Every season, GBH Drama prepares to bring you coverage of the latest and greatest in British dramas. This month, we're getting a brand new series from MASTERPIECE: Tom Jones. Featuring romance, class struggles, and an delightful cast, this series does not disappoint. GBH Drama contributor Amanda-Rae Prescott is here to recap the magic as it happens.
This week’s premiere of Tom Jones continues the tradition of the spring period drama miniseries while doubling down on the literary roots of MASTERPIECE. Mammoth Screen, the production company that brought period drama fans Poldark, is back with another 18th Century tale. Screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes (best known for Amazon/ITV’s 2018 Vanity Fair miniseries) adapted Henry Fielding’s classic novel with a modern eye for more inclusive history.
Don’t worry if you haven’t read the novel yet: each episode features the spirit of the novel in the brevity of the hour long drama format. Let’s discuss all of the main characters we’re introduced to this week:
The Mystery Baby
Fielding wrote the novel as if an older Tom Jones was telling readers the many lessons he learned during his early years. In the miniseries, the main female character Sophia (pronounced the posh British way) Western acts as the narrator instead.
The story begins with introducing Squire John Alworthy of Paradise Hall. Everyone loves him because he is kind and rich. One night he discovers a random baby on his bed. The baby was clearly born out of wedlock and the parents have given up the child for adoption. Later on we see a woman named Jenny Jones claim to be the baby’s mother, but she refuses to tell the Squire who the father is so he won’t get arrested. The baby is christened Thomas “Tom” Jones.
The Girl From Far Away
After Tom’s backstory is shown, we move to Sophia’s introduction. She is about 8 years old and was sent from Jamaica to stay with her spinster aunt. She’s never been to England before, and she’s barely listening to the aunt droning on and on about becoming a lady.
Meanwhile, Tom has grown up a bit into a very mischievous boy around the same age as Sophia. The mean schoolmaster hits him with a cane. He ends up befriending the heir to the Paradise Estate, William Blifil. Tom also makes friends with the working class kids who live nearby. As Sophia and her aunt are passing by where Tom is playing, he ends up hitting their carriage with a rock.
The carriage arrives at Paradise Hall and Sohia meets all the residents and staff. Squire Alworthy begins to cry, because Sophia reminds him so much of his now deceased son. Sophia tells him not to cry. From this exchange it’s likely Sophia can’t remember her dad.
Young Tom is now playing in the woods on Squire Western’s land and gets yelled at. Sophia notices this confrontation and ends up kicking Squire Western because he’s so mean to Tom. Sophia is happy to meet a kid around her age and Tom is glad not to have someone reminding him of his bastard status.
Pheasants And Peasants
Older Tom continues to make friends across class lines. One of his friends is Black George Segrim. Black George has taught him how to use a gun for hunting. Unfortunately, Black George runs into trouble for poaching pheasants. The elites are out to arrest him. Meanwhile Tom is a bit more than friends with Black George’s daughter Molly. They hook up, then Tom finds out Black George is indeed arrested for animal theft.
Tom begs Squire Alworthy to spare Black George the harsh punishment of the noose or transportation to the colonies. Blifil has no sympathy for the lower classes or for Tom’s friendships. He claims Tom’s birth condemns his moral character. Blifil is too busy being a Nigel to realize that poachers were motivated to steal because they were struggling to make ends meet. Black George is spared punishment by being appointed a gamekeeper. Thankfully Black George will now have enough money to take care of his family!
Becoming A Lady & Not Becoming A Gentleman
Sophia returns after several years away. This time she’s accompanied by her ladies’ maid, who is closer to being a friend, Honour Newton. Sharp eyed viewers will recognize Pearl Mackie, who plays Honour, as a Doctor Who alumna. Sophia is back for “how to be a lady” lessons because she is close to marriage age. Sophia recognizes older Tom as that nice boy she encountered in the woods years ago. Grandpa Western is all too happy to dote on Sophia again. However, some of the neighbors are clearly uneasy and stare at Sophia in a microaggressive way.
Behind Tom’s attractive face is a new set of problems. Molly tells him she’s pregnant after their hookups. He’s confused by this, because he has no money or the status to take care of her. Molly tells the magistrate Tom has promised to marry her anyway. A very disappointed Squire Allworthy confronts Tom about Molly, stressing that this was not something a gentleman would do. The squire pays off the Segrims to keep quiet about the situation but this deal comes with a price for Tom. He is banned from ever seeing Molly again. Molly is also annoyed by the situation because she liked Tom.
Of course because he’s hard-headed, Tom tries to see Molly again. At first it looks like a reunion will go well because both of them don’t want to stop dating each other. Sadly for Tom this backfires in spectacular fashion when he catches another dude in bed with Molly. Yikes!! Now he’s left wondering if he’s even the father of the child or if the baby even exists at all. Poor Tom!
Sparks Fly
Tom is in the forest minding his business while Sophia and the other elites are in the middle of a hunt. Sophia’s horse is spooked and she ends up falling on top of Tom. He saves her from a more severe injury but sprains his arm in the process. Sophia begs her grandfather to let Tom stay while he recovers and he agrees.
Both Sophia and Tom are curious about each other but are unsure how to proceed. Sophia nervously watches Tom groom one of the horses. They end up enjoying each other's company and dancing together. The sparks are flying and we’re here to ‘ship it!!!
After the hunt, the Westerns invite nearby gentry over. Sophia plays the piano while both Tom and Blifil stare at her. The adults are convinced Sophia and Blifil like each other and the squires agree to negotiate a marriage contract. The episode ends with Sophia’s voiceover proclaiming she’s being forced to marry a man she doesn’t love.
Will Sophia marry Blifil or does Tom have a chance to win Sophia’s heart? We’ll have to keep watching Tom Jones next week to find out!
