House of Guinness Recap: Complications

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The day after the fire at the Guinness plant, Rafferty is focused on finding out who was responsible. It wasn’t just about cleaning up the ashes – though they would be important later – he wanted to know which individuals had made bad decisions and allowed the wrong people access to the brewery. He believed loyal Guinness employees would identify those who had enabled the act of vandalism. Rafferty appealed to the strong sense of company pride among the workers, emphasizing that even as a Catholic, he strongly condemned the actions of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He specifically requested that anyone with information write down the names of those who had allowed access to the brewery, particularly mentioning the bathroom built for the workers by Benjamin Guinness himself, hoping someone would come forward.

Okay, so everyone gathers to hear old Benjamin Guinness’s will being read, and it starts off pretty standard, but then things get interesting! He left over a million pounds – which, the movie helpfully points out, is like £162 million now! – and a *lot* more land than anyone realized. Predictably, Arthur gets the brewery, but here’s the twist: Edward gets it too! They both have to *keep* running the brewery if they want to keep their inheritance. Anne doesn’t get much, since she’s married. And young Benjamin? Well, his dad decided it was best not to give him a ton of money, figuring it would be too much temptation. He’ll get a small allowance, though.

Nobody is pleased with what’s happening. Everyone is quite upset, actually. Anne quietly leaves with her husband, while Edward seems lost in thought. Arthur shouts angrily in the street, and Benjamin goes to a pub hoping to drown his sorrows in alcohol. It’s there he unexpectedly runs into Bonnie Champion, the last person he wanted to see. The fact that she’s carrying a rifle doesn’t reassure him, but she isn’t there to harm him-she wants to make a deal. She needs his help getting information about Arthur.

It quickly becomes clear that Arthur is keeping things hidden. He secretly meets with his lover, Michael, a lawyer, and reveals they had planned to leave Dublin for London. However, Arthur’s father’s will has stopped them. Now, Arthur can’t leave, and he’s afraid of being seen with Michael in public. Arthur suggests they move to one of the properties he inherited, but Michael refuses, citing health concerns – though it seems there’s more to his reluctance than that.

As all of this unfolds, Anne explains the situation to Edward, pointing out the irony that their father left them a large inheritance of money and property, but hasn’t brought them any happiness. Edward isn’t very sympathetic, especially when Anne complains that her abilities aren’t being recognized because she’s a woman. He might be stuck in his ways, or he might still be upset about something she did in the past – something involving Rafferty, though neither of them mentions that name directly. Anne admits she’s in a difficult spot. She’s not feeling well physically, and she’s also having disturbing thoughts – imagining violent acts and even stripping off her clothes. It’s a very worrying situation all around.

Edward still has tasks for Anne, now that they’re both leading the family. Both he and Arthur need wives, and Anne surely knows some suitable candidates. Edward envisions wives who are practical and can help with the business, while Arthur wants a noblewoman with limited means who will discourage him from getting involved. Anne hints at a problem regarding Arthur, which they both understand. They believe they can manage it, as long as the wives are willing to make some concessions. This plan seems reasonable until a tipsy Benjamin arrives with more news: they’ll need to pay off Bonnie to ensure the family keeps the Guinness brewing secrets.

Deep within the Guinness estate, Rafferty has imprisoned three men suspected of leaving the gates open for the Brotherhood. Though they all deny involvement, one breaks under interrogation and reveals he doesn’t know *who* opened the gates, but he *does* know the culprit’s name. Rafferty quickly acts on this information, finding Patrick at a pub and sending him with a letter for Ellen, whom he correctly suspects is the leader of the operation. He then adds a chilling threat: he’s already sent men to burn Ellen’s house down. This both angers and frightens Patrick, causing him to rush across town to warn her. When he arrives, he discovers the threat was a bluff, but a note written in Irish saying “Next Time” leaves him uneasy. He gives Ellen the letter from Rafferty, which she reads aloud to Patrick, first scolding him for making things worse. The letter is a clear and menacing warning, telling Ellen to stop investigating the Guinness family’s secrets. She acknowledges the threat but seems determined to continue her investigation, and begins writing a letter of her own, including the phrase “carnal knowledge.”

