The new Netflix series 1899 is now available to binge-watch. The show was made by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the same creators of another hit show from the streaming service: the mind-blowing and time-bending masterpiece that is the three seasons of Dark. As it happens in their previous story, this one gets quite puzzling after a while. With a big ensemble cast where everyone has secrets, there is not a single minute that the viewer can stop paying attention to if they want to understand the story. However, if anyone may have bailed on Dark because of this, keep in mind that 1899 is certainly less confusing.
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1899 is set inside a ship, The Kerberos, which is traveling from Europe to America. Inside, there are people from all over the world who couldn’t be more different from one another. And still, they share a common element: they are all running away from something, and heading toward the American Dream (or nightmare). After receiving a signal with coordinates, the crew thinks they may have found a ship that went missing four months ago, The Prometheus. Once they go on board the mysterious ship, things start to get weird.
The new series has a diverse cast of characters and actors of multiple nationalities. While it’s extremely interesting to watch them try to communicate in different languages while attempting to solve and understand an impossible situation, the big ensemble cast can be quite confusing to follow, especially in the first couple of episodes. Here is a spoiler-free character guide and description of the passengers and captain of the Kerberos to help dive into 1899.
Maura Franklin (Emily Beecham)
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Maura Franklin is the protagonist of this captivating tale. She studied medicine in England, where women could study to become doctors but not practice in that capacity. Maura is looking for her brother, who has been missing.
Because of a mysterious letter she received, she thinks he was on board a missing ship: The Prometheus. Maura is a mysterious character who brings attention to herself because she is a young woman traveling alone. Some parts of her past are unclear even to her.
Eyk Larsen (Andreas Pietschmann)
Eyk Larsen is the German captain of the ship in this show that will make you think twice about boat travel. He is someone who always tries to do what is right, regardless of what other people think. Larsen has the disadvantage of not being fully trusted by the rest of his crew. This is because he has been dealing with some impossibly difficult things regarding something that happened to his family a few years ago. This makes the crew think he shouldn’t be leading this excursion since no one can ever heal from what he has been through.
Ling Yi (Isabella Wei) and Yuk Je (Gabby Wong)
Ling Yi and Yuk Je are Chinese women who keep to themselves, not even talking to the other passengers, only a few sentences with Virginia Wilson (and Virginia does most of the talking). Ling Yi is young and wears traditional clothing, while Yuk Je wears dark and simple clothes. The divergence between them is stark. The nature of their relationship is not quite clear, and since they are extremely private, it makes people wonder even more.
Ángel (Miguel Bernardeau) and Ramiro (José Pimentão)
Ángel and Ramiro are Spanish brothers who need to get to America. Ángel uses fancy clothes and has an arrogant way to move through society. Ramiro on the other hand is a priest that seems to be afraid of his own shadow. These brothers couldn’t be more different from one another, but there is a lot (especially about themselves) that they are hiding in plain sight.
Clémence (Mathilde Ollivier) and Lucien (Jonas Bloquet)
Clémence and Lucien represent what the upper class of France in the 19th century was like – at least on the surface. The young couple is on their honeymoon, but something seems wrong with them.
Clémence comes from a family with money, and so does Lucien, even if he has less money than his wife. Everyone seems to notice how Lucien keeps his distance from Clémence. They don’t really speak with each other, let alone show affection in public.
Virginia Wilson (Rosalie Craig)
Virginia Wilson also comes from England. She is a posh and intelligent woman that is aware of more than she lets on. She is an acquaintance of more passengers than anyone else aboard the ship, and that includes Maura. Wilson has a weird relationship with Ling Yi and Yuk Je that only gets trickier as the story develops. Her true motives to be on board are unclear, even if she appears to be one of the few at ease during the trip.
Tove (Clara Rosager) and Her Family
Tove is seven months pregnant when she goes on board the ship with her Danish family. Krester (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) is her brother, Ada (Vida Sjørslev) is her sister, Iben (Maria Erwolter) is her mother, and Anker (Alexandre Willaume) is her father. They give a very different view of the trip since they are locked in the third-class chambers. Tove will have to deal with a lot of elements, including her extremely religious family and a sick relative that creates excuses for their actions based on the voices they hear — which supposedly come from God.
