House of Eliott

'The House of Eliott' is a British television series produced and broadcast by the BBC in three series between 1991 and 1994. The series starred Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard as two sisters who start a dressmaking business in the early part of the 20th century. It was created by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, who had previously devised the BBC hit 'Upstairs, Downstairs'. 'The House of Eliott' contains one continuous storyline of 34 hour-long episodes.

Introduction

In this presentation, Human Science presents not only a synopsis of the story, but an analysis of who the characters are and what they are like; how they grow as people; what enables them to accomplish in their lives; how the society of that times is changing and how the characters reflect that change; how life "responds" to their behaviors and actions; and many other insights and principles that can help the reader see life's subtle workings in a fresh, new light. This is followed by a synopsis of each episode, containing an analysis from a "consciousness" and "character of life" point of view.

Synopsis

Series One

Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott are left orphans (Beatrice is thirty and Evangeline, known as Evie, is eighteen) by their father's sudden death. They have to sell the family home as he has left them with no money. He has provided them with no education and no means of earning a living. To earn money they make use of their passion for dressmaking and Bea gets a job at a local photography studio run by Jack Maddox, soon to become a friend of the sisters and investor in their new London based dressmaking business "The House of Eliott", helped by the loyal and hardworking seamstress Tilly Watkins. A consistent theme is that of the men in their lives to stop Bea and Evie becoming independent (first their father and then cousin Arthur, executor of the father's estate and Evie's legal guardian, who keeps a rightful inheritance from the girls). Evie also dismisses a suitor who tricks her into missing a flight to Paris 'for her own good' although missing the flight saved Evie's life as the flight (piloted by another beau) crashed on the way to France, killing all aboard. After Arthur's arrest for involvement in drug smuggling he emigrates to Boston, USA, releasing a large amount of cash owed to the sisters from their father's estate allowing the sisters to expand the business and by the end of series one the future looks good, Evie celebrates her twenty-first birthday and is made a partner in the firm, and the firm is creating exclusive designs for the aristocracy.

Series Two

Bea and Evie go to France to learn more about fashion design. While there Bea marries her former employer and friend, Jack Maddox and they move back to London, leaving Evie alone in Paris to work at the fashion house "Maison Gilles". After a year and an affair with the designer Gilles Caragnac, a new glamorous and grown up Evie returns to work as the designer for the house of Eliott. She celebrates her twenty-first birthday and is made a partner in the firm and begins an affair with a married member of parliament. This causes complications throughout the series. Jack and Beatrice separate due to their inability to agree about whether to have children and the pressure of work as The House of Eliott goes from strength to strength and Jack's new career as a director of moving pictures takes him to Berlin. Meanwhile as the market for couture gowns wanes in the depression of the late 1920s, Beatrice and Evangeline are offered a tour of America showing their new ready-to-wear designs for the department store Sears Roebuck. Bea still has feelings for Jack. Back at the fashion house, after a crisis of confidence Tilly marries Norman Foss, a young chef in a local hotel, and has been reinstated as head of the workroom. She announces her pregnancy in the last episode of the series.

Series Three

Bea and Jack are reunited and become parents to their daughter Lucy. At work they hire Grace, a young woman designer to help them handle an increasing work load as their company expands. Larry Kotter, an aggressive businessman running a ready-to-wear garment firm, meets Evie and proposes a joint venture with HOE to market ready-to-wear garments for working women. After some hesitation, they sign an agreement with Larry to establish a new company to market under the name Aurora Collection. Grace takes up much of the design work on the new line because she is more in tune with the needs of the working woman. Grace introduces Evie to two artist friends, a graphic artist named Miles who soon comes to work at HOE doing promotional materials and, Daniel Page, a painter whom Evie is deeply attracted to. HOE's loyal accountant, Joseph, who played an important role in exposing their embezzling banker, Ralph Saroyan, in Season Two, takes on a more significant role in managing the Aurora Collection and ultimately is appointed Managing Director. During the ramp up for launching the Aurora Collection a mysterious fire breaks out in the Aurora warehouse, setting back the launch date by several months. Just before the relaunch date, Joseph a copy of an Aurora garment in one of the London department stores. Then they discover the Larry and Grace have been using the Aurora facility to produce a cheaper line of garments and have pre-empted the Aurora launch by selling this line to all the main London department stores, offering a kick-back to the buyers to facilitate their scheme. Meanwhile Jack has gravitated from film making to social journalism in support of the rights of the working poor and ultimately in invited to run for Parliament.

Commentary on the Characters

 

Beatrice

  • Bea lost her mother when she was 10 or 12 and had to grow up too quickly. Her father kept her at home, prevented her marriage and refused to confide in her.
  • He prevented either of the girls from getting a proper college education.
  • She learned to distrust men and rely only on her own resources. Already 30, she is resigned to die an old maid.
  • Even when Jack proposes, she cannot conceive that she can get married and have children, just as Elizabeth could never conceive that Darcy would propose to her.
  • Even for a long time after she does come to believe it, she is unable to give up her sense of self-reliance and independence.
  • Tight with money which we later discover he was spending on a night club, a mistress and her son, the girls are forced to make clothes from remnants. Thereby they develop a talent for design and dress-making.
  • Bea is deeply bitter about her father's conduct and has a great sense of deprivation because of the way she was raised. In year 1 episode 5 the dissipated wealthy socialite Daphne comes and tells her how much she envy's Bea for her accomplishments and how much she has wasted her own life. Here is life telling her that the hardships she has suffered have made her what she is - forged the aspiration, fire and strength of character that makes her a success. Whereas the lack of challenge in Daphne's life has become a curse. Life brings this to make Bea conscious of her good fortune.

Evangaline

  • Evie's mother died during child birth. Bea, who was 12 years older, acted as the baby's mother and raised her.
  • The spoiled younger daughter who has not had to grow up quickly and sacrifice, throughout the story Evie chooses what attracts her while Bea denies herself out of sense of responsibility.
  • Evie never knew her mother, but at least she had one. Sebastian confronts Evie with the fact that he never knew who his father was. Life brings this to make Evie conscious of her good fortune. In Bea she had a real mother.
  • Evie missed the flight to Paris with Sebastian because of an intentional delay by her other suitor. Sebastian's plane crashes. The delay saved her life.

Jack

  • Jack is the spoiled son of idealistic reformer (Fabian) parents and a idealistic sister, Jack has started life with no values or serious pursuits.
  • Jack rudely insults Bea the first time they meet when he says that Evie is too young and pretty to be his secretary but Bea will do just fine. Like Darcy, who slighted Elizabeth at the first ball telling Bingley she was only ‘tolerable' and then had to run after Elizabeth and brook her insults before she agreed to marry him, Jack too has to wait a long time and ask Bea repeatedly before she finally consents to marry him. Neither of them may have remembered the slight, but life did.
  • He is attracted to Bea for her aspiration, character and values which he lacks.
  • As Bea rises, they become estranged. He want her and a child. She wants a career and achievement. Their estrangement becomes the occasion for Jack to examine himself and seek a more meaningful career.
  • When she goes to America for Sear's promotion, he goes to Germany and takes the first step toward a meaningful career.
  • Bea responds to his inner growth without knowing it and begins to miss him when he is not present on his return.
  • He moves from society photographer to romantic film maker, from romantic films to war films with a social message, from films to journalism on social causes, from journalism to politics to uplift the poor.
  • Jack blossoms as an individual when he forgets Bea and dedicates himself to a worthy cause. That brings back Bea.

Lydia and Arthur

  • Both of them are overbearing, unsympathetic, mean and condescending, even commenting on the poor arrangements for Dr. Eliott's funeral.
  • When Arthur wants to give them some money, Lydia prevents it. At her insistence, Arthur withholds 400 pounds due to them on the excuse that they would waste it, but actually to keep them vulnerable and dependent.
  • The girls spurn Lydia and Arthur's support.
  • Evie returns his present of a ring and rejects his marriage proposal categorically and rudely.
  • The same night Arthur proposes to Evie, Piggy asks Bea to come away with him to Birmingham where he will seek work as an actor. His is not even a legal marriage proposal. But Bea rejects it very kindly because he has been so good and kind to them. 

Other Characters

(under development)

PENELOPE , PIGGY; PARTINI, DUROQU; DESMOND; TILLY, MADGE

AGNES

  • She is the one who stole the earrings and gave HOE a bad name with the jeweler.
  • She is the source of the duchess's scandal.
  • She is the source of the quarrel in the bar that leads to imprisonment of Betty's husband.
  • She is the one who lets her boyfriend into the building where he steals Tilly's purse and Katya is blamed for it.

BETTY, FLORENCE; KATYA; JACK'S PARENTS; SEBASTIAN, HUGO; VICTOR STRIDE, YOLANDA; ALEX

GRACE

  • She is young, ambitious and without values. She was attracted to HOE because they too are young aspiring women seeking to be self-reliant. Coming from a lower class, she lacks their values which are the keys to their success and her failure.
  • She is key designer of the highly successful Aurora line which launched HOE into ready-to-wear business which will become their future.
  • Through Grace, Evie's future husband Daniel comes.
  • Through Grace, their future designer Miles comes.
  • Through Grace, their future investor, Miles' father comes.
  • Through Grace, Miles father tells Jack about Carrouber's dishonest past, which becomes key to Jack winning the election and becoming MP.

COTTER; SAROYAN; DANIEL; MILES; JOSEPH

Keys to Human Accomplishment

(in development) never give up. alwqays believe in yourself. take drama classes to become an actor or actress. remember to all children if you want to act then do so there is no point browsing the internet looking for auditions. tell your parents and who knows maybe they will llow you an agent.

Social Evolution

Character of Life in House of Eliott

The Secret

  • Their aspiration from the beginning is to start a fashion house.
  • Even when they discover they are broke, they fantasize about starting a fashion house.
  • They remain hopeful and cheerful despite the difficult humiliating circumstances.
  • The Secret of their success
  • Aspiration to accomplish
  • Goodwill and harmony for each other
  • Good values toward other people
  • Sense of self-respect and self-reliance - they do not want to depend on others
  • Unselfishness -- Bea refuses to condemn Evie for her affair with Alexander even when it threatens to destroy the business. Ultimately it turns out that Evie is not responsible for Alexander's forced resignation.

Life Response

After their father's unexpected death and the discovery that he has left almost no money behind, the Eliott sisters are forced to seek employment and support themselves. The three years are a story of one struggle after another as they rise step by step from near poverty and social oblivion into success and respectable high society.

  • Dr. Eliott dies.
  • They discover they have no money and need to work.
  • Arthur is appointed guardian and lords over the girls.

Life responds immediately to their aspiration but they do not understand its significance until later on

  • They discover their father's silk shirts and make some good clothes for themselves.
  • Because Arthur refuses to let Evie be dancing partner, she goes into garment industry which becomes the basis for HOE.
  • Leaving Arthur's after his refusal, Evie meets Jack's sister Penelope. They meet Tilly who becomes their first employee. She introduces Jack who hires BEA. They later move their business to Jack's building and eventually take over the whole building. Bea's future husband appears in the beginning and is a crucial friend and support throughout.
  • Mrs. Partini, their first employer in garment industry, benefits by their talent but refuses to pay them according to their worth. It is Grace forcing them to go out on their own.
  • Aunt Lydia comes and berates them for leaving Mrs. Partini. While she is their Bea receives job offer for both of them from Mr. Duroque, a more well-known and prestigious couturier for whom Partini previously worked. They are pushed up in life and Lydia's assertion is undermined.
  • When Evie tries to introduce new design elements Duroque scolds her in an offensive manner. When one of his customers rejects all his designs and asks Evie's advice, she shows the customer an innovation which delights her and gives the credit to Duroque. Duroque then abuses Evie and warns her if it happens again, she will be fired. Later the same client approaches Evie directly to make clothes for her - business that would have gone to Duroque if he had been open to new ideas. They reluctantly accept it because Duroque has been so offensive that they feel no obligation to him. Later they find he has stolen some of Evie's designs and claimed them as his own. Bea confronts him and demands compensation and recognition for Evie's work. A friend of Lydia's who does business with Duroque comes asking him for new styles like those of the other client. Just then Evie enters with the other client who is wearing one of Evie's designed made by her at home. The secret comes out and Duroque fires them. It is life compelling them to seize the opportunity.
  • At a Christmas day party 1921 Bea and Evie announce they are going into business for themselves. Jack and Piggy both offer to invest. The following week Bea approaches a number of banks with a business proposal but they all turn her down because she is a woman. Jack writes a check to invest as a partner. A few days later Piggy comes. Jack reminds him of his offer of investment. Piggy announces that he had invested all his money in one stock and lost everything he had after he made the offer of money to Bea.
  • Desmond, who has been alienated by Dr. Eliott, comes back to befriend them and offer valuable advice and assistance.

Goodwill

There is a strong atmosphere of goodwill and affection that underpins their success

  • Penelope's goodwill for the sisters and Tilly. She introduces Jack, resulting in Bea's job as his secretary. Later that leads to their moving into the same building as his office occupies at No. 24.
  • Tilly's loyalty and close bonds with them
  • Jack becomes their first employer, first investor, a constant source of good will and support throughout.
  • Piggy offers that goodwill as well.
  • Desmond takes deep fatherly interest in them.
  • Most of all it is the genuine and deep affection of the two sisters for each other that sees them through all the crises as they rise in life.

Money

  • The business desperately needs money following the loss of business due to the scandal of Evie and Alexander
  • When Bea and Evie refuse to ask anyone for help, life responds.
  • Jack offers money on his own, which Bea refuses.
  • Alexander offers money unasked, which Evie refuses to take.
  • When they both refuse, news comes that a new class of theater clients is coming to them because of the scandal, not in spite of it. Business starts to boom.

Harmony

Each time the sisters quarrel they become vulnerable and land in trouble. When they quarrel over Daniel's ugly portrait of a scheming client, they fail to note Tatia's suspicion that something is wrong at Aurora.

Challenges become Opportunities

Each difficulty becomes a stepping stone for them to rise

  • Denied a good education and forced to make their own clothes, the girls have developed a precious talent and a love of fashion that becomes the foundation for their career success.
  • Evie and Bea become underpaid seamstresses who are forced to quit treats both the girls rudely and refuses to pay them well.
  • Their second employer abuses Evie and refuses to acknowledge her talent even when clients appreciate it. His abuse persuades them to accept a private assignment from one of the clients which becomes the seed of HOE.
  • They leave their second employer when he steals Evie's designs and refuses to give her money or credit. This forces them to start their own company.

