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Sunday 1 December 2013

The Paradise Series 2 Episode 7 Review

Weston (Ben Daniels) invites a photographer to tale a family portrait of himself with Flora (Edie Whitehead) and Katherine (Elaine Cassidy) he tells Flora to stand behind him as she's not her mother and she shouldn't call her "mama."  Katherine is being punished in the most cruel way again by Weston for her 'dalliance' with Moray (Emun Elliott) and into thinking he could desire her once more.  Weston thinks it's a brilliant idea if the photographer takes photos of the entire staff and they could hang them in a gallery.  He asks Denise to come up with an idea of how they can use Christian Cartwright's (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) services as a photographer for the Paradise.

Susy (Katie Moore) and Myrtle (Lisa Millett) read a ghostly story, 'The Hose on the Hill' published in a magazine and believe what they read.  Sam (Stephen Wight) makes fun of them in that there's no such things as ghosts.  The final instalment of the story will be published later in the week and this gives the others a talking point, as well as Sam an idea to scare Susy.

Moray is a wreck as his encounter with Katherine leaves him estranged from Denise (Joanna Vanderham) who can't find a way to forgive him, especially not after Katherine tells him the kiss they shared was nothing more than an "arduous tearful" goodbye.  Denise is shocked Moray didn't tell her everything as all he said was that "nothing happened."  Katherine expected more fire from Denise and can't believe she is so perfect that she doesn't say anything.

Denise tells Clara (Sonya Cassidy) how she can't see Moray everyday and work with him knowing what's happened, it's too painful.  Clara says she is a little happy at her fate but only a little, she's the one who's there for her especially when she warned her about Moray and what would happen.  She consoles Denise by telling her if she lets this get her down and defeat her, then Kathrine will have won in her arduous endeavours to break them up.  Denise must not let her win.

Cartwright takes photos of the staff and  uses Clara as an example in response to Arthur's (Finn Burridge) question as how he can be a photographer and a scientist.  He talks about her having biology and chemistry and physics, but most of all how he sees the pain in her eyes.  She's taken aback by this and refuses to have her photo taken.  But the others do.  Cartwright asks Sam how he can get Clara to have her photo taken as she's his muse and Sam doesn't believe there's any way she will be part of his 'musings' now.  Cartwright got an apprenticeship with the photographer on the street where he grew up but it got too boring for him to hang around, so now he travels wherever he wants.  Weston pursues Clara describing her as deliciously "wilful" as she defies Cartwright.

Jonas (David Hayman) tells Moray he should use the Indian story to go after Weston but he doesn't want to do that and regrets listening to Jonas to being with.  Jonas tells him when he hears someone go after the store and Moray an animal instinct takes him over and he can't help it.  Moray doesn't want him to leave so he can keep an eye on him if he's here.  Would have thought Jonas would have jumped ship then and gone over to Weston's side but nothing so far.

Weston tells Moray he took a gamble and he lost after Fenton illuminated him on his plan.  He thought he wanted to be rid of the Paradise but now he finds he wants to keep it.  He didn't fire Moray either for his plotting against him and all Moray can do is use the excuse of wanting the Paradise, their dreams as an apology to Denise, as she comes up with the idea to use her uncle's shop as a 'Postcard from the Paradise', where customers can have their photos taken and take their memories away with them.  Since they will all have portraits of their own anyway.

Dudley (Matthew McNulty) thinks using the ghost story would be a great way to lure customers to the store, but Moray isn't in the mood to listen, what with his hair hanging over his face! The photos of the staff and managers are developed and Susy has a ghostly figure in hers, which she thinks is a ghost and she's being haunted, suddenly feeling the cold at the back of her neck.  Cartwright says it's just a ghost on the negative, or some customer must have passed by and got into the frame.  He visits Clara and wants to order a hat in emerald green to match his eyes but he's just joking.  He wants her to meet him and he takes her to the pond where he shows her reflection to her in the water.  She already has seen her face and she doesn't want to see it in a photo.  He wants her to live for now, for the present, no matter what happened in her past or will happen in her future.  When she goes to the shop later, he tells her she should be kinder to herself and she tells of giving up her daughter after being with a married man.  SO here Weston is now, a married and pursuing her, but only for himself since he knows there's nothing long term in it and so does she.

