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shallowness) wrote2025-01-31 08:07 am
shallowness) wrote2025-01-31 08:07 am
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Casino Night and its Sunny Aftermath
Hotel Portofino - 2. 6 Farewells
This episode relied a lot on montages, opening with one to give us a glimpse of where the characters were at, nearly closing with one, and using a lot at the casino, mainly to track Rose getting drunk. Poor Rose, she was sympathetic as the Ainsworths failed her, although the killer flashback was Julia nastily telling her that she had to make her marriage work, because if she came back alone, she’d be disowned. But seeing as she was paternalistic towards her, Bella failed in her duty of care. She even mentioned Lottie – Lottie! who hasn’t appeared in the second series – as an excuse for not talking to her miserable daughter-in-law. Rose took her admission she’d discussed her with Julia as a betrayal (and yeah, see past posts) but then unleashed the truth that Lucian still screams at night from his war experience at his mother. She was never more righteous when she pointed out to Lucian that he had chosen to marry her even when she’d begged him not to. It was his choice that had got them here.
‘Here’ for her ended up tipsily balanced on a balustrade above the sea as fireworks exploded behind her. Alice and Bella started searching but kept being distracted by their ridiculous menfolk. They later had a chance to ask Billy as he drove them home if he’d already taken Rose and Lucian back to the hotel, but in fairness this was after The Card Game so they were allowed to have other things on their mind, and it was only revealed to them the next day that Rose hadn’t left the casino.
As for Lucian, he had Nish on his mind – not even the person he’s in love with, which just shows how low Rose was on his list of priorities – and couldn’t tell her about him. Instead he lashed out that he wasn’t in love with her.
And so, after a long absence, we finally saw her dead, floating body. Of course, only Constance and Lucian know that there was an intent to kill herself, it can and probably will be hushed up as a terribly sad accident. Constance said that Rose’s urging to love Lucian for her was a curse, and it will probably feel like that.
I had way less sympathy than I think I was meant to have for Nish and Gian-Luca. Yeah, Danioni should have handed them over to what passed for justice in fascist Italy, but his brand of justice was probably what passed for justice then. And it was totally in character for the dog to lash out at them after his superiors had given him grief while they’d given him the run around. I rather thought it did take a long time, Italian thug, and at least it was an execution and not torture, which I guess was his point.
But, you know, if you’re going to fight the anti-fascist fight, at least be halfway competent. Try not to kill babies! Don’t drag along your pacifist lover to your acts of violence (although Nish said yes without thinking through what he was signing up to, which is idiotic for a smart man. Yeah, yeah, in love.) Have better escape routes! They didn’t even have a rug to cover them this time!
Alice got redemption or something. She finally realised her father was a rotter, as was her fiancee, who wasn’t who he seemed to be either. Turned out she was grateful to him for the sex (what if he knocked you up, love?) and for taking her out of herself or giving her perspective. I frankly did not buy that he hadn’t sold the bracelet (I’d assumed it was where he’d got his cash for his previous gambling at the casino with Cecil from), but she got it back and was finally able to see past the whole age-gap to see Carlo using his connections and power for her family’s good. I...just think this is wish fulfilment from the series creator, we’ve seen Alice has a twentysometing’s sexual appetite, can a man who has a son about her own age keep up? Sure, he’s been kind to the family and has influence and wealth, but I can’t help thinking that marrying him with the thirties coming is going to cause complications. AS IS THE AGE GAP.
Henry was at the casino for some reason, probably to wind Cecil up (Cecil is as cartoonish as the gangster and Danioni, but I have enjoyed Mark Umbers enjoying his performance, mainly because it hasn’t involved domestic violcene this series.) Also offending Cecil’s proprietal instincts (re Bella, for he thought he had the hotel) was the Hot Architect, so he cooked up a duel by card game. Or thought he did. It was obvious to even the thickest members of the audience that the Gangster and Danioni had had enough, and you could see why. Hot Architect fell for it – disappointing, but Carlo and Victor were around the card table too. Bella and Alice came and Bella said they were ridiculous, Hot Architect listened, Cecil, all too assured of victory, didn’t, and then Victor wouldn’t end the game, so Cecil threw in the deeds to the hotel, buthis assured victory was a mirage.
