At the beginning of the 3rd episode, Steph (Clare Calbraith) watches as Stanley (Chris Coghill) teaches his son how to use a gun. After the intro, Frances (Samantha Bond) speaks with Roger (Nick Sampson) and asks him about her husband’s potential affair with Helen. Roger remains mum and insists his professional relationship with Peter will not allow him to disclose such information. Little Stan (Brian Fletcher) steals his family’s supplies and sells them to Mrs. Talbot (Phillipa Peak) at a much higher price. Joyce (Francesca Annis) and the other women get together for a meeting. Joyce lets them know about the town’s black market problem.
Pat (Claire Rushbrook) manages to convince Joyce that she should meet with the Czech commander in person and invite him to an upcoming event. At the clinic, Will (Ed Stoppard) and Erica (Frances Grey) discuss their current financial problem. They consider offering their services to the Czechs. Later, Joyce contacts her husband by phone. They speak about the current war situation and Jenny (Jodie Hamblet) overhears Joyce say something about swastikas flying over parliament. Jenny writes the information down. Sarah (Ruth Gemmell) pays a visit to Nick (Mark Umbers). She tells him about the invitation to the Czechs. Sarah requests that Nick also send a few soldiers along in hopes of mending the relationship between the Czechs and the British. Nick quickly agrees to do so.
Meanwhile, Pat goes for a walk with Marek (Alexandre Willaume). They contemplate ending their relationship temporarily. Erica enters the camp to offer them Will’s services. During her visit, she spots Pat with Marek. In the morning, Joyce’s house is wrecked and she is accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. Bob (Mark Bazeley) is finally released from the hospital. Bob inquires about Pat’s dress, before demanding her to sell it or throw it away. Frances visits Alison (Fenella Woolgar) and asks her to join her team at the factory. Alison agrees to work for her friend in her spare time. Bryn (Daniel Ryan) speaks with his wife and tells her he will no longer visit the bus stop.
Bob returns to his writing. Pat tells him she has a shift at the exchange. He tries to force her to cancel it, but she refuses. Pat rushes outside where she runs into Erica. Erica agrees to watch over Bob, while Pat is away. Joyce and Spencer (Mike Noble) clean up Joyce’s house. They also discuss Claire (Daisy Badger) and her work at the exchange. Spencer remains convinced his wife wouldn’t listen in on calls. However, he admits some of the other women might. Bob’s typewriter breaks and Erica is forced to look for a spare part. She calls the exchange and learns that Pat isn’t at work. When Pat finally returns home, Bob is sound asleep. Erica requests to speak with her outside in private. Erica tells Pat she is playing a dangerous game.
Little Stan gets caught stealing supplies by Steph. Stanley is reluctant to punish his son. However, Steph forces him to give back the money. Joyce confronts Jenny and finds out she has indeed been listening in on phone calls. She also discovers Jenny’s notebook. Joyce takes the notebook and tells her to mind her own business from now on. Frances and Alison meet with Neil (Robert Beck) and Ian Lyons (Stephen Fletcher). Alison is left to work with the men. Meanwhile, the other men head to the meeting with the Czechs. Sarah dances with Nick, while Joyce watches closely. Joyce lets her know that she should be cautious of creating gossip. Sarah tries to fix the problem by encouraging Teresa (Leanne Best) to dance with Nick. Meanwhile, Frances meets with Helen’s father, Mrs. Lakin (Philip Lowrie).
During the conversation, Frances learns that Helen has a 11 year old son names Noah. It is also revealed that Peter took a liking to the boy right after he was born. Back at the party, Will tries to encourage Laura (Leila Mimmack) to dance. Tom (Rob Heaps) eventually cuts in and dances with Laura. Erica speaks with Will and tells him that the Czechs do not need any more doctors. However, they do need a pharmacist and would be happy to use Will’s services. Alison meets with DS Reynolds (Nigel Boyle) and tells him about the Lyons. She admits they seemed shady. Reynolds confirms they have been on the radar and encourages Alison to sign the contract, so they’ll finally have someone inside their organization. Alison seems hesitant to do so, since it could hurt Frances. Back at the party, Marek asks Pat to dance. Bob encourages her to do so.
During the dance, Pat tells Marek she thinks they should end their relationship. Teresa is introduced to a female pilot, Annie Carter (Jo Herbert). Frances finally arrives and seeks comfort from Sarah. Out of nowhere, the air raid siren sounds. Everyone is rushed to the bomb shelters. However, Spencer tells Claire he is going to see what he can do to help. In the shelter, Steph lashes out at Mrs. Talbot, before Stanley tells everyone about the Nazis and the impending invasion. Bob makes it known he is jealous of Pat dancing with Marek. Spencer discover an unexploded bomb very close to the bomb shelter. He lets those inside know, before Marek agrees to try and defuse it. Marek manages to successfully defuse the bomb and save everyone.
Miriam (Claire Price) and Bryn return to their shop. It has been damaged by the bomb, but not severely. Out of nowhere, David (Will Attenborough) finally returns. He is embraced by his parents. While David is changing clothes, Miriam discovers scars all over the boy’s back.
Home Fires Review
The 3rd episode of Home Fires was good by all accounts. Will and Erica managed to avoid potential financial destruction by offering their services to the Czech soldiers. Teresa was introduced to a potential love interest, while Frances learned more about her husband’s affair. Also, Stanley has continued to spiral out of control. More surprisingly, David returned. However, it appears David has brought back many troubles with him.
The series is very bleak and manages to examine war from a unique angle. While we’ve seen very little bloodshed, we can tell how horrendous war truly is just by looking at Stanley and David. More importantly, Home Fires proves that soldiers aren’t the only ones that suffer. An 8 out of 10 is deserved. Catch up with previous recaps of Home Fires now!
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