Gossip

The duchess, a former actress married into aristocracy comes to House of Eliot (HOE) for a fitting. As she gets down from the car, the flower merchants cart tips over. The duchess goes and buys flowers from her paying generously and gives them to the staff of HOE. During the fitting she speaks loosely about the romantic encounter of two her guests the previous weekend. Agnes overhears the story, gets it confused and leaks news to a reporter implicating the duchess, resulting in a scandalous article the next day. The duchess cancels further business with HOE. Agnes is about to lose her job, but is saved by sympathy after the reporter gives her a beating.

  • The accidental leak of wrong information is foreshadowed by the accident with the flower cart.
  • An actress turned duchess cannot give up her old habits of gossip and is punished for that by life.
  • The vibration of gossip enjoyed by all the ladies attracts the reporter for a newspaper which thrives on rumor and scandal.
  • Agnes is physically beaten by life for her stupidity, but spared losing her job.

Foolishness and Stupidity of Agnes

  • She is the one who stole the earrings and gave HOE a bad name with the jeweler.
  • She is the source of the duchess's scandal.
  • She is the source of the quarrel in the bar that leads to imprisonment of Betty's husband.
  • She is the one who lets her boyfriend into the building where he steals Tilly's purse and Katya is blamed for it.

Grace brings Grace

  • The first time she comes, she cheats HOE by selling the same design to them and to a retail store. Her initial act repeats when she and Kotter sell the Aurora ready-to-wear duplicates to HOE customers.
  • She is young, ambitious and without values. She was attracted to HOE because they too are young aspiring women seeking to be self-reliant. Coming from a lower class, she lacks their values which are the keys to their success and her failure.
  • She is key designer of the highly successful Aurora line which launched HOE into ready-to-wear business which will become their future.
  • Through Grace, Evie's future husband Daniel comes.
  • Through Grace, their future designer Miles comes.
  • Through Grace, their future investor, Miles' father comes.
  • Through Grace, Miles father tells Jack about Carrouber's dishonest past, which becomes key to Jack winning the election and becoming MP.

Misfortune

All those who relate to them during the early days of their struggle meet with misfortune.

  • Sebastian dies in a plane crash.
  • Arthur is cheated by his night club partners, loses his money and reputation and is forced to move to Boston.
  • Aunt Lydia is socially outcast because of her son Arthur's scandal.
  • Piggy offers to invest in HOE and then immediately learns that he has lost all his money in the stock market and must himself look for employment.
  • Their banker and Evie's godfather, Desmond, is murdered by his partner.
  • Desmond's partner, Ralph Saroyan, who killed Desmond and cheated the bank's clients, is driven out of business and forced into exile to escape arrest.
  • Alexander, cabinet secretary, who helps them expose Ralph Saroyan, is forced to resign over the banking scandal and his affair with Evie and to take up a lesser post in Italy while his wife loses her post at the palace.
  • Tilly's baby dies.
  • Bette's husband is unjustly convicted of man-slaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
  • Madge's marriage falls apart after her trip to USA.
  • Grace and Larry Kotter cheat HOE and lose their business.

Good fortune

At a later stage, all those who relate to them positively prosper

  • Penelope becomes a missionary and gets married?
  • Jack rises from social photographer to newspaper columnist and eventually to MP.
  • Daniel rises from impoverished artist who cannot afford to paint to a successful artist who receives a prestigious bursary for study in Paris.
  • Agnes becomes a stage singer.
  • Madge and Charles fall in love. Madge eventually becomes manager of HOE's ready to wear line.
  • Joseph rises from a dishonored accountant fired by Desmond's partner into Managing Director of HOE.
  • Miles rises from student artist to fashion designer and partner in HOE.
  • Tatia finds a good job and career with HOE.

Preface

Like the individual, life too can be said to have a character of its own. Life's character can be described by the way events unfold, as well as by the factors that determine such outcomes. The character is governed by subtle laws and principles, which we can observe if we closely examine the unfoldings of life. In House of Eliott we can see a number of these laws in action, which can give us the most profound of insights into the nature of life.

One such principle of life is the law of "inner-outer correspondence." It indicates that the separation we normally perceive between the world outside us and our inner condition is an illusion of our limited consciousness. That, in fact, the inner and the outer are part and parcel of the same contiguous reality. Therefore, if I change the inner me - such as reversing a negative attitude to the positive - the outer world instantly responds in kind with good fortune. This miraculous like phenomenon is known as a "life response," a term coined by a spiritual teacher in India in the 1970s. It is the instantaneous response of the outer life to changing our consciousness within. Any work of literature or film will reveal at least a dozen such incidents, and House of Eliott is no exception.

The following is a commentary on each of the episodes of the series, focusing on areas of accomplishment on the part of the characters, as well as the character of life, including the phenomenon of life response. Items in bold generally indicate something related to accomplishment and character of life.

SEASON 1

Episode 1 (1)

THE DEATH OF BEA & EVIE'S FATHER & THE FUNERAL

  • Events concerning the death of Bea and Evie's father begin the story.
  • Bea and Evie's father is inflexible. He reacts in anger to their attempt at a little freedom. In fact, his reactionary anger leads to, is the cause of his death.
  • We meet with Arthur and his mother Lydia. Even she knows that Arthur is a penny pincher as witnessed at the funeral that follows. We already see his dark side, including his elicit use of money.
  • Arthur lies even at the funeral.
  • Beatrice is gleeful about her father's death, which attracted the negative response of hearing Evie crying about her father's death. It is one thing to be happy to be rid of a negative influence, but gleeful goes too far. In fact, she would be wrong about her father to a certain degree in the end. (This gleefulness is an indicator. In fact, the reverse of the gleefulness is the bitterness she will experience throughout the story, which will due her for the most part no good. The gleefulness is a cover for the bitterness she repeatedly express in the future..)
  • Bea assuages Evie's pain, showing that she (Evie) had nothing to do with their father's death. (It was his inflexibility towards the two of them and elsewhere that brought about the physical attack that ended his life. Bea is right in many ways, but not right to the point of bitterness. Bitterness is never right. It shows a lack of understanding of the truth, and the power to live one's life unfettered from such psychological dark influences.)
  • Bea is as much a mother as a sister to Evie.

NEW FREEDOM

  • They are now happy with their freedom, until they see Arthur, who indicates that they have received little from their inheritance. Arthur is deceiving. They are now free to be and rise, but suddenly an obstacle stands in their way. When a positive arises, such as an opportunity to move upwards substantially, it gives the right for a negative to oppose, especially when they have not secured their own station and power yet in life. We see this again with Saroyan. And yet in both instances they are able to surmount the obstacle, through their grit, strength, drive, goodwill, goodness, and other positive qualities.

(In the film, Seabiscuit, Red fails to deal with the opposing force that rises when he is about to run the race of his life with War Admiral, causing him injury, and missing the greatest opportunity of his life. It was that same opposing force when an opportunity to rise presents itself; but in his case, he was unable to overcome it.)

  • They aspire, dream to design dresses. This reflects their essential aspiration for accomplishment in life (within the context of their freedom).
  • Arthur says Bea has a disconnecting manner. In other words, she sees right through him!
  • Their father spent money for nice clothes to enjoy himself for a reason still unknown: not on high risk stakes as Arthur deceivingly claims. (Their father was restricting, reactionary figure, but not a monster as Bea believes throughout the early part of the story.)
  • Interestingly, the clothes they find become the basis for developing their own designs. (I.e. her father has had good will for her in life and beyond.)

FINDING WORK

  • They then immediately commit to finding work of their own; especially now that the inheritance is paltry (due for the most part, as we shall see, to the shenanigans of Arthur).
  • They worry about not having the skills, which they believe their father deprived them of. (High skills in society is now one of the central keys to advancement in life. Back then they perceive this as well, as Bea and Evie were aspiring modern woman for their times.)
  • Arthur worries about the reputation that will come to the family if Evie takes the job as a dancing partner. (What a hypocrite, as we shall see!)
  • Bea and Evie both make the concerted effort to find work.

A CRITICAL MOMENT & JACK'S ARRIVAL

  • A critical moment in the story: Evie sees a poor beggar woman collapse on the street. This changes their fortunes as she meets Tilly and then Penelope as a result, the later a social worker, who introduces Evie not only to social consciousness but to Penelope's brother Jack who would forever be bound up in their lives. Evie's goodness and concern for the fallen woman, opens the door to a vast array of allies in their pursuit to establish and expand House of Eliott.
  • Even here at the outset, Evie and Bea are spanning social spheres from the poor to aristocracy, which is a breakdown of the classes.
  • Bea decides not to ask for money any more from friends in order to survive. Just after this, Penelope appears to Evie with news that Jack could offer Evie a job. Life has responded in a positive way to Bea's commitment to no longer borrow from others. (This is powerful life response indicating a principle of non-dependence regarding money.)Also, Evie's earlier helping of the beggar woman, that in essence aided in Penelope's cause, comes back to Evie through Penelope with positive news.
  • In one incident Evie's spontaneous goodness attracts Tillie, Jack, and Penelope, all forces for Evie and Bea's substantial accomplishment later on.

WORKING FOR JACK

  • Evie and Bea go to meet Jack, Penelope's brother, who is a portrait photographer.
  • At the interview, Bea tries to speak in Evie's behalf about her skills. She is trying to prop up her sister in Jack's eyes so he will hire her. As a result of that effort of self-givingness, it is Bea, not Evie, who get the job! Another powerful life response, this time to Bea's self-giving behavior. It is similar to in ‘Pride and Prejudice," Eliza's concern and helpfulness towards her ill sister Jane, that in effect attracts Darcy to that locale, enabling Eliza and Darcy to begin a relationship that will end in their marriage.
  • Aunt Lydia's attempt at matchmaking and her overall meddlesomeness in trying to manipulate the two girl's lives continually fails. (She is not unlike Jane Austin's Emma in that way.) She is also on the trailing edge as she acts this way; i.e. she acts opposite to the rising positive energies of the emerging generation, which creates the backfire effect. This is similar to Lady Catherine in' Pride and Prejudice,' whole meddlesomeness to stop the relationship between Eliza and Darcy actually help firmly establish it, leading to their engagement and marriage soon thereafter.
  • Their father spent considerable money apparently on the woman he loved - rather than on their mother. However, Arthur lies and says he actually cavorted with whores! He could make up such a story because that is precisely what he does.

(A thought: Do we ever find out if Arthur had a vendetta against Evie and Bea's father in their relationship in running the club, and therefore might associate him with whores, or might even be getting back at him through his daughters?)

  • Bea accepts the job working for Jack.
  • Jack's studio would be the future home of the House of Eliott. He is intimately involved in the unfolding of the business at every step of the way. In his own way, he will be a third partner, as he will help resolve many issues for them; and will even grow as a person in his work and in general through problems that HofE will encounter, and that he will be involved in in resolving.
  • The decision of the two girls looking for work is reaping dividends, especially without asking for money from others.This self-reliance has a powerful positive pull on life. It is a high value and attitude of Self; i.e. of self-power to attract positive results from life.

MUSINGS: Alignment with a Higher Intent:

  • There is an evolutionary movement (biological, social, and spiritual) that is unfolding in life. It actually ranges from levels of progress to transformation.
  • When each side makes a transition in consciousness, inner or outer, they are not only aligning to one another, but to this evolutionary force or vortex.
  • It is in fact through the alignment of these two sides, that they are able to join, to be pulled along collectively by this evolutionary force.
  • In House of Eliott we see the evolution at the biological (i.e. personal), social, and spiritual level. When the individuals make a change they are aligning with condition that better themselves, the society's emerging aspirations, as well as a higher universal, even cosmic and spiritual intent. (EP)

Episode 2 (2)

JACK'S WORK HABITS

  • Evie discusses the letters from her father's lover.
  • Bea is forceful in trying to get the informal Jack into being organized and disciplined. (This quality would semi-consciously attract her to him.)
  • Jack flatters his elderly clientele. It is how he charms and gains their business. (He even touches up the photos to flatter them.)

ARTHUR'S INFLUENCE

  • So many times thereafter when the two sisters discuss something that is unflattering about Arthur, he appears on the scene. (Here where Evie discovers that her father had a lover, rather than cavort with whores as Arthur has suggested.) We can say that both parties are thinking of one another and so they 'coincidentally' meet. (It is no coincidence.) But each time also reveals Arthur's negativity, as e.g. he appears here when we discover he has been untruthful about the father's relations.

EVIE'S ASPIRATION

  • Evie does design, and says she wishes she had a proper job. Her aspiration is fulfilled through the combination of design and a job via the establishment of the House of Eliott. It is the power of intention attracting. Also because she is energized through her creative aspirations for design and she seeks employment in that regard she releases extra concentrated energy that attracts the object of her desire.
  • (To reiterate from earlier entry-) Evie's concern for the poor woman who collapsed attracted Penelope to Evie, and then Jack via Penelope. It is a powerful response to Evie's goodness.

MEDDLESOMENESS OF LYDIA & ARTHUR

  • Aunt Lydia encourages Evie to get married, not to make dresses, which is low achievement and social status in her mind. The truth will prove to be the opposite. The reactionaries encourage the "practical" of the past; which turns out to be a false reading of the truth. Such are the indicators of the trailing edge.
  • Bea is so angry about her father's character that she accepts Arthur's claim that the father was with whores. Bea needs to release her anger. Anger is always a sign of some ignorance and falsehood (with the possible exception of righteous indignation.) We see that the vital emotions can take one into wrong places, and to wrong conclusions too. (Gradually Bea will release much of her anger towards her father, as the truths of his life slowly unfold.)

A NEW SOCIAL LIFE

  • Jack gives a party, which the sisters are thrilled to attend. (Their social life has been all but cut off in the past.) Piggy and Jack pick up Bea and Evie and take them to the party. This is a sweet and happy experience for the once protected and sheltered girls.
  • Arthur is very jealous of Evie flirting with Jack.
  • Beas starts using Jack's office (where she works as Jack's helper) to get offers to do dresses.

