Blake arrests Ben and Polly under Squire’s orders
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Ben protests their innocence in the Churchwarden's murder, but the Squire silences him and orders Blake to take them to prison. Blake hesitates until the Squire suggests they could be smugglers and agrees to take them into custody, appearing to cooperate with the Squire's scheme but hinting he has other plans.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Frustrated and desperate, masking a deep sense of injustice as he is falsely accused and forced into submission.
Ben protests his innocence and accuses Pike of villainy, but his defiance is met with the Squire’s dismissal and the threat of the Squire’s pistol. He is forced into compliance as Blake, under duress, arrests him and Polly for the Churchwarden’s murder. His frustration and desperation are palpable as he is framed for a crime he did not commit, his loyalty to the Doctor and Polly evident in his refusal to abandon them.
- • To prove his and Polly’s innocence and clear their names.
- • To resist the Squire and Pike’s manipulation, even if it means physical confrontation.
- • That the Squire and Pike are corrupt and cannot be trusted.
- • That Blake, despite his reluctance, will ultimately side with authority over justice.
Anxious and resigned, with a quiet determination to support Ben despite the hopelessness of their situation.
Polly remains silent during the confrontation, her compliance implied by Ben’s dialogue and the Squire’s framing. She stands beside Ben as Blake arrests them, her anxiety and resignation evident in her lack of protest. Her quiet demeanor contrasts with Ben’s defiance, suggesting a strategic or emotional restraint in the face of overwhelming odds.
- • To avoid escalating the conflict further, trusting Ben to lead their resistance.
- • To find an opportunity to escape or expose the Squire’s lies once they are imprisoned.
- • That the Squire and Pike’s authority is absolute in this moment, making resistance futile.
- • That Blake, though conflicted, will not defy the Squire’s orders.
Calculating and authoritative, with a cold satisfaction in eliminating perceived threats to his operation.
The Squire seizes the opportunity to eliminate Ben and Polly as threats to his smuggling operation by falsely accusing them of the Churchwarden’s murder. He manipulates Blake into arresting them, leveraging his authority as Magistrate and the threat of the Squire’s pistol. His calculating demeanor and authoritative tone underscore his dominance in the village’s power dynamics, using the situation to consolidate control over the smuggling network.
- • To frame Ben and Polly for the Churchwarden’s murder to remove them as obstacles.
- • To manipulate Blake into complying with his orders, reinforcing his control over the village’s law enforcement.
- • That Blake’s duty to the Crown will override his personal suspicions of corruption.
- • That Ben and Polly’s outsider status makes them easy scapegoats for the Churchwarden’s murder.
Resigned and conflicted, torn between his duty to the Crown and his suspicions of the Squire’s corruption.
Blake, initially reluctant, is pressured by the Squire and Pike into arresting Ben and Polly. He takes the Squire’s pistol, covering them as they are forced to comply. His resigned demeanor reflects his conflicted loyalty to duty and his suspicions of the Squire’s corruption. Despite his internal conflict, he ultimately submits to the Squire’s authority, reinforcing the village’s corrupt power dynamics.
- • To fulfill his duty as a Revenue man, even if it means arresting innocent people.
- • To avoid direct confrontation with the Squire and Pike, despite his misgivings.
- • That the Squire’s authority in the village outweighs his own as a Revenue man.
- • That Ben and Polly, as outsiders, are likely guilty of the crimes they are accused of.
Cold and opportunistic, with a calculated indifference to the fate of Ben and Polly.
Pike supports the Squire’s framing of Ben and Polly, suggesting they could be smugglers as well. He orders Cherub to release Blake, positioning himself as a ruthless enforcer for the Squire’s agenda. His cold and opportunistic demeanor reinforces the alliance between the Squire and the pirates, using the situation to further their shared goals of controlling the smuggling operation and eliminating interference.
- • To support the Squire’s manipulation of Blake to ensure Ben and Polly are arrested.
- • To reinforce the alliance between the Squire and the pirates, eliminating threats to their smuggling operation.
- • That Ben and Polly are a liability and must be removed to protect the smuggling network.
- • That Blake’s authority as a Revenue man can be exploited to serve their purposes.
Indifferent and obedient, with no visible remorse for the false arrest of Ben and Polly.
