Oh what did I say last review, hope the ep doesn't open with Harry (Jeremy Piven) stepping out of the lift yet again, well this one didn't, not yet anyway. Harry unveils a motor car which will be on display in the Selfridge's window this time and Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) will do his usual 'biz' of dressing the window with the help of Agnes (Aisling Loftus). Henri reveals Agnes has left after the incident with her father, Reg (Nick Moran). Incident, more like drunken fiasco. But that won't do as Harry wants, no demands, her back, she was good at her job.
Thus Harry sets out to get back Agnes. However she's had to take Reg back in, still drinking, otherwise she and George (Calum Callaghan) would have been out on the street, as she tells Victor (Trystan Gravelle). He wants to take to her to Brighton and he wants to court her. Which he had to spell out to her and it's okay now since she's no longer working.
Customers arrive asking for Agnes but Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington) tells Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) to serve the customer and tell them Agnes is no longer with them, which she doesn't do. Henri asks Irene (Anna Madeley) for some coats for ladies to wear whilst motoring and reveals some not to his liking, but the brown coloured ones are. Harry pays a visit to Agnes to personally get her back. She's great at her job and she reminds him of Harry. She's dedicated to the store and he can see the potential in her. (Remind you of Denise and Moray in The Paradise - oh, okay I'm harping about that again five weeks later.)
Harry puts Reg in his place and actually gets physical with him, was hoping we'd see him do that to Roddy! Darn, maybe next week, or soon. Yeah we know Harry's a philanderer and all the rest of it but Roddy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) was "up himself," taking liberties as they used to say! Harry pays Reg off to leave London and never return. Then has flashbacks to his own family and his father (Brendan Gibson) a Major in the Union Army and how he too was a philanderer and cheater. He had another woman on the side and another child. Yet his mother, Lois (Kika Markham) put up with him, just as Rose (Frances O'Connor) does. As she tells Roddy she loves Harry and he loves her in his own way.
We see how Harry had to put up with the taunts of other children and are meant to now realize why he's like that too. As his father said to him he's got his blood. Harry drives Agnes back in a car and she loves every minute of it, like flying she calls it and Harry says she'll do that too one day. He also advises her, "never explain or apologize," that's what he does.
Everyone's surprised at seeing her back and Kitty would have to get a word in. Agnes says she didn't hand in her notice so she's still employed and Miss Mardle will check with Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill). Of course she will! Henri is glad she's back and gets her to help with the window. Look we know there's more going on with these two and yet it's not spelled out yet, talk about dragging it out. Agnes must be enamoured with him too considering she doesn't tell Victor she's back.
Victor tries to help George out by telling Grove about the stealing going on, about time, I just said not five minutes before that no one's found out about that yet. Grove tells Harry not before asking if he's in a good mood and he's not happy with Harry going above his head and bringing back Agnes when he's meant to be chief of staff. Victor gets George out of the loading bay just before Alf (Christian Patterson) and another man are kicked out. Harry is angry about the theft and calls a staff meeting.
Roddy brings round the painting but doesn't want Harry to have it, telling Rose she's not "conventional" and to stop being "stifled." Rose used to paint too and they finally kiss, only to be caught out by Beatrice (Raffey Cassidy). Rose swears her to secrecy, that the painting is a surprise for pa, but Beatrice can't keep it to herself and has to tell Harry about the painting. Well, it was rather provocative for the time and Rose being a married woman. But of course there were different standards for men and women and what was acceptable for men wasn't the same for women. Except if you happen to be Lady Mae (Katherine Kelly) and wealthy like her.
At the staff meeting, Harry explains about loyalty and how his staff should come to him if they have problems and not steal from him. Victor leaves when Kitty points out what a gorgeous couple Agnes and Henri make. Harry explains how he started out as an errand boy earning $1.50 a week and was promoted to a stock boy and then finally got the keys to the shop. His manager trusted him and he expects the same from his staff in their "honest endeavour together." The spirit of Selfridge's. Thought that was Ellen! ha.
Ellen Love (Zoe Tapper) drops by to tell the wife about Harry's affair and Rose says she already knew when she saw them together for the first time. Explaining he's had many "chorus girls." She already knows what Harry's like but he won't leave her for Ellen. Since she's here it means it's over. Rose cries and Lois sees her, cos she knows what it's over and what her son is like. Later Beatrice also blabs about Rose kissing Roddy and how she was blushing when she did. This leads to an argument, as Harry tells Rose they need to have it out. She attacks him by saying it's fine for him to have his fun but she can't. She wasn't 'together' with him, but it's fine for him to do what he likes. See, double standards. She'll forgive him tomorrow, or at least feel sorry for him, but for now he can "gotta hell!"
Which he does at his club, getting stinking drunk like his father, whom he toasts with Frank (Samuel West) and who should turn up, but Ellen Love, declaring her undying love for him still and throws herself at him. Not taking no for an answer. Frank puts her in a taxi and later finds her having taken an overdose, yet she survives.
Tony (Will Payne) had fun taunting Harry with his remark about Rose being at the Chelsea art club and Lady Mae steps in saying times are changing and Lady Rutledge was also there. Victor cooks for Lady Mae since he doesn't think he'll get Agnes now even if she said she wants to be with him too, but she's tired of being told what to do. Typical men! Harry takes the car and crashes it of course, which was obvious.
So Harry finally gets a bit of his own medicine with Rose kissing Roddy and his finding out already, that wasn't stretched out for weeks. Not that it will change him, but he doesn't want to let her go, cos understandably he's nothing without her, as he wrote in the 50 white roses he sent her. "My one and only..." Yes but why white roses and not red, hardly romantic. So will Rose finally succumb to Roddy's oil paint -ridden charms, or remain the ever-faithful, hard done by wife holding the family together?
Oh and there was a scene with Harry coming out from the lift with Miss Blenkinsop (Deborah Cornelius) who found the painting "interesting." As it is now displayed on his office wall across his desk, unlike the one in Moray's office (The Paradise) which is displayed behind his desk. Now Harry will look at it and be tormented every time he sees it. As for Henri giving Agnes the scarf, will he pay for it next day as he said he would. See this job has no perks, ha.
Which reminds me back when I was at school, they had a discussion on Selfridge's the store and its name. The bloomin' teacher said it was cos they used to sell fridges! Well they do, but that's not why it was named as such. Agh the things they don't teach you even back then! Ha. So much for education.
No comments:
Post a Comment