‘Treasure Island’ Episode 1 Recap and Ending Explained: Silver Boards the Hispaniola

MGM+ premiered its new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel on October 11, a series of six episodes that Robert Murphy created for television. Jeremy Lovering directed the opening episode. Tom Sweet plays Jim Hawkins, Hayley Atwell plays his mother Bess, and David Oyelowo plays the elusive pirate Long John Silver.

This ‘Treasure Island’ episode recap covers a premiere that changes a good deal about the familiar story. It closes with Jim and Bess discovering that Long John Silver has joined the Hispaniola as the ship’s new cook. Here is how the episode gets there and what the ending sets in motion.

The ‘Treasure Island’ Recap Begins at the Admiral Benbow

The episode opens at the wreckage of the Albatross, where the figures who are later revealed as Long John Silver and Billy Bones appear. The story then moves to the Hawkins family, and Jim and Bess badly need money to pay off a bailiff.

Bess keeps their inn running by taking wagers on Jim’s photographic memory, which lets him recall entire passages after a brief look. Her habit of winning money from Jim’s flawless recall has left her with plenty of disgruntled customers.

Billy Bones, a former pirate, arrives with information about Captain Flint’s hidden fortune and explains that Flint buried it on Skeleton Island. Bones believes he can borrow money from Bess to secure passage there, promising to repay her tenfold.

Silver, who is pursuing the map, has little trouble tracing Bones back to Bess. Their confrontation leaves Billy dead, and Bess and Jim become involved in the hunt for the treasure.

Why Bess Burns the Treasure Map

Jim studies the treasure map and commits it to memory, which gives the family an advantage should anything happen to the original. Bess then destroys the physical map so that no one else can take control of the information.

The decision shapes everything that follows. The only way Silver can now find the treasure is by sticking close to Jim and Bess. One critic observes that the choice effectively turns Jim into a human map.

This is also where the series departs most clearly from Stevenson. Jim’s near perfect memory is an invention that the novel never contained. In its review, RogerEbert.com argues that Murphy’s reinvention pushes Bess to the forefront of the story.

The map is not the only source of danger once it is gone. The local squire suspects that Bess still holds valuable information and alerts Admiral Grey, which creates another possible threat.

Long John Silver and the Ending Explained

After leaving the inn, Bess and Jim travel to Bristol hoping to reach the Caribbean, though they cannot afford the full price of passage. A solution arrives in the form of a stranger, but it comes with complications.

Once aboard the Hispaniola, they meet Captain Smollett, who introduces the ship’s newly recruited cook. To their surprise, the man is Long John Silver. The reveal leaves the Hawkins family at sea with the very man they tried to escape.

The episode never confirms how Silver secured the position or whether he knew Jim and Bess would board the same ship. What the episode does make clear is that Silver has spent much of the hour trying to recover treasure information he believes belongs to him, and the Hispaniola is heading toward the same part of the world as Bess and Jim.

The performance gives the ending its weight. One recap describes Silver as truly terrifying even on one leg, and credits that quality with giving this adaptation a unique tone. Forbes notes that Silver is Black and that the series later reveals he was enslaved before becoming a pirate, a backstory the premiere has not yet touched.

Aaron Graham and What Comes Next

Aaron Graham, played by Jack Huston, is a mysterious merchant who offers to help Bess and Jim board the Hispaniola. Official descriptions identify him as a British spy. His willingness to arrange passage for strangers raises questions about what he expects in return.

Not every critic is convinced by the premiere’s choices. In its review, Forbes says it is bothered that Billy Bones is killed off so quickly and that Jim and Bess meet Silver before they ever board the ship. The same piece suggests Jim feels like a secondary character at this stage.

The next episode is scheduled for October 18 on MGM+ in the US. The official synopsis promises a deadly voyage across the Atlantic in which Jim must navigate mutiny, violence and betrayal. With Silver now cooking for the crew and Graham’s motives unclear, do you think Jim’s extraordinary memory will keep him safe on the Hispaniola or make him the most hunted passenger on board, and which of these two men would you trust least?