The Buccaneers – Season 2 Episode 1 'The Duchess of Tintagel' Recap & Review

The Review Geek

19 hours ago

The Duchess of Tintagel
Episode 1 of The Buccaneers season 2 starts with Nan and Theo's big wedding, shortly after Jinny and Guy's departure. There are very clearly tensions here and not everybody is happy. Nan obviously loves Guy but the wedding was more for convenience and protecting her sister. However, she's also now the Duchess of Tintagel, and that comes with a certain responsibility she needs to live up to.
Patti is similarly in quite the conundrum though. Having found out that Nan's birth mother is inside the castle, she's not sure how to play this. Having lied to Nan about her parentage, she's worried that Nan will never forgive her for this when she learns the truth.
Patti searches around the party for this mystery woman, only to find that it's none other than Nell. Nell is Patti's sister and there's a rather awkward moment when Patti has to introduce Nell (Patti's birth mother) as her sister. Across this episode though, we do learn why they're so estranged.
It turns out Nell had an affair with Patti's husband, right off the back of giving birth to Jinny. Patti knew that her husband was a cheater, but being betrayed by her own sister is something she's struggled to forgive all this time.
When Nell then fell pregnant and left Nan with Patti, she raised Nan as her own and broke off connections with Nell. Only, with Nell back in the picture and looking to mend things, it could be problematic.
Patti was always the one who helped Nell stop 'swimming in a wild river', and without that anchor, Nell has struggled. Eventually the sisters do manage to patch up their differences but Nell wants Nan to know the truth, because playing as a consolation prize isn't good enough. Nell isn't going to do this herself though, hinting that she wants her sister to be the one to break the news.
Nan is too busy spiralling at the party about her choice. Although she knows Jinny will be safe, her feelings don't just wane so simply. She winds up walking around the grounds with Nell, who convinces her that marrying the Duke is the best decision she could have made.
When Theo shows up, the pair wind up down at the beach together and make love. Unfortunately, she just thinks of Guy the whole time.
Interestingly, we have the blossoms of a new romance on the horizon at this party. Hector Robinson is suave, handsome and good with kids. He catches the eye of Lizzy, and the pair wind up trading glances together. When they do eventually talk later on, agreeing to go for a dance together, Lizzy's sister watches them from the window. It's quite an amusing moment and it teases that we've got more to come in the future.
The next day, Conchita speaks to Richard about their current situation. We learned last season that her father has lost all of his money, the same money that could have helped them move back to the US and start fresh. To make matters worse, Richard's father, the current Lord, could well be dying soon. This means that the title of Lord Brightlingsea and his fiscal responsibilities will move to Richard.
Conchita and Richard were so close to 'leaving a sinking ship' and unfortunately they've been pulled right back into the thick of things. Conchita tries to take the reigns and offers to sell a number of different things, like their summer house, but they're met with stern rejections from the current Lord and Lady.
That afternoon, things take an awkward turn when Nell says goodbye. Patti admits that its been 19 years since she and Nell fell out, and it seems she's starting to put the pieces together over who her birth mum is. Nell saying 'I'm so proud of you,' before she leaves, also seems to help seal the deal too!
With Patti and Nell gone, Nan is confronted by Seadown who demands to know where Jinny is. James threatens to find her no matter what and it's clear this is far from over.
The Dowager reassures Nan that she's safe, but with Jinny's name plastered over the papers and Seadown's perseveration, she's worried that their carefully constructed plan could be undone. However, the Dowager believes that Nan's role now is to stand behind her husband and behave as a Lady, waiting for this all to blow over.
Nan makes a bold call and instead of wearing black as instructed to the ball, she decides to rock up in bright red, steering the conversation away from her sister and making a splash in the process.
The Episode Review
So The Buccaneers is back, with the same colloquialistic music and style we saw in the first season. Patti's dilemma is made all the more difficult by her sister's arrival at the wedding, and it remains to be seen right now whether she will be a consistent character throughout the season or not.
One thing we do know though is that James Seadown is not just going to let Jinny run off into the sunset for her happily ever after. He's determined to find her and that's only going to cause more drama in the episodes ahead.
Nan deciding to wear that red dress is a smart move to try and direct the convo away from her sister, but there's only so long that this will last. Whether she'll manage to weather the storm or not, is still to be decided.
Previous Episode
Next Episode
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!