House of Guinness Recap Episode 5: A New Beginning

House of Guinness Season 1 Episode 5

From the beginning, I have treated House of Guinness as what it is – fiction based on some historical facts. In this episode especially, it is important to remember that. Did the Guinness family support the Fenian Brotherhood? There is no indication that they did. Did the Brotherhood attempt to invade Canada? Apparently, yes. Was the real, historical Arthur Guinness gay? This has been suggested by at least one author. 

And so we go on, viewing the show mostly dramatically rather than an attempt at a faithful historical telling of a famous, historically significant family. And whilst I have concerns about how predictable some of the story beats are – surely everyone saw that Olivia and Rafferty would become lovers the moment they met at the wedding, the same with Edward and Ellen and their first meeting at the hotel – I have to pause to appreciate the work that went with the telling, especially with regard to Sir Arthur Guinness.

The mess to Edward’s stolid worker, Arthur long chafed at the role he was forced to play in society and in business. Marriage ironically gave him a measure of freedom, because Olivia provided him with instant respectability and supported him solidly in public, whilst in private she cared not about what he did with his time. Arthur did not have to hide who he was to his wife; he could breathe freely in her company. Most importantly, Arthur genuinely adored Olivia. He enjoyed her impertinence and he wanted her happy. It was for her happiness that he sent Rafferty to give her the news, that he was judged not guilty of any corrupt transaction personally regarding the election fraud trial that, for a time, dragged the family name in the mud.

It was a meeting that also felt like a workshop on how to couch horny talk with socially acceptable language. ‘As you wish.’ ‘As I wish always.’ ‘Ignore the elegance. Handle it like you would handle a fiddle.’ If your mind went places, it was meant to. I don’t hate this pairing, but I am not completely into it as well. I suppose part of my reservation was in that this felt repetitive; we have already seen Rafferty in a relationship with another Guinness, Anne, and it looked like there were feelings there. 

I believe Rafferty when he later told Arthur that nothing happened – they just played the violin – and Potter dutifully reported what he heard when Arthur got home. Arthur told Potter that it was he who sent Rafferty to Olivia, that there was no need to report Olivia’s activities, that if any of the servants heard violins or any other noises, well, Potter cut in to declare that the servants would not hear those noises. It was Arthur putting himself between his household staff and his wife; Potter, still dutiful, understood and promised discretion. 

Arthur also, in a way, was protective of Olivia, even as he made it clear to Rafferty that the two of them becoming lovers was with his permission. Arthur told Rafferty that Olivia was born to play these games, she would not be indiscrete; it was Rafferty to whom Arthur requested discretion. Yet, earlier, following their violin playing, Arthur had to remind Olivia that part of their arrangement was that she would do things quietly. For a moment, it even looked like Arthur was not happy with Olivia indulging her lust; he pointed out that he had just destroyed the family reputation, that perhaps violins were not the best way for her to spend her time whilst he was away. Olivia charmed and comforted Arthur, and with his head on her lap, she promised him they would do great things together. 

Arthur’s fondness for Olivia was a point of strength in a series that still struggled to find the power in its voice. Arthur and Olivia’s marriage of convenience was made with both their eyes open, they both knew what they were getting themselves into. Yet Arthur was a man, and a powerful one at that. Yes, he had given his permission for his foreman, his muscle, his servant, to bed his wife. How long would he tolerate that? How long before his affection for Olivia and his own Guinness pride woke in him a loathing of being a cuckold? 

All this was happening at a time when Arthur was experiencing a period of turbulence. He managed to avoid jail time, but he lost his seat at the Commons. When he tried to drown his sorrows at The Angel, Bonnie Champion refused to let him in, on orders by Edward. He rode hard for the brewery, where Edward had been spending all hours of the day, and oddly found his brother’s office empty. He remained there, intent on confronting Edward, on regaining at least some of his authority as co-heir, but Edward did not return (Edward, as we will discuss later, was busy elsewhere). Someone did join Arthur eventually, a young guard named Patrick, who claimed they had prior relations at The Angel. Under the glaring portrait of his father Benjamin Lee, Arthur had a night of passion with young Patrick.

Edward was, for once, not in his office, because he was at Ellen’s flat, on Ellen’s bed. Whilst he worked on the Guinness American expansion, Edward also pursued his cousin Adelaide, by writing her letters that went unanswered. So, he was flustered when he found her waiting at his office. She was there because of a plan she and Anne came up with, to construct 110 redbrick apartments for poor families, each of them with a bathroom, and with other amenities such as open spaces and a hostel for unmarried men. Adelaide framed it as a way to restore the Guinness family reputation. Edward tried to couch his agreement into doing something because she said so, but Adelaide was quick to tell him that he ought to make his decision based on sound fiscal management. On the surface, Edward remained determined to pursue her.

That was, until he received a letter from Byron Hedges that gave him an excuse to go see Ellen. Byron met with Eamon Dodd and all but committed to giving the Brotherhood 15% on every bottle sold in America in exchange for their assistance in the American expansion. Not only was 15% a massive amount of money, if it came out that the Guinness family supported the cause of an independent Ireland, that would put their entire business in jeopardy. His first thought was to ask for Ellen’s advise, though as Ellen later pointed out, he could have gone to others who knew of Eamon Dodd as well.

Ellen bluntly told Edward that if he backtracked on the 15%, Byron would be killed, and advised that he negotiate the percentage down. More than the money and potential social ruin, what stressed Edward the most was having to tell Arthur what happened, of having to admit to his brother that he messed up, perhaps, to an even greater degree than Arthur has ever done.

Ellen was not permitted men in her flat, and with her landlady watching the stairs, Edward had to remain there for hours. Of course they ended up in bed together, after they both confessed that they had been on each other’s minds. Again, I don’t hate this, though it was predictable. It was just a little funny how they again made a big deal about neighbours in this episode, and Edward just learning how to mind them, but Edward and Ellen in bed were shot from outside the window with the curtains open. 

The fifth episode of House of Guinness started and ended with the American expansion, with an already incredibly wealthy family reaching for more, even as their internal relations were facing challenges. Or, was it really about wanting more? Or did Edward simply know that the way to maintain the family status was to keep moving forward, so that their brand was not left behind by the tides of time?

Rating: B

Strays

👑Reverend Henry Grattan ranted to a very pregnant Anne how Arthur stole his inheritance, how he knew that deals were made to secure Arthur’s liberty, and that he would do what was necessary to make him pay penance for his sins. 

👑The barrister Uncle Henry mentioned, Issac Butt, is a real historical figure.

👑When I grow up, I want to have an orangery as nice as the one in the Guinness house.

👑House of Guinness does not linger on this – and I wish they would, sometimes – but Benjamin Lee’s decision to tie his daughter Anne even more fully to her husband by not giving her her own money was especially cruel as we watched her grow weaker. Anne gave birth in this episode, which meant that sick as she was, her husband continued to exercise his marital rights on her. Her screaming a profanity when her husband dared send a maid to ask how much longer her labour would take, as he wanted to join the ceremony marking the Guinness brewery expansion (it was now the biggest in the world) was well deserved.

👑Benjamin was now married to Lady Henrietta, and still sober. Christine was heartbroken when she found out about the marriage in a newspaper. 

👑Arthur gave Edward credit for his work in expanding the Guinness brand during his speech. Afterwards, Edward told him they needed to talk about New York.

Episode Writer: Steven Knight

Episode Director: Tom Shankland

Original Air Date: September 25, 2025

You can view RecapLab’s coverage of House of Guinness via this link. 

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