'Howards End' Moves One Step Forward, Two Steps Back When Opposites Attract

This second episode of Howards End opens with a stunning shot of a beautifully stark winter landscape through which black-clad figures make their way to a graveyard. Margaret is the only non-family member at Mrs. Wilcox's funeral and receives filthy looks from the family. Back at the titular Howards End, the Wilcox children throw tantrums about her motivations and sincerity. (And she brought red flowers to the funeral!)

Worse, among Mrs. Wilcox’s effects, is a note that expresses her wish for Margaret Schlegel to inherit the house. The Wilcox children decide the note is not legally or morally binding: it’s written in pencil and unsigned, and Miss Schlegel probably took advantage of her. Mr. Wilcox is the only one who takes Margaret’s side, praising her sincerity and the value of her friendship with his late wife, and seems to be the only one who grieves for her. Eldest son Charles (Joe Bannister) throws the note on the fire, ending any obligations. 

On to the Schlegels, whom we see at home and not in the best light, as privileged people with time on their hands. Their bickering seems to relieve boredom and, in Margaret’s case, house-hunting stress. Helen and Tibby are only too ready to disparage the Wilcox family, yet the two sisters shout their brother down when he tells them the truth about the brutality of the rubber industry. I'm beginning to think that the sisters' self-assurance is much more fragile than we initially thought. The Wilcox family has sent Margaret Mrs. Wilcox's silver vinaigrette (a small decorative box to hold perfume). They’re still dying to know what inspired their mother to offer her Howards End.

The next day, the Schlegels receive a surprise visitor. Mrs. Bast, easily identified as lower-class by her clothes, accent, and manners, is refused entry by the front door maid. Jacky pushes her way in, brandishing the card Margaret gave Leonard at their first meeting, demanding to see her husband. The Schlegels do not handle her invasion well. Tibby mentions loudly Aunt Juley had been afraid of Bast stealing the silver. The two sisters have better intentions but blunder just as severely since they don't know the Basts aren't married (he’s too young to marry without permission) or why he stayed out all night. Jacky is angry and humiliated, but Helen and Margaret are even more curious about Leonard Bast.

Margaret and Helen go out for a stroll and run into Wilcox strolling on the Thames Embankment, where he’s gone to grieve his dead wife. They, of course, are fresh from a progressive meeting with their “pious lecturing friends” (as Tibby would put it) and have a new hobby: Helping Leonard Bast. They ask Wilcox for advice; should they give him money? Wilcox advises them to keep their distance; the best thing they can do is advise him to leave his job at the Porphyrion, a fire insurance company that is facing collapse.

When Leonard shows up and nervously accepts a cup of tea, admitting he was out walking all night, The Schlegel sisters’ reaction is not what he expects. They are thrilled and ask him if the dawn is beautiful. (It wasn’t). Despite his love of literature, Leonard is no poet, nor can he even talk about books with them on an equal level. He assures them the Porphyrion is in good shape, just as they are interrupted by a surprise visit from Wilcox and his daughter, Evie. Leonard abruptly leaves, but Helen chases after him, and they have a long, heated exchange. Leonard, frustrated by the Schlegel’s manners, education, and conversation, and intimidated by their wealthy friends, is convinced that they do not take him seriously. Tibby’s casual mentions of Helen’s “social experiments” and the maid’s inability to find Leonard’s hat convince him he’s right.

Wilcox’s daughter Evie invites Margaret to lunch. Helen, the more sophisticated of the two sisters, points out it’s an invitation from Wilcox himself, perhaps an opening gambit in courtship, and the problem of suitable housing may be resolved. I don’t think this is meant seriously, but it isn’t easy to tell. They lunch at the expensive traditional restaurant Simpsons in the Strand, where Wilcox naturally tries to order for everyone and is swatted down by Margaret in a friendly way. That girl certainly knows her cheeses.

Margaret then feels compelled to invite Wilcox to lunch, but here’s the problem—as a single woman, even in bohemian London, she needs a chaperone. Tibby, who is taking his time about returning to Oxford so he can get a job, reluctantly takes on the role. They introduce Wilcox to the joys of Eustace Miles’s Restaurant, which serves reform food (vegetarian) in a woman/suffragist-friendly environment. Wilcox meets Margaret’s challenge and gamely chews his way through unidentifiable substances.

The next day, a letter arrives. It’s from Mr. Wilcox, inviting the Schlegels to rent his London house. But by this time, I think we know what he’s offering.

This post was originally published January 2020. Updated 11.17.2024

The 2017 adaptation of Howards End will continue on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on most local PBS stations and the PBS app. All four episodes are available to stream on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel and for members of PBS Passport.