Stuti Gokhale
The season 2 premiere of the historical drama TV series ‘Gentleman Jack,’ titled ‘Faith is All,’ catches up with Anne Lister a month after her whirlwind marriage to Ann Walker. As she tries to keep her wife’s prying relatives from interfering in their lives, she is overloaded with business responsibilities such as rising debts and the coal being stolen. To tackle the situation, Anne decides to sell one of her properties but faces unexpected hurdles. Things at the Lister household are also in a mess, as Anne hurries to renovate Shibden Hall before Ann moves in.
However, the newlyweds have quite a few hiccups to tackle before they can truly settle down into married life. Will they be able to sort out their differences or will their pasts drive them apart? Now, if you are curious to find out more about this intriguing ending of ‘Gentleman Jack‘ season 2 episode 1, let’s get right into it after a quick recap! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Gentleman Jack Season 2 Episode 1 Recap
The episode begins with Anne Lister meeting Ann’s aunt to inform her that the doctor has ordered her niece to stay away from the family for her better health. Though this irks Ann Walker Sr., she is unable to say anything due to Anne’s firm resolve. Later, Mr. and Mrs. Priestley also raise their objections to Ann living away from their watchful eye, but Anne manages to stronghold them into a silent agreement. Nonetheless, they startle her by sharing that Reverend Ainsworth visited Ann in Scotland earlier.
Elsewhere in York, a much healthier and happier Ann anticipates meeting Anne for the first time after their marriage. Meanwhile, the latter receives a letter from Mariana, who warns her not to rush things with Ann and reconsider her decision of making serious commitments. When the newlyweds meet in York, they have a few disagreements regarding Ann’s decision about the Crow Nest estate. Later, they visit the Norcliffes for dinner and Charlotte shares her apprehensions about their marriage, but Anne assures her that Ann is good for her and that she too may come to love her back someday.
After returning to Halifax, Anne notices that the Lister household lacks a groomsman after Thomas left and starts interviewing new candidates for the same. She also tends to business matters and gives James Holt a warning about slacking at work. After the newly appointed groomsman misbehaves, she fires him and appoints Joseph, who previously helped her transport the new pony she bought Ann. As Anne prepares for her wife’s brief stay in Halifax before they leave for their honeymoon in Paris, she confesses about their marriage to her aunt and gains her blessing.
Ann finally arrives in Shibden Hall for a bit but has a rather unpleasant meeting with Ann Walker Sr., who berates her for her relations with Anne and warns her of society’s criticism. On the other hand, Samuel Washington starts getting suspicious of Thomas Sowden’s account of his father. Upon questioning around, he shockingly finds out from a worker about the night the father and son had a heated altercation, following which Sowden Sr. was never seen again.
Gentleman Jack Season 2 Episode 1 Ending: Do Anne and Ann Reconcile?
When Anne first visits Ann in York, she tries to convince her to speed up the process of writing to her sister Elizabeth to divide the Crow Nest estate. However, Ann is skeptical to take such a drastic step as she still fears her family’s reservations about their relationship. Hence, she asks her wife not to rush her into it. Unfortunately, Anne feels that stalling the process indicates Ann’s hesitation to make a serious commitment to her but decides to stay quiet about it. Afterward, she shares her concerns with Aunt Anne, who pacifies her.
As a surprise, Ann sweetly sends a thoughtful present to her in-laws, and her wife is impressed at the gesture. To reciprocate, the latter gets a personalized silver letter seal crafted for her birthday and goes to receive her. On their way back to Halifax, Anne suggests sending Samuel Washington and his family as temporary caretakers to Crow Nest, while Ann makes a final decision about her estate and will. But the disturbing argument with her aunt leaves Ann miffed, and she bursts out on Anne in front of the servants.
After the couple calms down, they apologize to each other for their respective actions and Ann agrees to send the Washingtons to her estate, to establish her authority in front of her relatives. She further clarifies that she refused to see Reverend Ainsworth when he visited and asks Anne to make preparations for their honeymoon. Not just that, Ann promises to write to Elizabeth when they return and finalize the changes in their wills. As the pair travels to Paris, Anne responds to Mariana’s letters and tells her that she is happy with Ann, much to her dismay.
Does Anne Sell Northgate?
Upon realizing that the increasing debts are hampering her business prospects, Anne agrees to sell her Northgate property in town. By doing so, she plans to generate money for a bid she has placed on a nearby estate. She sets the sale price at 9,500 pounds, but despite repeated efforts, she is unable to attract any buyers. At the same time, the auction for the estate Anne wishes to buy approaches, but she still has no buyer in her sight.
Finally, Northgate’s value is officially evaluated to be 6,500 pounds, which is much lesser than what she asks for. Though Anne firmly refuses to settle for less and sell the property, she suddenly receives news that she has unexpectedly won the auction and acquired the estate she wanted. To continue with her business expansion, she surprisingly decides to build a hotel at Northgate to benefit from the ongoing industrial boom.
Read More: Is Gentleman Jack Based on a True Story?