Weston thinks Katherine should go away but Flora will stay here with him.  Weston seems like he's driving her mad for her 'indiscretion' with Moray and is willing to do anything to make her pay and there she was saying Weston is no longer cruel.  So I'd like to know where and how they met and got married, though it was when she was in Europe with her father and possibly after his death, we haven't got many details about that, not in depth anyway.  Weston doesn't want Katherine having anything to do with HIS daughter and Katherine is devoted to her which he knows and so uses her to get back at Katherine.  But what he can't see is that in the process he's being cruel to Flora also who has deeper feelings for her and does see her as a mother.  Wonder if there's any real mystery behind Flora's mother and her death, seeing the sort of man Weston really is.  Maybe Katherine sees herself in Flora as she too was raised by her own father.

Sam rigs Susy's uniform with wires and makes it move so it looks like there's a ghost moving it but Denise sees him and he reveals himself too.  Denise cries on Clara's shoulder for a moment.  Dudley thinks Moray should use the publishing of the ghost story to their advantage and at the same time he can show Denise the man she fell in love with.  The one with all the ideas and ambitions, which she already knows and this one big ambition of his for the store really fell to pieces.  Dudley tells Denise she's need to help Moray and asks if she can't work with him then what is the point of her being employed here anyway.

Denise and Moray do work together and come up with an idea that the story will be sold here first and the publishers have agreed to it.  If the outcome is a success then they will have more issues sold here too.  She decides they need some fog and Myrtle will become Mary from the story and bake some poisoned plum puddings.  All the customers will be taken around the store.  Cartwright can take photos and add some fog to the store.  They can then buy the magazines at the end of the 'tour' of 'The house on the Hill.'  With Susy playing Grace of course, slowly being poisoned without realizing it.

Katherine has a photo taken with Flora just incase they part, Flora reminding her of her promise that she would never leave her.  Katherine glams herself up for the Paradise event but Weston makes her stay home, like a scolding father adding she does look a little pale.  Next we'll get Weston poisoning Katherine in true mystery, moustache twirling style and then he can get all her fortune, which he already has by reason of marriage.  He tells Katherine, well reminds her of the humiliation he suffered when she was throwing herself at Moray.

The haunting of the Paradise is a success and Dudley comments on Weston taking advantage over it with the publishers and all the credit.  Weston wants to meet Clara and will wait for her in his carriage.  Moray and Denise hold hands as they're taken in by the moment of the ghostly proceedings, but only for an instance. Denise realizes she does love him after all and is willing to take him back, until he puts his foot in it by saying, "you are my most prized possession, even above the Paradise."  Which seals his fate cos she tells him he still doesn't understand and she isn't his possession and won't be happy living in a box marked "my little champion."  She's her own person. That slap she gives him was a whopper and so unexpected though he does deserve it for treating her so despicably!  Like Weston Moray didn't realize just how cruel he was being to Denise in the process of wanting the store.  Even after Weston tells him he envisages Denise running the store one day, which of course was to humiliate him some more.

Clara dresses up and Weston waits for her, obviously she doesn't go with him but instead has her photo taken and kisses Cartwright.  Who seems to have awakened a passion in her, not only for showing her how to be kind to herself but that she doesn't have a future with a married man.  Seems the transformation of the Paradise into a haunted house was echoing the haunting taking place by Weston at his home, Katherine's home, by playing the ghostly husband who will drive her to despair and carry on with his own manipulation of everyone he crosses paths with.  He still uses Denise as a tool against Moray, using her ambitions to drive a wedge between them.  The scheming and heartache makes up for a show which would otherwise be full of sweet nothingness, ha.

Funny Jonas didn't have his photo taken.  The last ep sees the return of Clemence and Moray wagering Weston that if he loses he will leave the country.



3 comments:

Unknown said...

I thought that the slap was totally out of character for Denise! And uncalled for! But maybe she was so stressed because if the whole Murray/Katherine/uncle's health situation

Anonymous said...

I agree with Amanda H ...
That slap was harsh and the punishment did not fit the crime. She is very violent, it was uncalled for there were other ways to handle it.

Anonymous said...

after episodes of watching denise be overshadowed by moray and having to hear over and over again his trite victorian sexist remarks about 'protecting' her and how she 'supports' him it was a breath of fresh air to see that slap. i thought she handled it great. he really just does NOT get it. i think it exactly fits with her character as a strong, independent lady who is finally fed up with moray's fixation on her as a little side kick, not a businesswoman in her own right. i mean "my most prized possession"? come on!