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Friday, 26 February 2016

Mr Selfridge Series 4 Episode 8 Review

                                              Image result for mr-selfridge--series-4-episode-8 photos
Harry (Jeremy Piven) and Jimmy (Sacha Dhawan) look at the plans of Whiteleys in the club which Jimmy recalls wouldn't even allow him in here before.  Harry commenting on how the Brits love money, cos we know Harry was in the same boat too when he wanted to start the store.  A meeting with the accountants at which Harry isn't present shows Whiteleys is in trouble.  Harry and Gordon (Greg Austin) know they can do this and go ahead with their plans to purchase the store, with Harry eventually calling a press conference to announce the acquisition.  Exchanging words with one of the Whiteleys as Harry tells him their father would be rolling over in his grave right now as to how they've treated his store. They have no idea what the Whiteleys have been doing with it.

Wynnstay's reporter digs into Victor's death and asks Jimmy about his business dealings and his relationship with Victor.  Of course he didn't have any business with Victor and Jimmy loses his temper again asking what the reporter's insinuating.  As Mae (Kathleen Kelly) watches him, she also recalls Jimmy's temper.  She later asks Jimmy about the reporter and he tells her it was just business he was asking about.  Jimmy's mother, Clara (Kim Thomson) tells him to keep his cool or he's going to walk straight to the gallows.

Mr Crabb (Ron Cook) volunteers to have a look at Whiteleys' accounts for Harry and he'll do it discreetly without the board of Selfridge's finding out.  He won't tell if Harry won't tell and Harry appreciates it.  Crabb finding the office is a mess and no one's bothered doing anything with the accounts.  His wife, Mildred (Wendy Nottingham) later brings him food as he's working late of which he's been doing a lot of for Harry and drops a file on the floor.  An important file as it happens, its a list of the store' creditors, wanting money before they sell anymore stock.  He tells Harry about this and how they're not willing to accept anything on credit even from Harry but cash only.  Leaving them with a dilemma.  They pay a visit to the store's stockroom and find how dangerously low on stock they're running.

Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) changes his mind about retiring just yet.  He's been with the store for thirty years and finds it hard to leave.  He sets about helping to formulate a business plan for Whiteleys, resorting to nicking supplies from the store, as George (Calum Callaghan) spots him doing that.  He tells Miss Mardle/Mrs Grove (Amanda Abbington) he doesn't want to leave just yet and takes more of his medicine.  More than he should, as he collapses.  He says it's nothing and shows her the plans he's come up with.  Miss Mardle shows Harry and Grove decides the store's floors need to be rearranged and they should lead with the women's department and accessories since it's the women who take their men shopping and not the other way around.  Also utilizing the space to put together a fourth department on one floor.

Harry's impressed with it and would like Grove to be an adviser with them.  Miss Mardle says only for one day and Grove fees he can manage two.  Harry comes up with a solution to resolve their stock problem.  They can buy the stock of the provincial stores they sold and can use that for Whiteley's. Gordon says he can give the stock to them on credit as he's CEO of the provincial stores.  Thus solving their problem for now.  As none of them have anymore money left to sink into Whiteleys.

Meryl (Lottie Tolhurst) is upset with her father since she finds out from Miss Ellis (Ria Zmitrowicz) that he fired Tilly (Mimi Ndiweni) for an indiscretion.  She visits her at home and finds she has a child, out of wedlock.  She tells her father he needs to do the right thing and how she's been bullied by the other workers.  He takes this up with Miss Ellis who says it's a mistake hiring her and bringing her back.  Grove accepts her resignation and she leaves in a huff, saying she didn't resign.  Mae tells her she heard the same.  Grove isn't in any position to see Tilly so Mae goes on his behalf.  Tilly's adamant she's not returning and Mae tells her how Meryl went to bat for her.  It wasn't charity but loyalty.  Also telling her she was on the stage and not a very reputable stage either.

Miss Mardle takes Grove home and gives him the plans of Whiteleys and later on as Meryl returns home, she fin s he passed away in his sleep.  That was obvious as soon as he sat down in the chair. Harry announces his passing to the staff and how he was a part of the Selfridge family.  Then pays a visit to Miss Mardle who says he didn't have to come.  That they wasted too much time over the years and should've been together sooner.  As Harry tells her, they were together in the end and that's all that matters.  Probably thinking of Rose when he said that.  She doesn't know how she's going to cope being a mother to his children.  Meryl's sad cos they fought before he died.  Mae tells Meryl how he was proud of her and how he offered Tilly her job back all cos of her.  Miss Mardle adding she's his father's daughter and just like him.  George tells Harry how he used to look after Ernest (Joey Price) when he was a baby and George worries how he'll be a father.  Harry tells him he'll be good cos they can do better even if their fathers weren't around for them.  Wonder what happened to Ernest's father since he was so set on wanting him when he was a baby.

As Mae leaves, the reporter confronts her and asks about Jimmy and how he knows Victor.  She pays him a visit asking why he lied to her since he didn't talk to him about the business dealings but about Victor.  Jimmy asks if she thinks he could've murdered him.  Even if she has seen him lose his temper.  He tells her the reporter works for Wynnstay so whatever dirt he can dig up on him will also hurt Harry and blacken his name.  She's sorry for coming.  As they drink a toast to Grove at dinner and recall how Gordon was afraid of him and how nice he was to Rosalie (Kara Tointon).  Harry asks Mae to stay the night and how he needs her.  He should never have let her go to Paris.  Well that was obvious but doesn't appear that romance is going to go anywhere.

This ep seemed like it was included to make the show stretch and reach number 10 in terms of episodes as nothing much happened.  Aside from Grove passing, weren't Harry and Mae at the cemetery last ep too.  Wonder who else will 'cark' it by the time we reach the end?  Whitelys and having trouble with the store was covered already, as was the finger of suspicion being placed on Jimmy, only Mae thinks it now too.  Wonder if he will get the noose even if it was an accident, not like anyone's going to believe that, firstly as he didn't come forward and secondly cos of his colour no one would've believed him even if he did own up.  So he'll have to live with it, even if he was tormented by having to lie.  As they say he shouldn't have been too quick to lose his temper.

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