Episode Summary: Newspapers make the car accident of Mr. Selfridge their headline eliciting concerns from employees. Selfridges’ chief accountant, Mr. Crabb, addresses the employees confirming the headlines that Mr. Selfridge was in a serious car accident and that their employer remains unconscious. Employees, however, are incredulous about their employer’s well-being seeing that Mr. Crabb is wearing a mourning band. They learn, however, that the mourning band is meant for the recently deceased Harriet Grove, Mr. Grove’s wife whom he nursed for the last 12 years. Mr. Crabb takes charge in the absence of Mr. Selfridge and Mr. Grove, makes Miss Mardle the Chief of Staff, and assigns Miss Ravillious as the head of both fashion and accessories for the time being. Moreover, Mr. Crabb lifts up employee’s morale with optimism that Mr. Selfridge will recover in no time.Continue reading...
Newspaperman, Frank Edwards, informs Lois Selfridge that there is clamor for the reason that led to Mr. Selfridge’s car accident. Mr. Edwards, who saw Mr. Selfridge at the club the night of the accident, informs the matron that her son drowned himself in alcohol and lost a great deal through gambling that night. He believes that his inebriation and gambling were consequences of a prior incident. He intimates that an upset Harry Selfridge was toasting to his father and had an encounter with Miss Ellen Love. Concerned with newspapers feeding off the misfortunes of the troubled entrepreneur, Mr. Edwards advises that the family state that Mr. Selfridge’s encounter with Miss Love relates to the renegotiation of her contract. Mr. Edwards will ensure Miss Love’s cooperation. Miss Love is indebted to him for he was the one who saved her from her suicide attempt. Frank visits Ellen, who is still brooding about Harry’s treatment of her. Frank informs her of Harry’s car accident educing a concern from the former mistress. Ellen’s growing hatred of Harry, however, leads her to consider vilifying the lover who unceremoniously ended their relationship. She ponders about earning an income from speaking to the newspapers about her affair with the well-known entrepreneur in order to cover the loss of his financial support. Frank advises her against doing so arguing that associating herself to a scandal will adversely affect her career. He offers to introduce Ellen to playwrights instead that she may consider leaving the Gaiety for serious acting. Frank recommends that she begin to entertain a highbrow audience, but adds this type of audience dislikes scandals. Ellen recognizes the insinuated trade and she deliberates on accepting it. She decides to move on and to leave the Gaiety.
Kitty Hawkins teases Agnes Towler about her obvious infatuation with the creative director, Henri Leclair. Miss Towler takes offense and learns from Doris Miller that Kitty’s antagonism stems from Miss Towler unexpectedly landing the Senior Assistant position. Miss Towler sees an opportunity to conciliate the enmity between her and Miss Hawkins after Miss Ravillious asks her to act as Senior Assistant of both Fashion and Accessories that day. Miss Towler recommends making Miss Hawkins Senior Assistant of Accessories, while she takes over Fashion’s Senior Assistant position left vacant by an ill employee.
Rose Selfridge refuses to leave the bedside of her husband not wanting to miss his return to consciousness. She, however, had to leave it to meet with Selfridges’ major investor, Mr. Musker. The man has come to offer sympathy, but more so to ascertain the identity of Mr. Selfridge’s heir. Mr. Musker is alarmed at learning that the young boy, Gordon Selfridge, is the heir. The fact that the young boy’s shareholdings will remain in a trust managed by Lois and Rose until Gordon comes of age appeases him. The talk of preparing for the worst, however, disturbs Rose, but not as much as Gordon. The young boy makes his way to Selfridges only to be thought of a pickpocket. Fortunately, Mr. Leclair recognizes the child and vouches for him. Mr. Leclair and Miss Towler return Gordon to his worried family who thought that the boy had simply run away. Soon they learn that Gordon had gone to check the department store he will solely inherit upon the death of his father. The statement shocked Gordon’s sisters who are unaware of their father’s desire for Gordon to be the sole heir of his business and his belief that commerce is a man’s world. Rose, on the other hand, becomes upset at her son’s presupposition of his father’s premature death. Her anger stems from the guilt of the fight he had with her husband that led to his car accident. Meanwhile, Mr. Leclair and Miss Towler make their way back to the store and Mr. Leclair conveys his observation of Miss Towler and Gordon. He finds her good with children and a fitting mother, but is surprised to hear that Miss Towler has no desire of starting a family just yet. He learns that Miss Towler does have a boyfriend whose company she is not completely enjoying. Miss Towler, on the other hand, learns that Mr. Leclair’s French lover is in New York, too far to maintain a relationship. Moreover, she learns that Mr. Leclair has become infatuated with an ingénue in England whom he fears will become frightened of him the instant he courts her. Miss Towler recommends that he wait for the ingénue to which Mr. Leclair agrees.
