After an explosive Christmas, things don’t necessarily settle down for our Buccaneers at New Year’s. The gang gathers once again at the Marable home to ring in the new year at midnight in “First Footing” (The Buccaneers Season 1, Episode 7), but all anyone can gossip about is the news about Nan’s mom. The secret is out and the mastermind Jinny has to face her parents who have made the long trek to England to surprise their daughters. Sweet, perfect Mrs. St. George isn’t impressed by her daughter’s indiscretion even as Jinny tries to spin this as something she did with Nan’s best interests at heart.
Nan hasn’t forgiven her sister — nor should she until she gets a real apology — and the weight of the whispers about her are heavy on her shoulders. She finds solace in, who else, but Guy, where they have an utterly gorgeous romantic time lying on the roof together, away from the noise of the party. Nan can really open up to Guy in a way that she can’t with Theo, and with their hands centimeters from touching he tells her that she shouldn’t let the gossip make her ashamed of who she is. Just like a boyfriend would.
When Mrs. St. George sees the two of them together, she has a knowing look in her eye as she observes her daughter with her so-called friend. And Nan’s mom isn’t the only one who sees it — Theo knows that even though Nan technically chose him, there are still some deeply unresolved feelings under the surface for both her and Guy. So he does what any man driven to madness by uncertainty would do: he outs the contents of Guy’s telegram to Nan after a public fist fight with his oldest friend.
To be more specific, he forces Guy to recite the letter exactly as written in front of both of them as he watches closely for her reaction. At the end of his recitation Guy mentions the issue of her parentage, and sensing her escape hatch, Nan latches onto this tidbit as a reason to storm away. She’s upset that Theo knew about her mom and didn’t say anything to her, she claims. Theo, to his credit, says that it wasn’t his secret to tell and correctly points out that this revelation isn’t the part she was reacting to. When she retorts that this isn’t about Theo or Guy but rather about her, Theo responds savagely: “isn’t everything?”
Guy and Theo’s friendship may be forever changed, and how could it not? Though Guy apologizes and owns up to the fact that he never should have sent that telegram, when they say their goodbyes at the end of the episode, Guy slips a “your grace” in that feels entirely cold and without a hint of humor. They hug with finality; it’s the kind of goodbye that feels permanent, the kind that feels irrevocable.
While Nan’s love triangle plays out, Jinny is dealing with the consequences of her actions, finding it harder and harder to turn a blind eye to the menace that is her husband James. He picks on Lizzy again during a game where she’s blindfolded and has to guess who she physically runs into based on the contours of their face.
“Funny you don’t know me when I know every inch of you,” he creepily whispers to Lizzy, who immediately takes off her blindfold and runs away. It’s wild that James just inserts himself into these situations without caring whether someone will see him, but he truly just does whatever he wants — and seemingly without consequence. When Lizzy runs into Jinny, who has been observing things from afar, she gives her a piece of her mind.
Jinny knows better than to run her mouth with James again, so she does the next best thing: she runs away. Clutching her stomach (uh oh, I don’t like what that’s insinuating), she rushes into an awaiting carriage in the front of the house and sets off without a destination. Whether it’s pregnancy or because she’s sick to her stomach about the way her life is turning out remains to be seen, but either way she eventually turns around and heads back to the party to face her husband.
The St. George girls, all clad in green, are exuding different takes on the color: jealousy, rebirth, and hope. While her daughters are navigating their disparate boy problems, Mrs. St. George throws in the towel on her marriage — again. This time, she says she means it and I’m inclined to believe her. The only problem is that she’s cited Nan’s marriage to the Duke as her financial backup plan, and Nan’s wedding is very much up in the air (even if Guy has moved on and asked Jean to marry him).
“First Footing” finally gives us an answer to the sordid relationship between Richard and his former governess Miss Testvalley: they used to be intimate. Honoria subtly shares her knowledge of the affair before reminding him how happy he is with Conchita, and the sibling moment gives Richard the courage to come clean to his mother. Except, his mother reveals that she knew about the affair — why else did Miss Testvalley get sent away the first time? — and positively shuts him down when he tries to speak to her about his feelings, even when he says he thought he was in love with her but feels confused about it when looking back. In line with the rest of the show, it’s a neat juxtaposition between English and American values and showrunner Katherine Jakeways isn’t shy about where she stands on that debate.
But the conversation (or lack thereof) gives Richard the clarity he’s needed about his family. He goes to Conchita, conceding that he never should have brought her here where they “suffocate you with silence.” With only one episode left in this season, it seems the Americans have won.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.