MEETING THEIR FATHER'S LOVER & DISCOVERY OF SEBASTIAN

  • Evie goes to meet her father's lover, who reveals that she and Evie's father had a son; thus, Evie's step-brother. It is Sebastian.
  • Arthur calls Bea in to reveal more of her father's debts due to stock market failures. He is lying again. He has taken this up consciously or subconsciously as retribution for Evie's earlier free behavior at the party, and her cavorting with Arthur. This is a vendetta against the sisters, ostensibly because he feels rejected. (What wonders what relationship Arthur had with his own father.)

Episode 3 (3)

WORKING AT PARTINI

  • Lydia arranges for Evie to interview at the couturier Partini. (It will (as revealed in a later episode) end in a serious argument and split. That outcome will once again reflect Lydia's meddlesomeness, and her reactionary social opinions and intentions. Still it will serve a purpose in that Evie will transcend the situation, enabling the development of her own business with Bea. The negative can be an even greater spur to the positive than the positive.)
  • Bea mistrusts Arthur, whether in funeral dealings, or after speaking with him about her newly-discovered step-brother, who she believes should have right of inheritance from their (common) father.
  • Lydia is somewhat bothered by the fact that Evie is moving up at Partini's It seems like she only wanted Evie to have a basic job, and get married; not be successful at it. It is a negative response to her (Lydia's) original intention.
  • Arthur's negativity has more than met its match in Bea. She is shrewd, able to penetrate the surface, organized, and persevering. She sees right through him. This is precisely the type of person he cannot hold off, as he has the nature to pray on people (in particular Evie now) through deceit.

FORCED TO MOVE OUT & THE END WITH PARTINI

  • Evie and Bea are forced out of their home because of their father's past debts (i.e. according to the duplicitous Arthur).
  • Bea and Evie move in next door to Arthur's studio. (Psychically he is keeping them under wing, while tending a subconscious romance for Bea.)
  • Bea has an organized mind that sees possibilities for greater efficiency around her -- including maximum utilization of resources (of fabrics) at Partini now that she is also working there with Evie.
  • With Bea no longer working for Jack, he cannot find things around the studio. It is another indicator that he needs her.
  • Tilly is instrumental in making Evie and Bea see how much they are really worth.
  • Bea is normally utterly logical, reasonable, and principled. (Though she does get bent out of shape from time to time it is usually fleeting.)
  • After they leave Partini after the falling out, they regroup, and look at things in the most positive light, especially Evie. This is the perfect attitude toward the negative.
  • Sebastian suddenly appears on the scene. (He will later be instrumental in the downfall of Arthur. It is one response to their positive attitude in light of recent difficulties.)

Episode 4 (4)

BEA'S ANGER TOWARD HER FATHER

  • Bea shows her anger towards her deceased father through her hostility to Sebastian who visits him (alleged) to half-sisters. (He is after all the son of the woman Bea's father had a long-term romance with.)
  • Bea's anger is misplaced in one sense, because Sebastian will be the one later on who exposes Arthur; and yet Sebastian will be the one who almost causes Evie to die in a plane crash had she gone along.

EVIE'S UNDERSTANDING NATURE & THE CONNECTION WITH SEBASTIAN

  • Evie is more understanding of Sebastian because she felt less abused by her father, and is not so mad about the revelation of Sebastian and his mother Mrs. Pearce's involvement with her (Evie's) father. She also likes him in a romantic sense.
  • In this situation thus far, Evie is more rational.
  • Sebastian explains his situation, and shows his good qualities, despite Bea's hostility.
  • We wonder if Sebastian is really their half brother. (It will turn out he is but a stepbrother.)
  • Evie's concern that there wouldn't be enough work for Tilly (and thus providing for her well-being) attracts positive circumstance. Concern for the well-being of others attracts.

LYDIA'S ABUSE

  • Lydia abuses the Evie and Bea for leaving Partini (after the argument over a problem with one of the dresses Evie worked on). Her being in the trailing edge, meddling in their affairs so that they have a decent job so they can prepare for marriage, backfires. It is a negative life response to Lydia's not well-intentioned initiative.
  • "Reputation is all," says Lydia to the two girls after they leave Partini. Later on her reputation would be ruined because of her son's actions. It will be a life lesson for her that will indeed be shattering. Her focus on social propriety is a negative trait that will grossly backfire on her.
  • We could say also that when a negative person accuses others of a wanting quality or possibility, they tend to attract it themselves.

WORKING FOR DUROQU

  • They find work with the couturier Duroqu, who heard they had left Partini.
  • Their first meeting with Duroqu was tense, as they haggle over wages; an indicator of their final relations.(Principle: the initial contact is an indicator for the final outcome.)
  • In fact, the outcome of their work would be the same as with Partini -- ending in a contentious argument. (It would also be yet another humiliation for Aunt Lydia.)
  • Sebastian visits Arthur, indicating that he is entitled to share of his (alleged) father's estate. Arthur says there is no provision for Sebastian in the will. Sebastian is outraged.

LYDIA & THE IRRESPECTABILITY OF ARTHUR

  • Aunt Lydia advocates respectability, and yet her son Arthur is hanging around with the floozy Daphne at the club. (Once again Lydia meets with a negative response to her behind the times advocacy of respectability (for the two girls and elsewhere. The trailing edge will demand something of others that they themselves are violating.)
  • In fact, Arthur would eventually become partners with two individuals that would lead to his downfall. (Yet another indicator of how off base Lydia is with the times, and what a 'subconscious' hypocrite she is. (She did not after all know these events were transpiring with her son.)
  • The question is why is Lydia obsessed with the need for respectability? One answer is that like Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice she has married above her station, and thus feels that has to maintain a certain dignity to keep up her end (i.e. her family's end) in relation to her (dead) husband's family.

EVIE'S ASPIRATION

  • Evie's aspiration for creative design work is attracting customers through Duroqu (without his knowledge of the fact). Interestingly, the customers themselves are initiating the interest, not Evie. Life in this way is responding to her aspiration. (When a thing comes of itself, without your initiation, it is sure sign of something worth pursuing; that in fact, you should pursue.)
  • Evie is a dynamic, creative force in action. Duroqu is staid and egotistical. He abuses her for being creative -- even as he accepts credit for it. An artistic hypocrite is he; on a power trip. (Point: Duroqu does not want her to be creative because Lydia did not want it for her nieces. But her meddlesomeness backfires through Partini and Duroqu.)

FALLING OUT WITH DUROQU

  • Duroqu copies Evie's dresses, and does not give her credit. (We saw a predecessor of this when he scolded her for making a suggestion for improvement, i.e. a modern look, for one of his clients. He did not want her to speak out, but then he later goes around her, deceives her, and develops a series of dresses from her ideas. In this instance, he is highly unethical.)
  • When Duroqu fires them because Evie designed a dress for one of his clients (that was initiated by the client), it will turn out to be the best thing that ever happened for Evie and Bea. (A negative is a more intense positive, if only we learn to embrace it. I.e. it is a positive in disguise.)*Daphne's mother, Mrs. Spencer, a counter force to Lydia and her obsession with respectability, is the agent by which Evie's design of the gown created for one of Duroqu's clients is exposed. Daphne's mother thus becomes the instrument for more of Lydia's loss of respectability. (It should also be pointed out that later on Arthur would use Daphne; and this may be a subconscious way for Mrs. Spencer to have pay back against the mother of the man who uses his daughter. (Also later on Daphne will be the instrument through which Arthur is exposed, when she reveals telling evidence about the club to Sebastian.)

Episode 5 (5)

GETTING THEIR OWN WORK

  • Jack urges Bea to get a separate phone at his studio to respond to inquiries for their dress lines, which are now coming through Jack's phone.
  • Bea and Evie are now swamped with work. (Now that they have taken a positive attitude after the Duroqu situation, and now that Bea has made the commitment to implement Jack's suggestion, life is responding from all quarters. In the latter case, life is responding to a mere decision and commitment, even without an action yet.Principle: life can respond to a mere decision to act on something. We saw that with Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice when he decided to give attention to his daughters, which cancels the elopement, even before he has a chance to act on it!)

SEBASTIAN & EVIE MEET

  • Sebastian and Evie suddenly meet. This "accident" turns out to have happened because they were thinking of one another. Evie wanted to see Sebastian; and Sebastian liked her. They have a common emotional interest, and so they meet. It parallel how Darcy and Eliza meet several times 'by accident." It is because they are one each other's mind with great interest and Intent. Principle: when to parties are intently focused on one another, life's conditions bring them together.
  • Sebastian reveals that he is not Evie' half brother but is a kind of stepbrother to the two sisters. I.e. their father and his father are not the same, though their father and his mother were long time lovers.
  • Now that they are not blood relations, this opens up the possibility for a relationship between the two.

ARTHUR'S LOVE FOR EVIE

  • Arthur loves Evie. She will have nothing to do with it. She can see straight through his treachery. He cannot see his own. He thus suffers in his unrequited love for her. He is unable to see the black spots that prevent her from loving him. (Alternately, Darcy in Pride and Prejudice has the character and conscience to see his limitations of attitude, and change it out of love for Eliza.)

CONTRASTING CHRISTMAS PARTIES & THE IMPACT OF DAPHNE

  • The contrast of the two New Year's parties is striking. One is vital, happy, filled with good will and cheer -- the other one of staid, calm boredom, without sparkle.
  • There is also a third party going on at the club, where Arthur hangs out, and where Daphne is becoming ever more debauched.
  • Daphne goes to see Lydia, who reveals the goings on at the club. "The family's good name," as Lydia says, "is under threat."
  • Daphne, in a state of confusion visits Bea and Evie. She is very distressed. Bea however is willing to let her in, and sympathizes with her plight in life. This reaction of Bea's will later prove to be critical, in that she will return the favor by revealing all of Arthur's malfeasance to Sebastian, which will bring him down, and free Bea and sister Evie from the Arthur's treachery against their fortune. Principle: Life responds to one's goodness by bringing in return favorable conditions. This is a powerful unfolding that is one of the great keys and subtle lesson in the story!

ARTHUR'S PROPOSAL TO EVIE

  • In Arthur's proposal to Evie, he summons up all of his capacity for sweetness, which however masks the unscrupulous nature that he has presented at every step of the way. (It will be his love for her that will reveal a chink in his armor, where he can show his humanity, yet be rejected for his very flawed nature. Unfortunately, he hardly does anything about it. If anything, he continues to pursue his near-evil ways.)

Episode 6 (6)

RAISING CASH TO FILL ORDERS

  • Bea has been desperately trying to raise cash. She has been turned down everywhere. (HofE have orders, but need the cash to fill them, and thereby expand the business.)
  • Finally, in a desperate state she meets with Desmond. He suggests he would get funding for Bea and Evie if they had a backer, in particular Arthur. (He appears unaware of the unscrupulous ways of Arthur.)
  • Bea is brave enough to give up her contempt for Arthur to ask that he be her guarantor. She has swallowed her pride. Arthur, however, refuses, which is just as well!
  • Jack comes through and offers Bea and Evie money to tide their business over. It is a response to Bea's strong effort to secure money, and, in particular, to be accepting of the possibility of Arthur being the guarantor.

SEBASTIAN'S REALTIONSHIP WITH ARTHUR

  • Sebastian meets Arthur again to ask for money as (alleged) inheritor of his father's estate, even though the father is not really his father, but a stepfather. Arthur refuses, claiming that Sebastian is no blood relative of Evie and Bea's father. Arthur then goes on to say that Sebastian's mother in fact slept around a lot, and therefore Sebastian could be the son of one of a number of men. (But is this true?) For this insinuation, Arthur's ire toward Arthur increases.
  • Now Sebastian decides to track Arthur to see if he is doing something wrong or questionable that can be used against him. (It will later be discovered by Sebastian that Arthur is cavorting with call girls, and involved in illegal alcohol and drug trafficking at the club. Though Sebastian makes this brazen accusation about Sebastian's mother, it will in fact be Arthur who is behaving in this vulgar manner.)
  • As Arthur continues his treachery and debauchery, the financial condition of the club comes under scrutiny.

THE DOWNFALL OF ARTHUR

  • Desmond says that Bea and Evie have flair and ambition, and are only lacking luck. He has other ideas in mind to help them in a practical way to attract luck.
  • Sebastian discovers through Daphne Arthur's shady dealing with his partners at the club. (To reiterate: it is a positive life response for Bea to gain this information through Daphne who she took in in an hour of need.)
  • Also, Evie, after her meeting with Desmond, wondered how they could create luck. Luck then descends on them that night when the police raid the club on Sebastian's word, arresting Arthur and his two partners for their part in illicit drug and alcohol trade. (An interest in creating luck does so. It does so in this case because of the additional past positive energy generated by Bea towards Daphne. When multiple positive energies are released it reinforces the capacity to invoke a powerful positive response from life.)
  • This is also payback for Lydia, because she is now disgraced and socially ostracized by her son's actions. She was concerned with social propriety, when her own son was acting impiously right under her nose. It is unconscious hypocrisy. It is a bitter lesson for her.
  • More 'luck' comes when Lady Finehurst apologizes for earlier disallowing Evie and Bea from working on her dresses due to their association with Arthur (as a relative, and he being Evie's guardian). This is a remarkable turnaround for a member of the aristocracy to make. She then places another order. The negative force is now been blocked, releasing extraordinarily unusual positive outcomes.
  • Order now come pouring in, in this newly non-poisoned, positive atmosphere.
  • Arthur then meets with Bea and Evie and tells them that their father was 80% owner of the club! And all of the interests and dividends from the club now go to them! (There were also other monies of their parents' estate due them that Arthur was hiding, including money from the actual sale of the estate.
  • Bea however is non-vindictive and does not press further charges against him. He is however forced to leave the country.
  • We see that Sebastian and Daphne played key roles in the end of this sordid affair.
  • We see that how Evie and Bea attract events that lead to the end of Arthur. (1) Evie remains positive after the falling out with Partini, which attracts Sebastian who will help end Arthur's power. (2) We see how Bea's self-givingness toward Daphne enables Daphne to be the vehicle of information about Arthur that brings him down. (3) And we see how Evie's positive interest in attracting luck creates yet additional positive energy for the final outcome. These gestures on Bea and Evie's part attract conditions that end the tyranny of Arthur, and open the doors to very positive developments for the two sisters and their business.

