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Sunday 23 February 2014

Mr Selfridge Series 2 Episode 6 Review

 Loxley (Aidan McArdle) finds a man's cufflink and tells Lady Mae (Katherine Kelly) she's been entertaining again.  Whereas she tries to explain to him that a charity committee man was here.  He tells her that he's her husband and he's every right to be with his wife and shows her the key to her room.  Lady Mae later tells her friend and entertainer, Richard Chapman (Alfie Boe) that she shouldn't have married Loxley since she thought she could keep him at bay, but not anymore.  Richard thinks she should have been with him but she needs money and riches.  She can't do without her furs to keep her warm and he tells her a good man would do that.  She also was sought after she tells him, during the season where she was in demand.  But she chose Loxley, well she made her bed,so to speak.

Ms Mardle (Amanda Abbington) and Agnes (Aisling Loftus) arrange to attend the Variety Show with Victor (Trystan Gravelle) and Florian (Oliver Farnworth) and it's the same entertainer, Richard that they've come to see.  Lady Mae's booked him for the charity concert at Selfridge's for the war effort.  Harry (Jeremy Piven) is approached by Bill Summertime (Jay Villiers) and recruited as a spy but he can't reveal this to anyone, not even Rose (Frances O'Connor).  He agrees to do so since the procurement committee turned him down and he's no longer interested in them.  He confides this to Delphine (Polly Walker) who comes a-calling to thank him for the wine he sent her for arranging the card evening.  She can't accept it and tells him, but as we knew from the start, she was after Harry after all, telling her servant that the more he gives the better for her.  On her way out she bumps into Rose again but doesn't say two words to her, aside from asking for her forgiveness in asking Harry to the card game without her permission.  Still Rose doesn't see what she's really after.

Thackeray (Cal MacAninch) is still on his high horse about Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) being a spy and conveys his suspicions to Mr Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) who will look into it but doesn't want him starting any rumours.  Of course Thackeray won't give up.  Henri won't tell Agnes what's wrong and says the same to Grove, seems he was in America and then in Germany for the last 4 years.  He wants to give notice as the French government is recruiting older men for the army and he wants to join them.  Agnes also tells Henri that she's seeing Victor and he's a good man.

Ms Mardle asks Florian to play his violin at the concert and Crabb (Ron Cook) and Grove think he's still a 'she'.  Harry also advises Ms Mardle to enjoy her money since her brother left it to her and she deserves to enjoy herself.  As Grove smells a new scent she's using.  Gordon (Greg Austin) is left on his own in the tea emporium and Grace (Amy Morgan) is brought back to accessories.  She doesn't think Gordon is normal cos he's the boss's son.  But she mentions her sister not having any toys to play with, so he brings her a doll, British made, for her later on.  Since Harry's removed all the German stock from the store.

Loxley calls on Harry asking for his contacts for felt and Harry refuses to oblige him as he doesn't trust him. All Loxley can complain about is how Harry's been trading in German goods up until recently.  Another one like Thackeray who's got a bee up his proverbial, ha!  Harry also gives Frank (Samuel West) the story of how America is trading with both Britain and Germany during this time and they shouldn't be allowed to.  As well as all his American friends leaving to go back home.

Victor proposes to Agnes and wants her to help run the restaurant with him, then their children can also help them.  He's leaving the store and wants her to leave too.  She agrees to marry him.  Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) agrees to dinner with Frank and Ms Mardle warns her that he's much older and has been around.  But Kitty comments on her not being with a man.  Sees Ms Mardle turns the tables on her when she tells her of their visit to the theatre with Agnes and two gentlemen.  Ms Mardle is developing feelings for Florian and at the concert Crabb and Grove find out Florian is a man.  Grove thinks it's inappropriate he should be staying with her, but she doesn't think anything wrong in it as the time calls for it.

Harry is expected to leave at a moment's notice and that comes up when he's meant to be at the concert.  He writes Rose a note and she asks Henri to check what's wrong, he's already left.  He meets Delphine outside who's late for the concert and she wants him to be careful, he hasn't told Rose what he's doing and she kisses him on the cheek, after having told her he'll be in Paris meeting suppliers.  He's actually going to Berlin to meet a German.  Delphine kisses Harry on the cheek, sure Harry can't be oblivious to what she's doing either, besides Harry's choice of 'other' women were always young, not old like her!  Henri is arrested as Thackeray's turned him in, to the shock of Agnes and Rose and everyone else.

Lady Mae gets to sing a duet with Richard, "It's A Long Way to Tipperary much to Loxley's chagrin!  Mrs Crabb (Wendy Nottingham) stocks up on supplies such as bed linen, soap and marmalade which Crabbe found under the bed.  We also get to see a glimpse of Doris (Lauren Crace) as she accompanies Grove to the concert.

Seemed to be just a routine episode with nothing much happening in terms of the store but Harry just going off to 'spy' as we knew he would from the last ep and a continuation of Thackeray's paranoia concerning Henri coming to a head.  Lady Mae must be naive for thinking Loxley wouldn't find a way to get back into her room and really should leave him.  Though there was plenty use of the lift this time round, ha.

Women are seen at wok and manning the store whilst the men are away in their new uniforms and they also cleaned the windows, stoked the store's boilers, as well as forming a fire brigade.  Harry Selfridge was also to coin the well-known phrase, "business as usual" during these dark times.

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