Gentleman Jack Review: I’m Not the Other Woman, She Is (Season 2 Episode 4)
Anne makes a terrible decision on Gentleman Jack Season 2 Episode 4, “I’m Not the Other Woman, She is.”
Despite all her words about not betraying Miss Walker’s trust earlier on the episode, Anne gives into her unresolved feelings about Mariana. She has sex with her after Mariana’s emotional disclosure about her husband’s sordid advances towards his own niece.
I think we all knew this visit to Mariana was a bad idea. Aunt Anne and Marian had their doubts. Miss Walker was understandably uneasy about it despite telling Anne she could go. Everyone except Anne Lister herself had at least an inkling that this visit would end poorly.
The question going into ‘I”m not the Other Woman, She is” is whether the visit would end poorly because it ended with Anne upset when her relationship with Mariana deteriorates further or because Anne takes the love triangle from a hypothetical to a reality.
Unfortunately for all of us Ann(e) shippers, it is the latter. This is perhaps unsurprising for viewers who have read up on Anne Lister’s real life.
Normally these kinds of love triangles are cliches. However, since this was a part of Anne Lister’s life, it would be disingenuous not to include it in a series using Anne Lister’s own words to tell her story. That doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating to see Anne make that choice. It’s a frustration with the character, however, not the writing.
Mariana certainly did very little to endear herself to viewers. As I said in my review of Gentleman Jack Season 2 Episode 3, “Tripe All Over the Place, Presumably,” there is reason to sympathize with Mariana and understand her point of view.
It’s not realistic to expect her to passively let Anne move on to another woman when she believes her happy ending is with Anne after Charles dies.
It is especially unrealistic as she sees Anne Walker as the interloper in her relationship with Anne rather than the reverse. It’s not a fair position to put Anne in but it is an understandable one.
Still, the reasons that Mariana drew my ire on earlier episodes are even more pronounced on this one. Firstly, she continues to be dismissive and, at times, frankly insulting to Ann. My sympathy for the pain of her situation only goes so far.
It certainly doesn’t go far enough to forgive using Ann’s mental health issues to try and drive a wedge between Miss Lister and Miss Walker.
The thing that irks me the most though, is that after Anne and Mariana have sex, Mariana suddenly isn’t so distraught about Anne marrying Miss Walker. It might just be that she assumes that it isn’t a one-time thing and things will return to how they were before Ann Walker.
That, of course, resolves Mariana’s distress and could easily be a reason she is suddenly ok again.
Still, it feels like more than that. There is a smugness about her demeanor the next day. It’s as if she feels she has regained the upper hand. She is once again the one setting the terms of her relationship with Anne. It’s as much about being in control of the situation as it is about having Anne back.
Again, given her situation, that is an understandable desire but not one that will win her any new fans.
More important than anything Mariana did or how viewers feel about her is how Anne’s breach of trust will impact her relationship with Miss Walker. That is decidedly more complicated.
Anne has real remorse about her decision and that at least is good. It doesn’t excuse what she did but it’s better than if she went on like it wasn’t a big deal. Interestingly, Anne’s indiscretion with Mariana also seems to be a moment of realization for Anne.
Anne finally starts to fully believe what she has been telling everyone else, that she does love Ann Walker, and very deeply.
Some of Anne’s response is purely guilt and disappointment with herself. But, the contrast between the scene of Anne’s night with Mariana and Anne’s night with Miss Walker suggests that what she has with Ann is softer, more vulnerable, and emotionally connected than what she has with Mariana.
We don’t know a lot about Anne and Mariana’s past relationship, but we’ve never seen Anne let herself be as vulnerable as she is with Miss Walker.
The intimacy of the scene in the bedroom when Anne returns underscore that beautifully.
Sleeping with Mariana might have given Anne the clarifying moment she needs but it’s also hard to imagine that there won’t be ramifications to follow.
Ann Walker senses something is off after greeting Anne at the staircase, so as much as Anne wants to move on we haven’t seen the last of this storyline.
There also absolutely should be some accountability on Anne’s part. I’m less sure about that happening, but all the guilt and remorse in the world doesn’t absolve Anne of responsibility for her actions.
Something shifted for Anne on “I’m Not The Other Woman, She Is,” and that’s great. Still, this potential bombshell will be looming in the background for the rest of the season. For better or worse we are in new territory as we enter the second half of the season.
What did you think of this episode of Gentleman Jack? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Gentleman Jack airs Mondays at 10/9con HBO.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.