Episode 7 (7)

RAPID EXPANSION

  • House of Eliott (i.e. Bea and Evie) now have plenty of money, they set up shop, and prepare for the grand opening.
  • Madge appears as one of a number of new hires.

DESMOND'S BACKGROUND CHALLANGED

  • Sir Desmond is a powerful force and seems to be a man of exemplary character -- at least as expressed through his intention with Bea and Evie.
  • And yet the social worker Penelope visits the prison-mate Fox who questions the very means by which Sir Desmond has risen to the top. Fox accuses Desmond of stealing other's ideas. (Desmond will later refute this in detail.)

HUGO'S POSITVE INFLUENCE

  • Hugo encourages Evie to be creative: to allow her creative juices to flow. (At times one can have a suitor who you do not love, but who you still care for and can help you dearly as a friend. Hugo, and even more Jack, over the longer-term serve this purpose for Evie.)

LYDIA'S LIMITED VIEW REMAINS

  • After all that has transpired, Lydia still looks down on Evie and Bea's venture in House of Eliott. (The only way she truly "changes" is when she moves out of the country to meet up with Arthur. Perhaps her change from falsehood can only fully occur when she is with Arthur, so he can embarrass her again and further her progress! Maybe that is why she is going.)

BEA'S CONCERN ABOUT EVIE'S REALTIONSHIP WITH SEBASTIAN

  • Bea is concerned with Evie going out with Sebastian. Bea thinks that he is an adventurer. (It is never revealed to Bea and Evie (as far as what is presented to the viewer) that he had a hand in the downfall of Arthur.)
  • We could say that Sebastian has already played out his role in terms of Bea and Evie, by being instrumental in the downfall of Arthur. Any further role could be harmful.
  • Sebastian and Evie take a flight aboard one of the planes he flies in his work as pilot/courier. Even here there is static from the owner, an indicator of future difficulties related to flying and Evie, which will indeed be extreme)

CONFIDENCE BUILDS

  • Evie has real confidence that the business will grow; which is to a very positive attitude that tend to attract positive circumstance.
  • Immediately thereafter, there is an opportunity to have an entire wardrobe done for a movie star that Jack has been photographing. (This is one opening/response to Evie's positive outlook.)
  • The contribution of Bea's aspiration for more work, and Evie's positive attitude about the future, attracts a bevy of new orders. (One could say that if one were to maintain such points of view, one would rocket to the top in one's field. This is the frontier of human consciousness. How to overcome our negative propensities, while maintaining the positive ones with intensity, releasing enormous energies that attract the infinite potentials of life.)

PENELOPE'S CONCERN ABOUT DESMOND

  • Penelope thinks that Fox may have true knowledge about Desmond. She then tries to confront Bea and Evie, but they are too busy with work. So she confronts Desmond directly. He then explains the whole story involving Fox. At the end, he even suggests that Fox visit him after he is released from prison so that he can help him. (Desmond dies later on through events unexplained. Perhaps it involves Fox who resents Desmond still.) For a character like Desmond he has to walk a fine line between his goodness and interest in building up others and individuals he may have unconsciously harmed in the process. The entire matter of Desmond, Fox, and the former's death is never fully explained, as the series came to an abrupt halt after the 3rd year, when events were indeed still simmering. (EP)

GETTING PAID BY THE ACTRESS

  • HofE completes their work on the actress's wardrobe, yet she sails for America without paying them. They are initially very upset. Bea goes to Jack to see what they can do. (This is good because it takes the edge off her fear, and besides Jack is the person through whom the actress came.) As it turns out, Jack too has not been paid by the actress. They all wonder what to do. (They are using their minds, instead of dwelling in their negative emotions; which is a positive step. A spiritual person might offer the matter to the spirit, or take to absolute calm and equality within and draw the resolution to the matter.)*Shortly thereafter a courier arrives with the payment from the actress!
  • We could say that coming together, sharing the problem, and contemplating what to do created a power that attracted the liaison with the payment.)

Episode 8 (8)

OUTFITS TO HIGH PLACES & A NEW LINE

  • HofE's outfits will be worn by participants at the royal wedding, as well as by other members of high society.
  • They are undertaking a line of outfits for the coming season.
  • It is suggested by Sarah White that passion and commitment are the keys to success of HofE. She is an unaffected, open-minded member of the aristocracy.

BEA'S REUNION WITH CAPTAIN WHITE

  • Beas meets her past lover Captain White, who is the husband of her main aristocratic client, Sarah White. She is shell-shocked because she was very much in love with him, and the relationship broke off allegedly by his father. Captain White was the only man she ever loved.

JACK CAN'T GET BUSINESS

  • Jack meanwhile is having trouble attracting business as portrait photographer.

PENELOPE'S FRUSTRATION WITH THE MISSION

  • Penelope feels that the mission to help the poor and destitute is not getting any support from anyone, and is completely frustrated.

SEBASTIAN'S INVITATION TO PARIS

  • Sebastian asks Evie to fly to Paris, but Bea her guardian now does not approve of her relationship, let along the flight.

BEA'S DISCOVERY ABOUT CAPTAIN WHITE'S LETTERS

  • Bea discovers that all of the love letter sent by Captain White during their romance to her were intercepted. (She perceives that it was her father who has done it, and therefore her bitterness towards him now moves to hate.)

LYDIA & BEA'S MEETING

  • Lydia invites Bea for a visit. Bea says you cannot hold grudges forever. (She knows somewhat from experience.) Lydia ends up offering her own old dresses for the inmates of the mission Penelope does work for. Lydia has certainly been softened through the scandal of Arthur. She is trying to break virulent old habits. It is admirable for a person to try to redeem themselves in light of her past mistakes.

BEA AND EVIE SQUABBLE

  • Evie is angry about Bea's rejection of her flight to Paris. (In every case where there is anger there is a fault underneath. Evie's anger is a predecessor of the tragedy to come, and her mistaken relationship with Sebastian. Even Bea's anger at her father is misplaced in the sense that you can't, as Lydia suggest, hold onto grudge forever. An evolved person never holds a grudge even for a second, despite all circumstances. Anger is thus a sign of something not worked out, a falsehood underneath.)
  • Likewise, Bea is angry at Evie and Jack for various matters. She is in fact agitated by having seen Captain White, which disturbs her, and the revelation about the letters. (The same principle as above applies.)
  • Even righteous indignation (Against a party that has clearly wronged another), which is a form of anger that can be accepted as a justified form, is more often than not a sign of weakness.
  • Desmond suggests that Evie apologize to Bea for whatever she said that caused a row between them. (Bea was upset about Captain White and the letters. Evie of Bea not accepting Sebastian. Both sides are wrong at some level or to some degree in such a row, since anger is expressed.)
  • Desmond however says she should not apologize to Bea because she wants her to accept Sebastian, but because she acted like a fool in getting so upset. Desmond has the wisdom of psychological insight. (It is similar to the Inspector General in Trollope's 'Lady Anna.")
  • Evie wants to go to Paris with Sebastian. They both say how they had spoken horribly to one another.
  • Immediately after they secure the loan from Desmond, which is a response to their reconciliation; in particular the power of forgiveness. Release of such powerful positive energies through movements of forgiveness have a great tendency to attract positive results from the environment.

THE FLIGHT & THE DEATH OF SEBASTIAN

  • Desmond suggest an alternate to Evie's Paris trip; that she be chaperoned by a connection of his there. Desmond is looking out for her interests. (Subconsciously he is very concerned, after learning of the row between the two sisters over Sebastian, and wants things to go smoothly.)
  • Hugo, who is another of Evie's suitors, while being a helpful friend in the past, learns of the trip. (He will play a great role in the outcome.) He is somewhat jealous of Sebastian's relationship with Evie; even though he knows that no commitments have been joined between he and Evie. Hugo thus offers to drive her to the airport.
  • The day arrives. Evie asks Hugo to drive faster to get to the airport on time to meet Sebastian.
  • Sebastian waits anxiously for Evie to arrive in front of the plane.
  • We see Hugo's car overheat (allegedly) due to driving too fast.
  • New Hugo is lost.
  • Sebastian takes off without her.
  • Hugo and Evie arrive at the airport, but it's too later. Sebastian is in the sky.
  • Bea has reconciled with Captain White, and they are now able to go on with their separate lives.
  • Hugo comes to HofE with word that Sebastian has been killed in the flight.
  • Hugo reveals that he intentionally prevented them from arriving on time at the airport. (Out of his love for her we could say that he has saved her life by arriving later for Evie being on the plane. In his courtship of Evie, he has always been deferring despite his flame inside. Also, he has helped Evie in encouraging her on the creative side in the past. All that good energy saves her. Still she is extremely bitter, because he clocked her from the rendezvous and trip to Paris, even though she likely would have been killed.)

Episode 9 (9)

EVIE'S RECOVERY FROM TRAGEDY

  • Jack interrupts as Bea tries to organize papers in the business. She is bothered by this. It is a predecessor and indicator of the way their marriage would unfold.
  • Betty and Agnes appear as new tailors at HofE.
  • In response to the tragedy with Evie, she throws herself into her work.
  • In a heart to heart conversation -- the first since the crash -- both Bea and Evie see that they have something else to live for and in common that energizes them -- their business, House of Eliott.
  • Out of the discussion, Evie reveals that she is excited about developing a new dynamic line, which Bea however is not fully ready for. (It is Evie's willful, creative energies that drives the company, and attract positive circumstance.)

BEA & EVIE'S NEED TO RECONCILE

  • Bea meets Desmond, who wisely suggests that if Bea and Evie have difficulties about the future direction of the business, they should square things out for it to succeed. (We know that if the energies are divided within, life ted to not attract positive results without. We see it at the subtle level; Desmond sees it at the practical material level. Still it is wise, whether fully conscious of how reality unfolds or nor)
  • We see that Bea needs to BE more flexible. We see that that in some ways she is like her father!

PROBLEMS WITH TILLIE

  • The quality of the work that Tillie is performing is deteriorating. She is not physically well. Madge suggests she take some time off. Tilly feels obligated to support her family, and can't afford to lose wages. Yet her health is deteriorating. (Tilly shows great dedication and loyalty -- both the HofE and her family. It is s great trait, but she does not know quite how to do it, and so her health suffers.)

PENELOPE IS BEATEN

  • Penelope is beaten by other homeless poor when trying to help a fallen life whose history she is familiar with. Something is clearly wrong in her approach or in the mission, or her relations to it.
  • Jack has a practical, open-minded, and rational view about things happening outside himself. We see this when he gives reasonable advise to Penelope, who could have been beaten badly. Jack constantly surprises with his penetrating insights. You don't expect this from a playboy-like personality, but as we hall see later his family is from highly developed, intelligent stock.

EVIE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

  • A surprise birthday party is thrown for Evie. It is a sign that her life is turning around after the Sebastian debacle (although she never knew his role in bringing down Arthur). It is her 21st birthday (i.e. the commonly accepted "coming of age" indicator). She has really blossomed at this point!
  • The dancing of Penelope and Desmond together is a magical moment as it is a symbolic unification of wealth and wisdom with social awareness and cause. And yet Penelope collapses due to her excessive efforts at the mission. Perhaps we can say that Desmond's clear, powerful energies force Penelope to confront her sometimes irrational, single-minded determination to change the ills of society through the mission. She must learn to somehow be more practical, as brother Jack earlier suggested. (She will act irresponsibly again this way when she spoils the get together between the well to do and the mission in a later episode.)

JACK'S FEELINGS FOR BEA

  • Jack professes his deep admiration for Bea; in particular stating how well she looks no matter how busy she is. He is starting to fall in love with her. (He also admires her business, her strength, her organizing capacity, though later on he will be bothered by it mainly because his own energies are not being absorbed in productive use.)

AGNES INTERVIEWS ELSEWHERE

  • Agnes goes to interview at another company because she is unhappy with Bea at HofE. It turns out that her friend Tommy Dixon has suggested that he contact another organization. He does so for his own mercenary reason, not merely to help her or because he truly cares for her.

BEA & PENELOPE'S STRENGTH

  • Both Bea and Penelope are similar in that they are both strong, self-reliant/actuated individuals.

EVIE AND BEA's DIFFERENT APPRAOCHES TO WORK

  • Desmond at the first HofE board meeting suggests that Bea and Evie are drifting; i.e. they do not have fine-tuned goals -- i.e. a strategic plan. The issue of Evie's new line is raised. Desmond suggests that they make a plan to make it happen.
  • Bea then raises the question: what is the style of the new line? If there is a goal to achieve, in terms of presenting it within a year, what is the style that will fulfill it?
  • Bea and Evie indicate that they have two different approaches. Evie wants modern, creative designs. Bea wants traditional ones that the clients have demanded in the past. Bea believes that Evie's bold ideas might not sell. Desmond says that the plan for a new presentation within a year must go ahead.

TILLIE'S PROBLEM EXPANDS

  • Because of Tillie's problem, the tailors are feeling overworked, and there is dissention.
  • The disagreement between Evie and Bea's view of the new lines is reflected in the dissention of the workers. It is a negative response for them. This reminds us again of Desmond's admonition for the need to be a harmony of purpose.
  • It is revealed that Tillie's problem is that she has been working elsewhere to make ends meet. It has exhausted her. Bea and Evie work out a new raise for her. Tillie is so loyal that she would rather suffer than ask for a raise from HofE.
  • The inability of Evie and Bea to reconcile is also reflected by Tillie's near collapse. It also indicates that Bea has not been giving the staff the necessary attention they deserve.

Episode 10 (10)

DEDICATION & COMMITTMENT

  • Individuals in HofE show various forms of dedication, commitment, and values. Tillie is dedicated to her work, as well as her family. Penelope is dedicated to the extreme to her cause to lift up the downtrodden. Bea is dedicated to running HofE, her business. Desmond is dedicated to prosperity, and the methods that will create success. Evie is dedicated to her creative vision.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVIE & BEA'S WORK VIEW

  • There is conflict between Bea and Evie. Evie wants creativity. Bea however is wary of taking risks.
  • what the customer wants vs. what new thing you can bring to the client
  • organizational efficiency vs. creativity
  • practicality vs. creativity
  • Customer Delights vs. Catching the wave
  • Bea tries to strike a balance; at least is more inclined to do so than Evie.
  • Bea concludes that there needs to be a balance. (As a reasonable person, she is coming around to embrace Evie's point of view while maintaining aspects of her own. She is in essence giving up some of her fear.)
  • Evie does not want to compromise. In a huff, she goes off to museum and comes up with ideas for new dresses based on the butterfly.

