Rose (Frances O'Connor) discusses fund raising ideas with Lady Mae (Kathleen Kelly) to help the Belgians and the refugees after the invasion of their country. When along comes Delphine (Polly Walker) who takes over the entire meeting when she decides they should use Rose's designs for the display of Belgian chocolates they will be selling. Disagreeing with Lady Mae whose design is a more traditional approach with the tables being laid out in rows and surrounded with flags, even if it is patriotic. Delphine suggests Harry (Jeremy Piven) should choose and he picks Rose's design of course since a circular design is more modern.
George (Calum Callaghan) buys the paper and reads of women and children being slaughtered which makes him decide to enlist as he relays this to the other men on the loading dock. They all decide they must do their duty and serve king and country even if Agnes (Aisling Loftus) objects to him going. Agnes displays leaflets and chocolates with a collection tin in the departments and Thackeray (Cal MacAninch) objects to his fashion department being used for such purposes.
Harry offers Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) a permanent position as his deputy since he needs a friend around and offers him as much money as he wants which is music to his ears as he's got debts that need paying off. So he arranges payment for this. Also agreeing to stick around for six months. Thackeray is being difficult with Agnes and Henri puts him in his place by telling him he's in charge now and if he objects he can take it up with Harry. Which will prove problematic for Henri later as Thackeray spots him paying off his debt in the cafe.
A chocolate display is held with a Belgian refugee and chocolatier, Jean Neuhaus (Anthony Howell) which amazes the customers and Rose too as she's shy about trying a chocolate since they look too good to eat. Delphine giving Lady Mae a few pointers on how to sell effectively and not engage in mindless chit chat. Then takes it upon herself to have the grand rose chocolate display auctioned off, making Harry buy it since he's a millionaire and will be good publicity. She also thinks she can get Harry to do more for the war effort since he's an American and is sill able to move around freely.
The assistants, Grace (Amy Morgan) and Jessie (Sai Bennett) on the shop floor eat the chocolates but pay for them and entice Ms Mardle (Amanda Abbington) to do the same, she can't resist and for a moment there you'd think it was the Maltesers chocolate ad which Amanda stars in, as she eats chocolate after chocolate, even Jean gets her blood pumping and also sensually entices her when he tells her women find eating chocolate more sensual than men since their body temperature is higher.
Harry comes up with the idea of a Selfridge Brigade with so many men going away and he has a parade of men as they all enlist in the store there and then. Ms Mardle comes up with the idea to open up her house to refugees and asks Agnes to stay with her until George returns. Agnes makes George promise he will return home to her. Which we know is not really a promise he can be sure of keeping.
Lady Mae gets a champagne break courtesy of Frank (Samuel West) who has his own column but is stuck for stories and has no choice but to write about Harry and the store. Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) and Crabb (Ron Cook) figure out how to employ new staff with all the young men signing up and clearly the elderly will not do as they cannot lift heavy packages or crates. There's fighting talk in at the loading bay as Franco (Sean Teale) gets into a fight with one of the men, with everyone keen to sign up, he's called a coward. Gordon (Greg Austin) is disappointed since he's under 16 and can't enlist.
Agnes doesn't want George going and hopes Victor (Trystan Gravelle) could talk to him and talk him out of it but Victor has plans of his own in wanting to go. Yet he's also got Uncle Gio (Vincenzo Nicoli) to think about and running the restaurant. Agnes doesn't want Victor going either and says she'll have no choice but to worry about him even if she can't declare she has feelings for him which is what Victor wants. It's clear Victor does for her as Gabriella (Crystal Leaity) tells him after Uncle Gio dies and Victor promises he will stay and look after the family and the restaurant. Agnes pays him a call and is sorry for his loss. Victor loves Agnes as we've known since series 1. Gabriella saving Victor, well preventing him enlisting in the nick as she comes with news of Uncle Gio. Victor tells Agnes he's not a coward.
Elsewhere Lady Mae enlists Pimble's (Amanda Lawrence) help in spying on Loxley (Aidan McArdle) whilst she's at the store and he's going through the list of boot manufacturers and finding out which one is dishonest so he can share in the profits and make money for himself. Lady Mae tells Rose not to worry about her as she'll be fine when she tells her with Loxley back things haven't been so good. Rose is so in awe of Delphine and wishes she had her confidence, she's very good at taking what she wants. Adds Lady Mae "as long as it's something you don't want to hold on to," possibly referring to Harry. Still have a sneaky suspicion Delphine wants to get her claws int Harry as Rose tells her things are better between them.
Which they seem to be as Harry and Rose share a passionate moment and kiss with Rose telling him he's "incorrigible." He declares his love for her, how long will that last. He discusses the war with Frank who tells him the press are being censored by Churchill and Kitchener into not revealing the true horrors of the war. Harry agrees with them as the men need a good leader to look up to and if they hear anything different they'll lose morale. So instead they were herded off into bloody battle without knowing the true horrors.
Grove comes up with the idea of allowing women to take the jobs of the men and advertizes the positions for both men and women to apply, if his wife's friends can do such jobs, then they can hire women to do the same. So cam about the changes due to inevitability on the most part, for women to drive trucks, load crates and deliver goods. Still no one had any idea of the horrors of war as it is glorified, leading men to sign up in their droves.
Seems like Victor own't be going anywhere as he has a promise to keep but I think he and Agnes should get together. Henri may have been exciting for her back then but he's changed since he's been away and isn't quite the same innocent Henri she sees him as being. Even if he does help her make her choices and do her job. Victor has stood by her and been there for her from the beginning before she had her head turned by Henri and besides he did leave her to go pursue his romance in America. It wasn't as if their so called romance was going anywhere.
Oh and we did get lift scenes with Agnes and Henri and with Harry and Crabb when Harry decides on his idea which will surprise everyone.
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