Oh noes! Except it was all right really, because as we and Cecil learned, Bella had sold her majority interest to Carlo, Claudine’s name wasn’t her real name, so what she’d signed wouldn’t hold, and Cecil didn’t own the hotel for money laundering purposes after all. He’d already been verbally cut down to pieces by Dianoni, and now it was Bella’s turn, only she wanted to discuss how their marriage had been over for years, hence why she’d turned to Henry for comfort via letters. There was something about Cecil being repressed, and holding Lucian in contempt for not being repressed (er, he’s probably in a healthier state of mind because of it, because your rage came out in violence.) Bella finally told him it was O-V-E-R. The next day she’d give Hot Architect a much more positive message than he’s had before.
Back at the casino the night before, Claudine performed, sounding more like a singer from the 2020s than the 1920s, although I liked the pops of colour of her and the dancers’ feathers and in some of the ladies dresses. Some American guy she was really pleased to see turned up, not, I think the co-star at the start of the series. She didn’t have much to do.
Neither did Constance, until in the middle of everything Bella heard what Betty was so worried about. She only took a night to tell Constance about her mother and son (let’s be generous and say she’d learned her lesson about putting conversations off from the Rose situation, although they didn’t know that Rose was missing at this point.) Constance was angry and worried, but thinking of her son, which Betty and Bella, as the mothers of sons themselves should have had fellow feeling for. She decided she was going to go home and told Lucian as much. Which was always her choice.
In a reveal of the subplot that nobody cared about, Bella learned by letter that Jonothan had been the mystery reviewer in disguise and he wrote up a very flattering picture of the Hotel Portofino – read in voiceover over a montage of flashbacks of the gorgeous hotel and helpful staff. Trouble was, as the adjectives ‘good’ and ‘decent’ were deployed, there was one clip of Rose in misery and then we cut to her dead body floating in the beautiful sea bathed in sunlight, and the reminder that the Ainsworths had failed her. Which was effective and must have been intentional.
No idea when/if I’ll get to see the third series or what that will hold. The future of the hotel and Bella’s dream in an increasingly fascist Italy seem tenuous.
This episode relied a lot on montages, opening with one to give us a glimpse of where the characters were at, nearly closing with one, and using a lot at the casino, mainly to track Rose getting drunk. Poor Rose, she was sympathetic as the Ainsworths failed her, although the killer flashback was Julia nastily telling her that she had to make her marriage work, because if she came back alone, she’d be disowned. But seeing as she was paternalistic towards her, Bella failed in her duty of care. She even mentioned Lottie – Lottie! who hasn’t appeared in the second series – as an excuse for not talking to her miserable daughter-in-law. Rose took her admission she’d discussed her with Julia as a betrayal (and yeah, see past posts) but then unleashed the truth that Lucian still screams at night from his war experience at his mother. She was never more righteous when she pointed out to Lucian that he had chosen to marry her even when she’d begged him not to. It was his choice that had got them here.
‘Here’ for her ended up tipsily balanced on a balustrade above the sea as fireworks exploded behind her. Alice and Bella started searching but kept being distracted by their ridiculous menfolk. They later had a chance to ask Billy as he drove them home if he’d already taken Rose and Lucian back to the hotel, but in fairness this was after The Card Game so they were allowed to have other things on their mind, and it was only revealed to them the next day that Rose hadn’t left the casino.
As for Lucian, he had Nish on his mind – not even the person he’s in love with, which just shows how low Rose was on his list of priorities – and couldn’t tell her about him. Instead he lashed out that he wasn’t in love with her.
And so, after a long absence, we finally saw her dead, floating body. Of course, only Constance and Lucian know that there was an intent to kill herself, it can and probably will be hushed up as a terribly sad accident. Constance said that Rose’s urging to love Lucian for her was a curse, and it will probably feel like that.
I had way less sympathy than I think I was meant to have for Nish and Gian-Luca. Yeah, Danioni should have handed them over to what passed for justice in fascist Italy, but his brand of justice was probably what passed for justice then. And it was totally in character for the dog to lash out at them after his superiors had given him grief while they’d given him the run around. I rather thought it did take a long time, Italian thug, and at least it was an execution and not torture, which I guess was his point.
