'Beecham House' Finale Recap
Period drama Beecham House ends much the way it lived – as a ridiculous, nonsensical mess that should have been much better than it turned out to be. The finale has a little bit of everything: John triumphing repeatedly despite having no reason to do so, Margaret being awesome, Chanchal getting treated like an object by almost everyone around her, Samuel staying both shady and dumb, and Henrietta finally realizing that the people of India are human beings - but only because someone helps her through withdrawal. (Did I call that or what?)
Yet, despite the fact that no one really deserves it, almost everyone seems to end up with something like a happy ending. At least for a few minutes. John gets out of jail after Chandrika drags her dad the Maharaja back to Dehli to speak to the Emperor on his behalf, but not before he figures out that his former BFF Samuel betrayed him. Dirtbag Samuel escapes, though not before stabbing Hot Soldier Played by Gregory Fitoussi (but don’t worry, he’s fine) for outing his plot. Daniel decides to stay in Dehli, implying that he’s going to try and make things work with Chanchal. John’s trading licensed is returned and he proposes to Margaret, who says yes. Everything seems pretty hunky-dory – at least until Beecham House is attacked in the episode’s final moments – leaving Ram Lal bleeding to death and baby August missing. Whew.
Unfortunately, since this series won’t be returning for a second season, we’re unlikely to find out what happened to little August, learn who took him, or discover whether or not Samuel was somehow involved. (He was lurking in a deeply shady fashion in the episode’s final frames.) The story felt like it was leading to a natural – if generally unearned – endpoint, with Margaret and John’s engagement, Daniel’s decision to join the new Beecham family business, and the Maharaja’s naming and blessing of the new house. The cliffhanger kidnapping thing feels unnecessarily tacked on, almost as though it were daring the network to prevent the series from returning to answer the question of what happened to baby Beecham. Well, unfortunately, ITV called the show’s bluff and now we’ll never know.
