The episode opens with Agnes (Aisling Loftus) and Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) wanting her to stay for longer with him, but she's already been late for work before, it's fine for him to show up late. Though she needs to fix her hair. Gordon ((Adam Wilson) is excited about seeing Sir Ernest Shackleton (Mark Dexter) at the store as he's there to give a lecture on his exploration to the Antarctic. Rosalie (Poppy Lee Friar) gets a bouquet of flowers from Roddy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) which Rose (Frances O'Connor) thinks are for her from Harry (Jeremy Piven). Don't think he'd be giving her flowers especially since he hasn't really done anything wrong or to feel guilty about yet, ha. When Rose finds out they're from Roddy to encourage Rosalie with her drawing. Rose asks for the flowers to be returned and for no more to be accepted from the same address.
Rosalie won't go to the lecture and runs to her room. Rose tells Harry that Roddy was here and he's furious he wasn't told before. Rose thinking she could handle it, or more likely, deep down she wanted to see Roddy again, it was apparent when she later tells Rose why she can't see Roddy. He's a man and she's just a 17 year old girl and he came to their house uninvited by her parents. Even if Rosalie is infatuated with him, when she's a mother she'll understand what Rose was trying to do. To be a good mother and she hopes she can teach that to Rosalie. When Rosalie tells her about the pain in her stomach when she thinks of Roddy, Rose can understand what she's going through cos she feels it too.
Miss Bunting (Pippa Haywood) puts an envelope addressed to Harry in her bag and leaves her place. Obvious what she is going to do. The staff are late and Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) doesn't know where they are. Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) comes in flustered saying there's an incident at Bond Street station with the tube and she was able to get out. Gordon wonders what it is to be a good leader, something which Harry will ponder later on. Perhaps he should have also thought what it means to be a good family man too.
Crab (Ron Cook) asks if he can help Irene (Anna Madeley) at the Fashion department since Henri once again steals Agnes away for help with a window for Shackleton's visit. A lady is embarrassed to ask for underwear whilst he's there and so Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington) is brought in instead. Clearly the two have a rivalry especially when Miss Mardle tries to sell some material to a customer. Who walks away undecided.
Grove breaks the bad news to Harry concerning Miss Bunting, found under the tube and they identified her as well as a note addressed to him. Doris (Lauren Crace) listens in and is upset by the whole news. Grove comforts her, obviously making a play for her now since clearly Miss Mardle no longer interests him and tells Doris the same thing he did a few episodes ago about her having a good heart and being caring. Especially when she recalls his wife and his looking after her. He suggests they meet at the teashop later on as a tribute to Miss Bunting. Grove thinking he should have written her a referemce himself. I said that too, but it's too late now.
The news distresses Harry and he wants to pay for the funeral expenses as well as attending in person. Frank (Samuel West) has been fired and asks Harry for a job as press officer but Harry can't think about that now which not only surprises him but sets him straight off to Ellen Love (Zoe Tapper). She thinks he can help her edit the play she's acting in and even more so when he tells her he has woes about "our mutual friend."
Victor (Trystan Gravelle) pays a visit to Lady Mae (Katherine Kelly) after having gotten time away by telling Perez (Timothy Watson) that Fortnam and Mason are designing a new menu and he should check it out as Harry would appreciate it. She once gain falters on giving him any backing for his restaurant and Victor tells her he can't see her anymore. "Dear heart" (as she calls him, so I called her the same, ha) wasn't too pleased about that as she turns up to the store later on with news that she will see Lord Loxley and ask him for money. However Victor sees through her telling her she only wants to control everything. Particularly after her, "you'll be in my debt" line she used on Harry too. He refuses and they part ways. But Agnes still believes in him.
Irene catches Henri touching Agnes's cheek and asks her if she loves him, if she does then she won't stand in the way of true love. Agnes admits she doesn't and Irene warns her about her job which is what she should be thinking of. Valerie (Josephine de la Baume) returns and Agnes did look jealous of her coming back but she's only visiting. SO it was strange why Agnes said she doesn't love him. Valerie wants Henri to come back to New York but he doesn't want to return. Agnes commenting on Valerie's outfit as being from New York, but she says it's French through and through, which was funny since it reminded me of Charlie Chaplin for some reason, you know the tie and hat.
Harry receives Shackleton and has a press call, with Shackleton asking Gordon to put forward a question, thus his line of "what makes a good leader," which Shackleton doesn't answer yet. The display is of the car he used in the Antarctic and Gordon is able to tell him everything on what the furs are made of etc. He'll make a good explorer but he wants to follow in Harry's footsteps. Harry replies there's plenty of exploring to be done here in the store, that's how those objects were found.
Rose sees Roddy with Rosalie and Harry takes care of him, he was rather restrained. Roddy tells him how he doesn't appreciate Rose and he humiliates her and all the time he was with Ellen. Harry threatens to destroy his painting career if he sets foot in the store again or has anything to do with his family. Thought he'd have a change of heart about being true to Rose but that wouldn't be the case obviously. Shackleton speaks of having to come home to save his men, he put his men first and brought them out of the cold. Harry talks to his Head of Departments, reading out Miss Bunting's letter of not wanting them to be unhappy for her and to move on. He says he left an employee out in the cold and it's never to happen again.
Poor Crab didn't even get Shackleton's autograph! Harry looks at Rose's portrait and says he's going to have another one commissioned but she doesn't want that. Then confronts her about Roddy telling him she loves him. She replies "you believe whatever you want to believe." Prompting him to storm out and head to the club, where he meets a woman in red. Here we go again, he finds someone else or was that Ellen again?
Harry has his chance to make amends with Rose and he didn't take it. Didn't think he'd let Rose leave with that sort of an answer and would have demanded more from her. Since her telling him earlier on that nothing happened wasn't enough. Then again it's back to double standards again and it's okay for the man to have his affairs but not for his wife and any other woman. Not that I'm endorsing extra marital affairs or anything like that, but talking about the times they lived in!
Kitty was showing off mighty airs and graces too with having Doris call her 'Miss Hawkins' and she reprimanded George (Calum Callahan) for being on the shop floor. Wouldn't he know where he belongs without her pointing it out. She the apologizes to Doris and suggests they go for a bun and tea. But Doris has plans. Irene and Miss Mardle become one step closer to being friends as Irene remarks on it being lonely in the snow and ice. Miss Mardle replies you don't have to be there to be alone. Irene also mentioning how hard it is for women to find a man and if you so, then you can't work. It's unfair that's why she joined the suffragette's and Miss Mardle agrees to go to their next meeting.
There's quite a lot happening in the penultimate episode in terms of new relationships being put forward for series 2 to explore and new avenues to pursue in terms of storylines. Was Harry's threatening of Roddy enough to keep him away, he is kind of shifty and doesn't listen, wanting his own way, or has Harry's actions driven Rose to him? Harry can't stay away from other women and even the trauma of the day hasn't led him to make amends or to give up his philandering ways for a while, then again some would say Rose only has herself to blame this time round, she practically drove him away. Yet she still loves Harry. Their relationship is complex, to say the least.
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