But, you know, if you’re going to fight the anti-fascist fight, at least be halfway competent. Try not to kill babies! Don’t drag along your pacifist lover to your acts of violence (although Nish said yes without thinking through what he was signing up to, which is idiotic for a smart man. Yeah, yeah, in love.) Have better escape routes! They didn’t even have a rug to cover them this time!
Alice got redemption or something. She finally realised her father was a rotter, as was her fiancee, who wasn’t who he seemed to be either. Turned out she was grateful to him for the sex (what if he knocked you up, love?) and for taking her out of herself or giving her perspective. I frankly did not buy that he hadn’t sold the bracelet (I’d assumed it was where he’d got his cash for his previous gambling at the casino with Cecil from), but she got it back and was finally able to see past the whole age-gap to see Carlo using his connections and power for her family’s good. I...just think this is wish fulfilment from the series creator, we’ve seen Alice has a twentysometing’s sexual appetite, can a man who has a son about her own age keep up? Sure, he’s been kind to the family and has influence and wealth, but I can’t help thinking that marrying him with the thirties coming is going to cause complications. AS IS THE AGE GAP.
Henry was at the casino for some reason, probably to wind Cecil up (Cecil is as cartoonish as the gangster and Danioni, but I have enjoyed Mark Umbers enjoying his performance, mainly because it hasn’t involved domestic violcene this series.) Also offending Cecil’s proprietal instincts (re Bella, for he thought he had the hotel) was the Hot Architect, so he cooked up a duel by card game. Or thought he did. It was obvious to even the thickest members of the audience that the Gangster and Danioni had had enough, and you could see why. Hot Architect fell for it – disappointing, but Carlo and Victor were around the card table too. Bella and Alice came and Bella said they were ridiculous, Hot Architect listened, Cecil, all too assured of victory, didn’t, and then Victor wouldn’t end the game, so Cecil threw in the deeds to the hotel, buthis assured victory was a mirage.
Oh noes! Except it was all right really, because as we and Cecil learned, Bella had sold her majority interest to Carlo, Claudine’s name wasn’t her real name, so what she’d signed wouldn’t hold, and Cecil didn’t own the hotel for money laundering purposes after all. He’d already been verbally cut down to pieces by Dianoni, and now it was Bella’s turn, only she wanted to discuss how their marriage had been over for years, hence why she’d turned to Henry for comfort via letters. There was something about Cecil being repressed, and holding Lucian in contempt for not being repressed (er, he’s probably in a healthier state of mind because of it, because your rage came out in violence.) Bella finally told him it was O-V-E-R. The next day she’d give Hot Architect a much more positive message than he’s had before.
Back at the casino the night before, Claudine performed, sounding more like a singer from the 2020s than the 1920s, although I liked the pops of colour of her and the dancers’ feathers and in some of the ladies dresses. Some American guy she was really pleased to see turned up, not, I think the co-star at the start of the series. She didn’t have much to do.
Neither did Constance, until in the middle of everything Bella heard what Betty was so worried about. She only took a night to tell Constance about her mother and son (let’s be generous and say she’d learned her lesson about putting conversations off from the Rose situation, although they didn’t know that Rose was missing at this point.) Constance was angry and worried, but thinking of her son, which Betty and Bella, as the mothers of sons themselves should have had fellow feeling for. She decided she was going to go home and told Lucian as much. Which was always her choice.
In a reveal of the subplot that nobody cared about, Bella learned by letter that Jonothan had been the mystery reviewer in disguise and he wrote up a very flattering picture of the Hotel Portofino – read in voiceover over a montage of flashbacks of the gorgeous hotel and helpful staff. Trouble was, as the adjectives ‘good’ and ‘decent’ were deployed, there was one clip of Rose in misery and then we cut to her dead body floating in the beautiful sea bathed in sunlight, and the reminder that the Ainsworths had failed her. Which was effective and must have been intentional.
No idea when/if I’ll get to see the third series or what that will hold. The future of the hotel and Bella’s dream in an increasingly fascist Italy seem tenuous.