Biarritz, France
Harry (Jeremy Piven) chooses the lavish resort to hold his press conference regarding the acquisition of another five provincial stores and merging with Selfridges. The press wants to know why he chose France to announce it and maybe he's trying to curry favour and the female reporter, Felicity 'Flic' Jenner (Joanna Bobin) asks why Gordon (Greg Austin) isn't here. Harry fobs her off saying first things first and to the answer of them being here he responds, "why not." They're both very inquisitive and as she gives her story over the phone, Frank (Samuel West) informs them Harry's got a tab and they're also having drinks too. Clearly she's a gossip columnist and knows about the exploits of Serge de Bolatoff. But she tells him Lord Wynnstay's (Robert Pugh) been ordering her not to blab, of course as with all things press related, truth or gossip even, will out.
Harry however continues to spend on the Dolly sisters, raking up a huge tab and also more lavish expenses. They've got a movie audition the next day and he also gives them both a necklace, pearls and diamonds for Rosie (Emma Hamilton). Jenny (Zoe Richards) does a dance on the poker table showing off her undies and Rosie is clearly jealous as she pulls her pearls from her neck. Harry tells them he'll get them both matching necklaces. Mae (Katherine Kelly) is there to support Harry and also with Jimmy (Sacha Dhawan) who gets racist jibes from the 'playboys' there and makes trouble for him. Jimmy can't take it anymore as they tell him to clean his shoes, get them a drink and also how this must be an "exotic holiday" for Mae. He loses it and punches one, Frank also gets elbowed whilst trying to stop it. Frank later gets drunk and Flic tells him to come into her room.
Mae is angry with Jimmy cos of his temper and that's all, she doesn't think he's just an exotic holiday and they're just stupid playboys. Mae sees Harry and he says they forgot to eat and so they have breakfast at a quaint place Harry has found by the sea. She tells him Gordon is conspicuously absent and everyone's noticed and Harry tells her he was invited. She's worried about his throwing money around and she manages to put his nose out of joint. She apologizes but tells him that everyone's just taking his money and he's throwing it around. They have friendships and people leave but at the end of the day family is all he has. He should make up with Gordon, he's his son. He's glad Mae is here. Flic gets into a tizzy about Frank who tells her he was just drunk and nothing more. Obviously this'll lead to her publishing the story about Rosalie (Kara Tointon) and her marriage.
They leave for London and Rosalie ash organized a charity event at the store for the orphans where AA Milne (Daniel Betts) will read from his Winnie the Pooh book. Gordon says Harry promised he'd be here and Lord Wynnstay is found out by AA Milne as being a softie. Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) returns to work much to the shock of Crab (Ron Cook) who tells him he should be at home, he convinces him he's okay and would rather muck in, leaving Crab no choice but to call Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington) of course, as said. She returns and is sad to see him but he doesn't want her pity. He hasn't told the children and doesn't want a second opinion. He doesn't even want her here, cos their time has passed.
Miss Mardle sees Meryl (Lottie Tolhurst) at the fashion department as she's been told to report there by Connie (Sacha Parkinson) after Tilly (Mimi Ndiweni) tells Meryl how to act in front of her. She's surprised her father let her work here. Miss Mardle says she's here on business and then she has tea with Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes). Who tells her how the new shop girls always talk of her, she's a bit of a legend. She tells her about New York and people just go for what they want, no regrets and they call it "moxy." Kitty would fit right in. Kitty saying Miss Mardle's the one with "moxy." Later Miss Mardle pays a call on Grove and he doesn't want her here cos she left. He doesn't want to see her watch him whither, shrivel and die. Meryl overhears this and tells him he's lying, losing it.
The reading is a success and Harry makes it after the audition with Rosie is almost called off as Jenny doesn't show up. Harry tells the producer that Rosie and Jenny do the same thing and makes her perform in front of a mirror. He tries to be civil with Gordon but they don't get anywhere and Grace (Amy Morgan) invites him to dinner at the Criterion, but Harry chooses to go home. D'Ancona (Vincent Riotta) approaches Victor (Trystan Gravelle) and tells him about Harry and his debt. Harry tells him he's got a banker's draft and calls D'Ancona to meet him at the club. Where the producer tells him that the movie won't go ahead cos the investor's pulled out and Harry changes his mind and writes him the cheque instead, since Rosie deserves it. D'Ancona arrives and finds Harry isn't there.
Lord Wynnstay shows Rosalie the newspaper story and tells her he didn't sanction it, with the headlines reading, 'the De Bolatoff marriage is in crisis'. Harry is angry and rips up the newspaper, wanting Frank to cancel all the ads, as well as telling Frank he's probably to blame cos of that newspaper woman, Flic and his being drunk, he asks if Frank slept with her too. Surprised Kitty didn't hear that. Especially also as Frank has a change of heart and says home and the heart is important and they should have children.
Kitty thinking giving him a copy of the New Yorker magazine would make him change his mind. Looks like Kitty will be making the move on her own, but Miss Mardle saying work isn't really important and she should've done things differently really didn't mean much of anything to Kitty.
It's only a matter of time before everything starts to unravel permanently for Harry but seems the same's happening to everyone else around him as well. His empire on the brink of toppling kind of foreshadows everyone else's misfortune too in their personal lives. Well Connie and George (Calum Callaghan) are doing okay, as are Grace and Gordon. The grandeur won't last long. Glad to see Mary Marston, er, Miss Mardle back again, she was an integral part of the show over the years!
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