The Forsytes Season 1 Episode 2 Review
The Forsytes Season 1 Episode 2 returns for more updates on the same scandal. Jo finally learns about his children with Louisa, and Soames confesses his feelings to Irene.
It’s glaring how freely Jo speaks about how much he loved Louisa, and he doesn’t even seem to pretend to be conflicted about the fact that he’s currently married. In their scenes together, it certainly seems like Jo respects Frances, but there is zero chemistry between the actors.
Perhaps if we had seen any of their ten years of marriage, it would feel more conflicted, but instead all we get are lovey-dovey flashbacks to his time in Venice. If the show doesn’t want you to root for Jo and Louisa, it’s doing a very bad job.
Not to mention, all his dad and Frances are worried about is their reputation, not Jo’s feelings about learning he had two children he didn’t know about. Frances is flat-out rude to Louisa, who rightfully points out she never asked to be invited to their home and never tried to contact Jo. Rich people really are the worst.
Ironically, it seems like Soames is the more rebellious one of the two, continuing to pursue Irene even though his oblivious family thinks he’s wooing another rich socialite. How can he promise Irene a life in Paris while also fulfilling his father’s wishes of taking over the family company?
Well, clearly he can’t! So some conflict is afoot. Does Soames mean what he says to Irene, or is he playing a game?
If you’re familiar with the source material, you may be waiting for the other shoe to drop on both plotlines. However, you also know that the show has made a great deal of changes to Jo’s story already and could for Soames as well.
The Forsytes certainly seems to be playing up the romance angle, which makes sense given the popularity of Bridgerton. Unfortunately, it also makes the show feel less cohesive when it does focus on anything else.
The Victorian Succession side of the show is far less engaging so far, which is possibly because we know almost nothing about the cousins’ respective fathers. Their own rivalry is underdeveloped, and so James comes off as a bit cartoon-y.
We get a lot of boring scenes in boardrooms that make my eyes glaze over. The two episodes seem almost identical so far in that it’s just Jo grandstanding about how evil their business deals are, with everyone else not caring.
Elsewhere on this episode, young June runs into a mysterious, dashing man at the opera named Phillip, who describes himself as a “buccaneer.” However, how quickly she reverts to childish behavior upon learning about her step-siblings sours any interest you might have taken in the character.
Irene is probably the most interesting of the female characters, but her storyline is neutered in favor of being Soame’s love interest. She’s like the audience avatar, a little confused by all this erratic behavior but shrugging and going along anyway.
What did you think of this episode of The Forsytes? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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The Forsytes airs Sundays at 9/8c on PBS.
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.