The episode begins with Siobhan (Naoko Mori) asking Amandine Buckingham (Melia Kreiling) and Jamie Buckingham (James Corden) if they believe a loss is similar to betrayal. Jamie admits to being under stress as the opening for his restaurant is tonight. She questions if grief counseling is important to him. When he assures her it is, she asks if he’s concerned about not being good enough for his wife.

A female police officer (Sharan Atwal) asks Jamie what time he got home from the concert. He admits to arriving home about 9:30pm when Greta’s babysitter, Rachel was there. She asks if he heard anything. He tells her that his headphones were on while he worked on a menu in the kitchen. When she asks what was it valued at, he says the violin or Xbox before assuring her that he’d never been robbed before. A male police officer (Jules Brown) informs him that the crime is a burglary, not a robbery.

Dan, Jamie, and Amandine shop for a new violin. Dan (Samuel Anderson) suggests the police could obtain a blood sample from the scene for DNA testing. Jamie says the Metropolitan Police probably don’t collect DNA from London window-breakers. While waiting for a taxi, Dan and Amandine hug. Dan assures her that they’ll be there for her. Holding out cash, Jamie says thanks for your help today. Dan tells him that there is a cut on his hand. Jamie reminds him of his being a chef. Dan says today is a favor before telling “Ammy” that he’ll see her tonight at the opening.

Amandine suggests someone knew about the violin. Jamie reminds her of the Xbox also being stolen. After ordering the driver to stop, she tosses the violin in a trash bin. While Jamie retrieves the violin, she tells the driver to go.

Mr. Lewis (Karl Johnson) asks Lue Wilson (Sally Hawkins) if there is any news about the stag in the woods. She asks if the stag received a good burial. He informs her that the meat was utilized as food for his dogs.

Cherie (Andrea Hall) asks if he plays the violin. He sarcastically tells her it’s a Tommy gun. Clare (Pippa Duffy) asks what is a Orecchiette Tartufate. He tells her it’s egg-free pasta. Cherie asks her mouth to stop watering. Clare informs him that the business account is slightly low. He reminds her of Savini truffles being pricy.

Rushing out of the meeting, Jamie calls Briggsy (Rasmus Hardiker) to tell her that the truffles must be Savini’s.

Greta (Isla Gie) tells Amandine that her foot hurts. After removing a piece of metal from Greta’s foot, Amandine inspects the nursery where she finds a piece of her violin.

Lue is deep into Coco Chanel’s book when Jeff Wilson (Colin Morgan) says her name. Nearly dropping the book, she asks what happened. He reminds her that the kids were home alone when he last returned. She tells him that they were asleep so she went for a walk.

Jamie suggests utilizing the truffles. Briggsy reminds him that they aren’t Savini. When Becks (Adelle Leonce) tries to protest, Jamie assures her that the patrons won’t know the difference.

Jamie watches an intimate video of Amandine and a man (possibly Paul). The man says he’s confused as to why she married Jamie because she could have anyone. She asks, “Why not.”

As Jamie greets his guests, Jason Burke (Leo Turner) says rumor has it, he has Tuscan Savini’s truffles. Jamie goes on to greet his parents, Tim Buckingham (Paul Cawley) and Trish Buckingham (Jacqueline). Dan introduces him to his fiancé, Bree (Tiana Khan). Jamie asks if they can speak in private. Jamie says he appreciates how much he’s helped Amandine. Dan says when he was employed in the kitchen at Gapierre Hotel, blue plasters were utilized for cuts. He says, “Sock it to ‘em, J-Dog” before returning to his table. Jamie turns around to see Amandine.

Beatrice (Caroline Loncq) asks Jamie if his home was burglarized. She accuses him of doing nothing when the burglary went down. He tells her that he should have done more. Amandine suggests he ignore her before kissing him.

Jamie orders Briggsy to get someone to fix the fan. Removing her pantyhose, Lue creates a makeshift fan belt.

Jeff tells Lue that her pantyhose are missing. She sarcastically admits to having sex with the chef on the rooftop. They’re having sex on the rooftop when she calls him “moppet.” He tells her that she called him a moppet. She reminds him of calling her a “bi**h” last Christmas. He says it was different. She tells him that he’s acting like a moppet before leaving.

Jamie finds a note on his desk. It reads, “There is one knows not what sweet mystery about the sea. Whose gently awful stirring seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath. This restaurant is your dream and you named it after me. I will never forget it.”

During his speech, Jamie tells his guests that there are two of Amandine but both are demanding and need lots of attention. He says she believes “life is about finding your passion.” He says three recent acquaintances, Dave Burrow/Paul) had a passion for salsa, Jason’s motorcycles, and he isn’t sure about Paul. He informs them that his wife, Amandine has been having an affair with all three men. He professes his love for her before leaving. She rushes outside only to see the back of him.

 

Mammals Synopsis

Jamie and Amandine seem disinterested in grief therapy. Siobhan asked Jamie if it wasn’t important to him. He assured her it was before rambling on about his new restaurant.

Jamie reported Amandine’s violin as a burglary after he busted it into pieces. To ease suspicion, he claimed an Xbox was also taken during the burglary. Dan became suspicious of his story when he saw his plasters (Band-Aids) weren’t blue as required by law for restaurants.

Jamie replaced Amandine’s violin with a new model. She tossed it in the trashcan when she thought Jamie was more concerned about the Xbox than her violin.

Amandine removed a piece of metal from Greta’s foot. She found a larger piece in the nursery.

Amandine’s mum, Beatrice scolded him for not doing more to stop the burglar. Jamie agreed with her.

Lue continued to read Coco Chanel’s book. Jeff confronted her about leaving the children at home alone. She claimed to have gone out for a walk while they slept.

Jamie watched an intimate video in which a man asked Amandine why she married Jamie. She asked him why not.

Briggsy came up empty handy when Jamie sent him to find Salvini’s truffles. Jamie was left with little option but to settle with another brand. Fortunately for him, his guests never realized it.

Lue saved the day when she created a makeshift fan belt from her pantyhose. She called Jeff a moppet during a sexual interlude on the rooftop. When Jeff confronted her, she denied it before apologizing.

Jamie announced Amandine’s affairs during a speech after a successful opening.

 

Mammals Review

The cooking scenes were too much like Hell’s Kitchen for my liking. On a good note, they were almost always short.

Compared to the previous episodes, the pace was noticeably increased. This is what happens when too many characters and individual goals are packed into a 30-minute episode. It didn’t help that the actual airtime was less than 24 minutes.

The show’s becoming more unrealistic with each episode. How many people would address or confront their wife’s infidelity in a room full of friends and family?

The episode deserves a 5.5. Get more Mammals recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link.