Dozens of viewers watched with rapt attention last week as Crusoe built toward its finale. The evil uncle Blackthorn’s true plan for the murder of Crusoe and his children was revealed as was Crusoe’s place as the proper heir to his fortune. Back in England, Susannah and Olivia where united and sought to free the Crusoe children from enslavement in an orphanage. Now, with Blackthorn’s betrayal revealed, we get what is at once both the best episode of the season and probably the last episode of the series.

After being shot at by Blackthorn’s men, Crusoe and Friday race into the jungle to escape. Blackthorn and his two cronies make a bee line to the treehouse in search of Crusoe’s prized bible. Unbeknown to Crusoe, inside his father’s bible is proof of his lineage and thus proof of his fortune. After some bumbling, Blackthorn beats Crusoe and Friday back to the treehouse where he torches it. After watching their treehouse burn, Crusoe and Friday find the bible and the birth notice. Only then does Crusoe really understand why Blackthorn has betrayed him. Their interaction is perhaps the best acting of the entire series. Now filled with rage, Crusoe and Friday commit themselves to killing Blackthorn and his men.

Soon, the duo are tracking Blackthorn through the jungle, revenge hot on Crusoe’s mind. Crusoe separates Blackthorn from his brother-in-law and frat boy-esque toady. Friday continues to shadow Blackthorn back to the ship. Robin confronts his wife’s brother on the beach and kills his buddy, using his body as piranha bait.

The brother in law reveals the last of the details of Blackthorn’s plot. Killing Robin is only half of it. After he returns to England, he plans on adopting his children (the new rightful heirs after Robin) and kill them. Thus, Blackthorn’s fortune will be his regardless of any legal intervention.

Robin makes his way onto the ship and confronts Blackthorn face to face. He demands Blackthorn’s word (such as it is) that his wife and children will be protected and the he be granted safe return in exchange for his birth papers. After agreeing, Robin tears his the papers up in Blackthorn’s face. In a final act of viciousness, Blackthorn produces Friday and begins to force him into the ocean to drown. Crusoe pulls his sword attempting to free Friday. Now in combat with the crew, he sees blood in the eyes of a crewman. Crusoe then immediately grabs Friday and leaps from the ship, swimming for shore. It becomes clear that the whole ship is infected with the black death and no one about will make it to England alive.

In England, the Crusoe children are being forced to work as slaves by a corrupted monk. Susannah, along with Olivia’s help, find her children and frees them Now with Blackthorn dieing of the plague at sea, the children are the sole heirs to the fortune. Yet still, Crusoe and Friday are alone on their private paradise.

It seems inevitable that Crusoe will be canceled. Its a high budget show and the coming change in economics for broadcast television will probably mean more low risk reality shows and fewer high risk investments like Crusoe. Crusoe wasn’t what it could’ve been, but the moxy to make a swashbuckling deserted island show based on an eighteenth century novel has to be applauded. I haven’t talked about the novel at all as I thought the best way to give the show a chance is to take the show on its own merits. Any literary person would tell you that comparing Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe to this thirteen part NBC series would be a like comparing Pride and Prejudice to Kath and Kim. Aside form the names Crusoe and Friday, there is little that is similar to the novel. Taken on its own merits though, Crusoe did have some things to offer. Absolutely stunning scenery was standard in almost every episode, the acting was spot-on and there where several episodes that could keep you on the edge of your seat. In the final estimate however, Crusoe fell victim to poor scripts, bad plot development and perhaps the worst scheduling of a high profile show in some time by NBC. Farewell Crusoe, may you find a port of safe harbor.