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Sunday 25 January 2015

Mr Selfridge Series 3 Episode 1 Review

                                                  
The episode opens with Rose's funeral as the family say goodbye to their mother and Harry (Jeremy Piven) bids farewell to his "beloved Rose."  As everyone is lost without her.
Harry returns to London via plane after acquiring another store in Ireland to become part of the Selfridge's name.  He's greeted by press and one asks when he's buying the land for the new aerodrome in Acton.  He doesn't have a clue what they're talking about and Gordon (Greg Austin) drives him home. His daughter Rosalie (Kara Tointon) is getting married to Serge de Boltoff (Leon Ockenden) and plans are underway for the wedding and reception to be held at the rooftop garden. Mr Crabb  (Ron Cook) is worried about their finances which are stretched already, but Harry hasn't spared anything for the wedding.

Apparently Rosalie is marring a playboy and one who's into planes but is plainly clueless and penniless and it's apparent he only married her for the money.  As shown by his mother Princess Marie (Zoe Wanamaker), another penniless Russian and to put it bluntly, a freeloader!  Also back is Lord Loxley (Aidan McArdle) who is intent on revenge cos Harry took away May, i.e. what was his. He funded her for the divorce.  Miles Edgerton (Raymond Coulthard) has to work for a living now and thinks Loxley should just "draw a line" and forget this vendetta, but of course he's not that sort of a man as we saw from last series.

Peacocks have been ordered for the wedding and crates of vodka too for the in-laws and they splurge and get drunk on this free booze.  Harry doesn't know what he and Rosalie have let themselves in for. As Serge leaves Rosalie and gets drunk,  Rosalie sits on her own.  She's clearly unhappy and later tells Harry she misses her mother and doesn't know what to do.  Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington)gets a telegram for Agnes (Aisling Loftus) and takes it to the store for her, which has been closed for the event, much to the chagrin of Mr Crabb once more.  Grove (Tom Goodman-Hill) telling him the shoppers will return the next day.  Agnes reads the telegram and it says that Henri (Gregory Fitoussi) is alive and coming home, having been discharged from the hospital.  But he doesn't say why.  Seems he's suffering from shellshock or some such condition as later on Miss Mardle asks him to change a fuse and he begins to see fellow dead soldiers.

Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) has also married Frank Edwards (Samuel West) now and turns up in a dress that is a similar colour to that of the Princess. Henri arrives at the wedding in his uniform and Miss Mardle is morning the loss of Florian.  As we're in 1919 now, it seems everyone who went to war and was meant to return has.  Harry is glad to see Henri whilst the in-laws are boisterous and loud.  Serge takes it upon himself to make a speech which the Princess cuts short after overhearing Kitty remark how he talks a lot.  Then smashes the glass.

Victor (Trystan Gravelle) has opened a club it seems instead of a restaurant and is hiring a Dixie band, as well as paying off the police so that he can stay open after hours, something which will come back to bite him. Geroge (Calum Callaghan) isn't happy at the store and especially with the bickering between the male and female wrokers as the men return from war.  He leaves the job and wants to watch Victor's back at the club, as he pays off the policeman with more money to save Victor from having unsavoury business pass through his club.  He also tells him that Agnes married Henri. It seems, Victor's brother, Franco did not return from the war either.

It seems everyone is of the opinion that Harry has made up his mind about the aerodrome and Serge has been spreading the news around town and to the press.  Rosalie is clearly unhappy as she comes to the store to buy china for the house that Harry is renting for them.  Since Serge skipped their honeymoon breakfast to meet with Loxley about funding his business and other pursuits.  As Loxley also learns that Harry doesn't own the entire store.  Rosalie said it herself, she's marrying her father, yes, playboy, yes wanting to make money, but unlike Serge he did actually make his own fortune, as well as squandering it away too.  Even Harry seemed despondent when Rosalie said this to him and later, Henri says something similar when he adds that Serge is just like they were at his age.

Harry calls the entire family together for champagne.  A woman named Nancy Webb (Kelly Adams) arrives at the store and asks him if he's buying the land since Lord Meadow wants to buy it but has pulled out as he's heard Harry may be bidding too and they wanted it to build 'housing for heroes.' Subsidized housing for those returning from the war.  She's got her own company and has a degree too.  Harry says that he hasn't made up his mind about the land and will be in touch, but he likes the idea since his late wife designed cottages for artists in the US.  Gordon tells Harry that the women must be moved from the loading bay and it's a good idea if they're sacked.  However he will find jobs for them elsewhere and train them if necessary, even if it'll cost money. Reminding Gordon that his mother made their uniforms for them and it's one way of remembering her.

At the meeting he tells the family that Rosalie and Serge will be living with them at the house, as it's a good way for the families to get to know each other, also Serge's mother will not be moving in with them.  She says she'll move back to her apartment in Eton Square, but instead rocks up to a fancy hotel for an indefinite stay, charged to the Selfridge account.  See freeloaders!
Harry finds Rose's painting of the cottages and looks at the land for himself, as this is something he can do and would be a fitting legacy and lasting tribute to Rose.

Not much happening this ep, but more of a way of setting up stories for future episodes to come.  All the cast is involved in some plot or another, from Agnes having to learn the hard way what ails Henri, Miss Mardle having to move on from losing Florian and most of all Harry having to deal with the in-laws and of course Loxley when he finds out about him, which doesn't appear will be that early on. He also tells Serge he'll have to answer to him if he's not good to Rosalie and Serge mutters he'd like to see him try.  Well obviously Harry will take him on.  Seems Nancy Webb may be some sort of a future love interest for Harry, but it's early days yet.  However as she's only in two eps, this seems unlikely, oh never mind! Ha.

This series is to be much more darker and already you can see the storm clouds gathering and the effect that losing Rose had on Selfridge both in his private and public life and how he was distant from his family. No Lady May, now she will be missed!

Apparently the real Rosalie and Segre had a daughter and he built a bi-plane, but only one and wasn't in step with the Russian government, especially after the Russian revolution.

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