Esther tastes freedom!
Things are looking very different in episode two of the ‘The Mill’. Esther has now finally grown up and must leave the work house. Also, there could also be a new love romance upon Quarry Bank Hill, but who are the love birds? However, putting aside Esther’s story, there’s also a new battle against Daniel and new worker John.
As the episode kicks off, the bells slowly ring for the workers to wake up. The new overlooker, John Howlett is already disliked by Esther and the other workers by his bossy orders and rushing, but they give him a chance to see if he could get the hang of it. He also pays Daniel a little visit and warns him the fight they had in the pub is not over. Meanwhile, Esther goes and visit’s Will, which leaves his father (who happens to be overlooker John Howlett), a bit disgusted and warns his son to stay away from her, branding her ‘a dirty trouble maker’. Lucy receives a letter believing it to be by her thought-to-be-dead sister and finds out Patience, who is the bully of the lot wrote it to be horrible. A fight breaks out between the pair.
Esther is looking forward to getting her own place and leaving the Mill behind. Her friends however, are not too keen on her leaving but she tells them that she’ll still be in the area and still be in touch with everyone. Daniel begins to have doubts about John being the overlooker and goes to see William Greg, but he tells Daniel that he’ll be giving the overlooker another chance and will see how he gets on.
Esther begins to pack her belongings up and gets a standing ovation from the workers and begins to make her way to her own little house in the village. She enters her little home with smiles and joy of being an independent young woman. Meanwhile, back at the Bates household, Daniel makes a discovery in the local paper about the new gardener, Peter Gardener: He is in fact, a speaker. He is also left reeling with anger after seeing the sped up machines are more hard work for the girls who are left breathless due to Howlett’s order. Daniel warns him that in two weeks there will tons of mistakes and injuries.
A drunk Peter Gardener gets off a carriage late at night and comes across Miriam on her way to visit her sister, he invites her in for a drink and makes her feel at home. He begins to open up to Miriam about why he was brought here from his own country. As he discusses his Grandfather’s dancing, Miriam is alerted as he holds and strokes her hand leaving her to freak out and leave quickly. Peter is left feeling guilty and upset that she has taken it the wrong way. As the flirting continues with Esther and Will, he admits that he has a sweetheart back at home. She seems nonchalant, but deep down he knows she has a soft spot for him. Will they ever get together? Or is it now over?
With the machines going faster tiredness is sets in and leaves John left running to his young son’s safety as the young boy’s head was almost smashed to pieces. In the garden, Hannah Greg is left to tell Peter that he isn’t needed anymore, but he begs her to let him to stay, leaving her to feel sorry for him. Hannah talks to William and he decides to put Daniel and Peter together at work, which leads to a new bond of friendship.
Was I let down by this episode? Of course not! Did I enjoy it as always? Yes! As usual this episode was brilliant. What I think was good about episode two is how we were taken on a little journey through Esther’s footsteps as a young new independent woman who now lives on her own and has to defend for herself in the real world. Living on her own, cooking for herself, dealing with the hangover she has due to her going out the night before, etc. This episode has left its door open to a new romance aswell which I hope we’ll see happen very soon. Peter and Miriam would be an awesome storyline only because of the reactions of the people at Quarry Bank Mill. And also romance with Esther and Will, will be disapproved because of the dislike John has against Esther. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and what it has in store for us, the viewers.
