OUTRAGEOUS Recap: (S01E05) Episode 5

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4 days ago

Family ties are tested yet again in Outrageous Season 1 Episode 5, as Unity (Shannon Watson) moves even further away from her closest sister, Jessica (Zoe Brough), to be with Hitler (Paul Giddings). Nancy's (Bessie Carter) attempt to close gaps between the sisters distracts her from issues closer to her own home.
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Something about the way the Mitfords approach life in Outrageous seems to reinforce everything Jessica says about the inequality in society. When Farve (James Purefoy) comments on how strange it seems to him for the new money people to own land they can't enjoy, or Peter (Jamie Blackley) complains about the daily grind of being part of the working class, they sound like echoes of a dying social order. But as Nancy says, hindsight would change many people's decisions. Image Credit: Celia Rice (BritBox) Outrageous, Season 1 Episode 5
Nancy, Peter, Mary (Ruby Thomas), and Tony party at Nancy and Peter's place in a montage of scenes of them dancing, smoking, and drinking. Nancy's voiceover claims that she and Peter are back on track now that he's working and they've paid off their debts. She adds that their friendship with the other couple is very dear to her, as Diana (Joanna Vanderham) refuses to see her since the car accident.
In the hospital, Muv (Anna Chancellor), Farve, and Tom (Toby Regbo) visit Diana, who lies bandaged in a medical bed. As Farve mutters his dislike of hospitals, Muv informs Diana that Unity is living at The Fortress, but isn't happy about it. The doctors have ordered two more weeks of bed rest in the hospital. Diana recognizes that Farve doesn't approve, and when the others step out, she convinces him to break her out of the hospital so she can convalesce in Italy with Mosley (Joshua Sasse). To ease his feelings about their affair, she assures him that they will be married within the year. The nurse rushes Farve out. Diana begs him to help her as he leaves.
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At Nancy's home, she serves tea to Mary. She thanks her for the good influence she and Tony have had on Peter. Mary denies any involvement in turning him around. Nancy observes that female friends are far less complicated than sisters. She hopes she and Peter have a boy when they start a family and asks Mary to be his godmother when the time comes. Missions Accomplished
Under the cover of the night, Farve leads Diana out through the hospital corridor and down a spiral fire escape stairwell. Once they're safe in the car, they break out in triumphant laughter and drive off.
At The Fortress, Unity takes her pet rat from its cage. Cuddling it, she looks out the window with a frown. She carries the rat to the middle of a field, bids it a solemn goodbye, and releases it. Returning to the house, she marches directly to Farve's study, where she finds him with Muv. Asking him to take a seat, she apologizes for upsetting them with her letter, but not for writing it. She argues that in Germany, her views are not unusual. Based on that, she proposes that she return to Munich and make it her permanent home.
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When her parents object, she tells them they can cut off her allowance because she'll ask Hitler to pay her school fees. Reminding them that her friendship with him is the most important thing on earth to her, she invites them to meet him so they can understand her love for him. With that, she leaves. Left alone, her parents wonder at how their daughters could've grown into such strange people.
Upstairs, Unity finds Jessica playing the piano. Unity confirms that she leaves for Munich in the morning. Jessica says she hates everything Unity wrote in her letter. Unity understands but declares she still loves her. Jessica plays a rendition of 'St. James Infirmary Blues,' inserting their pet name for each other into the song, singing it through tears. Intimate Matters
Nancy waits up for Peter, reading magazine articles about getting pregnant. When he arrives, he tells her he'll be gone for a few days for work, leaving in the morning. She's impressed he's getting so much responsibility at the bank. When she tries to initiate lovemaking, he insists that he needs to rest.
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Meanwhile, in the Bay of Naples, Diana's recovery involves a lot of time in bed with Mosley. She tells him that the accident has made her consider how much she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. Mosley withdraws and reminds her that the press would make their getting married a huge scandal. She points out that if they wanted to start a family, they could get married in secret somewhere abroad so that if she were to get pregnant, their child would be legitimate. Mosley counters with the fact that marriage bans would need to be posted in the British Embassy. The press could still learn about a secret wedding that way. Homefront
At the Fortress, Jessica sits on a swing, reading Esmond and Giles Romilly's book, Out of Bounds . From the house, Muv and Nancy watch her. Muv reminisces about when all the girls got along together as children. Nancy offers to talk to Jessica. Muv appreciates that. She tells Nancy that Jessica has over 50 pounds in her 'Running Away Fund' jar. Considering how extreme Unity has become, she's quite concerned that Jessica might actually carry out her plan.
Nancy walks out to the swing. She asks Jessica to come stay with her in London while Peter's away. They can drink champagne and eat oysters, and have some fun. Jessica declines. Nancy teases her, saying she used to be fun. Jessica retorts that she grew up and realized that most people don't have fun lives. Unable to get through to her with words, Nancy jumps onto the swing behind Jessica and forces her to swing with her. From her vantage point in the house, Muv smiles as it looks like the girls are cavorting like in their younger days.