Cherub follows Pike’s orders to release Blake and participates in the framing of Ben and Polly. He acts as a subordinate enforcer for the Squire and Pike, his obedience reinforcing their control over the situation. His indifferent demeanor underscores the ruthless efficiency of their alliance, using violence and manipulation to achieve their goals.
- • To follow Pike’s orders without question, ensuring the Squire’s plan succeeds.
- • To maintain the alliance between the Squire and the pirates by enforcing their decisions.
- • That Pike’s authority is absolute and must be obeyed without hesitation.
- • That Ben and Polly are a threat to the smuggling operation and must be eliminated.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Squire’s pistol is a critical tool in the manipulation of Blake, symbolizing the Squire’s authority and the coercive power of the village’s corrupt leadership. It is thrust into Blake’s hand, forcing him to comply with the arrest of Ben and Polly. The pistol’s presence underscores the physical threat and the Squire’s control over the situation, ensuring that Blake’s reluctance is overridden by the fear of violence.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The church crypt serves as a claustrophobic and oppressive battleground for the verbal and social conflict unfolding between the Squire, Pike, Blake, and the companions. Its dim lighting and confined stone walls amplify the tension, creating an atmosphere of inevitability and entrapment. The crypt’s hidden passage, spotted earlier by Ben, hints at the smugglers’ tunnels and the broader network of deceit that the characters are entangled in.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The King’s Revenue is represented through Blake, who is pressured into arresting Ben and Polly despite his misgivings. The organization’s authority is exploited by the Squire to serve his corrupt agenda, highlighting the tension between institutional duty and local corruption. Blake’s compliance underscores the Revenue’s limited ability to challenge entrenched power structures in the village, even when those structures are corrupt.
The Local Coastal Smuggling Network is embodied by the alliance between the Squire and Pike, who manipulate Blake into arresting Ben and Polly to eliminate perceived threats to their operation. The network’s influence is felt through the Squire’s authority as Magistrate and Pike’s ruthless enforcement, using the Churchwarden’s murder as a pretext to frame the companions. Their collective action underscores the network’s control over the village and its ability to co-opt institutional figures like Blake to serve their ends.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"Blake's initial cooperation with the Squire, arresting Ben and Polly, is challenged in the stables, when his suspicion of the Squire grows, reflecting a shift in Blake's allegiance based on Ben and Polly's story. This reflects Blake's sense of duty and shrewdness."
Blake’s defection and Kewper’s explosive accusationAcross episodes
"Polly’s exposure of Cherub as the pirate who kidnapped the Doctor in Episode 2 ('You! You’re the one that kidnapped the Doctor') is directly echoed in Episode 3, where she accuses him of murder ('It’s you and Squire that are...'). This repetition reinforces Cherub’s role as the visible face of Pike’s brutality."
Polly exposes Cherub’s deception"Polly’s gamble in the crypt (Ep2) to clear their names by implicating the Squire backfires spectacularly in Ep3 when the Squire arranges their arrest using their own temporary trust in him as leverage."
Polly gambles on the Squire’s aid"The Squire’s dismissal of Polly’s warning as she labels Pike and Cherub as villains (cand_evt_scene_ca5f1dbd6390075a_01) directly causes the Squire’s later false accusation of Ben and Polly for murder (cand_evt_scene_0796f48a1e153874_02)."
Polly’s warnings twisted against her"Cherub's exposure of the Doctor's prior conversation with Longfoot (implying knowledge of the treasure) directly fuels Pike's intensified suspicion and pursuit of the Doctor, ultimately leading to Ben and Polly's arrest under false pretenses tied to the treasure hunt."
Doctor’s Past with Pirates Exposed"Polly’s public exposure of Cherub as the kidnapper (Ep2) provokes Pike’s immediate need to control the narrative. This leads him to collude with the Squire to frame Ben and Polly as murderers in Ep3, reinforcing the power of false accusation."
Polly exposes Cherub’s deception"The Squire’s gullibility and vanity in believing Pike’s false merchant act (Ep2) directly informs his readiness to be manipulated against Ben and Polly in Ep3. His trust in outsiders (especially Pike) remains consistent."
Pike and Cherub manipulate the Squire"Cherub's belief that the Doctor holds a secret from Longfoot is echoed by the Squire's framing of Ben and Polly as murderers. Both episodes weaponize accusations to control others, showing a continuity in the corrupt use of power."
