'Harlots' season 3 episode 5 review: Emily Lacey's life may be a tragedy of missed opportunities, but it's the fighter in her that we respect
Greek Street is still mourning the loss of Charlotte (Jessica Brown Findlay) and while her family is still fumbling around to find out who the real killer is, the rest of the world has moved on – to the next murder and the one after that. The most recently aired season 3 episode 5 of Hulu’s ‘Harlots’ proved that the world has a way of forgetting every tragedy and problem by replacing it with a new one.
Let’s talk about Emily Lacey (Holli Dempsey), for instance, who has made her bed with the Pincher brothers and is now finding that bed all too uncomfortable. She believes that Isaac (Alfie Allen) killed Charlotte, but because of her love for his brother Hal (Ash Hunter) decides to stick around, and help them cover-up. She even pointed fingers at Quigley (Lesley Manville) and even committed perjury. The Pinchers went behind her back and made a deal with Margaret’s new husband and bought a piece of land from him in America. When Emily finds out that Hal and Isaac are building their dreams on top of her trampled body, she decides to run over and find shelter with her old friends in exchange for information of the Pinchers.
However, the ever-so-loyal Fanny (Bronwyn James) chastises her for sticking with the men who tried to burn their house down and killed one of their own. Emily, undeterred in her will to live a better life runs over to Nancy’s (Kate Fleetwood) house only to find Margaret “nine-lives” Wells nee’ Young (Samantha Morton) there. She tells them that Isaac who hates her guts has asked her to meet him at the docks, in order to give her some money so she can leave him and his brother alone. This is not Emily’s first rodeo and tells Margaret and Nancy that Isaac is the one that killed Charlotte – which is what the actual killer Hal told her. The trio head to the docks to find an inebriated Isaac threaten them with a gun, and after an altercation, Nancy shoots Isaac dead. Their cover-up plan is not elaborate but seems to be efficient, but it does seem like it has sealed Emily’s fate yet again.
She rushes to Hal only to see that he was indeed loyal to her and that he wants to build a life with her, sans Isaac. If only he let her in on the plans a few hours earlier, could she have avoided the chain of events that led to his brother’s death? Hal did love his brother genuinely and it is certain that he will not be able to forgive Emily for her part in the murder.
He might throw her under the bus when the law comes calling, or he might save her and punish her privately. Regardless, the happiness in Emily’s life hangs by a thread and this is not the first time. In the very first season, Emily took a chance by leaving Margaret for her nemesis bawd Quigley hoping for a better life, only to get beat to pulp. In the seasons that followed, we have seen her take risks aspiring to be rich, be happy, be powerful, only to get pulled down by life. Hers is the true story of missed opportunities and we can't help but feel for her.
We can’t wait to see how things work out for Emily when season 3 episode 6 of ‘Harlots’ airs on Hulu on Wednesday, August 14.