The previous season ended with an otherwise pointless conversation as Lucia and Georgie are motoring in their Rolls - Lucia raising the apparently unrelated matters of an election and investment. That was in effect, the series 1 closer with a hint about series 2.
This episode sees these matters come to pass.
Mapp and Benjy return from their Honeymoon at Monte Carlo with Mapp now affecting French phrases to rival Lucia's Italian quips.
Georgie has been in hiding for some time and eventually finds out that he has shingles. He has grown a beard to hide the worst effects and has to dye it at the barber to cover his white-flecked growth.
Lucia has Cadman spirit Georgie along the road to Mallards, where he stays secretly. Lucia restores his self confidence by assuring the vain Georgie that he looks like a character from a Van Dyck painting. Georgie duly turns up - to everybody's surprise - at Mapp's birthday tea dressed as a Van Dyck character complete with 17th century collar ruff but is disappointed when after his initial welcome no further interest in him is displayed.
Reason for this is the impending elections to the town council, with the issue of property rates being the main talking point- everyone here owns property so are directly involved. Mapp especially worries that this will hit her hard.
Major Benjy indicates his intention to stand for election to the Town Council.
Georgie - who from a personal point of view doesn't want the rates to rise - later suggests Mapp and Benjy's problem to Lucia, who grins wryly without comment. Clearly she is aware of the implications to Mapp and Benjy should the rates increase- they could be forced to vacate Mallards.
Instead Lucia disclaims about the need to raise funds to clear the slums and provide facilities (toilets) and pasteurise milk (which we now take for granted). She is all for rates increase, which she can easily afford. Does she have a less creditable agenda also?
Lucia declares her candidacy and Benjy withdraws his in favour of his wife Mapp, who understandably will campaign not to raise rates. The two candidates set to canvassing the (wealthier) Tillingites.
Their servants.chat happily on the beach providing their points of view, unworried by the outcome and unable to participate anyway.
Simultaneously Lucia reads an obituary for a lady, who having been left £500 in her employer's will (actually quite a sizeable sum in 1930) invested it to become a wealthy philanthropist. This fuels her desire to increase rates and succour the less fortunate but also inspires Lucia to invest in shares.
After consulting a stockbroker, Lucia invests in a West African gold mine called Siriami.and duly starts making money. Lucia generously tells her 'friends' (albeit now posing as an expert investor, which she isn't) and they too start squirrelling away Siriami shares purchased at the Post Office, each trying not to let on to the other what they are doing! Hilariously, Mapp, Diva and Benjy all secretly put by parcels of shares with 'a couple of hundred lying around' (This in a time when you could purchase a terraced house in London for under £400, to give it proper perspective. It's hardly a game for people like Coplen the gardener, on 14 shillings (2/3 of £1) per week salary.
The Siriami shares seem to be rising steadily and everyone is congratulating themselves on making a nice windfall. Mapp even begins to contemplate a year without having to let Mallards to make ends meet. (Nothing much about Mapp and Benjy's financial position seems to make much sense seeing as they now have two incomes, one house, no mortgage and the funds presumably from Benjy's sale of his own house. Mapp and Benjy also keep Withers, Coplen, Housemaids and Cook. But so the author determined.).
Then Lucia - again generously- announces that she has consulted with her broker and decided to sell her Siriami shares as there will be no dividends for some years. Lucia presents this rather as herself advising the stockbroker rather than the other way around, which is 99% more probable. Everyone sells off their shareholdings - except Mapp and Benjy, who choose to challenge Lucia on her new ground of expertise in share investment.
Unfortunately for Mapp and Benjy, Lucia's stockbroker is correct. Everyone gets out of Siriami with a nice profit, except Mapp and Benjy who are either forced to hold onto shares at a paper loss or actually sell at a real loss.
Mapp's hopes evaporate and now she is really up against it to battle to keep the rates down.
Following election day, Mapp and Lucia stand awaiting the result. Only now do we find out that all of the major political parties are pitching for the seat! Mapp and Lucia draw personally on 39 votes each but the Conservatives win with 250 or so votes, with Labour and Liberal not far behind. All that work when they realistically hadn't much of a hope.
Lucia is clearly upset and sees it as a personal affront, flouncing off followed by Georgie and in fact Georgie and Diva (the eternal 'floatiing voter') may well not have voted for Lucia.
However poor Mapp exits tearfully, ineffectively comforted by Benjy as she explains that the Conservatives are also going to put the rates up and that Mallards may well be lost....
