Netflix’s ‘House of Guinness’ offers a highly dramatized account of the true Guinness family. The narrative resumes after Benjamin Guinness’ death, prompting his four children to struggle with the provisions of his will, which leaves them all disenchanted. Much of the attention is placed on Arthur and Edward Guinness, but as the narrative continues, other characters join the mix, making an already convoluted family situation even more disorganized. The season concludes on a cliffhanger, leaving everyone wondering what will become of the central characters, while also wondering if all the bloodshed and heartache were necessary.
House of Guinness Plot Summary
When Benjamin Guinness passes away, his wealth, mostly in the form of the brewery, is inherited by his sons, Arthur and Edward. Arthur would not have liked to become involved in the brewing business since he did not wish to remain in Dublin. It would have been fine with Edward since he wishes to concentrate on the brewery. Convinced that Arthur, as the eldest, will get most of their father’s business, the brothers conclude that Arthur will deal with the political agenda of the family by concentrating on his seat in the Parliament, letting everything regarding the brewery be handled by Edward. But their dad had other plans. His will states that the business and wealth of the family should be shared equally between the two, and if either one attempts to back out, they both should forfeit everything. This ties Edward and Arthur together, and they have no other option than to work together.
Although it appears dismal to the two of them, it is much better for them than what their younger brothers, Anne and Ben, get. Since she is already wed, nothing is left for Anne and there is no reason for her to be part of the business. Ben gets nothing either as he is a drunk and a gambler and the father feared that any money bestowed on him would only encourage his whoring. The life story of the Guinness siblings starts with this and is compounded by the addition of socio-political aspects of the era. One of the biggest issues the family has is the Fenians, the Irish nationalists who are waging a war for Ireland to be free from Britain. The Guinness, being Irish but in favor of the union, is a pain in their backsides, which is why they bear such hatred for the family. This is strengthened by the hatred that their leader, Patrick Cochrane, bears against the Guinnesses. His sister, Ellen, also doesn’t like them so much, but she uses them as a way to get what she wants and begins to dig up their skeletons, which she can use against them, particularly Arthur. As it happens, the oldest Guinness is gay, which not only means that he will lose his and his family’s reputation, but he will also be put in prison for being homosexual. In the meantime, Ben is still beset by alcoholism and his deteriorating mental state, while Anne is trapped in an unhappy marriage with her physical health also undergoing a decline, and she regrets being pushed aside by her father. It appears that the onus of running the business has rested on Edward, and he is willing to do whatever he needs to ensure its success.
Throughout the season, through the troubles and differences of theirs and the numerous problems they fall into one after another, the Guinnesses collaboratively take the name and success of their family to new levels. Edward’s strategy of expansion is a success, even though it falters initially, as America becomes their most valued market with a tremendous profit result. They also engage in several charitable causes, all thanks to Anne, which brings more creditability to their name. The only thing left to overcome now is the government, so their attention is turned to making Arthur an MP and making sure power stays with them as they influence the law and policy to benefit them.
Patrick Cochrane Returns to Dublin With a Grudge
The Fenians have an undisguised vendetta against the Guinness family right from the first scene of the show. When Benjamin Guinness’ funeral procession goes past the street, the Fenians, being led by Patrick Cochrane, viciously attack it. At the end of the episode, they proceed to set the Guinness factory ablaze to ruin their barrels and bring their business to an instant halt. As his sister Ellen had foretold, this incites the family to move against him and the revolutionaries, and the chain of hate and violence continues to move forward. For a brief while, it seems that a ceasefire is in the making between them as Ellen and Edward become close and Byron Hedges builds a bridge between Guinness and the revolutionaries in America.
Even at the time Patrick is arrested, Edward arranges to have him released from jail, though it will result in his being sent into exile to America, but at least he will be able to begin anew. And still, Patrick’s bitterness against the family is not reduced in any way. Indeed, he is incensed when he realizes that his sister has welcomed the enemy into her arms. His leaving for America and laboring in their family’s interests infuriates him. He tells them he’d sooner be a convict for life than deal with them. It is in this anger that he goes back to Dublin and plots to kill one of them. As a warning, he has a bullet with the Guinness name sent to them. While it is not clear exactly which Guinness he wishes to murder, it is reasonably believed that Arthur and Edward are the only targets.
