House of Guinness Episode 1 recap: Sir Benjamin's death creates political unrest in Ireland

Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight is here with another explosive historical series titled House of Guinness on Netflix. The series follows a tumultuous time period in the titular real-life family dynasty, which is one of the biggest stout manufacturers in the world. The premiere episode opens in 19th-century Ireland, in the aftermath of Sir Benjamin Guinness' death. Benjamin joined the St. James's Gate Brewery with his father and single-handedly expanded it to new heights after him.

In addition to being a successful businessman in all of Ireland, Benjamin was also a member of the Irish parliament and the mayor of Dublin. While the Protestant brewery owner was a respected figure in the country, he had many enemies in the Fenian Brotherhood and the Catholics. Benjamin's death directly leads to a chain of events in House of Guinness, and the Fenians break out in protests. The power vacuum in the city creates a state of anarchy, and the world turns to the Guinness four children, who will decide the future of their family dynasty.

Here is the complete recap of House of Guinness Episode 1.

House of Guinness Episode 1 recap: Meet the Guinness siblings

Knight's House of Guinness introduces the macrocosm of Ireland and the microcosm of the Guinness family, which are both experiencing unrest after Sir Benjamin's death. As trouble is brewing on the Ireland street, the show introduces us to the four Guinness siblings: Anne, Benjamin, Edward and Arthur. While each of them carries the weight of the family's legacy on their shoulders, they also have individual ambitions and secrets. The four siblings will now decide the future of their company.

The eldest is Arthur Guinness, who has returned after a five-year trip to London. His brothers claim that the frail aristocrat's tongue has been washed off by British champagne, and he appears to be in a healthy banter with Edward Guinness, the next in line. While Arthur spent his time in London, Edward stayed in Ireland and learned the workings of the brewery from his father. The House of Guinness premiere clearly established Edward as the most likely heir to inherit the family business, who is ambitious to expand the brewery to America. Before attending their father's funeral, Edward even negotiates to buy out Arthur's shares for 35% of the profits.

The narrative then shifts to the remaining two siblings: Anne and Benjamin. Anne, the only daughter of Sir Benjamin, is strategic, religious, and currently conflicted about her steamy affair with catholic Sean Rafferty. On the other hand, her brother Benjamin is an alcoholic and a gambling addict. He spent the majority of the premiere with his lover Christine, fearing about his debts to gangster Bonnie Champion.

House of Guinness Episode 1 recap: Patrick plans a fiery attack

House of Guinness Episode 1 opened in the aftermath of Sir Benjamin's death, which created a political-religious unrest in Ireland. Out of all the hardcore Protestant evangelicals and the Catholics who were against him, the Fenian Brotherhood leader, Patrick, was the most vocal. He believed that Benjamin was responsible for the exploitation of the Irish natives through his Black Gold and plans to set fire to their barrels. He believes that this violence is the perfect way to attack the already weak Guinness business, as the workers will have nothing to store their stout in.

While Patrick runs around setting fire to beer barrels, his strategic sister Ellen believes that violence is not the solution. She is clearly the more cunning sibling, who thinks of a way to gain leverage against the Guinness and get the upper hand for the Fenian Brotherhood. She orders her brother not to get involved in fights and continues to think of techniques to blackmail the Guinness. However, in the closing moments of House of Guinness Episode 1, Patrick lights fire to a pyramid of beer barrels anyway.

The episode ends in a literal fire, which sets the tone for the upcoming episodes. While Rafferty and Bonnie try to diffuse the flames, Arthur and Edward prepare themselves to face the blazing world, which will demand answers to equally burning questions from them tomorrow.

House of Guinness is streaming on Netflix.

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Also Read: House of Guinness soundtrack guide

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