Callum Woodhouse

When we last visited the Durrells, Gerry was giving Donald advice to woo Margo, a Greek-Anglo cricket match went terribly wrong and Vasilia broke things off with Larry (who wasn’t really that heartsick about it). Most importantly Louisa is left with a decision to make about her future with Hugh that could take her away from her beloved adopted home.

In this final episode of The Durrels in Corfu Season 2, a population explosion is taking place on Corfu. With a potentially fatal wound thrown in the mix, however, Dr. Petridis (Alexis Conran) can’t handle all the medical emergencies alone. Considering we won’t be seeing the Durrells for a while, I’m going to break down this week’s monumentous events according to the involvement of each family member.

Previously on The Durrells in Corfu, the family rode out an unrelenting and unusual storm. Leslie went quite literally stir crazy. Larry, who had scuttled home with a case of the mumps, exasperated everyone with his infertility paranoia. But mostly notably Aunt Hermione returned to the island with a mysterious new friend in tow. Regrettably, her companion turned out to be a fraudulent medium who pounced on Louisa’s yearning for her late husband and attempted to profit from the family’s loss.

Fortunately for the Durrells, the sun came out and the fake spiritualist was unceremoniously run off. And it would appear that after last week’s emotionally harrowing experience, everyone’s attention has turned to love…and cricket.

Last time on The Durrells in Corfu, Louisa railed against the reality of getting older; Gerry’s avoidance of a traditional education continued; Leslie discovered he has a talent for photography; and Vasilia’s seduction of Larry scored a dismaying result. Oh, and Margo was preoccupied with her spots…

This week however, an unusual weather event I’ll refer to as The Deluge commanded the everyone’s attention. Lugaretzia declares the storm an omen of death and leaves the cursed and extremely leaky house in a hurry. Gerry insists on bringing his menagerie inside which appears to be an inconvenience to which the family is resigned. And the family awaits the return of Aunt Hermione (Barbara Flynn) which has everyone on edge anyhow. Let’s look at the factors that resulted in a “too close for comfort” situation and prompted Louisa to refer to her children as Lumpy, Grumpy, Spotty and Ignorant, shall we?

Previously on The Durrells in Corfu, Louisa cracked down on Gerry’s wild boy ways and tried to arrange for some structured learning. Leslie showed some initiative by starting a homemade liqueur business, but no one wanted to buy his booze. Margo decided she liked boys too much to join a convent. And, following a tepid response to his novel from the town and his family, Larry decided to get a place of his own to the dismay of his mother.

Much of this week’s episode is concerned with Mrs. Durrell's birthday and her discomfort with growing older. Her children certainly aren’t making her feel any better about the passage of time.

When we last left The Durrells in Corfu, Louisa had gained a potential new suitor in wealthy British businessman Hugh Jarvis and a rival in new landlady Vasilia Prifona. Gerry’s pursuit of animal conservation led to an otter breeding enterprise. Margo’s infatuation with a young monk and his peaceful lifestyle resulted in some spiritual reflection. Leslie made amends for his heinous, albeit accidental, wounding of Gerry’s canine companion, Roger. And Larry discovered a treasure trove of writing material was under his nose all along. Oh, yeah there was that village-wide “food poisoning by Scotch egg” fiasco as well.

Let me start by saying this episode featured a lot of difficult parenting moments for Louisa. Not that raising kids is ever a doddle, but we find Mrs. Durrell struggling to strike the correct balance between letting her children be themselves and properly supervising them. Essentially, she questions if she’s a good mother. More on that later, but first, let's examine what transpired in the life of the Durrell family this week in more detail.

The Durrells in Corfu are back for a second season. A year has passed since Season 1, and we find that Gerry has yet to set free his menagerie of animals, Lawrence has writer’s block, Margo is apparently no longer employed as the Countess’ companion and Leslie still has a perpetual case of bad luck and (along with Larry) a very cheesy mustache. Meanwhile Louisa remains single and struggling to make ends meet.

Join us as we recap all the mayhem and merriment this transplanted family can generate!