Say Hello to the New Duchess of Tintagel

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Buccaneers Season 2 premiere.

Two years have passed, in our reality, since Colonel Tracy (Adam James) and Patricia St. George (Christina Hendricks) walked out on Nan’s (Kristine Froseth) wedding to meet the woman they know to be their daughter’s birth mother. Two years have passed since Lord Brightlingsea’s (Anthony Calf) cancer reveal, which put a damper on his son Richard’s (Josh Dylan) and daughter-in-law Conchita’s (Alisha Boe) plans to leave England behind. Two years since Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) ran away from her cruel husband, Lord Seadown (Barney Fishwick), and two years since Lizzy Elmsworth (Aubri Ibrag) last had any semblance of her own storyline. Now, The Buccaneers is finally back on Apple TV+, and its second season’s very first episode picks up exactly from where the last season finale left off.

In “The Duchess of Tintagel,” not even a day has gone by since Nan walked down the aisle to marry Theo (Guy Remmers). The story resumes with the Colonel and his soon-to-be ex-wife running into the Tintagel household as Nan walks out of the church surrounded by her bridesmaids, minus her sister, of course. As the plot progresses, we see how the events of the wedding day come to affect The Buccaneers‘ ensemble of characters. The result is a pretty conservative episode that could’ve been a little more interesting if, for instance, it had focused solely on Nan’s perspective before allowing the show to get back on its usual track. Still, there is a lot of promise in the Season 2 premiere, both for the characters we already know and for the newcomers in London’s aristocracy.

‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2 Finally Reveals Nan’s Birth Mother

First things first, there’s the matter of Nan’s birth mother. After a whole season of wild speculation, The Buccaneers has finally revealed her true identity — and no, it’s not Miss Testvalley (Simone Kirby), as some fans had come to theorize. As a matter of fact, Nan’s mother is an entirely new character. However, that doesn’t mean that she is not a person of importance. Nan, for instance, had already met her when she was young, though for most of her life she referred to her as “Aunt Nell” (Leighton Meester). Twenty-odd years ago, when Jinny was just a baby, Nell spent some time living with the St. Georges. While Patty was tending to her newborn’s needs, Tracy took his time seducing his sister-in-law, who was still in her teens. Now, Nell wants back into her daughter’s life, and, perhaps most importantly, she wants Patty to tell Nan the truth about her identity.

Completely oblivious to this whole drama, Nan is trying to wrap her head around some sorrows of her own. She feels guilty about marrying Theo while still in love with Guy (Matthew Broome) and toys with the possibility of telling him the truth, that she only chose him in order to save her sister and her unborn child from Lord Seadown. Anxiety creeps over just like the intrusive memories of her one passionate night with her one true love, but the Dowager Duchess (Amelia Bullmore) reminds her that, if she wants to protect Jinny, she must behave and play the part of the duchess as expected of her.

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Having reached Italy, Jinny and Guy rent their own place under the names of Mr. and Mrs. Thwarte, but the local papers are full of stories about Lord Seadown’s missing wife. Back in England, James harasses Nan, threatening her in order to get information on his wife’s whereabouts. There’s only one way to shift the conversation away from that topic: at a famed Black and White ball, Nan appears dressed all in red, putting the news cycle on the move and kicking Seadown out of the headlines — for now.

Meanwhile, Conchita and Richard are trying to make sense of the Brightlingsea finances, what with Lord Brightlingsea just weeks away from the grave and the Closson family having lost all of their money. Conchita suggests that they sell some assets, but her in-laws are firmly against it. A solution, however, pops out of the blue when she steps out to take her baby for a walk. An American mother-and-daughter duo stop her to tell her how much they admire her and complain about their lack of connections in London. Soon, Conchita and Richard become young Cora’s (Maria Almeida) chaperones, tasked with taking her to balls and introducing her to London’s high society. In exchange, they will get a considerable sum of money. Sounds like the beginning of a new enterprise for Lord and Lady Marable.

‘The Buccaneers’ Season 2 Promises a New Storyline for Lizzy

Finally, there’s Lizzy, who seems like she’s about to get a storyline of her own. At Nan’s wedding, she catches the eye of a certain member of Parliament, and pretty soon, he’s paying her visits to the Marable residence. Now, this Hector Robinson (Jacob Ifan) guy might be dashing enough, and we are all rooting for Lizzy to get her happy ending, but let’s wait and see how this story interweaves with the other plots of the season. After all, a throwaway romance that feels like an afterthought is hardly what a character like Lizzy, one who has been through so much, deserves.

Ultimately, “The Duchess of Tintagel” is pretty successful at establishing its new characters and showing us where the old ones stand now that Nan and Theo are married. As previously stated, a more daring episode focused entirely on Nan’s perspective, given her post-wedding anxiety, could’ve been more interesting. Alas, the show falls victim to its too traditional formula and denies us this in-depth look at Nan’s character. Thankfully, what remains is still an engaging story, and we can’t wait to see what comes next for our American girls.

If there is something that actually fails the viewers in “The Duchess of Tintagel,” it’s how quickly the drama between Patty and Nell is settled. What starts with Patty blaming solely her sister for the affair with Tracy quickly turns into the two patching things up and returning to New York arm-in-arm, all after a couple of excessively therapeutic chats. Honestly, some things should’ve been left unsaid, at least for a while, and Patty should’ve held her grudge for a few more episodes. This would render the whole plot more believable while also allowing the characters to grow at their own pace. We get that this isn’t exactly where the writers wanted the characters to be, but it would certainly feel more natural. Let’s hope their relationship’s writing gets a little more careful, now that they’re back on each other’s good sides.

The Buccaneers

In a promising Season 2 premiere, Nan finds new ways to protect Jinny and Lizzy gets the semblance of a story.

Release Date

November 8, 2023

Network

Apple TV+

Showrunner

Katherine Jakeways

Directors

Charlotte Regan

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  Kristine Froseth

  Nan St. George

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  Alisha Boe

  Conchita Closson

Pros & Cons

• The Season 2 premiere is successful in establishing its characters, old and new.
• Lizzy finally seems to have a storyline that doesn’t revolve around Jinny.

• Patty and Nell’s conflict is solved too quickly, in a way that feels artificial.
• The show’s traditional format bars us from getting a deeper look into Nan’s psyche.