As the episode starts, we see John Beecham (Tom Bateman) contemplating his situation. Meanwhile, Chanchal (Shriya Pilgaonkar) wakes up sick to her stomach. Maya (Trupti Khamkar) notices and immediately believes that something is wrong. John sits down with Chandrika (Pallavi Sharda) so they can chat about their relationship. Chandrika believes that they should be together but John does not. He explains that he has feelings for Margaret Osborne (Dakota Blue Richards). Moments later, John and Henrietta (Lesley Nicol) turn their attention to Daniel (Leo Suter). His mother does not want him to return to the company since she fears for his safety.

John doesn’t believe that he should go but Daniel doesn’t believe he has a choice. Daniel encourages John to do something with the diamond as soon as possible. John says goodbye to his brother and tells him to come back safely. He explains that he needs to get in touch with Osborne. Maya tells Ram Lal (Amer Chadha-Patel) about Chanchal’s current predicament. John visits his neighbor and speaks with Murad Beg (Adil Ray). John learns that Margaret has left after taking a position in Meerut. When John returns home, Samuel (Marc Warren) tells him that he has found several potential buyers for the diamond.

John tells Ram Lal that he intends to go after Margaret. Before he can, he is told about Daniel getting Chanchel pregnant. Daniel enters the house and gets into a fight with Daniel. He tells his brother that he cannot rejoin the company now that he is going to be a father. General Castillion (Gregory Fitoussi) and a small army interrupt. They search the house and find the diamond. Castillion gives Samuel a beating to make things look good before John is led away. John is taken in front of Emperor Shah Alam (Roshan Seth) and asked how he got the diamond. The Emperor believes that someone on the inside helped him. John does not squeal on Prince Akbar.

John is locked up in a cell and interrogated by General Castillion. Back at Beecham house, Ram Lal and Daniel discuss what they can do to help John. They believe that Margaret will be able to help since she knows the Empress. Daniel becomes suspicious of Samuel and decides to keep an eye on him. Chandrika tells Henrietta that she wants to take the child away from the chaos. Daniel says that he will be fine since he is going to fill in until John returns. Chandrika agrees to leave without taking August with her. Henrietta gives up on her opium and tosses the remaining bit out. The Prince speaks with the Empress. Prince Akbar believes that he should say something to his father.

The Empress does not. Samuel tells Daniel that he is going to speak with Castillion. Daniel offers to join him but Samuel refuses to allow him to tag along. When Samuel Parker leaves, Daniel follows him. Samuel picks up a weapon from the market while John writes a note to Margaret. Daniel follows Samuel to Castillion’s palace. He steals a uniform from a soldier so he can sneak inside without being detected. John is taken from the cell and thrown into the fighting pit. He is told to fight Singh but John doesn’t want to. Samuel eventually gets involved and pulls a knife on John’s opponent. This stops the fight and John is taken back to the jail. Castillion tells Samuel that John cannot have visitors. Samuel wants Castillion to make good on his end of the bargain and send John to England with him.

Daniel sneaks into the jail and speaks with John. Again, he warns his brother that he cannot trust Samuel Parker. Before Daniel leaves, he is handed the note John has written for Margaret. Ram Lal catches up with Margaret’s carriage and encourages her to return. Later that night, we find out that Castillion is having an affair with the Empress and Daniel becomes concerned about Chanchal. Her condition has worsened. Daniel tells Baadal (Viveik Kalra) that he is worried about her. Soon, they find out that she has experienced a miscarriage. Baadal escorts Chanchal out of the house and takes her to his house so she can recover. Baadal and Maya agree to keep the miscarriage a secret.

Margaret returns and speaks with Daniel. He gives her the letter and warns her that they cannot trust Samuel Parker. Margaret reads the letter and finds out that John is in love with her. Prince Akbar visits John in the morning. The Prince promises to speak with his father when the time is right but his mother does not approve of it. Henrietta and Violet (Bessie Carter) consult with Margaret. In private, Violet tells Margaret that she has developed a relationship with Samuel. She apologizes for treating Margaret bad before. Samuel has been telling Violet that he will have a fortune back in London. Daniel tries to find out about Chanchal. Baadal says that she is safe and recuperating. Violet suggests that it might be for the best since having a baby with Daniel would be bad for both of them.

Samuel returns and tells the group he believes he can convince Castillion to let John go. Daniel is skeptical. Samuel and Violet leave a few moments later so Margaret speaks with Henrietta about their relationship. Henrietta admits that everything was very sudden. Once the conversation ends, Henrietta cares for August while Daniel and Margaret look through Samuel’s belongings. They learn that he is deep in debt. Chanchal has recovered and she is thankfully for Baadal helping her. Back at work, Baadal and Ram Lal argue about Chanchal not being back at work. Baadal says that he is in charge in this house. Margaret visits Castillion. He is not friendly with her now that he knows she betrayed him before.

She tells the general that Samuel is lying and is in crippling debt. He warns her that others might not willing to overlook her past deeds. At the end of the episode, John finally realizes that he has been betrayed by Samuel Parker.

 

Beecham House Review

I can see why people do not like Beecham House. The show feels a lot like a soap opera. Simultaneously, it is very slow and little has happened this season. I am not sure why it took so long for John to figure out he was being betrayed by Samuel. The show isn’t as good as Indian Summers but I sincerely believe it could get better.

However, I am not sure it’ll ever see a second season. The show failed for several reasons. First and foremost, it tried too hard to make John Beecham mysterious. That was unnecessary. Second, Henrietta was very annoying early on. The character felt like an attempt to bring comic relief to the show and it failed. I wish it would have stayed on the right path from the beginning.

If the creators would have focused on the main storyline of John and his enterprise, the show would have been so much better. Sadly, it was dragged down by cat fights, John’s mysterious history, and Henrietta’s screeching. I think it could have been a lot more successful if it would have focused on the main story from the start.

The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Beecham House before you go!