Of course, the results of Guy’s letter would rear its ugly head earlier than later. In “Failed Betrayal” (The Buccaneers Episode 5), a gathering at Guy’s mother and father’ home brings new dynamics into the fold and illuminates what we’ve identified all alongside for some characters.
The largest elephant within the room is Guy’s love confession, which was intercepted by his finest good friend Theo (the Duke) in New York. To Guy’s credit score, he initially acts fully regular with each Nan and Theo after they arrive at his dwelling — even when Theo goes out of his strategy to invite Guy’s former flame Jean to the house and when Guy and Nan sexually chop wooden collectively. The wooden chopping episode provides them a second to essentially speak and Guy reminisces about his late mom and the way he hopes to at some point emulate his mother and father “marriage of equals.” As he waxes philosophical about eager to marry his finest good friend, the wheels begin turning for Nan about her personal emotions for him and the way completely different her relationship with Theo feels to the one she has with Guy.
Still, it’s not till Nan and Guy discover one another whereas taking part in a recreation in a maze on the grounds that she is made conscious of the letter. When she finds him, obscured by the tall manicured bushes, she makes an announcement that looks as if it may apply as a lot to her relationship with Theo because it may to Guy’s non-relationship with Jean. Nan fears that Jean isn’t his finest good friend, an statement that he corroborates. He’s not fascinated about Jean, he confesses, earlier than asking concerning the telegram. But when he realizes she by no means acquired it, he realizes whose arms it ended up in and runs off to search out Theo.
Nan’s wheels are turning as soon as once more and when she runs into Conchita within the maze, she dumps her confusion on her finest good friend. Conchita is giddy as a result of she loves any sort of drama and for as soon as, she doesn’t make it about her (regardless that she may, as a result of she’s formally moved out of Richard’s dwelling with their child). She encourages Nan to assume arduous about what really makes her glad and Nan describes Guy as somebody who angers and infuriates her, veering into Pride and Prejudice territory that I’m unsure the present has essentially earned in its characterizations: Guy and Nan’s solely tiff to date was when he left after she advised him about her parentage, which is hardly grounds for an enemies to lovers plot. But nonetheless, talking about their dynamic to Conchita sparks one thing in Nan (“love is a coronary heart assault,” Conchita tells her), and he or she goes off to confront Guy.
Atop a belltower, she goes in on him. But Guy is ready, and says all the proper issues again to her — together with that he’s “desperately in love” along with her, and that’s sufficient to interrupt the dam. Their lips are collectively all of a sudden, passionately, till Nan remembers that she’s engaged to his finest good friend. She runs away and he chases her into the backyard, the place they arrive throughout the Duke. He’s not dumb and instantly is aware of one thing is up, and decides to hit him the place it hurts probably the most: his pockets.
Theo makes a dig at Guy by insinuating that he doesn’t have the money to play a recreation of poker, however Guy rises to the problem. In a recreation that fittingly winds up being simply Theo, Nan, and Guy on the finish, truths come to the floor. Theo taunts Guy about his 15-year successful streak to which Guy retorts, “you’ve overwhelmed me each single day of our lives in quite a few methods. Doesn’t imply you at all times will,” earlier than dropping an anticipated game-winning hand of three aces. This upsets Theo and he lastly lets the cat out of the bag about Guy’s quest to discover a wealthy American bride to bolster his household’s funds.
Nan is horrified that the whole lot they shared earlier could have been a lie. She really holds the successful hand — all 4 Queens — however pronounces that she has “completely nothing in any respect” after this bombshell. Later, when Guy is basically exiled from his personal social gathering, Nan tells him that she believed they had been buddies and for a short time was scared they had been one thing extra, however now they’re neither. Though Theo involves make amends on the finish of the episode and even gives to assist his good friend’s monetary scenario, Guy doesn’t settle for his assist. He’s misplaced the whole lot.
Jinny and Lizzy, blissfully unaware of Nan’s love triangle drama, get to spend time collectively after an extended whereas. James remains to be a darkish cloud hanging over their friendship — he’s nonetheless a menacing presence for Lizzy — however after Lizzy half-confesses about her humiliation (with out naming names), she realizes that it’s “his disgrace and it’s not mine to maintain.”
From then, Lizzy is a modified lady. She convinces Jinny to disobey James within the maze when he asks her to wave a white handkerchief for him to search out her (the handkerchief is waved, however James finds Lizzy on the different finish of it taunting him), and the buddies escape the maze to have a quiet afternoon alone, simply the 2 of them. Jinny even admits that regardless of how James is sure to react, it was value it.
When she does return, she instantly apologizes to James for being absent and he’s surprisingly understanding — which may solely imply that one thing sinister will probably be lurking in a while. James is a professional at performing correct in blended firm and displaying his actual colours behind closed doorways. And positive sufficient, when Jinny arrives at their room at evening, she finds that he’s locked her out. Humiliated, she sits outdoors of the door till he lastly opens it a crack and lets her again in. Who is aware of what horrors await her contained in the room, however Jinny’s inherent concern of her husband is clear.
Meanwhile Mabel and Honoria consummate their love for one another, nevertheless it doesn’t go in response to plan. After working off collectively in the course of the maze and hooking up in a smaller personal cottage on the sting of the property, Mabel begins to really feel uneasy about each their relationship and her sexuality. She runs off, blaming their perceived noticeable absence within the bigger group, earlier than unleashing her true emotions on Honoria: “our complete lives are pretending!” Mabel desires to have the ability to maintain arms and dance and get a hoop for her love, the identical manner her straight counterparts would, however she is aware of that’s not the fact they reside in. She tells Honoria that “pretending bores her” earlier than storming off.
It’s actually not the primary time that Mabel has been intimate with one other lady — we noticed her kissing a servant in a earlier episode — however her outburst makes it really feel as if her emotions for Honoria are actual, which makes their actuality damage much more.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed author primarily based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and extra. At any given second, she will ruminate at size over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the proper slice of pizza. You could name her Rad.
