As the episode begins, Lydia Quigley (Lesley Manville) pays a visit to the Wells house. Nancy (Kate Fleetwood) confronts her at the door. Lydia says she is there to see Charlotte. Nancy isn’t going to let that happen. She sends Lydia away. Meanwhile, Catherine (Daisy Head) puts on makeup. Charlotte (Jessica Brown Findlay) has sex with Isaac (Alfie Allen). Isaac wants to talk afterward. Charlotte does not. As they leave, Emily Lacey (Holli Dempsey) spots them. She knows something is up. Charlotte speaks with William (Danny Sapani). He is preparing for the upcoming fight. They agree to split the winnings. Isabella (Liv Tyler) emerges. She says that she wants the fight to make the news so Sophia will see it.

Elizabeth enters with Lucy (Eloise Smyth). Lucy tells them that Elizabeth is her new business partner. Emily tries to convince Hal (Ash Hunter) and Chadwick to take her with them to the business meeting. She ends up being left behind. Mrs. May (Anna Calder-Marshall) learns about Catherine’s makeup. She tells Kate that she needs to learn how to accept being touched by a stranger. When Lydia returns, Catherine explains that she doesn’t want to stay here anymore. She believes she can make them enough money to move elsewhere. Hal becomes concerned that Isaac is sleeping with Charlotte. He denies it. William visits Lucy’s new brothel.

She gives him a jacket as a present. Fredo (Aidan Cheng) and the others hide the true nature of the tailor shop from William. Nancy tells Charlotte and Isabella about Lydia being out. She warns them not to underestimate her. Lydia tells May about her plan to sell out Catherine. May gives them money in return. Catherine finds out that her parents have declared her dead in the newspaper. Lydia insists it is good news. After all, she cannot be sent back to Bedlam now. She is free. Hal and the others meet with Jonas Young. Surprisingly, Margaret (Samantha Morton) is with him. She has become his wife. Jonas agrees to think about their offer.

Charlotte and Isabella get naughty. Isabella believes that Lydia doesn’t have more secret to hold over her. Charlotte isn’t so sure. They are sleeping together after all. Fredo finds out that his client, Croft, wants to be his lover. Croft steps out and speaks with Lucy. Croft pays for his fitting and gives a tip for Lucy’s discretion. Margaret speaks with Jonah about Isaac and Hal. She tells him that she needs to find her children. He agrees to go with her and wait outside. Lydia begins showing off Catherine. She learns that Anne (Ellie Heydon) is still with the Marquess (Julian Rhind-Tutt). Elizabeth gives May a doll.

She doesn’t have money. May threatens to break her legs if she doesn’t pay. The men attempt to buy Kate’s virginity. Lydia refuses to sell her to the Marquess. She agrees to consider another man’s offer. Nancy and Charlotte run into Isaac and the others. They ignore one another. Fredo tells Elizabeth about Croft. He explains that Croft believes he can change things. Elizabeth warns him to be careful. Elizabeth makes it to Charlotte’s place. She speaks with Fanny (Bronwyn James) briefly. Then, she surprises Will. Margaret confirms that she got married in order to return. The girls and Jacob arrive. Margaret admits she wants them to go to America with her.

Jack Lively (Alex Sawyer) sends away Lord Leadsom. Harriet (Pippa Bennett-Warner) tells him not to do that. Rani explains that Harriet needs his money to fund her children’s schooling and to pay the bills. Lucy tells Margaret that they’ve beat Lydia. Meanwhile, Kate receives a pair of shoes from Lydia. Charlotte tells Lucy about her relationship with Isaac. Lucy admits she doesn’t want to go to America. Emily finally joins Hal and Isaac. She is surprised when Margaret enters the room. Emily and Margaret speak outside. Emily wants to make the purchase. Nancy and William speak about Margaret. Nancy is surprised that she married.

William admits that Margaret never makes anything easy. Lydia gets ready for the night’s event. Kate explains that she wants to be called Kate Quigley now. Margaret and Jonas are invited to the boxing match. Jonas agrees to get the paperwork ready. Jack and John Kelly (Tom Christian) meet for the fight. Elizabeth flirts with William. This upsets Salabat. Isabella learns about her brother’s return. Then, she prepares to greet her guests. She makes a big splash. Lydia is right there to nag her on. She introduces Isabella and Charlotte to her daughter Kate. Nancy meets with Margaret. Jack becomes worried about Kelly’s size. Harriet gives him a little boost.

Fredo speaks with Croft in public. Lucy prevents him from doing something stupid. Isaac and Hal arrive at Isabella’s place. William is worried about Isaac and Hal being there. Lydia takes Kate into the ring. Bradley is eager to buy Kate. Isabella asks Lydia to leave. Lydia warns Isabella that she will not be going back to Bedlam before her. Then, she gets into a spat with Charlotte. Margaret tells Nancy about her struggle to get back to England to her family. Their conversation turns to Jonas (John Lynch). Then, Nancy tells Margaret about the fire. Nancy lies about it. Eventually, the truth comes out.

Margaret is not happy that Emily is hanging out with those responsible. Nancy promises that they’ve already obtained retribution. She encourages Margaret to stay out of it. Margaret believes she should tell Jonas not to sell to them. The fight finally begins. Lydia gets sick. Charlotte prevents Bradley from harassing Kate. Charlotte tells her to be careful around Lydia. William tells Jonas all about Jack. Isaac is upset that they’re so friendly. Nancy and Margaret watch the fight from a distance. Margaret tells Charlotte to fetch Jonas. Charlotte does so. Hal is worried that she is going to ruin the deal. Margaret warns Jonas about the Pincher brothers. Emily is worried. Hal tells Isaac to get Charlotte out of the picture.

Charlotte denies trying to sabotage the deal. Isaac drags her away. They make out. Jonas tells Hal that he doesn’t do business with arsonists. Chadwick confronts Emily. He asks her about the arson. Hal attacks Isaac. Charlotte is knocked over the banister. She crashes hard to the ground. It appears that she is still alive. Lydia and Kate find her. Jack wins the fight. Kate grabs Charlotte’s hand. Charlotte dies.

 

Harlots Review

Well, I never expected Charlotte to get killed. I guess that is one way to deal with having too many characters. The fight between Jack and John was completely overshadowed. In fact, it was a tad bit pointless by the time it even got started. Still, the episode was pretty good. Margaret has returned. There is a good chance that she’ll be staying around now. I am not so sure Lydia will be able to trap Kate in her web of deceit. On the other hand, Kate doesn’t have too many options.

This was a good episode. I can’t wait to see how the next one plays out. The episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Harlots before you leave!