The Forsytes Season 1 Episode 3 Review

Things move fast when you’re an orphaned ballerina trying to make your way to Paris! The Forsytes Season 1 Episode 3 brings Soames and Irene to the altar, and brings Jo to a different type of precipice.

Three episodes in and… The Forsytes has not fully captured my attention. The fault continues to be with the characterizations and not the plot.

On paper everything happening should be deliciously scandalous and exciting, but there is just little excitement over the Forsytes themselves. You know it’s bad when I was excited to see more of brother-in-law Monty on this episode just to shake things up a little (now there’s a great Victorian cad character!)

Jo is too good, Soames is not bad enough. Frances is too cold, June isn’t bold enough. Each character just needs to be a little more something, but instead have been written to be as middle-of-the-road as possible. 

There is still time for that to change, especially as Jo continues to chafe against his family’s expectations about how he will “deal” with his children. Even stepping back to try to see it through a Victorian lens, it’s remarkable how quickly his children are cruelly dismissed as regretful mistakes to be handled.

Frances should be thrilled Louisa is so insistent on rebuffing any and all attempts from Jo to support them, because as a viewer I personally am rooting more for Louisa. Frances says she loves Jo, but lately all it seems like she cares about is being a Forsyte.

The writing is on the wall as more and more ultimatums stack up against Jo. Watchful viewers will note that even though he successfully avoids getting voted out of the company, he does not reaffirm his commitment to it when prompted by Frances.

Like mother, like daughter, because June’s romantic storyline also continues to fizzle. She’s shown herself brazen enough to attend a socialist meeting and pursue architect Phillip, but melt downs when she happens to see Jo run into his children.

I want so badly for June to be the adventurous spirit rebelling against social norms we’re used to seeing in these kind of stories about young women, but she hasn’t proven herself yet to be much more than impudent.

The only character I’m left wanting to see more of is yet again Irene, who almost gives the entire family a heart attack before eventually showing up for her rushed wedding to Soames. She is in way out of her depth, and the way Soames is treating Paris more like a vacation to his family is a major red flag.

Unfortunately she’s still portrayed as a little wishy washy, willing to marry Soames even though her heart isn’t in it. The closest she comes to be honest is with his grandmother, when she lists what she expects in a marriage.

Maybe like Jo she has to be backed in a corner first before she’s bold enough to fight for what she wants. Now that she’s legally wed to Soames that may come sooner rather than later.

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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