Image via Apple TV+
Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Buccaneers Season 2 Episode 5. The Buccaneers has a Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag) problem. Ever since Season 1, the Apple TV+ series has had trouble finding out exactly what to do with this character who, most of the time, just wanders in the background of her friends’ stories instead of starring in a plot of her own. Recently, the writers decided to deal with this issue by giving Lizzy an illicit romance with none other than the Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers) himself. However, this odd love story seemingly emerged out of nowhere, with Theo and Lizzy hardly even having scenes together that would justify a true friendship between them, let alone a feverish love, as their feelings for one another are described. Still, there is no denying that the show is making an effort to turn Lizzy into a character in her own right instead of reducing her to a glorified extra. Alas, the problem remains, as it is hard to properly care about Lizzy and her affair with Theo when there’s so much more interesting stuff going on. “A Whole Love,” the fifth episode of Season 2, is the Lizzy-centric episode fans of the show have been waiting for for a long time. But as the eldest Elmsworth daughter is about to walk down the aisle and still can’t bring herself to leave Theo behind, our minds are entirely elsewhere. It’s hard not to be more concerned about Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) as she tries to fend off Seadown’s (Barney Fishwick) advances, or about Mabel (Josie Totah), whose relationship with Honoria (Mia Threapleton) seems close to an end, or even about Guy (Matthew Broome), who is starting his own romance in Italy with Jinny’s friend, Paloma (Grace Ambrose). In the end, we come to the sad realization that The Buccaneers’ mistreatment of Lizzy has been so significant that it has become almost impossible for her to shine, even though it’s obvious that the writers are doing everything in their power to give her more space.
‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2 Episode 5 Sees Nan Returning to England
Image via Apple TV+
It all starts with Lizzy spending a few days at Tintagel, the castle completely devoid of servants, as Theo has given them some time off. It’s cute to see the unlikely couple fooling around, as Remmers and Ibrag do have a fair share of chemistry. However, the story soon takes a turn as Nan (Kristine Froseth) returns home from her trip to Italy and almost catches Lizzy half-naked in her husband’s studio. We have a few seconds of Lizzy feeling guilty about what she is doing, a single tear streaming down her face, but the story soon shifts to Nan and Theo making peace and deciding to stay together for appearances’ sake, at least until Nan’s bill — that we still don’t know exactly what entails — is passed, and she can bring Jinny back home. This new agreement isn’t enough to calm the nerves at Tintagel. Upon finding a lost earring in the castle, Nan doesn’t know exactly how to feel. Meanwhile, Theo tries to convince Lizzy not to marry Hector (Jacob Ifan). His plan is to have her wait for Nan to leave England once again after the bill is passed and then come to live with him as a concubine. Lizzy is obviously less than thrilled by this proposal and decides to marry Hector even though she’s not all that in love with him. At least, she explains, he can offer her something open and safe. But as the episode comes to an end, doubt creeps into her heart. After doing a lot of moping, Theo stops her just as she is about to enter the church and makes a whole speech about how she deserves something open and safe, yes, but also something that feels real. The last scene of “A Whole Love” shows Lizzy surrounded by her friends, unsure about whether she should enter the church or not.
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‘The Buccaneers’ Has No Clue What To Do With This Main Character, and It’s Extremely Obvious
It’s past time for her to be the heroine of the story rather than a side character.
Meanwhile, other romances are also getting developed, for better or for worse. With Nan back home, Blanche (Amelia Bullmore) feels free to accept Reede’s (Greg Wise) offer to go away with him. The two share a moment so sweet that we sure hope this won’t be the last we see of them. On the other side of the age spectrum, Mabel and Honoria seem to be all but over, with Honoria accepting Reede’s offer to become an English teacher in France. In an episode full of speeches, Mabel says goodbye to her lover as she is toasting her sister at a pre-wedding party, and she even gets a heartwarming scene with Lavinia (Viss Elliot Safavi). After hearing her daughter tell Conchita that she would never go to her mother for help with her love life, Mrs. Elmsworth decides to be a little more supportive and encourages Mabel to stay in England despite her desire to return to New York.
‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2 Episode 5 Gives Guy a New Love Interest
But perhaps Mabel should actually be thinking about going to Italy herself. After all, that’s where all the juicy plotlines are going down. In “A Whole Love,” for instance, Guy’s heartbreak over Nan’s return to England has pretty much died down after a particularly exciting afternoon with Paloma. After hearing many comments about how her husband was disappointing in bed, Jinny’s friend and landlady finds out the entire truth about the couple she’s been housing. And we mean the entire truth! Upon confronting Guy about seeing him running around with Nan, she learns that he’s actually helping Jinny escape Seadown. And after a glass of wine or two, Guy and Paloma become very intimate, and even spend a night together. It’s all very wild, with no strings attached, but a shot of Paloma’s new wedding ring indicates that this won’t be the last time we hear of this pairing. As Paloma and Guy have their fun, though, Jinny suffers alone, having once again been accosted by Seadown. Oh, sure, he is trying to trick her into returning to England, but he just can’t deny his abusive nature. While visiting him with Freddie at his hotel, Jinny is shocked to learn that he has already bought them tickets out of Italy, and terrified as he starts to guilt-trip her about depriving their son of his family and his lordly rights. In what is perhaps the best scene of the episode, Jinny sits in her room listening to Guy and Paloma’s laughter, her loneliness laid bare. Her sister might be trying to help her, and Guy might have given up his whole life for her sake, but, right now, she’s never felt so helpless. It’s a kind of nuance, of environmental storytelling, that is missing from Lizzy’s plot. Like Seadown, it seems like the writers have made their choice.
The Buccaneers
Lizzy can’t shine even in her own episode of The Buccaneers.
Release Date
November 8, 2023
Network
Apple TV+
Showrunner
Katherine Jakeways
Directors
Charlotte Regan
Kristine Froseth
Nan St. George
Alisha Boe
Conchita Closson
Pros & Cons
Jinny’s storyline continues to be the most interesting in the show’s second season.
Mabel and Honoria’s breakup is sad, but super sweet.
Sepaking of sweetness, we hope Blanche and Reede will still appear on the show.
Despite being the lead, Lizzy can’t command the episode quite as she should.
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