From this point on, Mapp is really no longer a match for Lucia. Other than the occasional blow landed, Mapp can only stand in Lucia's wake as Lucia's social standing takes off.
This episode sees these matters come to pass.
Mapp and Benjy return from their Honeymoon at Monte Carlo with Mapp now affecting French phrases to rival Lucia's Italian quips.
Georgie has been in hiding for some time and eventually finds out that he has shingles. He has grown a beard to hide the worst effects and has to dye it at the barber to cover his white-flecked growth.
Lucia has Cadman spirit Georgie along the road to Mallards, where he stays secretly. Lucia restores his self confidence by assuring the vain Georgie that he looks like a character from a Van Dyck painting. Georgie duly turns up - to everybody's surprise - at Mapp's birthday tea dressed as a Van Dyck character complete with 17th century collar ruff but is disappointed when after his initial welcome no further interest in him is displayed.
Reason for this is the impending elections to the town council, with the issue of property rates being the main talking point- everyone here owns property so are directly involved. Mapp especially worries that this will hit her hard.
Major Benjy indicates his intention to stand for election to the Town Council.
Georgie - who from a personal point of view doesn't want the rates to rise - later suggests Mapp and Benjy's problem to Lucia, who grins wryly without comment. Clearly she is aware of the implications to Mapp and Benjy should the rates increase- they could be forced to vacate Mallards.
Instead Lucia disclaims about the need to raise funds to clear the slums and provide facilities (toilets) and pasteurise milk (which we now take for granted). She is all for rates increase, which she can easily afford. Does she have a less creditable agenda also?
Lucia declares her candidacy and Benjy withdraws his in favour of his wife Mapp, who understandably will campaign not to raise rates. The two candidates set to canvassing the (wealthier) Tillingites.
Their servants.chat happily on the beach providing their points of view, unworried by the outcome and unable to participate anyway.
Simultaneously Lucia reads an obituary for a lady, who having been left £500 in her employer's will (actually quite a sizeable sum in 1930) invested it to become a wealthy philanthropist. This fuels her desire to increase rates and succour the less fortunate but also inspires Lucia to invest in shares.
After consulting a stockbroker, Lucia invests in a West African gold mine called Siriami.and duly starts making money. Lucia generously tells her 'friends' (albeit now posing as an expert investor, which she isn't) and they too start squirrelling away Siriami shares purchased at the Post Office, each trying not to let on to the other what they are doing! Hilariously, Mapp, Diva and Benjy all secretly put by parcels of shares with 'a couple of hundred lying around' (This in a time when you could purchase a terraced house in London for under £400, to give it proper perspective. It's hardly a game for people like Coplen the gardener, on 14 shillings (2/3 of £1) per week salary.
The Siriami shares seem to be rising steadily and everyone is congratulating themselves on making a nice windfall. Mapp even begins to contemplate a year without having to let Mallards to make ends meet. (Nothing much about Mapp and Benjy's financial position seems to make much sense seeing as they now have two incomes, one house, no mortgage and the funds presumably from Benjy's sale of his own house. Mapp and Benjy also keep Withers, Coplen, Housemaids and Cook. But so the author determined.).
Then Lucia - again generously- announces that she has consulted with her broker and decided to sell her Siriami shares as there will be no dividends for some years. Lucia presents this rather as herself advising the stockbroker rather than the other way around, which is 99% more probable. Everyone sells off their shareholdings - except Mapp and Benjy, who choose to challenge Lucia on her new ground of expertise in share investment.
Unfortunately for Mapp and Benjy, Lucia's stockbroker is correct. Everyone gets out of Siriami with a nice profit, except Mapp and Benjy who are either forced to hold onto shares at a paper loss or actually sell at a real loss.
Mapp's hopes evaporate and now she is really up against it to battle to keep the rates down.
Following election day, Mapp and Lucia stand awaiting the result. Only now do we find out that all of the major political parties are pitching for the seat! Mapp and Lucia draw personally on 39 votes each but the Conservatives win with 250 or so votes, with Labour and Liberal not far behind. All that work when they realistically hadn't much of a hope.
Lucia is clearly upset and sees it as a personal affront, flouncing off followed by Georgie and in fact Georgie and Diva (the eternal 'floatiing voter') may well not have voted for Lucia.
However poor Mapp exits tearfully, ineffectively comforted by Benjy as she explains that the Conservatives are also going to put the rates up and that Mallards may well be lost....
From this point on, Mapp is really no longer a match for Lucia. Other than the occasional blow landed, Mapp can only stand in Lucia's wake as Lucia's social standing takes off.