'Ridley Road' Episode 2: Recap
Vivien Epstein, now blonde Jane Carpenter, is visiting the leader of the National Socialist Party, Colin Jordan, whose bonhomie and charm can be turned off in the wink of an eye. She wants to know her boyfriend's whereabouts, Peter Fox (real name Jack Morris), and at first, Colin seems inclined to politely dismiss her. You realize how smart and perceptive he is when, although her accent doesn’t overtly suggest it, he can tell she’s from Manchester and asks about her family.
We all have wounds to some extent. It’s just the nature of what we do. The sacrifices we make. Do you have wounds, Miss Carpenter? Wounds that define you?
He picks absently at a minor injury on his forehead and pulls out a stitch (ouch!), the first of many cringe moments. Then he comments on the intelligence of "Jane's" eyes, which are just like his mother’s, so it’s clear Vivian is hitting all of his buttons. It’s very uncomfortable viewing. Vivien spins a story of how her father and grandfather, proud Air Force veterans, have been discounted, her father’s job as a postman given to an immigrant. She’s seen Black hooligans and the mixing of races, and she has to be involved in the fight and know where Peter is to help get Britain back. This is so Colin’s cup of tea. He puts his hand on her shoulder and summons henchman Lee (Danny Hatchers).