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Diana visits Unity in Munich. She tells Unity that she and Mosley want to get married. However, it needs to be secret. She proposes that they get married in Germany, where Hitler could order the bans not to be published. Unity thinks it's a grand idea. Diana shares that Hitler and Mosley's meeting didn't go very well, so she and Unity will have to charm Hitler into agreeing.
Unity tells Diana about her last lunch with Hitler, where he told her the Nazis had done some research and learned that Unity is related to Churchill. He expressed an interest in meeting Churchill. Diana finds this fascinating.
In London, Joss (Will Attenborough) reads a newspaper article to Nancy about anti-Semitic attacks occurring in London, promoted by fascists. Joss explains how Mosley denies any wrongdoing by the British Union of Fascists (BUF) as a party, insisting it's a small minority of uncontrollable members who are the bad actors. Nancy asks what they can do to counteract the BUF. Joss suggests they speak up by demonstrating and campaigning against the fascist messaging. Nancy pledges her support. January 1936 – The Changing of the Guard on Outrageous
A man in a bowler hat walks through the gates to the Mitford estate and approaches the house. Inside the house, Muv and Farve listen to the radio newsreader announce the death of King George V. They are both heartbroken by the news.
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The man is told Lord Redesdale will be minute. Nancy peeks out from the sitting room and reports to Pamela (Isobel Jesper Jones) that the visitor looks like a debt collector. Pamela tells Nancy that Diana's had another abortion. She mentions that Diana talked about how good Nancy was to her the last time she visited the clinic. Nancy points out that Diana could reach out whenever she feels like it.
Deborah (Orla Hill) bursts in, excited to go on another outing with Derek Jackson (Jack Michael Stacey). Pamela has to play chaperone again. Before she leaves, she suggests that Nancy try talking to Diana again.
Recovered from the news of the king's death, Farve strides out to meet the man in the hall, addressing him as MacKinnon (Tom Milligan). He quickly heads out, expecting MacKinnon to follow, to show him around the estate. Jessica watches them leave from an upstairs window, then turns back to work on her Esmond Romilly (scrapbook.
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After giving MacKinnon an extensive tour of the land, Farve discusses renting the homestead to him with Muv before bed. He tells her MacKinnon works in the city and plans on commuting to London every day by train. They'll be renting for six months and will keep the staff on if they want to stay. Muv puts a silver lining on the situation, hoping that Jessica makes some friends once they're in London. July 1936
Pamela pops a bottle of champagne at Diana's house. She congratulates Diana on her upcoming wedding. Diana reminds her that only Unity, Pamela, Tom, Muv, and Farve know about it. The maid announces Winston Churchill (Robert Daws) to Pamela's surprise.
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Diana greets him, hands him a glass of champagne, and gently introduces the idea of him meeting with Hitler. Churchill emphatically states that it is out of the question. Before leaving, he cautions Diana against throwing in with Hitler and the Nazis. Pamela looks disgusted by the entire exchange. She questions Diana's attempt to puppet a meeting like this. Diana shrugs off the failure, parroting Mosley's comments that Churchill is out of touch.
Jessica and Nancy watch a newsreel about the Civil War in Spain in the cinema. News that people are flocking to help the communists fight the fascists excites Jessica. Afterward, she defends the actions of the fighters to Nancy, who wishes people could just get along. She reveals that Esmond has already enlisted to fight in Spain. Nancy sees the look on Jessica's face and forbids her to follow Esmond. Wide-eyed and innocent, Jessica asks how she could get to Spain. With a suspicious side-eye, Nancy reluctantly accepts that as a promise. Outrageous – Photographer: Kevin Baker – Courtesy of BritBox
They return to the family's flat, where the workmen are making a racket trying to fix the ventilation. Nancy reports to Muv that Jessica seems cheerier. Nancy decides to go home instead of staying the night so she can get away from the noise of the workmen. At the dining table, Jessica finds the address for Esmond's publisher on the book's back cover. She starts a letter.
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In Munich, Unity rushes to Hitler's personal residence for dinner, dressed in a showy evening gown and worrying that she's wearing too much lipstick. She's ecstatic at the invitation, wondering if she'll be dining with him alone or with a larger group of people. The officer escorting her waits until she's shown her paperwork to the guards. He calls out as she hurries inside that he'll wait and see her later.
Nancy gets home and finds Peter in their bed with Mary. After the initial shock wears off, she takes his wallet and leaves the house. She finds a restaurant about to close and hands them a wad of cash to bring her a bottle of champagne and a dozen oysters. She is determined to have fun, no matter how outrageous that seems.
Outrageous streams on BritBox, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on July 8 Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.