EVIE: THE TEMPRAMENTAL ARTIST

  • The artist can be temperamental, uncompromising.
  • Even 10% compromise might allow the artist's COMPLETE FULFILLMENT AND SUCCESS! And yet ..
  • Evie goes off to the museum to look for creative inspiration. She is having brainstorms of inspiration at the museum, which is itself a positive response to her intention of developing a creative vision, and for remaining positive in attitude. She will be capturing the emerging movements of society, not the past movements as Bea currently aspires to embrace.

BEA'S HUMULIATING EXPERIENCES

  • Bea goes to visit Lady Latner who asks that a horrid, childish costume dresses be made for her. This is a negative life response for Bea whose value is to simply do what the current clients demand. She is seeing the limit of this approach of catering to existing society through this absurd incident.
  • Humiliated somewhat by the experience, Bea starts creating her own designs. She also has a natural talent in this area.
  • When Evie shows her designs to Bea, Bea is cool to them. Bea also tells Evie that she (Bea) has taken on an absurd sort of project for one of their clients. Both responses infuriate Evie. It is a negative life response to her anger and the resulting trip to the museum. A negative response to her unwillingness to compromise. (The positive energy is now with Bea.) Evie's artist temperament of uncompromise is preventing progress; even progress for her own designs.

TRYING TO STRIKE A BALANCE IN THEIR CONFLICTING VIEWS

  • When Bea tries to strike a balance, Jack suddenly appears on the scene. Advocates of Harmony Attract Positive Life Response.
  • Jack comes over to Bea's side in the dispute, indicating that Bea is more flexible and allowing for a degree of creativity. This a continuation, a follow-up of the previous follow-up life response to Bea when Jack arrives.
  • Seeing the complementariness of the contradictions and conflicts is the resolution we as conscious individuals are seeking. (I.e., here we need to see how both sides need one another for their further growth; how each has a truth that the other needs; that the set of these conflicts enables both sides o go further, to progress. From out higher consciousness thus we can see that the conflict on the surface is enabling higher resolution, progress in its deeper unfolding.)
  • (re: Lydia) A person who boasts about a personal quality -- e.g. of her being tolerant, as Lydia does -- is often the opposite of the boast.

JACK'S WORK PROBLEMS

  • (re: Jack) When people are nervous, they drink and smoke; never considering that one can move to a deeper consciousness to calm one's self, let alone have the equality to see that the negative can be learned from and even reversed through our higher consciousness.
  • Jack seems to attract work whenever he focuses on new work. Unfortunately, he is not organized enough to constantly aspire for work. It is the dilemma of a person working for themselves in a creative craft, or any entrepreneur for that matter.

EVIE BEGINS TO RELENT

  • Through Jack's sister, Evie sees the pig-headedness of her ways, and returns to compromise with Bea. A big order suddenly arrives, which includes an order from the daughter of a client (a creative one coming from the younger generation, just what Evie's creative nature yearns for). A positive life response for the House of Eliott due to Evie's change in attitude.
  • Because Evie is willing to give in a little, Desmond and Rose appear on the scene to invite them to dinner, opening the door to the compromise. Lesson: A small opening of compromise (change of attitude) attracts an opportunity for even greater change!

THE DIPLOMACY OF DESMOND & HIS DAUGHTER TO RESOLVE E&B'S DISPUTES

  • The fine, passive diplomacy of Desmond is surpassed by the active diplomacy of his daughter Rose, who helps work things out by discovering points of agreement between the sisters.
  • Desmond's daughter helps turn the contradictions between Bea and Evie into complementaries. She has a great diplomatic skill. I.e. she is an active diplomat, helping resolve the situation between Evie and Bea. She has in one sense diplomatic skill even beyond her father, who is more passive though insightful in his manner of diplomacy. This is a great scene!
  • The role of the negotiator is to find where people agree -- even if it's the smallest of things -- and work things out from there. Rose does this! (Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek is a master of this; one of the reasons he is so respected throughout the galaxy.)
  • This is a great episode on conflict resolution!

LYDIA'S INVITAIONS TURNED DOWN; & HER HUMILIATION

  • All of Lydia's invitations are turned down. It is social ostracism for Arthur's past deeds. A person can learn from negativity, or feel more bitter. It is our choice. (Desmond steps in to soften the blow by inviting her out, indicating there is a part of her that is changing.) Lydia swallows her pride, and performs a generous act.

EVIE MOVES OUT; JACK MOVES IN

  • When Evie moves out, Jack "moves in" (on Bea). With Bea having less say over Evie's comings and goings, Bea is forced to deal with her own feelings and energies. Thus, Jack steps into the vacuum.
  • Bea in part gives in to Jack's semi-proposal because of his remark that we are not getting any younger. She feels the social pressure to get married. (Gradually, over time, this pressure is receding in the current generations.)

Episode 11 (11)

THE INSPIRATION OF THE NOCTURNE LINE

  • Evie hereafter has an intuition of the Nocturne line (based on the music of Chopin and a Whistler painting). This is a life response to her willingness for compromise. It is also an alignment and response for Bea who had mentally striven to come up with ideas for the line. (Power of intention.) (Bea's intensity to discover a line, allowed Evie to be taken by the hypnotic music and come up with the Nocturne line; and vice versa.)
  • Another medium, music, enthralled Evie, and enabled her to develop the Nocturne theme. It began with the music, leads to her viewing paintings, which leads to the development of the theme. A different vital energy and medium for the artist -- here music and art, as opposed to just design -- opens up a new inspiration.

LYDIA'S HUMILIATION & RECONNECTING WITH ARTHUR

  • Lydia says, "as if I would ever boss other people around." Ignorance cannot see its own ignorance.
  • (In episode 10) Lydia, whose invitations to her party is turned down by the invitees due to Arthur's scandal, is still generous enough to give the check to the hospital fund. Suddenly thereafter (here in Chapter 11), she receives word from her son Arthur. (This is an immediate positive response to her generosity, and would later lead to her beginning a new life with her son in Boston.)

BEA OPENS UP TO JACK

  • Bea is also opening up in ideas through her budding romance with Jack. Her vital energies are flowing, including her romantic and artistic energies, leading to creative insight.

BEA & EVIE HAVE MEETING OF THE MINDS

  • Bea is now even willing to be involved in the mixing of colors. Bea and Evie are now shifting completely to the opposite of their previous uncompromising positions. Bea is advocating daring and mixing colors and Evie a certain conservative refinement in the designs. In such a long-term positive atmosphere between them, they can easily flip to the complete opposite! The power of a changed attitude, and work of Rose continue to vibrate forward.
  • Bea and Evie have now completely crossed over to each other's point of view; to the point where they are beginning to look out through one another's ideas, in terms of aspiration and inspiration. This is a tremendous development, and a sure sign of future success.
  • At one point, Evie takes Bea's point of view of doing the dresses in black; and then Bea says no, Evie's original vision of blue is the way to go. It is a response for Evie having taken the person's point of view. Life cooperates when you take up another's position. It is a supra-mental capacity of man, awaiting him in the future.
  • Now they are willing to be more daring together. As a result they turn down a customer of the old sort. That customer feels insulted and leaves. (Is the customer of the old guard and therefore suffers, or are Bea and Evie insensitive a bit here? Perhaps both. Yet the overall movement toward new creativity in their line is now well under way.)
  • At each point where Bea and Evie decide to go higher in their accomplishment, there's a little static generated from other forces, the parties they are breaking away from. Yet they have the confidence to slough them off and move higher. When we try to go higher in life, we tend to generate or attract opposing forces in addition to the positive ones. If we have the power, we can overcome such opposition. Sometimes the opposing forces become the very means of our higher accomplishment.
  • They have youth, self-confidence, and blossoming talents.
  • It is interesting to note that as this reconciliation between Evie and Bea take place, Lydia is contemplating moving away to be with Arthur. (As a negative force moves away the positive one blossoms, and vice versa.)

JACK'S LUCK CHANGES

  • Meanwhile Jack is having a similar experience as he moves up from photography to film. (As Evie and Bea's fortunes change, so does his.)
  • Jack can be a very wise fellow, when he deliberately considers issues before him.
  • Penelope is a wonderful character -- flaws and all.

DEALING WITH MADGE'S INITIATIVE & THEIR FORGIVENESS

  • Bea and Evie were fired from the two previous couturiers they worked for. The owners perceived that they did something wrong; which was not true. They were the victims of harsh treatment in those episodes, that they didn't deserve. Madge (sp?) acted similarly under them, yet the sisters did not fire her. They have learned positively from their past experiences; and they have a more tolerant nature; less ego to protect that their former two employers.

PREVIEW: PROBLEMS WITH VICTOR STRIDE

  • When Bea and Evie try to go higher up through Victor Stride, they open themselves up to a scurrilous journal article that attempts to link them back to Arthur and his scandal. When a person tries to rise up to a higher level without the necessary power, they are knocked down from above.

Episode 12 (12)

EVIE'S OPTIMISM & WITH-THE-TIMES OUTLOOK

  • Evie is consistently optimistic about their ability to make progress.
  • Evie expresses confidence, and will not be bothered by the harsh journal article. It shows that they may even have some of the power to rise up to that higher level. I.e. she is not bothered by the negative force from above, which as a result gives them power. Evie's confidence enables this -- a trait she has shown before.
  • Life responds to Evie's positive attitude and strength when the journal reverses its previous serious accusations, now publishing an article that is favorable to the House of Eliott.
  • Evie drives the business forward with her creativity. Bea keeps it in balance (which is the expression of the power of organization.)
  • Evie however is the driving force in tune with the demands of a changing society.

PREVIEW OF INITIATIVE THROUGH MADGE THAT BACKFIRES

  • Preview: Bea and Evie's initiative to develop a new collection through Madge's boyfriend will eventually backfire, when the proprietor of that rival organization, Yolanda Homane nearly ruins them. (This is described in the upcoming theft episode.) This will turn out to be a tactic of their rivals, mirroring their own falsehood in this regard. It is out of character and regressive. It is an indicator that they have to shore up their values. Their energies and organization are strong; now their values need to rise to that same level. Through this false movement, they attract a fiasco that calls into being their own morality. (It will also rise again through the actions of Grace much later on in the story.)
  • Jack disapproves of their tactic, showing his common sense and ethics.

TAKEN IN BY VICTOR STRIDE & YOLANDA

  • Penelope is feeling disenchanted with the mission she works for. Her minister friend at the mission, Robert, Suggest that Penelope go with him to Africa. She says she is tired of the 'charity charade," where they are forced to ask for money from wealthy donors.
  • Though Victor Stride has written a positive article about House of Eliott to reverse the precious scurrilous one, it will turn own to be a charade; a way to meet with them and get information about their designs.
  • In the meeting, Victor says he would like the Couturier magazine to have exclusive rights to their upcoming collection. He will end up deceiving them.
  • Evie has been star struck about the notoriety of Victor all along. She is young and gullible here. Her psychological weakness here will enable Victor to take advantage of HofE.*Evie and Bea agree to the magazine feature. Victor then proceeds to find out information about the line. (He is well on his way in his plan of deception.)
  • Evie reveals to Victor that Jack is doing photos of the collection. This revelation will prove to be nearly disastrous for them. (Evie's nativity, plus their own foolish initiative to get collection ideas from others through Madge have precipitated these events.)*The collection presentation begins. It is going extremely well. Yolanda then gets up and claims that these are all copies of her designs. It is false. How can Bea and Evie prove otherwise? The story of the "copying" of designs appears in the newspaper. Bea perceives that Victor is to blame.
  • Madge's boyfriend is suspect since he works for Yolanda. Madge is upset. She says that one thing she did was to spy on Yolanda in the first place. She knows this was wrong.
  • The resolution of the incident will indicate how Madge's effort, prodded on by Evie and Bea, attracted the negative response of Yolanda's action at the collection presentation and the newspaper article.
  • Jack realizes that his studio has been broken into.

CONFRONTING VICTOR STRIDE

  • Evie showed strength and an intuitive capacity to get at the cause of the scandal where the rivals (including Yollanda) blamed House of Eliott for plagiarizing the designs, when they in fact stole their collection before the presentation, which could have ruined House of Eliott. Evie's confidence and positive attitude save the day.
  • Evie confronts Victor about his involvement with Yolanda in the scheme. He admits he did it because he loves her, and he wanted to help her with her flagging collection. So they had someone break in and reproduce HofE's photos of the collection. (This is similar to what happens in the film Wicker Park, where the hero's stalking of the girl he is infatuated with is paralleled to he being stalked by someone who cares for him. A negative initiative attracts a parallel negative initiative. )
  • Evie forces Victor to write the truth. And yet she does not implicate Victor. She is forgiving in the situation because she sympathized with Yolanda's flagging ability to come up with inspired designs and Victor's attempt to help her in that time of need. It is wrong what they did, but Evie has compassion for Yolanda's plight as a fellow artist who has lost her inspiration.

EVIE'S FORGIVENESS

  • Evie is forgiving of the woman (Yollanda) who tried to destroy her by stealing the designs. She even has sympathy for her plight; This is a telling part of her nature, and a powerful example of forgiveness and self-givingness. Life is bound to respond to it. Even though our enemies may try to destroy us, one can still sympathize with the cause of their actions and downfall.
  • Such forgiveness tends to attract powerful positive response from life. It is the release of negative energies of bitterness, which tends to attract the positive.
  • Because Jack resented that Bea would not devote herself fully to him in order to tend to her work, Jack became the vehicle for her and her sister's near ruin of the presentation, when the break in to steal a copy of the designs happens at his studios. Our negative attitudes attract a breach in our armor. He is not the cause of the treachery, only a vehicle for the theft. Yet he is in the final analysis too positive a character, and all is resolved.)

HOUSE OF ELIOTT REGAINS THEIR REPUTATION

  • Great benefit now comes to HofE, as their reputation is regained as the truth comes out, and they win back many loyal and new clients. Life did not have to move in this direction, but Evie's forgiveness, and the willingness of the two to confront the morality of what they did originally by sending out Madge to discover designs from Yolanda has opened the portals of life to the positive.
  • Lydia goes off to America to be with Arthur, who has gone there to start a new life.
  • Evie says that everything seems to be changing.

"WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE"

  • Will Bea marry Jack? Evie is pushing her in that direction.
  • "We're unstoppable." The combination of the creativity of Bea, the strength and organization of Bea, and now greater clarity in terms of morality and ethics (i.e. values) drives them forward. Also, the negative energies around them overcome gives them a new confidence and strength to move forward. They are lucky in one sense to have survived this incident, which has now taught them certain important life lessons.
  • One other point: Despite Penelope's protestations (and her good works for the underprivileged), there's a startling amount of goodwill and integration taking place amongst the 3 or 4 social classes through this group of individuals in the story. From lowest class (through the vehicle of Penelope, and Evie who attracted Penelope and Jack through her kindness to a suffering street person at the outset of the story; up through the middle class (that the two sisters are essentially part of), to the wealthy at the top (including Desmond). Even the upper crust aunt Lydia has been working for the poor.

SEASON 2

Episode 1(13)

JACK HOPES FOR FILM WORK TO COME THROUGH

  • When work is pending, our right attitudes are all important. Jack worries that the film studio has not gotten back to him. Focus is good, but worry and indolence are not. It can only delay or even cancel. E.g. he is offered other photo work, yet he turns it own insisting that he is waiting for the film to come through. Often life requires us to take up a given small or token work that comes to release the bigger work. When the film finally does come through it is smaller than expected.

INVITITATION TO A GATHERING

  • Bea takes the initiative to be invited to a gathering. She quickly receives the invitation in the mail. She had the sense of asking to be invited at just the right time. She is focused on expanding the work. We may not call this life response, but it is, for the invitation came back quickly in the positive. (E.g. the invitation didn't have to be accepted at all.) Bea perceived the opening and took it up at the right time, and life responded with positive results. Nothing magical here - because cause and effect were obvious -- but she did gain the cooperation of life.Our conscious choices are critical for attracting success, and life response.

BEING LURED BY MAISON GILLES

  • The proprietor of Maison Gilles of Paris, Gille Caragnac, a world renown house of design, comes to visit. He gives his critique of HofE, and one thing he says us they are disorganized just as an incident of disorganization takes place. He offers them an opportunity to work at his company in Paris. He even says that after working for them for five years, they can have their own designer house. They head to Paris to feel it out.
  • Gille creates a number of artificial situations to woo the girls; and as we will see later on, it fails to keep them. Straight-forward honesty is the better approach. Deception, even partial deception can lose that which is sought after, especially if the object of desire are very positive and straightforward people, as the two sisters are.
  • Desmond never makes decisions for others that others need to make for themselves. It is a special quality, almost guru-like. From his side it is a capacity of equality of being.
  • Jack gets a small film job. (See note above.) He proposes to Bea and she accepts. His energies are flowing. These are for him two positive responses, though there seems to be a limitation behind each. His intention is there for each, but there is a strain to create both, indicating certain problems now and later on.
  • Evie accepts working at Maison Gilles. Bea and Jack return to London. House of Eliott is now not quite a partnership of the two sisters, since one is now in Paris.

Episode 2 (14)

FINANCIAL & STAFF PROBLEMS

  • The business is having financial problems.
  • There is a new supervisor, Florence, who is overbearing and negative. She is especially hostile to Tilly, looking to gain leverage in her position.
  • As soon as Bea is firm with Florence, Evie appears at the door returning from her stay in Paris. It is a life response to strength, and holding down the negative influence of Florence. Also, when Bea takes the initiative to hire a replacement for Evie, Evie returns from Paris. So there was a double cause of the attraction.

UNEXPECTED DEATH OF DESMOND

  • Desmond dies of an apparent suicide. The House of Eliott goes through an expansion. (perhaps because of Bea's strength, but maybe also because Desmond dies, as his death brings a positive karmic legacy in its wake.)
  • There is the ongoing conflict between Florence and Tilly, the head seamstress. Florence's spreads gossipy lies about Jack's alleged romance with his old girlfriend.

THE REVENGE OF JACK'S OLD GIRLFRIEND & THE ARRIVAL OF ALICE

  • The girlfriend was once engaged to Jack and now appears on the scene for some unknown reason other than to have Jack take updated photos of her. Through this woman's recommendation, they hire a new designer Alice, in part to take Evie's place when she was in Paris. She has proved to be a disaster in that she has not brought over the clients Bea had expected of her when she hired her on, plus her salary was too high for HofE.
  • Bea speaks to Jack about the situation, who then puts the pieces together. Jack then confronts the old girlfriend, and discovers that indeed she was the one that asked Alice to apply for work at HofE, even though she had considerable baggage. The girlfriend then admits pure revenge on her part against Jack for breaking off their engagement in the past. Fortunately, all is now understood and resolved.
  • In this case we see that in an atmosphere of good will -- as existed at Hof E -- lies, deceptions, and revenge quickly reveal themselves for what they are.
  • We also see that Jack again is the vehicle for a negative situation. Here it is his related to his past involvement with the girl friend; earlier it was the stolen photos at his studio in the episode where the competing couturier stole their designs before the big presentation. Why is this the case? It seems that Jack, who was once fully positive towards HofE, has a little bitterness in him because Bea is not giving him full attention, which expresses negatively through others in these situations. (When Jack's energies are more fully engaged, such as when he takes to film making, his slight ill-will to Bea can begin to ease, reducing the possibilities of he being a vehicle, though not a direct cause, of negative situations for HofE. i.e. evoking negative life response for them.

Episode 3 (15)

  • This is a powerful episode that reveals several important points about life, and in particular about how Evie's character has matured.

THE REHEARSED INTERVIEWEE

  • People can say all of the right things -- e.g. in an interview -- and not mean it, i.e. be deceptive. The truth of the thing is not the words spoken, but the intention behind. Mrs. R has a friend apply for a job at HofE, and says all the right things at the interview because she is completely rehearsed by Mrs. R, who tells her exactly what to say. It is shameful deceit, that the two sisters see right through. The sisters are bright and aware. (E.g. They suspect deceit in the death of Desmond.)

FORGIVING ALICE

  • In one of the most important moments in the show, Evie rather than being bitter, takes to a positive view of the whole Alice affair (that came through the revenge of Jack's former girlfriend). Evie's positive spin on these events instantly attracts Mrs. Douglass, who then meets with Alice (who has by now been kept on at the company), has a wonderful experience with her discussing potential gowns, relays that information to Evie, who is then invited by Mrs. D Douglass to the Douglass house. Evie then has a number of positive experiences at the Douglass's. All of this occurred all because of her positive attitude in the earlier affair; taking an open view rather than being vindictive. This is I believe one of the most telling psychological moments in the entire story. It is indicative of Evie's growth as a person, and the high quality of her character.

EVIE'S FRIENDSHIP WITH THE DOUGLAS DAUGHTER FRANCIS

  • When Evie visits the Douglas home, she strikes up a friendship with Francis, the daughter. Francis is an artist who is frustrated that her parents don't accept her interests in art. Evie, however, convinces her to be diplomatic when discussing this matter with her parents, instead of asserting her own desires and interests without compromise. Recall that Evie earlier overcame her own temperamental artistic views, and gave in and compromised a little are on the artistic direction of Hof A that opened the doors to wide possibilities and accomplishment for the company. Evie has now learned from the experience and is advocating the same approach for Francis. One can become a particularly effective expert in an area when one has experienced the dark side and learned from one's mistakes.
  • Francis has a discussion with her mother, and Mrs. D thanks Evie for her approach with Francis. Also, her father thanks Evie because she was instrumental in bringing them (he and his daughter) back together after they had been estranged for a long period of time. He is deeply grateful for this and expresses that fact to Evie. It is a powerful moment.
  • All of these events with the Douglass's have occurred because earlier on she took a positive view in the Jack's old girlfriend revenge incident, quickly attracting Mrs. Douglass to HofE, and the positive events family that followed.

EVIE'S REALTIONSHIP WITH THE DOUGLAS SON JAMES

  • But then there is her involvement with James, the Douglass son. They get into a car accident at the end of the episode. This reminds of Evie's earlier involvement with Sebastian, who died in the plane crash. Both are involved with motor vehicles, and are reckless in their driving/piloting.

Episode 4 (16)

NARROWLY AVOIDING A CRASH

  • James and Evie narrowly avoid a serious car crash.
  • Perhaps the atmosphere around them was positive enough to avoid a serious crash.
  • Bea had an intuition of a possible crash.

IDEAS FOR NEW DESIGNS

  • Evie suggests having dancers model their designs. Instantaneously, Alice arrives on the scene and says she has a dancer friend who can help. [Evie's previous positive view of the earlier "Alice affair" with Jack's former girlfriend - seeing Alice in a positive light -- continues to vibrate. ]
  • Bea was looking to impressionism as a theme for the next line, and soon thereafter finds herself at a soiree - at the home of one of the starts of Jack's film - where impressionist paintings are on display. What we focus our interests on tends to manifest around us.

BEA WITH JACK AT HIS PARENT'S HOME

  • Jack's parents are highly idealistic - e.g. regarding poverty, social justice and welfare, etc. And they provide solid intellectual arguments to back them up. (We see where Penelope has gotten her idealism.) In addition to being a good thinker, the mother is also a fine artist,. Bea adores the paintings. This is another response to Bea's vision of the impressionistic paintings for the new line. Jack also goes through a period of great inspiration on the grounds of the estate. There are very powerful positive experiences occurring for all. This is one of the most inspiring scenes in the entire series. Filled with dynamic, creative, and inspirational energy.
  • At one point in the gathering the mother asks Bea if she has deep concerns for the welfare of her workers. Bea is at first takes up a defensive argument, but then she seriously thinks about these things. It is a predecessor of events that will follow amongst the staffers at Hof E.

EVIE'S RISK TAKING VS. BEA'S PRACTICALITY

  • Bea once again is motivated to take risk, while Evie is relatively conservative about taking future chances. They have now reversed completely from their earlier stance towards the future. Each has matured and grown in this way by moving to nearly the opposite viewpoint.

NEGATIVE EVENTS PILE UP -- LACK OF MONEY, STAFFING, ETC.

  • In the mean time money is in short supply. Also the workers are having problems, as first Florence faints and then others get sick. (Florence fainting is a precedent event to her later death.) Meanwhile Jack can't get the shot he had hoped for in his film at his parent's estate. And then Saroyan appears on the scene. All of these negative events are topped off by Saroyan who is the negative force behind everything. This is all taking place before the new collection based on Bea's inspirations takes place.
  • Perhaps we can say that negative circumstances comes in bunches, but there is one topper that is driving all of them. The negative leader.

DESIGNS PRESENTED AT SHOW BASED ON JACK'S MOTHER'S WORK

  • The collection of based on Jack's mother's designs, impressionism, et at is presented innovatively through dance. It is a daring presentation, ahead of its time, and the audience is non-appreciative. Only a few critics appreciate it.And yet Evie remains positive. This is critical!
  • A small piece of jewelry that was borrowed for the show is found missing.
  • Though the show seems like a failure to the audience, Bea is still rewarded by life for her innovative effort, when Jack decided to lease the estate as a place for his and Bea's retreat.

JAMES' ACCIDENT?

  • James is in a race. There is a serious accident. A driver dies. Is it James? It runs out not to be. However, because of the trauma she just watched, Evie decided to break off with James. Evie experienced this once before with Sebastian, and is unwilling to have to wait for the new person she loves to die.
  • The scene earlier of the near crash when Evie and James in the car is a predecessor of this death in the race.

GRATITUDE AND CONCERN FROM BEA TO STAFF LEARNED FROM JACK'S PARENTS

  • Bea thanks Tilly for getting the collection done on time. This is a show of gratitude. She also shows interest in her career, and promotes her. This harkens back to the words of wisdom of Jack's mother about the need for concern for the welfare of the workers by management.
  • Bea finds out how ill Alice's husband is, giving Bea a chance again to show concern for the well being of the staff. Alice reveals that her husband has just died, Now Bea truly senses the wisdom of Jack's mother's advice.
  • Immediately after taking this tact, Evie comes round with word of an article that says Hof E has provided the only spark of originality for the entire season. This has come instantly after Bea has shown concern for the well-being of several staff members. Bea's deep aspiration of a high value has an enormous affect. This is also a direct response to Evie's positive attitude after the failure of the collection presentation. The failure of the appreciation of the collection was dwarfed by the fact that the magazine says that HofE showed through this daring presentation the only spark of originality and energy during the whole season. It is a powerful response to Bea valuing the workers and Evie's positive attitude earlier.
  • The orders now pour in based on the very positive article about the Hof E. A miraculous-like life response result can trigger additional powerful practical ("non" life response) results.
  • With the atmosphere so positive, even Jack suddenly has film offers pouring in.

POSITIVE EVENTS, ENERGIES CONVERGE

  • We can say that the efforts of Bea, her worker-oriented values, the positive view taken by Evie, and the powerful energies released during the visit of Bea and Jack to his parents' house are greater than the dark energies of Saroyan, enabling a wave of positive events to take place.

Episode 5 (17)

POSITIVE EVENTS PILE UP

  • The atmosphere is so positive that even the missing earring for the presentation shows up. It turns out that Agnes took it. This is indicative of such a positive environment. It will lead to several immediate positive responses from life
  • Evie is willing to forgive instead of pressing charges against Agnes.
  • Immediately, Tilly comes in and stands up in full in dense of Agnes, a direct response to Evie's forgiveness. (Life response)
  • Also through Saroyan they discover that Desmond had set aside a considerable loan for them. This is again a response to Evie's forgiveness, and the generally positive attitude. This enables them to move beyond their current financial predicament. (Life response)
  • Then Alice comes in with more good news -- a response to Evie's forgiveness of Agnes, and a continuous rippling forward of her earlier forgiveness in the Alice affair. (Life response)
  • The earlier affect of the presentation with ballet movement leads to their being hired on to develop clothing for an actual ballet.

DESIGNING FOR THE BALLET

  • Bea's life with Jack is a mirror of the ballet she is now designing clothing for. The play contains three act - of initial love, of differences between the lovers, and endless degradation and despair. Bea and Jack have gone through at least the first two.

