'The Durrells in Corfu' Highlights: Season 1, Episode 1
Kalimera! As fans of The Durrells in Corfu are probably well aware, broadcast of the fourth and final season of the series is fast approaching - Sunday, September 29th at 8 pm ET on PBS to be exact. (As always, check your local listings for exact dates and times, just to be doubly safe.)
So, as Telly Visions’ recapper of Durrell escapades - and a latecomer to the series overall - for the next few weeks I will be looking back at the highlights of the show’s debut season. (Since it's the only one we haven't recapped to date.) Please join me on this little walk down memory lane in advance of Louisa and her clan’s farewell run in just a few short weeks.
The very first episode of The Durrells in Corfu aired on PBS on October 16, 2016. We meet the family in 1935 on a dreary day in Bournemouth, England. It’s one o’clock in the afternoon and we find Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes), widowed mother of four, partaking of a little gin when she receives a call from her youngest child’s school. Gerry (Milo Parker) skipped class and has subsequently been caned for his truancy. Louisa is furious about her son’s treatment and informs the headmaster that Gerry will not apologize, nor will he be returning to a school that beats fear into children.
The chaos continues that evening when Louisa’s eldest child Larry (Josh O’Connor) comes home from work, complaining about being an estate agent when he is destined to be a writer. Middle son Leslie (Callum Woodhouse) has decided to leave school himself and 16-year-old Margo (Daisy Waterstone) mentions her plans to halt her education as soon as she can find a husband.
When a widowed neighbor proposes that he and Louisa marry and send the kids to boarding school, Mrs. Durrell finally faces the fact that her family has stopped moving forward and is, in fact, sinking in money problems and an overall lack of direction. Larry suggests the best solution to their situation is to move to Corfu, where the cost of living is dirt cheap and they can all get a fresh start.
Flash ahead a few weeks or months to the Durrells' arrival in bucolic and temperate Corfu. The family is visibly relaxed as they soak in the sun on the deck of the boat. But the children’s sense of contentment soon dissipates, as they are forced to lug all their worldly goods into town. Louisa reminds them they are not on holiday and have nothing but her widow’s pension to live on.
