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Perkins

subservient opportunistic obedient resentful nervous
Perkins acts as secretary and clerk to Solicitor Grey, His Majesty's Commissioner for disposing of Jacobite prisoners after Culloden. He handles legal documents, bribes sentries, and coordinates sales of captives as indentured laborers to Caribbean plantations. Subservient to Grey's bullying and Trask's demands, Perkins masks resentment beneath compliance. Self-preservation drives him; he defects to the Highlanders mid-revolt, offering French translation skills and mocking his former master with a snap of his fingers.
23 appearances
Also known as: Grey’s clerk

Perkins's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

23 moments
S4E15 · The Highlanders Part 1
Grey’s Profit from Prisoners

Cynical and frustrated, masking his volatile temper beneath a veneer of calculated control.

Grey, His Majesty’s Commissioner for Prisons, stands on the supply wagon observing the aftermath of Culloden through a telescope. He coldly calculates the value of wounded Highlanders as indentured laborers …

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S4E15 · The Highlanders Part 1
Grey’s Wine-Fueled Rage Reveals Ruthless Priorities

A mix of resignation and quiet desperation. He accepts Grey’s abuse as part of his role, but his attempts to salvage the picnic suggest a faint hope of maintaining some normalcy amid the chaos.

Perkins, Grey’s secretary, sets up the picnic and subserviently agrees with Grey’s observations. When Grey discovers the wine is corked, Perkins endures the outburst silently, allowing Grey to hurl the …

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S4E15 · The Highlanders Part 1
Grey abandons picnic for prisoners

A quiet, simmering resentment masked by professional detachment. He is accustomed to Grey's outbursts but likely feels the humiliation of being publicly drenched in wine, especially in front of soldiers and prisoners. His compliance suggests a survival instinct—he knows his place and the cost of defiance.

Perkins is setting up the picnic when the event begins, his movements efficient but subservient. He endures Grey's critique of the wine without complaint, then is doused in it when …

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S4E15 · The Highlanders Part 1
Doctor’s legal gambit delays execution

Absent but referenced as a figure of disdain, his cowardice exposing the cracks in the military’s authority.

Lieutenant Ffinch is absent from the scene but is referenced as a cowardly officer who avoids hangings, leaving the 'dirty work' to the Sergeant. His absence is a critical factor …

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S4E15 · The Highlanders Part 1
Doctor invokes legal immunity to evade execution

Resigned and protective—Colin accepts his likely fate but is emotionally invested in Jamie's survival. There's a sense of quiet dignity in his willingness to sacrifice himself for his clansman, and his voice carries the weight of a leader who has accepted defeat but not dishonor.

Colin, wounded and weakened, stands on the execution bench with a noose around his neck. He urges Jamie to leave him and go with the others, prioritizing Jamie's survival over …

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S4E16 · The Highlanders Part 2
Doctor manipulates Grey and Perkins

Neutral and professional, the Sentry’s emotional state is unaffected by the events unfolding. He follows orders and completes his task without question, leaving the room before the Doctor’s deception is fully executed.

The Sentry briefly announces the Doctor’s arrival to Grey, claiming the Doctor has important information about a plot. He leaves after being paid a shilling by Perkins, his role in …

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S4E16 · The Highlanders Part 2
Doctor manipulates Grey with false intelligence

Neutral and dutiful, performing his assigned tasks without emotional investment in the outcome. His presence is functional rather than dramatic in this event.

The sentry briefly appears at the beginning of the event to announce the Doctor's arrival and escort him into Grey's office. He is later paid a shilling by Perkins to …

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S4E16 · The Highlanders Part 2
Grey’s deception exposed and prisoners’ fate accelerated

Nervous and flustered, with a sense of being overwhelmed by the chaos

Perkins is initially dismissed as incompetent, claiming to be resting his eyes. Trask’s aggression and Grey’s threats reduce him to a nervous, flustered state. He is ordered to summon the …

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3
Ffinch recognizes Polly undercover

Polite and professional, with no awareness of the underlying tension or the true stakes of the conversation. His emotional state is one of detached courtesy, focused on performing his duties as Grey’s clerk.

Perkins enters the dining room and bumps into the Doctor, offering assistance to Polly and Kirsty without realizing their true intentions. He provides critical information about Solicitor Grey’s role in …

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3
Perkins reveals prisoners' brutal choice

Anxious and determined, though his state is inferred through the actions of Polly and Kirsty, who are fighting to free him.

Ben is not physically present in this event but is indirectly referenced as one of the prisoners facing the ultimatum of forced labor or execution. His absence underscores the urgency …

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3
Doctor Intimidates Perkins at Gunpoint

Confused and fearful initially, then compliant and submissive as the Doctor’s hypnotic suggestion takes hold. His internal conflict—between obeying Grey and avoiding the Doctor’s 'headache'—manifests in his stammering and physical stillness.

