‘The Forsytes’: Frances & Jo’s Marriage Implodes After Shocking Move

The fifth episode of Masterpiece: The Forsytes is filled with dream killers, disaster, and detrimental dispossession, as ambitions are dashed, loyalties are fractured, and control is asserted at a devastating cost.

As the drama escalates and masks begin to slip, dark impulses of certain family members begin to take over, turning people who were once beloved ones into perceived villains while creating deeper divisions that threaten to permanently dismantle the fragile bonds of the Forsyte family. Warner: Spoilers for Season 1 Episode 5 of The Forsytes ahead.

Frances takes action against Louise to protect her marriage

Frances (Tuppence Middleton) and Jo’s (Danny Griffin) marriage begins to show real cracks as unease and resentment take hold. Although Frances initially tries to maintain control of her household and even welcomes Irene (Millie Gibson) under her wing, her attention increasingly shifts to Jo’s erratic behavior. Sensing distance and secrecy, she grows suspicious of his connection to Louisa (Eleanor Tomlinson) and the illegitimate children he has by her. And suspicious she should be, as her husband begins to slip away.

Meanwhile, Jo spends time with Louisa and their children, even opening up to stepdaughter June (Justine Moore) about them in a rare moment of honesty. June later encounters Louisa at the market, but the meeting is tense, with Louisa remaining cold and guarded. Back at home, Frances’s suspicions spiral. Convinced that Louisa is manipulating Jo, she hires a man to follow her husband, and when her fears are confirmed, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

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Believing Jo is too weak to resist (not wrong, really), she sets out to remove Louisa from his life entirely by orchestrating her eviction. As Frances begins to unravel, she confides in June, blaming Louisa for trapping Jo. The situation comes to a head when Frances calls out Jo, accusing him of betrayal, while he fires back, blaming her for interfering and forcing Louisa out of her home. He is appalled by her actions, as she is appalled by his.

Frances insists that Jo cut Louisa and the children out of his life for good by sending her away, “preferably abroad.” She frames it as a requirement for their marriage to survive, but Jo refuses to comply. Unable to accept her demands, he ultimately leaves his wife and stepdaughter.

In the aftermath, Frances, heartbroken, turns to Jolyon (Stephen Moyer) for support as her world begins to collapse. At the same time, Louisa, unaware that Jo is on his way to her, leaves the city with her children and assistant, ready to start again.

Was Frances right in what she did?

When chatting with TV Insider, actress Tuppence Middleton explained how she and costar Danny Griffen carefully crafted their relationship so you can really feel the fracture when they fall apart.

PBS

“We felt like it was important for us to have that solid foundation at the beginning so the audience doesn’t feel like it’s an easy decision for either of them,” explained Middleton. “I think that as time goes on, Frances is really trying. She’s trying more than Jolyon, actually, so that the point at which she feels like she gives up is less about giving up the fight for him, and it’s more about the respect for herself.”

“At the beginning, Frances is very sure of her position in the family and society, and as a woman. Then so many things get shattered for her: the security of her home life, but also her reputation in society is at risk without her relationship,” said Middleton. “And with that, she has nothing because she’s been married into the family

“The thing that ties her [to the family] most strongly is slipping away from her, and she will do anything to prevent that from happening, because it means everything that she loves could be lost, and the future that she so desperately wants for her daughter could disappear,” explained Middleton. “She’s worked too hard and too long for that to happen.”

Soames bends the truth to break Irene

Soames (Joshua Orpin) continues “playing on her sympathies,” carefully shaping Irene’s expectations while quietly tightening his control. He ultimately reveals they will not be returning to Paris, crushing her dreams. To cover for himself and his needs, Soames lies, claiming James (Jack Davenport) has a serious heart condition and cannot be left, making it “best” to stay in London.

It becomes increasingly clear that he has little regard for Irene’s feelings, wants, or needs, and has no issue manipulating the truth to maintain control. Meanwhile, the family, led by James, reinforces the rigid expectation that Irene has no right to anything beyond “love, honor, and obey.”

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As Irene settles into the household, she quietly disrupts its norms by insisting on treating the staff with respect and calling them by their first names, a move that shocks the staff and further sets her apart. But not to June, Irene’s closest ally, who assures her that they are “not typical Forsytes.”

At dinner, Irene struggles to mask her disappointment, holding back tears as the cracks in her marriage begin to grow. Irene senses something is amiss with her husband, but Soames attempts to placate her with gifts. Trying to reclaim a sense of self, Irene returns to her ballet classes, but even this small act of independence becomes a point of tension. Soames dismisses her passion as an incompatible “hobby” for his wife, reinforcing his need to define her identity.

When Irene finally uncovers the truth, that James was never ill, he’s “tough as an old boot,” and the telegram Soames got in Paris was a lie, she confronts Soames directly. Rather than apologize, he doubles down, insisting he has given her security and that she should learn to want it. He ends the confrontation with a chilling warning: “It can be difficult, but the difficulty will be of your own making, not mine.”

Things take a dark turn at Forsyte & Co.

James is pleased as punch that Soames is back in the fold of Forsyte & Co. But his smugness is short-lived after everything unravels following the disastrous investment in the Ceylon Gold mine. Despite earlier warnings from Jo about unsafe conditions and the way human life was being treated as expendable, the company, led by Soames and James, chose to move forward with the deal. Their focus on profit over caution proves catastrophic when a massive explosion rips through the mine, killing 200 workers. The tragedy sparks outrage among locals, draws scrutiny to management’s decisions, and sends the company’s share price into a sharp decline.

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Jo and Jolyon are furious, arguing that the firm should have been upfront about the risks, while James defends the decision, and Soames attempts to contain the fallout, placing blame on investors. However, it quickly becomes clear that this is a “crisis of their own making.”

The explosion doesn’t just devastate the mine and kill hundreds; it exposes the firm’s willingness to ignore danger for gain, fractures trust within the family, and leaves lasting damage to both their reputation and conscience.

A new mystery emerges

James and Jolyon are summoned by Ann (Francesca Annis), who pointedly asks, “Henry Faulkner of Cavendish Square, do you plan to cover his losses?” She reminds them that Falkner once covered for the family during an indiscretion involving a woman named Alexandra Shepherd, and makes it clear she finds their reluctance to help him now in poor taste. Ann insists they do right by him. But who is this Henry Falkner?

Oh, young love

June and Philip (Jamie Flatters) seem to be fine and dandy. She wants to meet his family, but he insists this is an unwise idea. Then, to follow the theme of unwise ideas, June introduces Philip to Irene. “I know you two are going to adore each other,” says June. Indeed.

Masterpiece: The Forsytes, Sundays, 9/8c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org)