Harlots Costumes - Harriet Lennox in Season 3

It’s been 84 Years... but here are my thoughts on Harlots 3x04

Unpopular opinion time: First of all, I am incapable of giving up on a show. I stay with shows I love or once loved until the bitter, bitter end. Listen. I watched 8 seasons of Game of Thrones just for Theon most of the time so... there’s that. Plus, I really don’t know how anyone in good conscience can tell me not to watch a show that is still showing me this goddess every week:

So there’s also that. But even if I weren’t inherently like this, I would still be giving Harlots the benefit of the doubt. For a couple of reasons. I think they were genuinely in a tough position because they had 3 fan favorites elect to leave the show this season- JBF, Rosalind Eleazar, and Sheila Atim all had other projects they wanted to do (I am still holding out hope for Rosalind coming back since it was a movie and not a TV series.) But all I am saying is l am definitely giving them the benefit of the doubt a little longer. I may be upset that they decided to kill off Charlotte instead of writing a better ending for her. And I still hate in my bones that ending for her- and the rushed and confusing nature of her relationships with both Isabella and Isaac leading up to it- which honestly made it seem like they were punishing her for her bisexuality. But I concede that there is a difference between bad plot lines and bad writing. Harlot’s writing and dialogue is still incredible. The characterization is on point. I may not agree with this plot line but I am going to trust them on it for now because they are writing their chosen plot WELL (unlike GOT.) But hey, I totally understand if other people are done with it. Just explaining how I personally feel at this time.

What I liked

How deeply Charlotte’s death shook the entire cast of characters. I’ve seen criticism that her death is only there to further men’s storylines. But honestly, after watching episode 4, it looks like Charlotte’s death is furthering literally EVERYONE’s storylines. I especially loved watching what it did to Quigley. How it made her reflect on her life and how it allowed her to finally let go of May and tell her she hated her- AS SHE WAS FUCKING CHOKING TO DEATH. That was honestly iconic. I also loved that during that monologue she admitted that all the women she hurt should hate her because she did to them what May and her father had done to her. I also thought it was interesting that Quigley became even more protective of Kate after Charlotte’s death- like the way she protected Kate from having to pleasure that cull and did it herself instead. 

I liked how it banded the Wells family back together and the scenes between Lucy and Will- they destroyed me. When she turned to him and collapsed because she realized Charlotte’s blood was still on her dress. And he immediately gathered her in his arms when she crumbled. And then that later scene where Lucy told her father it was a Molly house and she said she just wanted him to be proud of her. Ughh. Heartbreaking. I feel like Charlotte’s death has rendered the entire family too grief stricken to keep lying to each other.  Margaret’s devoted denial of Charlotte’s death was particularly moving- which of course causes her to do RECKLESS things, like NOT HIDING EFFECTIVELY. Which of course leads to Lydia finding out she is still alive. Although can I just say? I would watch an entire series of Samatha Morton singing sad acapella songs. She is heartbreaking.  

Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam holding everything together- she was like a ROCK for everyone else. Being there for Charlotte’s family since Charlotte could not. I loved the fact that she opened her house so that Charlotte could have a grand funeral and never be forgotten. I think that maybe we as a culture underestimate just how revolutionary that would be in this society and how brave that was of Lady Isabella. Especially since this episode shows us that people have been whispering that she is lesbian (also “lady quimfingers,” is my absolute favorite thing and should honestly be the new ship name for Lady Harlot. Then again, it may be a slur. Do I have to tag it? Maybe I’ll tag it as an archaic slur?) 

Which brings me to my next point- Charlotte’s death even affected the relationship between Croft and Fredo. Croft was fearful that Charlotte’s death was a hate crime because of her relationship with Lady Isabella. He even told Fredo that Lady Isabella and Charlotte made a “reckless display of their love,” and that they would have to be way more careful about hiding their relationship- which was truly upsetting. 

I’m probably in the minority here but I also really liked how it revealed different sides to the Pincher brothers then we have seen before. People say that too much of the episode was given to Isaac’s suffering. I don’t agree. It was there to reveal how truly unstable he is. Which has added a lot of suspense to what is going to happen because he is so uncontrollable. And this puts Emily in a lot of danger which was making me very on edge. The way he went off the deep end was deeply unsettling but in a good way and I want to know what is really up with this character- was it something that happened during the war? With his brother? Their childhood? I also liked how sinister Hal got this episode! He has revealed himself to be much more calculating and cunning than I originally thought and I am suddenly way more interested in him as well. Not sure what that says about me as a person, but there that is. 

CHERRY CHERRY CHERRY. Please give me more Cherry. No one ever wants Cherry to work for them and that is RIDICULOUS FAM. I know they are highlighting the prejudice. But Cherry is SO awesome. Selling condoms one day, flowers the next, teaching harlots how to harlot. I cannot get enough!

Criticisms

I loved that Lady Isabella was the rock for everyone else, hosting the funeral, being the emotional support for Charlotte’s family, interrogating her brother on his whereabouts, and bringing Harcourt’s mistress her baby, etc (she really was the MVP damn..) BUT I would have loved to have seen her breaking point as well. Perhaps in private.. because I think one of the reasons they didn’t show her in as much grief as everyone else is the fact that she is still extremely upper class and I assume they would not have been as free with their emotions. But I would have liked there to be more exploring her grief- maybe when she was burning the picture. Or more closeups on her face in the other scenes perhaps.

The time jumps in this season made a number of things unclear and I am still confused. We learn more information this episode- like the fact that other people knew Charlotte and Isabella were in LOVE- not just harlot and cull. And that Isabella has a reputation for being a lesbian now because of her relationship with Charlotte. This made me wonder if people can just tell they are in love or if they HAVE committed to each other as more- but the relationship was still open? Or was it open? I had assumed it was but I really don’t know now. And although I am happy that their relationship was acknowledged during the Croft and Fredo scene, I still wish we knew more. There really should have been an extra scene to explain all of this in episode one, in my opinion. 

"You and my father put a numbness into me, the numbness of a misused dog. You made me into a beast, and now you try to tell me not to love my angel, Kate. Well, hate spreads...and if I didn't hate you when I was a child, be assured I hate you now." ♥ Lydia Quigley, Harlots, 3x04

harlots 3x04 predictions:

i’m not going to lie, i haven’t made it past 3x04 of harlots because fitzwells is my everything but i’m stoked for fitzbirch despite the end of isabella and charlotte. here’s why:

i can’t wait for them to navigate the way they learned to love from wells women together and bond over what a ride it is. i can’t wait for them to learn together than they can love someone new while still holding onto the love they have for the wells women in their lives.

i can’t wait for them to grow and love and learn together.

please, god, don’t let the writers fuck this up. they have the potential to be beautiful.

by thewritermakingdreamsreality

Spoilers for 3x03/3x04

Nancy follows Lady Isabella into the drawing room to lend words of comfort after Lucy reveals that Charlotte was tuppin' Isaac Pincher.

Words: 603, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Harlots (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Characters: Isabella Fitzwilliam, Nancy Birch, Charlotte Wells, Margaret Wells

Relationships: Isabella Fitzwilliam/Charlotte Wells, Nancy Birch & Isabella Fitzwilliam

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

I'm watching Harlots 3x04 "Episode 4" @BrownFindlayFan #DorothyAtkinson @katefleetwood @Jordon_Stevens @samthesparrow #LesleyManville #RoyBeck @DannySapani @Eloise_Please @HolliDee @RosalindEleazar @bronwynjames41 #LottieTolhurst #BenLambert #PippaBennett-Warner

Harlots 3x04 - LadyHarlot (final) scenes