At the beginning of the second series, Steph Farrow (Clare Calbraith) and the other women watch as soldiers march through the town. After the intro, Frances Barden (Samantha Bond) and the others feed the soldiers. We learn that the soldiers were forced to fight their way out Czechoslovakia. Sarah Collingborne (Ruth Gemmell) speaks with Frances and invites her to say a few words about Adam at the upcoming silencing of the church bells. Frances insists it would be best for the vicar’s wife to speak on his behalf. Laura Campbell (Leila Mimmack) is removed from the force, due to her relationship with Bowers.

Laura makes it known that is displeased with the decision. She complains about her removal, while Bowers will be let off with a slap on the wrist. Miriam Brindsley (Claire Price) attempts to gain information about her son. She learns that the requested information is not available to the public at this time. Nonetheless, Miriam makes it clear she will continue pushing, until she gets the answers she deserves. At work, Pat (Claire Rushbrook) learns that her work colleague, Jenny Marshall (Jodie Hamblet), has started listening in on the locals’ phone calls. Pat tries to convince her that she is making a bad decision, but Jenny insists she is doing a public service. Next, Sarah discovers that Nick Lucas (Mark Umbers) has returned to town.

As Pat strolls through town, she is knocked to the ground by two men fighting. Marek Novotny (Alexandre Willaume) stops the fight and introduces himself to Pat. He tries his best to apologize, but doesn’t get very far. Laura returns home and explains the situation to Erica (Frances Grey). At work, Will (Ed Stoppard) is encouraged by Kate (Rachel Hurd-Wood) to get treatment for his cancer. In return, he tells her to go back to school and become a nurse as she previous intended.  Miriam returns to the butcher shop. She speaks with Bryn (Daniel Ryan), who insists she should drop her pursuit. He admits the army cannot give away certain information, as it could be a threat to the nation. In the morning, Bryn gets out of bed early and watches as the bus arrives. Unsurprisingly, his son doesn’t show.

Mrs. Esposito (Ania Marson) is harassed by a group of children, because of her nationality. Teresa Fenchurch (Leanne Best) steps in and puts a stop to the nonsense. Teresa learns that Esposito doesn’t agrees with Mussolini’s regime. Meanwhile, Pat receives a visit by Marek. She is given flowers and agrees to fix Marek’s sister in exchange for his kindness. At the school, Teresa gives her kids a lesson about Esposito, who has lived in the area for 19 years. She also forces them to write the woman letters to apologize. During this time, we watch as Claire (Daisy Badger) and Spencer (Mike Noble) get married. Pat and her new friend go for a stroll. She invites her new friend to the bell silencing event. After learning about Laura’s situation, Will decides to speak with Bowers.

Will tries to convince the man to remove Laura’s name from the divorce proceedings. He admits he cannot do that, since it was his wife’s decision. Will punches him in the face before departing. Sarah returns home and receives a letter from a soldier. Meanwhile, Alison Scotlock (Fenella Woolgar) receives a visit from a detective. The man agrees to drop the charges, if Alison considers putting her skills to use for her country. Spencer and Claire agree to tell their family about the marriage over dinner. Sarah speaks with Frances and tells her that her husband has been captured and is being held prisoner. Frances tries to convince her friend to make a statement about the situation during the silencing ceremony. Seconds later, Teresa gets a shock when Alison comes strolling through the door. Laura tries to come to grips with her name and affair with Bowers being made public.

Kate reveals she has been accepted into a nursing school. She uses her actions to try and convince Will to get the treatment he needs. He finally relents and agrees to do so. Spencer calls home and tells his mother about the marriage. Jenny listens to the call. Mareck returns to Pat’s house and retrieves his shirt. She also admits he has scheduled several soldiers to attend the ceremony. Next, Frances says goodbye to Peter (Anthony Calf) as he leaves town. Jenny arrives and tells Frances about Claire’s marriage to Spencer. Mrs. Esposito is taken into custody. Little Stan (Brian Fletcher) seems happy, but the others are upset with the decision. Next, the ceremony begins. Sarah enters and tells everyone about Reverend Collingborne’s capture. Outside of the church, Claire and Spencer are confronted about the marriage.

At first, Jenny thinks she has gotten one over on the couple. However, the community celebrates the marriage and sends Jenny off in a fit of anger. Alison calls the detective and agrees to help. A car crashes in town. It is discovered that the driver is Peter Barden. Also, Bob Simms (Mark Bazeley) returns to the village with a minor leg injury.

 

Home Fires Review

With the long time period between season 1 and season 2, I had forgotten how good Home Fires was. While the series is a little cliché and cheesy in a romantic sense, it is very deep and manages to bring the emotions. The opening of series 2 perfectly carried over the events of the previous season, while establishing a base for the remainder of this season.

All in all, the opener was a good start. An 8 out of 10 is deserved.