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Sunday 10 November 2013

The Paradise Series 2 Episode 4 Review

                                                
The Paradise is a buzz as Denise (Joanna Vanderham) starts her first day as Head of Ladieswear and Clara (Sonya Cassidy) tells her she always knew she'd get it, but Denise wants to stay friends with her and Susy (Katie Moore) kisses her to congratulate her.  Myrtle (Lisa Millett) is in bloomin' good spirits as usual and she's found a kipper for Denise cos she can get her out of the kitchen and into front of shop.  Denise prefers to sit with her friends rather than sitting at the other management table, nah, then sheds have to sit with Jonas (David Hayman) as did Miss Audrey.

Jonas stands in front of the moonlight the night before and meets with Fenton (Adrian Scarborough) as he's on an errand for Moray (Emun Elliott).  As he wants him to fund him to buy the Paradise but Fenton wants to be the ultimate owner and maybe go into partnership with him.  But the Westons won't sell and Fenton advises the only way he can get them to do so is if they split up.  So Moray must flirt with Katherine (Elaine Cassidy) in front of Weston (Ben Daniels) and get him jealous.

Sam (Stephen Wight) calls Edmund (Peter Wight) down as the shop has been broken into and he finds an old woman inside who has returned to the scene of her crime, as she messed everything up.  He sends her out telling her to "get back to the gutter" and next day he apologizes to her and invites her in for a feed.  Ruby (Julia Ford) tells him she's looking for her daughter who left hert when she was ill.  Her daughter being Susy but that's far from the truth as we find out she's a drunk as she asks for a drink, feigning medicinal purposes. Susy sees her on the street but wants nothing to do with her, recalling how she left her when she was seven and didn't even look back at her when she called out to her.  Clara sees them on the street together one night and so does Jonas, as he gets around.

Weston has plans of expanding the Paradise and notices not much progress has been made on the barber's shop renovation.  He wants to open a jewellery store but this puts a spanner in Moray's plans since if he takes over the entire street then Moray won't be able to afford to buy the Paradise from them.  Denise tells him to do what he must.  As she comes up with her own ideas of improving sales for the ladies department. She thinks of having a tea party there, that way the women won't be able to resist watching each other buying and out of competition and jealousy they too will want to buy the same clothes.  Moray dismisses this idea at first but then approves after Denise explains herself better.

Katherine tells Flora (Edie Whitehead) of her secret place in the garden when she was growing up and her secret friends who were her invisible friends, but Weston can only think of outdoing Moray.  Flora asks him about his time as a boy which he may tell of one day.  Katherine thinks Flora should spend a day together, doing whatever she wants to do after Weston shouts at Clara for wearing his regimental jacket, a sore pint for him.  She wants to shop at the Paradise and Denise puts Susy in charge of her even after she sees she's not herself.

Susy is annoyed with Flora and shouts at her calling her a spoiled brat, taking her own frustrations and anger out on Flora and Katherine has Denise dismiss her.  Asking now she's head of Ladieswear, what would she do?  Neither Dudley (Matthew McNulty) or anyone else can help her and Denise has no choice.  Susy ends up at the pub along with her mother and she explains how Susy is better off after she gave her up, otherwise she wouldn't have been working at the store.  Her mother can't stop drinking and Susy realizes she hasn't changed and storms out of there, heading back to the Paradise, forgetting she doesn't work there. Dudley tells Denise she's one of them now, management, and she must take it and grow strong.

Moray invites Katherine to coffee and Weston too as he reminisces how she loves cinnamon coffee and she still drinks it, Weston adds.  Moray recalling how they were in Ceylon and she couldn't sleep for drinking too much coffee and he spent many a sleepless night under the moon and the scent of the magnolias.  Ensuring Weston is jealous.  Who decides to take Moray on a tour of the shops, thinking selling food might be a good idea.  However Moray doesn't want to leave Katherine alone with her coffee.  Back home Weston sees Katherine savouring a cup of coffee by herself and walks away.

Weston has another turn at the store and Clara sees him in agony once more.  Jonas sees her holding hands with him and asks her what happened, otherwise she'll have to explain to Moray why she was doing this. Telling him about his pain and how he was like that when the fireworks were let off, as if he couldn't stand them.  Again this gives Jonas more leverage with Weston as he feigns his arm is in pain.  People see him differently cos of his disability he tells Weston and so don't see him as a strong man, which he is.  Again he seems to be playing him, but it's still hard to tell whose side Jonas is really on.  Moray has Jonas arrange another meeting with Fenton and Dudley knows he's keeping secrets from him which he must tell him. Moray agrees to a deal with Fenton.  Though earlier on he feared for his position as Weston could fire him, but Fenton reassured him that Katherine wouldn't let this happen.

Jonas tells Denise she must show loyalty to her staff and what better way than to get Susy her job back, showing she's staunchly loyal and be their champion.  She decides to pay a call on Katherine and explain why Susy acted how she did.  Flora hears Susy say she hasn't seen her mother since she was seven and Katherine doesn't want to forgive her but Flora asks her to, and she can't resist Flora.  

Denise and Moray steal a moment together as he longs to be with her.  Weston tells Flora a story about a soldier in a siege in Delhi, India, as he's really telling us about himself.  Clara tells Susy to make up with her mother since she knows how hard it is to be a mother and do the best for your child.  Speaking from personal experience of course as she gave up her own daughter so she can have a better life.  Susy tells Ruby she'll be here when she sobers up.  As Myrtle is fitted with a new uniform to serve tea to the ladies, she pikes out at the last second saying she's only good for the farm.

Clutching at straws it seems, or the clothes line as it's only episode 4 and it seems as if The Paradise is still going over old ground.  There's only so many times we can see how bitter Katherine is and how she wants to get between Moray and Denise and Jonas having to act as go-between as Moray tries desperately to get his hands back on his store.  You can trust Fenton about as much as you can trust Weston or Katherine since they are far from honest.  Each one having their own agenda.   Weston didn't have much to say about his injury though there's only so much he could tell Flora and there's plenty more that can be revealed about that.

Moray stepping into dangerous territory by making a deal with Fenton and not confiding in Dudley or Denise, not that anyone could talk him out of it. He's that desperate he'll do just about anything.   Surprised no one saw him on that bridge during the day where he met Fenton.

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