It’s probably because they’re both so much taller than everyone else on the show that it’s impossible to not compare them, but I’ve been thinking a lot of about John Graves Simcoe and Ensign Baker.
So many times we see Baker either being singled out in ways that make him uncomfortable or appearing suddenly while things are happening that make him uncomfortable. He looks like he wants to disappear, but his height makes that even more difficult. Perhaps it is embarrassment about his height that makes him keep some distance between himself and other people at all times.. In the scenes he shares with Mary Woodhull, they almost never appear in the same frame; rather, the camera focuses on whichever one is speaking. He only appears in the same frame as Abe when it is absolutely necessary, such as when he helps Abe up after Simcoe’s attack and when he quietly explains the dueling rules while serving as his second. In spite of towering over his costars, Thomas Keegan makes Baker one of the least intimidating characters on the show through his performance.
Samuel Roukin’s Simcoe, though, takes up all the space his height affords him and more. In his scenes with both Abe and Anna Strong, not only do he and his scene partner occupy the same frame, many frames are wide shots that emphasize how much space Simcoe actually has and that no one is near enough to hear what he is saying. There is no reason for him to stand practically on top of Abe or Anna except that he is using his height to physically intimidate them. While he feels differently about them and believes he is pursuing them with totally different aims, these framing choices reveal his behavior towards them as functionally the same.
 And then, of course, there’s the scene where Simcoe pushes Baker against the wall outside the Woodhull’s house and orders that he give up the details about why Mary is currently inside, destroying the kitchen in a fury. The shot reveals that Baker is the taller of the two, but neither of them notice in this fascinating juxtaposition between the British solider who seeks information to do harm and the one who has more information than he wants. It is a tragic irony that Abe, who wants so badly to kill Simcoe, succeeds only in killing the British soldier who has tried so hard to keep him and his family safe.Â