JOSEPH STANDS UP TO SAROYAN

  • Joseph the bookkeeper stood up to Saroyan when the latter wanted to look at the books without the permission of Bea. Being able to stand up to him will prove to be the right tactic. As a result, life responds with a lot of interesting information, including the revelation of certain improprieties. This is a life response to Joseph's strength and loyalty. (He takes this tact because in part he has been wronged by Saroyan in the past.)
  • Bea will later take a similar tact of strength that will lead to the complete downfall of Saroyan. It demonstrates the power of psychological and strategic strength in the face of oppression.

Episode 6 (18)

UNSCRUPULOUSNESS OF SAROYAN

  • Joseph reveals unscrupulous financial dealings of Saroyan. The latter took advantage of the small print to charge Hof E with exorbitant interest on their loans.

TILLY AND MADGE'S DISASTROUS INITIATIVE AGAINST FLORENCE

  • Tilly and Madge plan "revenge" against Florence; to try to move her out, and themselves climb up at Hof E. It will prove to be from one vantage point a disastrous initiative of revenge.
  • Soon after this initiative begins, positive events start unfolding for Florence. Bea for one immediately commends Florence for her good work. Also, the two start making several important work mistakes of their own. It also causes Florence to consider wanting to leave, which is in part what they hoped for; though it will prove to be disastrous still. (All are negative life response. )

ATTEMPTS TO REVEAL SAROYAN'S IRREGULARITIES

  • Each time there is an attempt to express his financial irregularities, Saroyan subconsciously appears on the scene to block it. What is the principle here? One possible explanation is that by appearing, he delays the revelation, enabling even further damning evidence to be revealed. I.e. it is a positive response to those who seek justice against him. There must be more to this movement of life.

JACK'S MOUNTING SUCCESS & HIS CONFIDENCE WITH BEA

  • With Jack's success, his energies are being absorbed for productive use, which means at least for the time being that there will be less tension with Bea.

EVIE'S EMERGING POISE & CONFIDENCE

  • Evie has so much poise and confidence for someone her age. She carries herself with dignity. She is also strong enough to hold off her relationship with James. She has developed beautifully.'

THE DEATH OF FLORENCE

  • Tilly and Madge try to drive out Florence (con't). Interestingly Florence asks Tilly to have her (T) let go of one of her people, Jenny. This is a very painful experience for Tilly, and another negative response to her scheme with Madge to drive out Florence.
  • Florence quits in a fit of anger after Tilly and Madge refuse to obey an order. There is a big row.
  • Florence is hit by a car and dies.
  • The combination of Tilly and Madge's foolish plan and Florence's tight, dominating nature set the stage for this great tragedy and sealed her fate.
  • Perhaps we can say that the conflict between Saroyan and the sisters was mirrored by an internal conflict between Tilly and Madge, and Florence. Lesser unfoldings tend to mirror the major ones.

WHY AREN'T THEY MORE PROSPEROUS?

  • Observation: Considering all of the marvelous success of House of Eliott, they should be much more prosperous than they are. The people behind their financial fortunes - i.e. Saroyan and perhaps others - are holding them back. Their negative energies are preventing the positive movement of money to meet their critical success.

ATTRACTING FORCES IN HIGH PLACES AGAINST SAROYAN

  • Bea and Evie need someone of power to confront the financial dominance of Saroyan. Near the end of the episode, they have attracted individuals in high places in government with great power. It is just what they need. Perhaps we can say that the other positive energies around them, and their own positive qualities and actions, create a block of force that attracts just these people who can deal with the oppressive financial powers that threaten to ruin them.

A MUSING

Taking a Positive Position in Crossroad Situations

In the first half (so far) of House of Eliott one dimension of Life Response -- i.e. sudden good fortune -- is clearly revealed. It is the power of taking a positive attitude in a crossroad moment. E.g. on numerous occasions when Evie was confronted with a situation, serious or not so, we see that she takes the more positive, often optimistic point of view. Life immediately responds with positive results thereafter. Positive attitudes expressed as optimism, forgiveness, etc. attract powerful response from life. It happens in critical or the most mundane of situations.

In examining life response, one can readily see how a transition from a negative attitude to a neutral or positive one will attract life response. (E.g. in Pride and Prejudice we see Darcy, Eliza, and Mr. Bennet make such transitions.) Here in HofE we see quite clearly seen how simple moment to moment positive reactions and decisions to circumstance attract the sudden onset of positive conditions for that individual (including the collective they are part of). I.e. a situation presents itself as somewhat problematic, and the person has a positive take on things. Life responds with sudden good fortune. It is not a transition of that person's consciousness from the negative to the positive; but taking what could be deemed as a problematic situation, and taking the positive view of it. Such situations and the positive reactions and choices of individuals (in particular focusing on Evie here), and the powerful positive response of life is readily portrayed in HofE.

When there is a very difficult situation, and a person reacts to the intensity with calm and equality -- thereby attracting luck -- that is one thing; but the opportunity to take a positive view in common life experiences where there are lesser or greater challenges to ours sensibilities, is another. The latter occurs so much more often, and thus affords us endless possibilities to attract life response.

We could list out 10-20 of such circumstance in a day and see how we have reacted. We can learn from that. Then on another day we can make the effort to react positively in similar situations, and see how life responds for us in the hours and days that follow. The positive response can even happen instantaneously.

Episode 7 (19)

THE FUNERAL OF FLORENCE & BEA'S REGRET

  • Florence's funeral.
  • At the funeral her husband blames Tilly, Madge, and Bea. (He would later visit them and retract his statement.)
  • Bea says she should have been aware of the situation. She has taken responsibility. It is also harkens back to the words of Jack's mother.
  • Bea is also troubled by the business with Saroyan. "Something odd is going on." The death of Desmond lurks in the background; i.e. in her subconscious.
  • Madge and Tilly got what they wanted - the removal of Florence - but it came at the cost of her death.

ELIZABETH & ALEX

  • Elizabeth and Alex (the Mumford's) visit HofE for her fitting. He is a high-level member of the government.
  • Elizabeth mentions a fitting for her daughter.

BEA WILL NOT WAIT & THE NATURE OF HER CHARACTER

  • Bea decides not to wait around for Jack to fix their car to get to work. Instead, she springs into action to get to work by walking. Part way there, Jack drives by in the now fixed car, and he then drives her the remainder of the way. 1. Bea feels very responsible for everything that is happening at HofE. 2. This incident is also a life response to taking action instead of waiting. Taking to action in the right situations and with the right intensity of energy released attracts. It is particularly so when one needlessly waits on things. 3. It is also a predecessor of later events when Bea takes bold action to confront Saroyan, which reveals his treachery. 4. Bea has that psychological strength. It is one of the things, along with Bea's forgiveness and positive action that keep HofE afloat in the midst of forces that are trying to destroy it.

SAROYAN'S FINANCIAL SCHEMES

  • Saroyan suggests that since HofE has cash flow problems/high expenses, and therefore they should pay their bills in Net 30 to delay the expense. Bea however wants to pay right away. In that sense, she is looking at things from the other person's point of view. Life will support such beliefs. We can say that Saroyan and his financial schemes are brought down as response to Bea's positive attitudes about money. Also looking at it from on high, it is Saroyan's duplicity that is causing these cash flow problems in the first place. They have high energy to succeed. He is mercenary. They are unable to prosper in this environment. (It was the same when Arthur was around.)

FLORENCE'S HUSBAND'S APOLOGY

  • Florence's husband appears and apologizes for being angry at the funeral. Perhaps we can say that Tilly and Madge's immediately taking to positive attitudes after her death attracted him with his change of heart. Also, he has come to realize the limitations of Florence's character, which mightily contributed to her own downfall. Unlike James Stevens, the main character in ‘Remains of the Day,' she was not only obedient and faithful, but rude, angry, and a disciplinarian. James was practicing a form of work surrender - perhaps Karma (works-oriented) yoga.

AGNES' GOSSIP

  • Agnes spreads gossip regarding one of their famous clients, and she unwittingly reveals it all to an eager gossip detective. She is duped into it, revealing her extreme stupidity.

JACK'S PLOY AGAINST SAROYAN

  • Jack knows that Evie and Alex have a relationship, and that through Alex there may be a way to find out more about Saroyan. (The experience with Arthur causes the main characters to be highly suspicious of Saroyan.
  • Jack has Joseph break into the bank to obtain evidence against Saroyan. In the several times he does this, he is not caught directly. Life -- i.e. the evolutionary force or unfolding -- is working on their side.

DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCE OF AGNES' GOSSIP IN BRIDGEWATER AFFAIR

  • Agnes' gossip has implicated HofE in the Bridgewater affair (incoming their famous client). The reporters descend on HofE. The Duchess confronts HofE about the leakage of this information; that someone there has obviously gossiped. Agnes confesses to Bea and Evie.
  • Agnes is a very simple and stupid person; and through her, the gossip moved out. The innocent and foolish serve as a vehicle for a force seeking to express. There are theories of gossip that can be explained. The more we think with our bodies, and the less with our minds, we believe in full the truths we hear -- even if they are part truths, or even downright falsehoods. Agnes had gossiped the wrong information because she only heard part of the story.
  • Agnes is beaten. The physical consciousness she is stuck in needs a beating to rise up beyond itself.
  • The Duchess got what she deserved because she herself was an endless gossiper. You act negatively, and attract negatively from life using the same means; or the means of one of your weaknesses.
  • Every time Joseph appears (he is investigating the books and Saroyan's role in it), Saroyan suddenly appears. Again, what is the theory behind? One possible answer: It is something akin to when Darcy and Eliza meet on the hill. They are both thinking about one another. Joseph arrives first however in these situations because the force is with him, and he, Bea, and Jack will always be one-step ahead.

Episode 8 (20)

ALEX AND EVIE'S RELATIONSHIP; & GETTING TO SAROYAN

  • Jack presents Alex with evidence of financial impropriety that Joseph has gathered.
  • Bea is serving Elizabeth. But Evie arrives who is having an affair with Elizabeth's husband Alex.
  • Evie tends to attract dangerous amorous relationships. Her youth and beauty help do so. (Alex is the 3rd such situation after Sebastian and James.)
  • Beatrice and Jack visit Alex, who has made serious discoveries of the financial shenanigans of Saroyan. Also he says that Saroyan has been trying to take over other companies. Alex is however reluctant to pursue Saroyan's deeds against House of Eliott and other companies. He says he is hesitant to confront someone as powerful as Saroyan.
  • If Alex reveals the underhanded doings of Saroyan, Saroyan could reveal Alex's elicit romance with Evie. Evie here may be playing a negative role in preventing HofE from reaching financial success.
  • Jack is doing his own work in the investigation. He further encourages Joseph to look into things, though that can be dangerous.
  • Jack has now attracted a lack of work.
  • Alex moves forward And has the police barge into Saroyan's office and impound papers.
  • As might be expected, word gets out that Evie and Alex are having an affair.
  • Is this really an "elicit affair," or just social propriety of those times; or of any times for that matter? Even Alex's wife seems to have encouraged Alex's relationship with Evie. Is this true?
  • Can we say that Evie's energies are being drawn in another direction, which attracts difficulties for HofE.
  • Can we also say that the powerful forces at work external to HofE are depleting its own positive energies, and preventing it from succeeding?
  • The lost positive energies of Desmond are also sorely missed.

BEA CONFRONTS SAROYAN HEAD ON, THE TRUTH ABOUT DESMOND, & SAROYAN'S DOWNFALL

  • When through Saroyan's actions (dishonesty) HofE is collapsing, Bea rather than want wait decided to take action. She goes to visit Saroyan.
  • The issue of Desmond's suicide arises. Saroyan said there was no evidence to implicate him in his death.
  • Bea's strong actions reveal one of the great mysteries of the story -- the earlier "suicide" of Desmond. Taking to strength in a situation where one is already oppressed will not only help overcome the current harm, but will reveal even greater treachery. This is a demonstration of the power of action, instead of cowering before circumstance. It is critical to the story.
  • Jack's investigative work has now been matched by Bea's strength, giving a double positive power.
  • Saroyan escapes arrest.
  • Saroyan profited enormously from the war, with the Germans, and is now involved in weapons trading with them. He is not only a thief, but a traitor, and perhaps a murderer (of Desmond).
  • Bea had good will for Desmond, and plays a role in revealing the force that destroyed him.
  • Why does Desmond die when he seems to have many good qualities? Perhaps the man who was in jail that railed against him in Part I may hold a clue.
  • Alex has sacrificed a great deal to help bring about implicating Saroyan, though it will be revealed that what he did was not enough, and did what he did he did after such a long delay , according to his superiors.
  • Elizabeth knows of her husband's affair with Evie.

THE SEPERATION OF JACK & BEA

  • Jack asks Bea to separate.

THE STRENGTH OF BEA & JOSPEH, & CUNNING OF JACK IN BRINGING DOWN SAROYAN

  • Joseph was energized to take all of the risks he did because of the way he was treated by Saroyan in the past.
  • Joseph not taking money from Jack after did his work in the matter, showed great character. He was rewarded with Saroyan's downfall thereafter.
  • We could see the correlation between the strength of Bea and that of Joseph. We can also see the cunning and concern of Jack in the matter. Their strengths together were enough to overcome the evil above them. Evie's role would be mixed, in that Alex would help bring down Saroyan, yet Alex was also the person who let Saroyan go on his treacherous ways for too long.
  • We can look at such situations as the sum total of energies -- positive and negative. When the positive energies released outweigh the negative ones, the latter can be overcome, which leads to greater accomplishment by the positive forces.

Episode 9 (21)

FROM CRISIS TO A NEW COLLECTION

  • Evie says: Every time we have a crisis, we create a new collection. This is a powerful observation, even if it isn't a direct awareness of the power of the negative to spur a greater positive. They seem to rise from conflict. They use the problems and difficulties of life to move higher.
  • Saroyan embezzled the money of HofE, and left them in difficult finances.
  • Beas asks the workers to take a cut in pay.
  • Evie immediately takes to designing another line.

JACK'S FILM OF THE MINER'S PROBLEMS

  • The miners problem/strike. It is a sign of the coming conflict between business and government that would culminate in the Great Crash and Depression.
  • Jack struggles to come up with a new script for Abraham the film producer.
  • Abraham likes Jack's script. Jack wants to film real life events as part of the film. It is a creative idea.
  • The strikes and police confront one another.
  • Jack is filming real live events related to the strike.