Perkins, initially insistent on detaining Polly and Kirsty, is thrown off balance by the Doctor’s sudden intervention. His confusion turns to fear as the Doctor brandishes Grey’s pistol and references …

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3
Grey interrupts Perkins’ standoff with the Doctor

Nervous, then fearful, and finally compliant, his emotional state oscillates between duty and self-preservation.

Perkins attempts to detain Polly and Kirsty under the guise of polite conversation but escalates to threatening to summon the watch when they resist. Recognizing the Doctor despite his disguise, …

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3
Grey's Controlled Brutality on the Annabelle

Fearful and resigned, though his emotional state is inferred rather than shown, as he is not physically present.

The London deserter is mentioned as the subject of an impending public 'ducking' punishment, ordered by Grey as a deterrent to the other prisoners. Though not physically present in this …

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S4E17 · The Highlanders Part 3
Grey Orders Public Deterrent Execution

Inferred to be fearful and resigned, knowing that his punishment is intended to serve as an example to the other prisoners. His emotional state is not directly observable but is implied by the context of his impending punishment.

The London deserter is mentioned as the subject of the impending ducking punishment, serving as a deterrent to other prisoners. Although not physically present in this scene, his fate is …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Grey Asserts Control Over Trask

Anxious subservience, eager to avoid conflict and reinforce Grey’s authority to protect his own position.

Perkins stands in the corner of the cabin, a silent observer until Grey directly addresses him. His posture is subservient, his voice eager to please as he affirms Grey’s authority …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Doctor gambles with Grey’s greed

Confident and cunning, with an undercurrent of urgency. He is fully aware of the danger but relishes the challenge of outsmarting his opponents, driven by moral outrage at the slave trade and a desire to protect his companions and new allies.

The Doctor is captured but far from helpless. He turns the tables on his captors with a performance of theatrical flair, producing Kirsty’s ring and spinning a elaborate lie about …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
The Doctor bluffs Grey with a royal ring

Obedient and slightly anxious, eager to avoid drawing attention to himself in a tense and volatile situation.

Perkins is initially involved in finalizing the slave-trade deal with Grey but is quickly sidelined as the Doctor’s deception unfolds. His role is reduced to obeying Grey’s commands ('Perkins, the …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Doctor manipulates Grey with false prince

Neutral on the surface, but his later defection suggests a simmering resentment toward Grey and the system he represents. In this moment, he is a tool of the regime, but his compliance is not without internal conflict.

Perkins, summoned by Grey, acts as a silent enforcer, ready to follow orders without question. His presence reinforces Grey's authority and the institutional hierarchy of the slave trade. Though he …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Highlanders ambush slavers in the hold

Relieved resignation—he is glad to avoid the violence, though there’s a hint of schadenfreude as he watches Trask’s defiance backfire. His emotional state is detached, as if he has already mentally checked out of the slavers’ losing cause.

Perkins follows Grey into the hold, his demeanor subservient and compliant. When the Highlanders ambush the group, Perkins does not resist; he surrenders immediately, his hands raised alongside Grey. His …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Willy’s Revenge Fails Against Trask

Resigned and fearful, with a underlying sense of relief at not having to fight.

Perkins accompanies Grey and Trask into the hold but surrenders immediately when the Highlanders ambush them. His submissive response highlights his self-preservation instincts and his lack of loyalty to the …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Jamie Overthrows Trask, Willy Claims Command

Opportunistic and smug, reveling in his newfound leverage and the humiliation of Grey.

Perkins, the opportunistic clerk, seizes the moment of chaos to abandon Grey, snapping his fingers in a gesture of triumph. He offers his services to the Highlanders, leveraging his fluency …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Victory turns to urgent escape planning

Smug and relieved, with an undercurrent of satisfaction. His emotional state is one of triumphant opportunism—he has waited for this moment to assert his agency and punish Grey, and he is not about to let it slip away. There is no remorse, only a sense of justice served.

Perkins, the former secretary to Solicitor Grey, seizes the opportunity to defect to the Highlanders in a calculated move to ensure his survival. His defection is not born of ideological …

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S4E18 · The Highlanders Part 4
Hostage gambit and Perkins' betrayal

Opportunistic and smug; relishing his newfound power and the chance to assert himself over Grey.

Perkins seizes the opportunity to defect to the Highlanders, offering his French language skills in exchange for protection. He snaps his fingers at Grey, a long-awaited act of defiance that …

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Affiliation

Trask's Slave Trading Crew (Grey's Crew)
Slave Guard and Prisoner Transport Enforcement