Episode 1 of "Washington Black" unfolds in the bustling port of Halifax, where Washington Black, alias Jack Crawford, resides with aspirations of an inventor. Jack, a dreamer with wings on his heart and eyes on the horizon, yearns to revolutionize travel through flight. His landlord and confidant, Medwin, collects him for their daily journey to the docks, where the fabric of their lives is soon to intertwine with unforeseen threads.
At the docks, the arrival of the ship from London heralds the presence of Tanna and her father, Mr. Goff. Their paths cross with Jack's, but his initial perception mistakes her for a servant due to her blend of racial heritages. As they traverse to their new abode, Tanna and Mr. Goff converse about a fresh start, with Mr. Goff insistent that Tanna embrace solely her European roots, believing it to be the safeguard against prejudice.
Elsewhere, Jack finds solace at Angie's café, a haven where his usual meal awaits. He inquires about a letter from the esteemed Royal Science League (RSL) and proudly unveils his latest invention. Jack harbors ambitions to soar across the vast ocean to London, where he intends to conquer the RSL's World Expo with his groundbreaking creation. Angie, ever the believer, assures him of her unwavering faith in his endeavors.
The following day, Goff escorts Tanna to a soiree hosted by McGee. As Tanna wanders the McGee mansion, her artistic soul connects with McGee's in a tender exchange. Goff's interruption reveals an unwelcome truth: a marriage arrangement between Tanna and McGee, orchestrated by her father. Outraged by this lack of consent, Tanna storms out, her heart heavy with disobedience.
In pursuit, Goff endeavors to persuade Tanna, invoking her late mother's wishes. He argues that McGee's wealth and status can protect Tanna, who bravely disclosed her mixed heritage in London. The stage is set for conflicting desires, hidden agendas, and the burgeoning awareness of a world ready to be reshaped by dreams and defiance.
However, Tanna is deeply saddened by Goff's manipulative use of her mother's demise to coerce her into marriage, while he steadfastly insists that she eradicate every vestige of her individuality, be it her passion for playing the piano or her cherished visits to her family in the Solomon Islands. She implores her father to embrace her true desires and allow her to be with whom her heart dictates.
In the meantime, Medwin informs Jack of a newcomer to the island, a man in search of one George Washington Black. Jack's mind drifts back eight years, to a time when a youthful Wash toiled in the cane fields as an enslaved laborer for the Wilde family. Their master, Erasmus, arrives, bearing the lifeless body of another enslaved soul who had taken their own life by leaping from a cliff. With a grim warning, Erasmus threatens that any further act of suicide will met with torment so severe that the surviving kin would yearn for death itself.
Later that night, beneath the shroud of darkness, Wash confides in his guardian, Kit, voicing his fear of death. Kit, with a soothing wisdom, reassures him that death serves as a bridge to their ancestors, as the community gathers to perform a solemn ritual in honor of the deceased.
The following dawn brings with it the arrival of Erasmus's brother, Christopher Wilde, alias Titch, piloting a steam-powered contraption that piques Wash's curiosity. Titch, noting Wash's inquisitive nature, requests his brother's permission to take him on as his assistant. Thus, Wash bids farewell to the cane fields and embarks on a new journey as Titch's apprentice.
Titch, an inventor affiliated with the RSL despite his father being the rightful accredited innovator, holds unconventional beliefs and treats the enslaved with a different degree of respect. He extends an invitation to Wash to collaborate with him, tasked with observing, documenting, and contributing to the design of his groundbreaking invention—a flying machinechristened the Cloud Cutter. Wash's meticulousness in recording their findings earns him Titch's admiration and respect.
Later on, Titch was joined by his younger brother, Philip, whose immediate dislike for Wash stemmed from the区别对待 Titch bestowed upon him. Freshly liberated from a London asylum, where his own father had confined him, Philip's animosity towards Wash intensified upon discovering that Titch was collaborating with him on the cloud cutter—an idea conceived by their father. Together, Titch and Wash persevered with their engineering endeavors, hauling the cloud cutter's components up a steep cliff for assembly ahead of its maiden voyage. As the others meticulously stitched together the canvas, Titch embarked on experimenting with the electrolyzer, issuing a stern warning to steer clear of the blast zone during his tests of the hydrogen emitters. Disregarding the caution, Philip compelled Wash to venture into the restricted area to fetch him sustenance. In an instant, the electrolyzer erupted in flames, injuring Wash in the process.
In the aftermath, Titch confronted Philip, accusing him of deliberately endangering Wash. Philip harbored a deep-seated resentment, feeling that both Titch and Erasmus viewed him with the same contempt as their father had, considering him a stain on the Wilde family name. Titch replied that their father had perhaps been justified in institutionalizing Philip to prevent him from causing harm to others. In the days that followed, Titch nurtured Wash back to health, imparting his knowledge of reading and writing. Wash astounded Titch by diagnosing an issue with the cloud cutter's battery merely by inspecting it, claiming to visualize the machinery in his mind. With the battery repaired, Titch declared them ready for takeoff.
Meanwhile, in Halifax, Tanna floated in the ocean, echoing the routine she once shared with her mother, her mother's words echoing in her mind. Orphaned young after her mother's demise, Tanna had been whisked away from the Solomon Islands by her father. Post her reflective swim, she bumped into Jack, who had brought his invention to the shore. Tanna's curiosity piqued by his work, Jack was taken aback by her comprehension of the scientific principles behind it.
Later, at Angie's club, Jack confided in Angie about his infatuation with a girl far beyond his league, pondering how to approach her. Just then, a man entered with a wanted poster for Washington Black. Interrogating Jack, the man's presence prompted Angie to post the notice to expedite his departure from the café. The episode concluded with Jack being haunted by a flashback—Philip leading a youthful Wash into a field, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
