Season Two of Mr. Selfridge is off to a great start! I
wonder if the producers took a page from Harry's book after lackluster Season
One: “Writers, up your game or you’re out!”
Season Two, set five years later in 1913, has bloomed in all ways possible:
Visually, we have COLOR! The costumes are gorgeous. The hair is gorgeous. The makeup is gorgeous.
And not just for the upper classes. Working gals, your time has come!
Scriptually (is
that a word?), we have a storyline that finally
goes deeper than Harry’s insatiable libido. This season’s show actually offers
a plotline worthy of the DVR space it’s taking up. World War I is approaching, ethnic tensions are mounting (watch out, Victor), women are on the
career fast track, and a true villain has emerged in the form of Lord Loxley.
I am loving all the changes that five years has
brought to our favorite department store. In business terms, let me give you
the growth chart:
Upward Trend
Agnes Towler: Now head of display, she’s fresh off her
Parisian training and being put to the test with a storewide empire theme.
Love interest, Henri, is back. Time will tell if the writers can put some
sizzle into it this go-round.
George Towler: This scarecrow finally got his brain! Now manager of “Internal Distribution” (moving boxes around the
store), he’s the new boss of the loading dock. Gone is the confused patsy filling blue trucks with stolen merchandise. It's five years later and he’s assertive, alert, and running a tight ship. Wow.
Miss Mardle: Josie's now a woman of "independent means" thanks to the
generosity of her dead brother. I love how she showed off her new wealth to
Roger in the guise of “I’d like your advice on how to handle becoming an
instant millionaire.” Awesome! No one will ever forget what a dirt bag Roger was to her
in Season One. IN YOUR FACE, GROVE! Josie’s only showing up to work because she
wants to, not because she has to. Enjoy going home to Fertile Myrtle, Roger. Ha!
Kitty Hawkins: Now head of cosmetics, this girl can sell snow to an Eskimo. She’s street smart and able to handle the likes of the lecherous
Frank Edwards. However, any liking I had of her in Episode 1 disappeared in Episode
2 with her nasty remarks to Victor regarding his Italian heritage. She's a slippery one. We'll see how she develops this season.
 |
| You go, girl! |
Victor Calliano: Speaking of… Victor is now head of the Palm
Court. He still has a thing for Agnes, but this storyline is so Ross/Rachel, I find it hard to stay awake. I hope the writers ditch this direction soon.
Rose Selfridge: I don’t know what to think of Rose this
season. She’s conventional one minute, playing the supportive wife for public appearance sake. Yet, she's controversial the next in her friendship with soft porn
writer and nightclub owner, Delphine Day. She’s trying to be a good mother to Gordon (anyone
else cringe at the sex talk she tried to give him at the breakfast table?), but she left her young daughters back in America under the care of Harry’s
aging mother. Historically, we know
Rose is going to die in five years from the Spanish Flu, so the writers don't have much time to make her character interesting. She’s a gold mine of
possibility. Get with it!
 |
| Falling Off A Cliff |
Roger Grove: You got yours mister! I so love it that he’s
overwhelmed by the very wife and children he dumped Josie for. He’s tired, sloppy,
and about to lose his job. Thanks to the wonderful Mr. Crabb (and he IS wonderful!
I want him for my grandpa…), Roger is slowly pulling himself together.
Frank Edwards: WORM. ‘Nuf said.
Henri LeClaire: We know he hit the skids in New York with
this girlfriend and his career. We know he’s now living in a London ghetto
unemployed. He did clean up nicely in Episode 2, and he was helpful and
charming to Agnes, so for now we’ll withhold judgment.
Walking the Fence
Lady Mae: Such a great storyline in the evil, conniving husband returning to London to make everyone's life miserable. Who better suited to squash this guy than Lady Mae? Sadly, however, she's lost much of the energy and
spark she had in Season One. This may be due to the fact that she is, in real
life, pregnant with her first child. I only just found this out. I went back and rewatched the video, and you can see the signs of exhaustion. I’ll cut Lady Mae
some slack this season, but let's hope some of her wicked resourcefulness
emerges as she fights for her lifestyle and her title.
Harry: Eh…. Herein is the most underutilized talent on this
show. Ari Gold and Harry Selfridge aren’t so unalike, so why can’t the writers
give Jeremy Piven something he can sink his teeth into? He is the title character after all.
Perplexing.
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