Pirates abduct the Doctor at knifepoint"Ben and Polly’s psychological manipulation of Tom in the gaol cell (Ep2) sets the stage for their false accusation of murder, which the Squire exploits to arrest them in the church crypt (Ep3). Their gambit in Ep2 directly enables their entrapment in Ep3."
Ben and Polly manipulate Tom with a fake possession"Pike’s removal of his hook—a symbol of his ruthless identity—and subsequent disguise as a merchant (cand_evt_scene_5910db5133b52c37_01) escalates into the Squire using the same tactic: framing Ben and Polly as murderers (cand_evt_scene_0796f48a1e153874_02) to justify their arrest."
Pike conceals his violent identity"Kewper's desperate alliance with Pike foreshadows his exposure in Episode 3 as a target of Pike's wrath, showing how betrayals escalate the conflict's violence."
Kewper seeks pirate alliance"Ben and Polly’s exploration of the hidden crypt and discovery of the cloaked figure (Ep2) directly leads to their presence in the same space when the Squire arrests them for murder (Ep3), tying their investigation to their entrapment."
Ambush in the Crypt Reveals Hidden Threat"The Doctor's interrogation and Pike's demands for the treasure's location naturally lead to the arrest of the companions as pawns and suspects, since they are the Doctor's closest allies."
Doctor’s Past with Pirates Exposed"The Doctor's abduction by Cherub and the pirates in Episode 1 directly leads to Ben and Polly being left vulnerable and accused of his kidnapping in Episode 3. Their false implication as murderers is a consequence of the chaos caused by the pirates' attack."
Pirates abduct the Doctor at knifepoint"Pike's detention of Kewper alongside the Doctor (Ep2) parallels the Squire's framing of Ben and Polly as murderers and kidnappers (Ep3), showing how Pike's victims are relegated to the status of criminals regardless of innocence."
Pike detains Doctor and Kewper"Cherub's role in framing Ben and Polly in E3 establishes his ruthlessness and loyalty to Pike, which escalates to him shooting the Squire and holding Polly at gunpoint in E4."
Cherub’s lethal ultimatum over Polly"Blake’s arrest of Ben and Polly in Episode 3 leads directly to his eventual intervention in Episode 4, where his militia ambush saves the Doctor and Edwards from Pike, reaffirming Blake’s moral clarity."
Squire warns of Avery’s curse"The Squire's false accusation of Ben and Polly for murder (Ep3) and his later sacrifice to save the Doctor (Ep4) mirrors the escalating stakes. The initial framing leads to a climactic moment where the Squire redeems himself, altering the conflict's trajectory."
Pike’s Last Stand and the Squire’s Sacrifice"Polly's peril escalates from false accusation in the church crypt (E3) to Cherub holding her at gunpoint in the same space (E4), with her status as a target for the smugglers' violence intensifying."
Cherub’s lethal ultimatum over Polly"The Squire's false accusation of Ben and Polly (Ep3) foreshadows Blake's eventual militia assault on Pike's crew (Ep4). The power struggle between Blake and Pike begins here and culminates in an external force disrupting Pike's plans."
Pike Secures the Beach and Hunts Cherub"The false accusation and framing of Ben and Polly by the Squire (The Smugglers Part 3) mirrors Willy MacKay's betrayal by his own crew (The Highlanders Part 4), both highlighting the destructive power of paranoia and exploitation in communities."
Willy accepts inevitable execution"The Squire's false accusation of Ben and Polly (Ep3) parallels his later warning about Avery's curse (Ep4). Both episodes explore the theme of manipulation and guilt, with the Squire initially framing others and later warning of supernatural retribution tied to the treasure."
Squire warns of Avery’s curse"Ben and Polly's unjust accusations in Part 3 parallel their predicament in Part 4 where they are again falsely threatened and held at gunpoint by Cherub."
Cherub’s lethal ultimatum over PollyThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"SQUIRE: 'These pretty young vagabonds have murdered my Churchwarden.'"
"BLAKE: 'I am a Revenue man, sir, not your Sheriff.'"
"SQUIRE: 'Nevertheless, you will do as I say.'"
"BEN: 'Look, we haven't done a thing. We didn't kill anyone. We haven't smuggled anything.'"
"BLAKE: 'Aye, they could be.'"