The Paradise Series 2 Episode 1

                                             
Series 2 returns of this drama ahead of Mr Selfridge, its 'rival' as we know from last year and will take a little getting used to before I get back into it, at least for a short time anyway.  This time round Moray (Emun Elliott) is in Paris and writes to Denise (Joanna Vanderham) confirming his love for her, as he's picking up tips in France.  We find The Paradise is in trouble and when wasn't it in trouble, ha, as Dudley (Matthew McNulty) brings in 200 fur capes as worn by Princess Alexandra.  However there's a traitor in their midst who has been sent there by Fenton to ensure he can get a cheap price for the store when its sold.  The pipe leaks in the storeroom and the capes are damaged.  Sam (Stephen Wight) and  Nathaniel (Kevin Guthrie) notice the pipe was cut so this was deliberate sabotage.  It's also obvious who the culprit is since he's a newcomer.  It wouldn't be one of the regulars.

Also added to the cast is Susy (Katie Moore) who replaces Pauline, not that any of her friends and colleagues noticed cos she wasn't mentioned at all, not even by Sam or Denise.  Maybe she got a facelift and came back as Susy who is sweet on Nathaniel too.  Also we get the cook, Myrtle (Lisa Millet) who is boisterous and loud and isn't liked at all by Miss Audrey (Sarah Lancashire) especially when she remarks how she wouldn't break if she was touched by a man.  Miss Audrey again stressing how she had to work or marry and had a hard choice to make. Later she asks Edmund (Peter Wight) to marry her.  Myrtle has notions of becoming a shopgirl herself one day!  Needs a lot of work doing there then, ha, not only in terms of her mannerisms but appearance.  She'd have the customers running a mile!

Katherine Glendenning (Elaine Cassidy) has now become Mrs Tom Weston (Ben Daniels) as she is married and has a step daughter, Flora (Edie whitehead) whom she shows off at the store, along with her husband who takes a shining to Clara (Sonya Cassidy) cos he has a wandering eye, of course.  He also notices how Denise is afraid of Katherine as she asks for her to show Flora around the store. Weston gets the lowdown from Clara who tells him everything.

Weston is determined to sell but Katherine doesn't want to and sends for Moray who is pleased to return not only cos he can see Denise again but also cos he sees this as an opportunity to get the store back.  Lord Glendenning is now passed and Katherine has inherited his fortune so it was surprising she married beneath her and married a soldier as is repeated several times by Weston himself.  We also get to see him distant from Katherine when she's amorous towards him but later needs her when we're shown the scars on his back which cause him great pain, which appears only Katherine can comfort him from.

Moray is determined to make the store a success and asks Denise to marry him, to which she doesn't reply yet.  He wants the Paradise closed for a day so he can display his "exotica" which Weston doesn't approve of.  Denise sees Nathaniel with Fenton (Adrian Scarborough) in the night as he pays him off but Susy doesn't know anything about it.  Next day there's panic as Susy screams claiming she saw a scorpion in one of the crates.  Of course Denise has to get to the bottom of this since she was nosing around and makes Nathaniel confess he put the thought into her head.  Weston was on the verge of selling but now tells Fenton to leave his store or he'll remove since he was trying to play him to get a cheap price.

Katherine tells Moray she wouldn't have let Weston sell and Denise tells Moray they can't rush into marriage cos Katherine isn't really over him and will do anything to mess up their lives.  They need to get the store back first and marriage must wait.  Katherine denies her feelings for Moray even now saying "it was ridiculous I could marry a storekeeper and be at war with a shopgirl."  Who's she fooling it was Moray who jilted her at the alter and she would have married him in a heartbeat.

Looks like there's plenty of intrigue to come yet with Weston and his past and how Katherine really fits into his life.  He looks menacing enough to make mischief and keep viewers entertained and will Clara make a move on him and vice versa as she tells Moray how she's still looking out for him even though he doesn't want her to.  It has been a year so we wonder how Moray fared without Denise and from next ep trailer, looks like he found his moments of amusement without Denise around, but how will she react when she finds out?

Lots of moustaches in the picture as Moray gets a new hairdo and looks like Weston will be twirling his moustache in evil manner!  Denise also gets some new outfits, where'd she get the money for those then?