes for Titch to seek out his previously presumed dead father, James, in the depths of the Arctic, Wash encourages him to make the trip. However, their venture into the cold habitat inevitably turns precarious.
Even though the local guide advises against an expedition due to an upcoming storm, Titch persists in his evergreen optimism. Collaterally, he ropes the young Wash, who has no other family but him, right into his dangerous journey. Soon enough, the cold gets the better of the poorly clad scientist, who trips and falls down a slope. The scene is so dire that Wash all but accepts his friend’s death. Nonetheless, a saving grace of sorts arrives for Titch in the eleventh hour in the form of his father James. Using his life-saving medicine and inventions, James revives his son’s heart and saves him from his doom.
Wash Defeats His Long-Standing Adversary in Nova Scotia
Wash comes close to facing death many times, not least because of his childhood adventures with Titch. Yet, the most menacing danger that follows him remains the result of Phillip’s death. After the Wilde brother takes Titch’s young assistant out into the woods and kill themselves, the latter is inevitably blamed for the death. For the same reason, he runs away from Barbados with the scientist, hopping from one voyage to another. Nonetheless, after the latter deserts him in the Arctic, due to his own unresolved parental trauma, Wash has no choice but to blaze his own path all alone. This brings him to Nova Scotia, a safe haven for other people like him who were formerly enslaved. Yet, his past manages to catch up to him even there. A slave hunter named Willard comes looking for the young man, relentless in his pursuit.
Eventually, Willard manages to capture Wash despite the latter and his friends’ best attempts at keeping him safe. Even so, the young inventor refuses to go out without a fight. As a result, an expansive game of cat and mouse unravels in the forests outside of the city. Ultimately, the chase ends with Wash dropping down a cliff, taking Willard down with him into deep waters. Although the latter dies, the scientist manages to survive by sheer will and fortitude. In the aftermath, the bounty on Wash’s head finally runs thin, allowing him his full and true freedom. Thus, with Tanna by his side, he decides to retrace his steps to uncover the mysteries of his past. In time, this brings him to carry out an expedition to find Titch.
Wash and Titch Survive, But Their Bond Doesn’t
While Wash is in Nova Scotia, he remains under the assumption that his mentor figure has died. However, his trip to London to attend an RSL exhibition with Tanna’s father reveals a different truth. As it turns out, Titch is very much alive and currently living in Morocco. Therefore, much like how the scientist travels to the Arctic to reunite with his father, Wash also sets sail to Morocco in search of his friend. His quest is also fuelled by feelings of abandonment that have festered since their last interaction. Nonetheless, unlike Titch, the younger man hasn’t despaired over their dysfunctional dynamic enough to lose his sense of self.
As such, even after Titch is unable to give a satisfying answer about his abandonment, Wash has enough complacency to accept the messy situation and move on with his life. In fact, where the older scientist can’t give the younger one any closure, the latter offers invaluable insight by sharing James Wilde’s dying words with his son. Ultimately, despite their shared past, the two men are headed for vastly different futures. Titch’s hangups and his inability to outrun his past’s ghosts have forced him to get stuck in a self-destructive cycle perpetuated to earn his father’s approval. On the other hand, after facing his past and accepting every facet of it, Wash is prepared to jump headfirst into a new future. Thus, even though both men survive til the end, fate keeps two different things in store for them.
Read More: Where Was Hulu’s Washington Black Filmed?
