It was less The Halcyon and more The Air Raid Shelter this week, as the bombing intensified and we were whisked away from the cocktail lounge into the rubble. And what’s this? Not Billy! Well, of course it was Billy – his death was more or less pre-announced by him getting a sudden, semi-prominent storyline. From the first frame it was clear that either he or the small cakemix-eating child would not survive the episode. Dora made it. Her brother didn’t.
The ubiquity of wartime death and the depth of grief are sensitively depicted in this strangely endearing series. And yet so many emotional moments end up leaving you cold because there hasn’t been enough time for the character relationships to deepen. Every episode feels like the first episode of a different series, and this one just continued that bumpy ride. But somehow I can’t bring myself to slam The Halcyon because so much of it is well-intentioned and beautifully done. Still, that doesn’t mean that as a whole it adds up. It doesn’t.
At least Betsey and Sonny have finally got together. “I know you, Betsey Day, and if you’re trying to protect me, you’re too late.” What woman could resist Sonny’s speech? “I was sweet on you for the longest time ... You’ve seen me in and out of here with half the men in London ...” Hang on, that is not the impression we have had of Betsey at all; she hasn’t had a single boyfriend the whole series. But OK, we will accept her explanation even though it makes no sense.
At last something very interesting happened with Lucian the Fancyman as a result of Toby and Cocktail Man cementing their union. “I wanted to make sure there had been no misunderstanding earlier.” “I have no intention of telling anyone what I saw ... In my experience no man chooses who he falls in love with.” Remarkably 21st-century liberal thinking there, and, of course, it concealed a terrifying truth. Fancyman is a spy! Now we get to the heart of things. “I feel certain we’re going to be the best of friends ...” The idea of Lucian the Fancyman being a super-creepy evil Nazi is excellent. I wish we could have known this earlier.
Meanwhile, Emma has joined the Women’s Voluntary Services. This all happened a bit suddenly as well. Would she really think that her dad getting her uniform was a fabulous and exciting gift? This seemed as likely as Mr O’Hara reading his cringeworthy reports aloud to himself in a bombing raid. “These women stay on the scene, keeping the city ...” And despite him having underlined the fact that he and Emma would have a one in 400 chance of ending up together on the same fire engine, they did end up together on the same fire engine.
And what a lot of business about the foxes and dogs getting in to eat the corpses ... this all feels as if it has come out of nowhere. What’s Emma’s motivation for being Joan of Arc? So she has discovered the spirit of altruism but can’t see that she’s endangering more lives by staying with the corpse? I give up.
Diamante brooch for best supporting costume
Oh, Betsey’s velvet dress with the sheer sleeves! Top prize to this immediately. Otherwise, this episode strayed so far away from the usual glamour of The Halcyon that it’s hard to think back to the days when Betsey changed her dress seven times in half an hour (this actually happened). I can see what they’re trying to do here: as wartime progresses, things get shabbier and more complicated. Gone are the frocks and the pristine Marcel waves. Fair enough; we get the narrative distinction. But I can’t help feeling that The Halcyon would have more meaning and traction if it was more an oasis from wartime London than a depiction of it.
Inevitable Downton flashback moments
The Halcyon is starting to fall into the dangerous Downton trap of picking a minor character, threading a storyline around them for a few frames then killing them off. (Except in Downton they weren’t usually killed, they were dispatched either to India or to someone else’s stately home.) All this is at the expense of the characters we started to care about earlier in the series. No Freddie at all tonight. No progression of the Austrian Jew sous-chef storyline. No further explanation of Mr Garland’s past. No analysis of the bond between Her Ladyship and Mr Garland (which really should be the beating heart of this show). If the whole thing turns out to be about Lucian the Fancyman being a Nazi then that might work. But it’s going to need to be about something.
Show-stopping lines
“Anyone would think you’re incapable of finding a lead outside these walls.” Indeed, Mr O’Hara. As a journalist, The Halcyon is your equivalent of Twitter. There’s a whole world of stories out there, mate!
“If this is a passing fancy, then I remain your obedient servant.” The Fancyman tries to find out if he really is just the Fancyman.
“You are who you are. And I am what I am.” Very appropriate choice of phrasing. Somehow, I don’t think Lucian the Fancyman is a Shirley Bassey fan.
“You hate The Carlton. You said it smells like onions.” If anyone knows her onions, it’s Betsey.