Following a tense argument with Potter over spilled ink and a damaged rug, Edward begins outlining a plan to Arthur. He casually mentions the families they’ll both soon have, then explains that Anne will be responsible for investigating properties owned by the Guinness family. Meanwhile, Edward and Arthur will focus on figuring out how to expand into America – and he already has a detailed, multi-step plan for that.

Even though Aunt Agnes wasn’t mentioned in the will, she’s still determined to meddle in the family’s affairs – and others seem to encourage it. During lunch with Anne, she presented a list of potential wives for the ‘Guinness Boy,’ focusing on second cousins who are ‘already aware of the family drama.’ She also offered to help, but when Anne explained she had other ideas, her aunt dismissed it, saying she used to make plans but learned to let go with the help of alcohol. She jokingly suggested they could drink gin and gossip about their relatives. It almost sounds appealing, doesn’t it? (Plus, she’s aware of Arthur’s personal issue and already has a plan to handle it.)

Next, Edward takes Arthur to meet Rafferty, who is predictably hiding in the depths of the Guinness brewery. Rafferty immediately gets to the point, presenting Arthur with a letter from Ellen claiming she has evidence of his relationships with men. But he doesn’t stop there. Rafferty also reveals that Bonnie Champion, who runs a brothel with both male and female staff, knows the same information. He stresses that this is a serious problem – it could not only ruin the Guinness family’s reputation but also lead to Arthur’s imprisonment. Rafferty suggests a two-part solution: pay Bonnie £5,000 to keep quiet, and publicly support a more moderate position on Ireland’s future when he inherits his father’s position in Parliament to satisfy the Fenians.

Although it seemed like a sensible solution, Arthur wasn’t pleased with it. After he left, Edward conceded to Bonnie’s requests and vowed to try and make his brother more open-minded politically. He also wondered if meeting Ellen himself might help. And, he firmly told Rafferty to stop bothering Anne. Edward was surprisingly intimidating in that moment, but Rafferty’s small laugh as he walked away hinted he didn’t fully believe Edward’s warning.

It hasn’t even been a week since Benjamin Guinness’s death, but a huge amount happens in this episode! Expect plenty of plotting, cruelty, and underhanded tactics – plus, some bubbly gin cocktails. After the first episode laid the groundwork, this one really gets all the storylines moving. While the first episode only hinted at Arthur’s sexuality, this one confirms it will be a major theme. We already saw Anne was unhappy with her life in the first episode, but this one shows how much it’s affecting her well-being. (Her aunt suggesting gin as a solution probably won’t help things.)

The episode subtly hints at future developments. Ellen and Edward, despite being rivals, are both young, attractive, and quick-tempered, making their dynamic captivating. While *House of Guinness* still doesn’t fully explore the deeper political and social themes it introduces, it’s hard not to be drawn in and wonder, as one character puts it, “How quickly they’ll mess everything up.” Perhaps a more accurate prediction, given real history, would be “whether they’ll mess everything up,” but that lacks the same impact.

Sláinte!

Rafferty is currently the show’s biggest enigma. While his motives remain unclear, he’s central to driving the plot forward and has close ties to the Guinness family – a particularly close relationship with one member. We’re left wondering: is he simply taking advantage of the situation, does he genuinely care about the family, or is he just doing his job?

It’s true – Guinness has an incredibly long lease on its brewery at St. James’s Gate! They pay just £45 a year, and the lease lasts for 9,000 years. Back in 1759, when Arthur Guinness first signed the agreement, extremely long leases like this were actually fairly common. They were designed to ensure the brewery would stay in the family for generations, and it’s definitely worked out well for Guinness over the centuries.

The episode’s music begins with a haunting version of the American folk song “Katie Cruel” performed by the Irish band Lankum, which likely has Irish origins itself. It’s followed by “In ár gCroíthe go deo” (meaning “In our hearts”) by Fontaines D.C., and then “Rich Man and the Poor Man” from The Mary Wallopers, a band from Dundalk. Similar to Kneecap featured last time, The Mary Wallopers have faced some criticism for their political stances, particularly for displaying the Palestinian flag during their concerts.

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2025-09-25 15:56