T E L E V I S I O N / Mr. Selfridge 208

"I need to destroy him, before he destroys me." I think the end of my spring break/ the morning of going back to university again and episode 8 of Mr. Selfridge speak perfectly to one another: emotionally gross. Literally, the effort that is required to wake up at 6:30 after waking up at around 8:30/9 tops is probably equivalent to wake the dead. Speaking of dead, George isn't that either! (Great segway amirite?) In fact, he's just missing in action and though that perhaps isn't a happy message, it certainly doesn't mean dead  either and that's a blessing especially when it comes to british television and their sadistic desire to kill characters to stir up the emotions (and invoking a waterfall on my face as a result). There's still hope! This episode, compared to last episode, was pretty average and standard. It was not as bad or better than 207. It certainly had a few standout arcs and story lines. It's only appropriate if I continue my ~*~ladies~*~ loving that I mentioned in the last review because the backbone of this show is the ladies and by God, I'll give them the respect and spotlight they deserve. Let's start off with the darling Rose (and of course in conjunction with Delphine). I'm glad that she has this gut off sense feeling regarding Delphine, showing that she's much more perceptive than what she gives off. I think that's the beauty of Rose. She's so kind that cruel people slightly drop their guard or underestimate her and she is able to see right through them. I hope she slaps Delphine before the woman snakes deeper into their lives. Rose and Harry have got a thriving and healthy relationship again and I (and certainly not Rose) will not stand for it! However, my attempts at pinpointing when Rose started drifting away from Delphine feels a bit off. What happened to their friendship? Was this ever addressed? Maybe, I blanked out at one point and forgot about it. Either way, I'm glad Rose is keeping her relative distance. Then, there's my lovely Mae (& Pimble), trying to get the hell away from Loxely, only to be found again. That whole scene in the lobby just made my skin crawl and I wanted to tear Loxely away from Mae as he kissed her hand. Man's a no good sleazeball that needs to be stabbed and thrown into the darkest pits of hell. Besides that disgusting human being, I love the relationship we see between Mae and Pimble. Even though it's presented as a lady/servant type of relationship, we also know and can see that it's much more. Mae is willing to give up her luxurious life for the well being of the both of them. They're very much interconnected. Pimble is like Mae's rock, and reminder of her once humble life. Something I'm glad is being developed more as the series continues. Last great thing about ~*~ladies~*~ is Miss Mardle standing up for Kitty. It's a great F*** YOU towards Grove when Mardle firmly tells them that Kitty should not be defined by her relationship with the man. And it shouldn't and Mr. Grove can just jump off a cliff for all I care. He's basically a rabbit anyways with all those children. Also on the note of Miss "flawless" Mardle, can I just scream about the loveliness of her and Florin kissing? It's so gentle and a bit hesitant and nice, but there's this bubbling of emotion and you can just tell that the passion is rumbling underneath for the two. I want more! Onto more pressing matters: Henri and the American Embassy, or Henri/Agnes/Harry dream team. I love that there's this sense of family between these three despite their relative distance towards one another--more of that on the part of Agnes/Harry. They see and believe the best in one another and they try to bring hope when it doesn't seem like there is one. And, speaking of Henri, I'm glad that whole debacle was cleared up and I am so prepared for Henri to sweep Agnes off her feet with the glaring respect and overwhelming love that he does have for her because let's be real, Victor is the worst possible man for Agnes, romantically. He's very controlling, giving Agnes little room to be her own person and expects her to fit into his standards of what a woman is and his relationship with them. Problem his idea is pretty skewed and it obviously smothers her. I'm prepared for Agnes to call the entire engagement off and by its dramatic extension, I'm pretty sure it will. If the writers are merciful on my soul, they will. Ratings: ★★★☆☆ M R.   S E L F R I D G E » SUNDAYS, 9 PM → ITV