Mr. Grove decides to distract himself from the death of his wife and comes to work to take charge of Selfridges in Mr. Selfridge’s absence. He begins to show ineptness when asked for a recommendation for the empty window display. The window was to display the luxury sports car that Mr. Selfridge regrettably crashed. His incompetence surfaces when confronted with the Suffragettes’ issue. Miss Ravillious brings forth the need for a strategy to avoid the wrath of the destructive Suffragettes and Mr. Grove could offer none. Moreover, he forbids the Suffragettes entry to Selfridges and orders Mr. Perez to cancel the Tuesday luncheon the women have at the Palm Court. News of the forbiddance of Suffragettes at Selfridges riles Lady Loxley, a Suffragette herself, who with the blessing of Mr. Selfridge has been meeting with the movement at The Palm Court on a weekly basis. Lady Loxley confronts Mr. Grove of his decision to bar the Suffragettes from Selfridges. Mr. Grove refuses to reinstate the scheduled Suffragettes lunch at the Palm Court and affronts Lady Loxley with his claim that women do not have the aptitude for politics. Lady Loxley warns them about the violence that might come to Selfridges. Mr. Crabb is in disagreement with Mr. Grove’s decision and believes that Mr. Selfridge would have taken advantage of the Suffragette march instead of receiving their ire. Mr. Grove maintains his intransigence and refuses the advice of Mr. Crabb. Mr. Crabb enlists the help of all department heads to prevent an impending disaster. Miss Mardle accompanies Mr. Grove on his walk home as per Mr. Crabb’s instruction. The department heads led by Mr. Crabb assemble the employees as soon as Mr. Grove stepped out of the department store. Mr. Crabb conveys his understanding that Mr. Selfridge has endorsed The Suffragettes for they embody progress. He believes that emancipated women are the future and going against the Suffragettes would be disastrous for Selfridges. Mr. Crabb and the department heads have put together a plan to appease the Suffragettes and ask their staff, without mandating them, to work overtime to implement the plan. Much to Agnes’ surprise, Victor Colleano has decided not to help due to an appointment with a potential investor for the restaurant he dreams of opening. Little did she know that the person Victor is going to see is Lady Loxley with whom he began to have a love affair. She did sense that the person is a woman due to Victor’s decision to correct himself in order to hide the gender of his investor. Agnes, however, welcomes Victor’s absence at the store for it allowed her to spend time with Mr. Leclair without his prying eyes. Meanwhile, Miss Mardle has done her duty and made sure that Mr. Grove has gone home. She, however, finds that the death of his wife ironically put an end to their affair due to the man’s guilt. Mr. Crabb is grateful to her and the dedication of Selfridges’ employees for rising up to the challenge and implementing the plan that will save Selfridges from the wrath of the Suffragettes. In return, he receives praise from Miss Ravillious, who found him inspirational.
Mr. Selfridge wakes from his coma confused and agitated at the sight of his deceased father that he screams for him to get out. Unfortunately, his family and doctor are unaware of his hallucination that they find his behavior disturbing. They continue to watch over him and later rejoice when Harry becomes fully conscious and cognitive. With his wife’s permission, Harry decides to walk to his department store and finds himself in the middle of the Suffragettes march demanding votes for women. The peaceful protest has turned sour when women began smashing windows of establishments leading the police to arrest them. Miss Ravillious worry of the destruction the women will cause once they pass Selfridges that she urges Mr. Leclair to open the unfinished window display they worked on all night. The Suffragettes reach Selfridges and they begin to protest in front of the establishment that forbade them entry. Mr. Selfridge watches in horror as one of the Suffragettes encourages her fellow protesters to smash the windows of their enemy. He and the Suffragettes are astounded when the curtains of the windows reveal a display purely in support of WSPU, the organization to which the Suffragettes belong. What would have been the sound of smashing windows became cheers and applause. Mr. Selfridge, however, still weak from his accident collapses. The Suffragettes gather to help him including a very young Suffragette, Violette Selfridge. Violette identifies the man as her father, Harry Gordon Selfridge. The Suffragettes cheer Mr. Selfridge.
Next Mr. Selfridge Episode Summary: Episode 7 of Season 1
Previous Mr. Selfridge Episode Summary: Episode 5 of Season 1
More Mr. Selfridge Episode Guides
Watch Episode 6 of Season 1
of Mr. Selfridge
0 Comments:
Post a Comment