SO Harry (Jeremy Piven) spends yet another night away from home with some nameless, shameless hussy: the one in the red dress, and then sneaks back home to lie beside Rose (Frances O'Connor) as if she wouldn't have noticed his absence or what he's been up to. She storms out of bed when he touches her. Tensions are running high at home and at the store. Rose tells Lois (Kika Markham) she wants to return to Chicago but Lois tells her Harry won't take them. Mentioning how he's lost without Rose. Something which has been repeated many times.
At the store, Lady Mae (Kathleen Kelly) waits for Harry to tell him news of her regal visitor and Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) waits to tell him news of his own. Lady Mae mentions the King will be visiting his store and what a great honour that would be. Something he conveys to Rose as well and how he needs her by his side. Then afterwards they're to accompany him to the theatre to see Ellen Love's (Zoe Tapper) and Tony's (Will Payne) play. Rose reluctantly agrees to attend, not what she needs to do but must do, her duty.
Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) blabs to Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington) about Doris's (Lauren Crace) engagement ring and that her fiance is none other than Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) well that was apparent. Miss Mardle would have liked him to have told her beforehand, but he's just a coward really. Later he comes round and explains how he wants to leave behind something of himself, a legacy, a child of his own. Which Miss Mardle would "have gladly born" him. Yeah use her, throw her away, after taking the best years of her life and then find a younger model! To add insult to injury he also wants them to continue their illicit affair even after he's married, as before. What a scoundrel! He doesn't want to hurt Doris but wants his cake and the other woman too. Rightly Miss Mardle refuses to carry on as "the other woman" for a second time even when he says no one would know. "I'd know" she replies. Good for her! In that respect he was like Harry, wanting a family and a wife but not being able to remain faithful. Talk about selfish, falling back into his old routine and wanting their Tuesday night together still.
Preparations are afoot in the store and Crab (Ron Cook) teaches the staff to curtsy and the lift staff to bow like boys. Henri wants to borrow Agnes (Aisling Loftus) again and Irene (Anna Madeley) says she's not a "lending library" as he treats Agnes as his own property. He tells Agnes he's leaving for New York and for Valerie too. She understands of course. It's not as if she'll be alone, or had any real feelings for him as she told Irene. Anyway Victor (Trystan Gravelle) tells her it's his birthday and he expects a present from her. She may pop down with one later. Which she does after the King's visit, bringing Victor a present and as he tells her, she didn't come for cake.
They reminisce about their first time in the Palm Court and how Agnes was partial to some sherry. She didn't accept his offer to dance but she does now. Also how she was shy and he was going in search of his restaurant. Which he didn't get but he remarks on there being more important things in life, like Agnes no doubt. That's where we came into the opening and that's how we went out with these two.
George (Calum Callaghan) strikes up the courage to ask Kitty out after a bit of advice from Victor and brings her some violets, Victor reminding George that he doesn't see Kitty as all that "high class."
The King arrives, Edward VII (David Calder) and asks Rose how she's finding being in England after asking how Harry was treated here. Harry had to win over the press and he still does. The King wants to buy, as he's brought money and has never been shopping before. He asks the assistants what would be a good present and Miss Mardle comes forward with a dog brooch, as 'she' loves dogs. The King comments how they can now call him "one of the people." Which Irene says she will tell her friends. Harry giving Rose a look as if she wouldn't say she was settling in here. Though it's true she's no longer settling here, giving up Chicago for him.
At the theatre, Harry calls on Ellen to wish her luck and to hope there aren't any hard feelings, where Frank (Samuel West) tells him he's off to Paris. Reminding Harry "you reap what you sow." Ellen warns Harry he won't like the play but he assures her he will. Rosalie (Poppy Lee Friar) asks what a satire is, well she found out the hard way. As we know the play's all about Lady Mae as Lady Lushington (Lisa Jackson) and Harry as Horace Spendrich (Bob Golding). What a send up they got, with the audience loving every minute of it. They even mention Horace's wife taking up with a painter to which Rosalie is horrified, as are Rose and Harry. Notice the King left already. Lady Mae tells them she'll ensure the play doesn't last a week, but the damage has already been done.
Rosalie is upset Rose wasn't honest with her as she would have understood and they all retire for bed, even though Harry wants Rose to stay. She gets up and tells him she's leaving for Chicago. He comes out with his line gain of how "lost I am without you." She replies he always says that but why all those women then? Harry: "Because I'm a damn fool." She doesn't know what's going to happen between them. Harry sheds a tear! But he won't change his ways.
He has to face those people in the store tomorrow and he can't do it without knowing he can come home to her. Not much comfort as Rose leaves the next day with the children. Lois understanding what she's going through. Henri leaves Harry a note, "to the king of Oxford Street." Crab tells Harry these things will blow over and Harry had to face the press when he came into the store, having a "no comment" for them when asked about the play.
Harry is a broken man, for now, at least until next season, when Henri will return and me thinks Rose will too. Harry telling George he started out where he is now and George thinks that means he'll be like him. Harry doesn't believe George wants to be like him. But many people would. What a backstabber Frank turned out to be, well what else can one expect from a "gentleman of the press," when things didn't work out for him and he didn't get a job from Harry. Seeing as he was 'editing' the play of course those personal tidbits of info from Harry's life would make it onto the stage. Not to mention the line about people only liking Harry for his money.
Everyone's deserting Harry this last episode as rats from a sinking ship! Not that the store isn't doing well, it's doing better than Harry's life and Miss Mardle too for that matter. So they both suffered heartbreaks here and think Henri would have expected more of a farewell from his boss after his speech of not "leaving anyone out in the cold." Seemed those words turned out to bite him back cos he was the one left in the cold with Rose gone, still as least Ma stuck by him.
Two scenes this episode of Harry walking into the lift, they're not as exciting as him walking out as in the past, since nothing really happened when he walked in. He only got bad news from Henri and Rose. The play was no surprise as Harry and his were all the rage of London and Lady Mae mentioning Lord Loxley is in the country, just to remind us before that line was used in the play.
Also especially Aisling Loftus who really was brilliant at portraying Agnes, from shy girl to confident woman and Amanda Abbington as the ever suffering Miss Mardle not finding happiness at the hands of the insufferable Grove. Was in two minds about feeling any sympathy for Harry, on the one hand he brought it all on himself with his philandering ways and on the other, he had his private life held open for ridicule in that play.
Thus the saga ends and we'll have to wait until next year for it to return. Too long a wait for most people. My final words, turns out I enjoyed this more than I thought I would at the beginning seeing as that was a little slow to get going. So kudos to Jeremy Piven and the cast, for making this an enjoyable piece of drama for cold and wet Sunday nights! Here's to Series 2!!
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