The previous episode of House of Guinness ended on an ominous note as Edward told Arthur, who had redoubled his efforts to participate in the company, that they needed to talk about what was going on in New York. As this episode opens, what’s going on in New York starts to hit home. Summoned by a boy alarmed by the actions of the “Saxons,” Ellen is awakened to the news that Patrick and other members of the Brotherhood have been rounded up by the police. But the chickens coming home to roost doesn’t stop there. As Mr. Isaac Butt QC (Declan Conlon), the Guinness family’s lawyer, arrives for a meeting, a blind news peddler gives him a “message” to pass on to the family: a bullet with their name on it. This, they quickly suss out, probably has something to do with New York. Why the pressure now? The Fenian Brotherhood has been quite active in the States and has been making some inroads into Canada. It’s probably best that the Guinness family talk to them.
Issac’s first suggestion is that Rafferty reach out to the Fenians, but Rafferty’s nowhere to be found, an observation that segues into shots of Rafferty and Olivia enjoying each other’s company, followed by a pretty silly next-morning scene in which Olivia demands he use the “thief in the night” exit. This demand lands him in the bushes outside the window. Fortunately, the Guinnesses have another contact inside the organization, Ellen, who sends an urgent message to Edward about her brother’s arrest.
Perhaps Edward’s in a position to help? And, as Ellen’s visit to Patrick reveals, Patrick really needs help. What’s more, he’s pretty angry about Ellen sleeping with Edward, which he knows about thanks to Fenian spies. Arthur’s not so thrilled about Edward’s sleepover with Ellen, either. But as they fight about it, Arthur comes to realize that Edward’s not so different from him after all. He knows all about desire leading to impulsive, possibly regrettable decisions (and the end of the episode suggests he’s about to learn even more about it). Arthur’s suggestion: marry the reluctant Adelaide and put all this business behind him.
Maybe Arthur can help. Paying a visit to Adelaide, he explains his plans to be more involved as she looks over her housing plans. But it doesn’t take long for him to get down to the real purpose of his visit: She really ought to consider marrying Edward. In high spirits, Arthur heads to the brewery where he meets Patrick, who both thanks him for his promotion and tells him that “more people are fine with it than you think” before kissing him. Could he be right? Both this possibility and Patrick’s kiss are clearly on his mind as he makes his rounds.
Arthur’s not the only Guinness attempting to sell Adelaide on Edward. While visiting Anne, who’s still recovering from her recent childbirth, Anne informs Adelaide she’ll be traveling with Edward to Ashford Castle as they both research the problem of rural poverty. Also on the agenda: they’ll be falling in love. Adelaide is deeply skeptical about this, but Anne’s sincere. If nothing else, she wants some “company” for her baby. Also, in a concerning development, Anne seems to have moved on from sherry to laudanum.
Whatever Edward’s feelings for Adelaide, he still arranges a head-turning lunch with Ellen in public. Edward has a plan that should be beneficial to everyone. It goes like this: The British want the Americans’ help in keeping the Fenians out of Canada. The Americans want to increase goodwill among the Irish-American population. So the British will send Fenian prisoners, including Patrick, who’ll help funnel Guinness money to the Fenians, assuming Ellen can help arrange it. Great plan, right? Feeling like a pawn for the wealthy, protestant world against which she’s rebelling, Ellen doesn’t quite see it that way. But she agrees to go along because the alternative, which would confine Patrick to prison, looks far less appealing.
Two months later, time enough to grow an impressive beard, Patrick arrives in New York, understandably full of anger and bitterness. At a Fenian bar, Byron gives him a hero’s welcome, but this does little to lift his spirits. Specifically, Byron’s enthusiasm for Guinness — the beer and the family — rubs him the wrong way. “You’ve got an awful lot of the fuckin’ fog of Ireland about you,” Byron says, shortly before Patrick pins him against the wall. Byron sees the matter a little differently, telling Patrick that Guinness will be paying him a lot of money and that he can redirect that money to the cause in which he so fervently believes. Also, he adds, letting his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor drop, Patrick doesn’t really have a say in the matter.
Arriving at Ashford Castle, Adelaide’s only a little surprised to be greeted by Potter, who she sees as being part of the full-court press to pair her with Edward. What’s more surprising is that the castle has a truly rare luxury for the region: ice. Actually, just about everything could be called a rare luxury in this part of Ireland. The nearby village, Cloonboo, has no water apart from a small stream, and even less in the way of food. While Edward’s staff prepares a feast, Adelaide decides to check it out for herself.
With Sultan as her guide, Adelaide sees just how tough life in this part of the world can be. And it’s quite bad, as we learned during the series’ previous stop. When Edward arrives, she gives him a piece of her mind. And he hears her. At least only partly to impress her, Edward orders that his men return with food, blankets, and, you guessed it: ice. Then he sets about taking over the digging of a grave.
When Adelaide joins him, he offers a full confession about his relationship with Ellen. While he’s not necessarily proud of this indiscretion, it’s awakened something in him. He’s not a cold fish after all. And he’s here to help, he announces to the village in Irish. He receives a spirited “Fuck off!” (also in Irish) from a young village, but maybe he really does want to change his ways. But, much like the village, he’s going to have to prove it to the skeptical Adelaide. Still, it seems like he might be making headway by the episode’s end, which finds them dining on a humble meal of potatoes in eel gravy.
Arthur, too, seems to be on the verge of increasing his happiness. He invites Patrick to a dance where they can be open with their affections. Patrick seems happy to receive the invitation. But only one scene later we learn that Patrick’s actually an agent of … Rev. Grattan? Grattan’s arranged for the dance to be raided but for Patrick to go free. Is Patrick only a turncoat? It seems like he’s also being blackmailed by the ill-tempered revered. Looks like there’s a new player in this game of blackmail and backstabbing.
Once again, it becomes clear that we know the least about Rafferty of all the major characters. Is he content effectively being a tool for the Guinness family? Does he have feelings for Olivia, or is this strictly an arrangement for him? Is he humiliated by being asked to leave surreptitiously for Olivia’s amusement, or is this a game for him too? All the feelings Ellen expresses could be his as well, but are they? Right now, it feels under-considered, though there’s an excellent chance these feelings could come to the fore in meaningful ways in future episodes. (You don’t hire James Norton to play an uncomplicated character.) But even though Rafferty is barely in this episode what we do see of him underscores a nagging sense that House of Guinness is content to focus more on froth than the body. (Yes, that’s a beer analogy.) Which isn’t really a problem. Who doesn’t like frothiness? But when its characters butt up against real historical conflicts and resonant social issues, the series can seem a little underprepared to take them on.
Sláinte!
• Isaac Butt was a real historical figure, better known for his defense of Fenians and push for Irish Home Rule than any legal help he might have offered to the Guinness family.
• Laudanum is a highly addictive mix of opium and alcohol that enjoyed tremendous popularity in the 19th century. It’s not a drug that inspires casual use, suggesting Anne might be heading down a dark road.
• Ashford Castle is a real place whose roots date back to the 13th century. It’s been extensively remodeled throughout the years, including work done in the mid-19th century at the behest of Benjamin Guinness. (The father of the generation of Guinnesses at the heart of this series that we said farewell in the first episode). Since 1939, it’s served as a hotel. (Staying there will cost you.) It’s played host to many famous visitors and been used as a location for television and film, most memorably John Ford’s The Quiet Man.
• “Come Out Ye Black ’n’ Tans,” performed here by Derek Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones is an unabashedly combative song about the Royal Irish Constabulary, the famously brutal force brought in to help quell the Irish War of Independence. It’s written by Dominic Behan, brother of Brendan Behan.