Does Arthur Guinness Die? Does Patrick Cochrane Kill Him?
While Patrick Cochrane is busy perfecting his plan of assassination, the family is busy making preparations for Arthur’s election rally, whereby they anticipate garnering votes from the electors. Regardless of the risk of having Patrick around, they still go through with the rally but plan on taking double the precautions. Everyone is alert, and Ellen even attends the rally, attempting to locate her brother and prevent him from committing murder. As Arthur goes onto the stage and delivers his speech, Patrick’s scheme unfolds as Ellen and Sean Rafferty search for him. Ellen notices him and blows a whistle to warn the others of his arrival, but by then, it is too late. Patrick shoots his gun, although we never know whether the bullet struck or not.
Even though the story is highly fictionalized, the show remains accurate about significant facts regarding the family. So we are sure that Arthur was not assassinated by a revolutionary’s bullet at an election rally. Whether or not he is hit, of course, is quite another thing. One way this could happen is if the bullet does strike him but then misses.”. He will heal from his wounds, and being shot could very well turn him into a popular figure, so he can win the elections, this time without having to resort to committing fraud. The other alternative is that the bullet strikes someone else on the stage or in the audience. Maybe, Arthur hadn’t been the target. Maybe, Patrick’s rage was aimed at Edward, who not just manages the company and shipped him off to America, but also slept with his sister. Edward is the one who should have fulfilled the agreement that Byron entered into with the Brotherhood in America. So if they shipped off Patrick, it is most likely to send a message by murdering the man who failed to fulfill his agreement. Another option is that some innocent person, family member or otherwise, gets hit by the bullet, which would create another can of worms for the family. Whatever it is, it will certainly work in the favor of the political career of Arthur, solidifying the Guinness family’s place in the world. Therefore, we can attest that Arthur hasn’t been eliminated from the scene yet since there is still a lot more to be unpacked in the story regarding him and his siblings.
Do Olivia and Rafferty Break Up?Z
Though his company prospers and he is prepared to face another election campaign, a cost to Arthur’s heart exists in the form of his wife, Olivia, becoming infatuated with Sean Rafferty, the family’s second-in-command. Because Arthur is gay, his marriage to Olivia enabled both of them to engage in other sexual partners. But the agreement was that neither of them was going to fall in love and wouldn’t allow their marriage to be influenced by it. Arthur honors his part of the bargain, though it’s more a matter of the fact that, being a gay man in a society where being homosexual is illegal, he doesn’t have the option of leaving with someone to run off into the sunset. Olivia also fulfills her part of the bargain, at least initially. When she invites Rafferty to be her lover, Arthur doesn’t hesitate. But after that, she gets pregnant, and that creates tension in the marriage.
As is understandable, she cannot have the child, so she must resort to abortion, which shatters her heart on various counts. As Arthur allows her and Rafferty the time to come to terms with their loss as a couple, he also feels that the bond between them grows stronger. This hurts him because he cares for Olivia, in his own way, and if she falls in love with someone else, he will stand to lose that relationship too. Therefore, he informs her that she is in violation of the contract that had been signed while they were getting married. Though she was at liberty to have a lover, she was to remain unattached. But not only has she fallen in love with Sean, but she also became careless, and that resulted in pregnancy, which would have destroyed the reputation of the family. Therefore, it is decided that she will not be allowed to see Rafferty again. Olivia complies with no resistance, but that is only on the surface. When she sees Rafferty, she does not break up with him, as she was told to. Rather, she informs him that they will keep their affair going. She has created a plan for them to meet every Wednesday at a different location, which no one will be aware of. They will need to be more secretive, but this is better than not seeing each other again.
Rafferty concurs and goes one better when he informs her that although he will abide by this arrangement, it will not be so in the long term. There will be a way for him and Olivia to be together, and he says it with such certainty that she believes he will ensure it, come hell or high water. This also implies that neither of them will let go of the other so easily, and now Arthur has a new wave of trouble coming his way. And to make matters worse, his new adversaries happen to be the people whom he loves and trusts, which means that it will be much worse fighting them than being shot by Patrick Cochrane. Read More: Is House of Guinness Based on a True Story?