BEA'S FIERCE DEDICATION TO HER WORK

  • Bea is so fearless because she is completely dedicated to her work at HofE. It is her very life. With such intensity, she can overcome nearly every obstacle before her. And yet she loses Jack in the process, though he can now make a film, and be creative and successful. Life often works like that -- i.e. for people to separate in order to achieve their own personal success.

Episode 10 (22)

THE VISIT TO MAISON GILLES

  • Bea and Evie visit Maison Gille.
  • There is a negative response when one of their clients suddenly appears as a client of Maison Gilles. We can trace the response as an indicator of a future problem there.
  • Why did they go to Maison Gille?

THE SLOW DOWN & LAYOFFS

  • Bea reiterates the need for determination to get things moving again.
  • They have to temporarily lay off several of their workers.
  • Betty and Agnes, the two who were just gossiping are laid off. (It is a negative life response.) We can say such gossiping is a squandering of energies that attract negative circumstance. Agnes gossiping has proved disastrous in the story.
  • The tension between Alex and Elizabeth is growing due to his affair with Evie.
  • The inability to get things moving despite the resolution with Saroyan is due in part to her relationship with Saroyan. There is negative feelings/energies coming towards HofE from Elizabeth, who wants to hold onto her husband.
  • Maison Gille offers Alice a job there in London.
  • HofE's financial situation is rapidly deteriorating.

THE STRAIN OF THE REALTIONSHIP OF EVIE & ALEX ON HOUSE OF ELIOTT

  • Bea meets with Elizabeth. Elizabeth tries to convince Bea that Evie should stop the relationship with her husband.
  • The scandal of relationship between Evie and Alex, in the wake of the Saroyan episode who has revealed it, has scared off many of the clients from HofE.
  • The owner of Maison Gille continually strives to manipulate the situation with HofE.
  • Perhaps in answer to the above question, HM is a negative response to the negative atmosphere surrounding the relationship of Alex and Evie.
  • Evie's relationship with Alex is now fully known to the public.
  • Maison Gille now wants to buy HofE designs. Evie is fanatically against it, but Bea is more agreeable, especially in light of their current financial situation. Evie's anger in the matter indicates a weakness within. Maybe we can say that they are forced to sell to MG because of their deteriorating situation due to the now public affair between Evie and Alex. Where one is angry shows a deficiency that causes that situation to which one is angered!
  • Government officials try to block all communication between Alex and Evie, as it is not portraying them in a positive light.
  • Now there is negative energy penetrating into HofE from the government.
  • Jack still tries to help Alex and Evie see one another, as Jack is Evie's friend, and Alex's friend for that matter.

THE RESIGNATION OF ALEX

  • Alex resigns from his post, due to pressure from above.
  • Bea meets with Alex. He says that because of him, HofE is in trouble. Alex offers money to HofE in return.
  • Jack meets with Evie. Jack offers money to HofE as well.
  • Bea and Evie meet about their various meetings. They both reveal each other's money offerings from Alex and Jack. They are both reactive -- not too supportive -- of these developments.

THE SUDDEN PICK UP IN WORK

  • Work suddenly picks up. This is telling in light of Alex's resignation. In addition, the negativity subconsciously coming from the government to HofE has now weakened because of Alex's resignation. Also the money efforts give some positive energy. The sum total of energies are positive, so work begins to flow.
  • Alice reveals that there are a number of new clients coming from the entertainment world. Perhaps this is a positive response to jack's generosity. (He is after all related to the entertainment field now as filmmaker.)
  • The proprietor for Maison Gille now has new proposition for Hof E. They want to buy HofE.
  • With her energies going to Alex during this time of financial crisis, HofE has become vulnerable, to the point where its very existence is now as stake.

Episode 11 (23)

HIGH END VS. MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE MIDDLE CLASS

  • Alice does not like the jobs coming in from the theater people, believing that it lowers the standards of Hof E.
  • Evie wants to move to a wider audience -- the professional working woman. She is a pioneer now catching the wave of an emerging change in society.
  • Bea agrees to go along with Evie's idea. (She senses that this is an opportunity.)
  • Evie does not accept Alex's money.
  • Bea meets with Jack to discuss money. Jack invites her to see his new film.
  • Bea and Evie develop the new collection. (They develop a new collection after they have once again avoided another -- see above -- disaster!)

PREVIEWING JACK'S NEW FILM

  • Bea and Evie go to see Jack's film. Alex is there.
  • The four of them watch the film together.
  • The film receives wonderful reviews.
  • Jack is offered the opportunity to meet with one of the US's most famous producers.

ALEX IS REASSIGNED TO ROME

  • Alex is offered a job as ambassador to Rome.
  • Bea and Evie accept Jack's offer.
  • Betty is rehired. She immediately gossips about Evie, and Elizabeth, Alex's wife/ Elizabeth turns out to be there, and has made the decision not to use HofE anymore. (It is a negative response to Betty's low consciousness producing energy of gossip.)
  • Jack meets with the American producer. The producer's wife goes to HofE.
  • Alex accepts the position in Rome.

ALICE'S DISTAIN FOR NEW LINE

  • All of the workers of HofE like the designs except Alice, who does not like the new collection's movement away from the normal design needs of the upper class.

TONING DOWN JACK'S FILM

  • The producer suggest that Jack make the film less deep and provocative, with more action, and passion; having them be short and sweet. He makes Jack an offer to work with Hollywood.
  • The producer and his wife offer the actress, Bea, and Evie to attend a gathering of their 25th anniversary.
  • Things are rapidly coalescing; moving in a positive direction.

DESIGNS FPOR THE MASSES

  • They are moving in the potential direction of the masses -- HofE in design; Jack potentially in film.
  • Yet there is a questions of quality compared to the old ways. Alice raises it in design; Jack will raise it in "selling out."
  • Alex's money has brought about a positive development for HofE. Evie is attracting the wider market of the working woman, with its infinite money potential even as she has turned down Alex's offer of (somewhat tainted) money.

DESIGNS FOR A FILM

  • The producer offers Bea and Evie the opportunity to design clothing for his next film.
  • Alex and Elizabeth go to Italy. Elizabeth engineered the entire move. She reveals that Alex was not dismissed because of Evie, but because he didn't handle the problem with Saroyan properly (including swiftly enough) earlier. (Alex then lied to Evie that he resigned because of her. The truth was that he took on the new job to regain the respectability he has lost. And gaining that respectability was ultimately more important than his love for Evie.Career and social acceptance was more important. )

EVIE'S FEELINGS AFTER ALEX

  • We see that Evie was right in turning down Alex's move. It was subconsciously the right move. It also opens the doors to immense new opportunities.
  • This is another blow for Evie, yet it is potentially a big opening in her design career, and for HofE. Life seems to progress in this direction for her. Difficult love affairs spur personal career progress. That is the case for many individuals in life.

Episode 12 (24)

EVIE'S DEVESTATION AND SUCCESS

  • At the time of greatest sadness for Evie (i.e. the split with Alex since he is going to Italy), she may be on the verge of their greatest successes. (This is a common occurrence in life. What is difficult is to see the positive developments at these times of difficulty. The mind can perceive this; the spirit certainly can. The vital and physical do not and suffer.)

JACK'S REJECTION OF FILM CHANGES

  • By refusing to take on the proposal of the American film, there is a big acceptance of his film in Germany. His personal values have won the day, and attracted the response. The value is meaning over money (alone).

JACK'S OLD WAR BUDDY

  • Bea arranges for Jack to meet with an old war buddy, Peter. She has learned about him through one of her clients at HofE. It is the husband of this woman. It will turn out to be a great surprise for Jack to see him since the war.
  • Jack says that this man saved his life in the war.

THE MASSES RESPOND THROUGH SEARS

  • Sears is interested in HofE styles. (They have attracted the greatest producer of cataloged goods for the average person.) Evie's willingness to design for the masses shows that she is no snob, and is open to the emerging wave of the common man.
  • It is a 'coincidence" that Jack attracts his old war buddy at a time he is interested in doing a film about the war. (What he will learn about in the process will have as much to do with himself and Peter as the war.) Attracting Peter is a life response. Jack will learn the truth of his own background from the experience.
  • Evie and Bea are offered the contract with Sears. The woman asks them to come to America to help in the marketing. (This is indeed a very great opportunity, and an entirely new skill set involved (marketing.)
  • Bea tells Evie the truth of Alex's motives (See explanation earlier).

THE TRUTH ABOUT ALEX

  • It was right of Bea and Jack to hold off telling Evie the truth of Alex's motives. It showed great self-control on the part of Bea, indicating a very positive aspect of her character.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE WAR

  • George, the other member of his war group, shows up and is reunited with Jack.
  • George makes Jack realize that Peter didn't save his life, but had in fact abandoned him! (George and his friend had in fact saved Jack.) George goes on to say that Peter was unscrupulous, which Jack discovered in his relationship with him in the creation of the new film. Jack now realizes that Peter has been a fraud and a cheat.
  • Through the film about the war, Jack has come to terms with the actual truth of his own involvement in the war. (We have noticed from time to time how Jack had been affected by the war, and his reluctance to speak of it. Maybe it also contributed to his excessive drinking. Now he knows more of the truth, which potentially can help him psychologically, allowing him to release positive energies that will attract.)

JACK AND BEA BEGIN REUNITING

  • Bea and Jack are starting to come together. The above incident about the truth of the war has indeed released positive energies and has thus had an effect.
  • Jack has also played an important role in bringing down Saroyan, and the development of his relationship with Bea is a response to that.
  • It is interesting to note that this entire war-related revelation came through a customer of Bea's. Her energies were subconsciously working to bring her and Jack together.
  • Their coming together seems inevitable considering how much they have done for one another.
  • Bea and Evie go to America to work on Sears account; Jack to Germany to reap the rewards of the film.

SEASON 3

Episode 1 (25)

OFF TO AMERICA AND SEARS

  • The House of Eliott collection for Sears is very popular in the US.
  • A farewell dance is held for all the principles before embarking on their trip to the US.
  • Bea is open to new possibilities with Sears, despite the need of HofE to develop their high end line.
  • Bea and Evie (and Madge) return to England.
  • When Madge was earlier told she wouldn't go, she took it very well considering, which had the effect of attracting a switch (from Tilly) where she was picked to go. Handling a negative with calm and equality attracts good fortune. Also, Madge really wanted to go from the beginning, but kept quiet about the matter. this is the power of Silent Will in action to attract. You don't express what is on your mind, and others, including life does it for you.

ALICE'S DEPARTURE

  • Alice leaves HofE for MS because she didn't like the lower-brow lines (as in Sears). Perhaps we can say that it represents the an upper class resentment of the rapidly emerging middle class of America.)

RESENTMENT TOWARDS AMERICANS

  • Madge's mother is a bit close-minded. (e.g. she resents that the US are making hamburgers out of meat, instead of what she likes to eat. Again a resentment for the Americans, this time from the lower middle class. It shows that America was becoming the leader, and that a non-dynamic Europe would become the follower.

THE ARRIVAL OF GRACE

  • Grace appears. Bea and Evie find out that HofE is far behind; that MG is way ahead of them for the season. And yet Grace appears from out of nowhere with a host of designs for HofE. (Grace becomes "grace for them." )Though Brea and Evie are first pout off, they change their minds. They then purchase a few from Grace.
  • Grace comes after Bea gets in tune with the energy of America.
  • Bea and Evie see HG gowns everywhere at a ball.

JESSICA REPLACES ALICE

  • Bea and Evie pick Jessica to replace Alice, even though she has little skill for the job. (Though they would get some serious connections when they first hired Alice, but it never worked out that way.)

GRACE'S "DOUBLE DEALING" & ITS AFTERMATH

  • It turns out that Grace is selling designs of the same gowns she sold to HofE to other outlets.
  • Bea is worried about the whereabouts of Jack.
  • Jessica's contacts have not panned out yet.
  • Beas asks Jessica to be more professional in her work.
  • Grace discovers that that the way she has been working is wrong, and one of her clients therefore wants to return one of the gowns (that is also used by HofE as a design).
  • Grace storms into HofE and complains that Evie told the woman that she was caring a duplicate.
  • Evie's earlier anger towards her attracts the wrath of Grace.
  • Grace argues that Bea and Evie are hypocrites; that they destroyed the one order she had. She argues that she is a struggling artist trying to make it in the world, and therefore sold the duplicate designs to another.
  • Bea and Evie discuss the issue.
  • Bea is sympathetic to Grace's plight, and therefore wants to make use of her talents. (Evie does not feel positive in this way. Evie is temperamental like Grace, and therefore clashes with her, and her methods and experiences.People who are alike quarrel over the same weakness. )
  • Donald meets with Bea, and describes the emerging power of people like Grace; coming from the lower class, and struggling to make good. (Not only is her an emergence of a dynamic middle class in America, but there is an upward movement of the lower class in England.)

JESSICA LEARNS

  • Jessica is learning fast on the job. She was given a chance, and she is coming along. (Bea has given her, and Grace a chance. This value of trust and empowerment has positive consequences for HofE.)

COTTER'S MANUFACTURING OFFER

  • Cotter meets with Evie, and sees a middle road between couturiers and the masses. The middle class is looking for high fashion at reasonable prices. (Comparable example: The middle class in the next generation gets the health care of kings of the previous one, -- and yet still complains about prices!) He is a manufacturer and wants to work with Evie. He suggests a business partnership. Evie somewhat mistrusts him.
  • Jack suddenly appears while Bea is attending to Davenport (sp?).

Episode 2 (26)

STYLISTIC CONFLICT BETWEEN EVIE AND GRACE

  • Evie and Grace are at stylistic loggerheads.

CONSIDERING COTTER'S PROPOSAL

  • Bea is intrigued by the proposals of Cotter. (She is looking to expand the business, and make money. She is trying to be in tune with the wider middle class movement that is emerging. Evie is more focused on quality.)
  • Bea is open to all sides of the issue, which is a very positive expansive attitude that tends to attract. (E.g., she is open to Grace, and the opportunity to work with Kotter comes. Though this will not have a happy outcome, it still flows with the expanding energies of the masses, and their needs for high quality clothing and designs. Bea is in tune with this.)
  • Donald again suggests that the mass manufacturers like Cotter will begin to rule the fashion world.
  • Bea contacts Cotter. She is catching the wave of the emerging power of mass production and the middle class. Donald, Cotter, Grace, Sears, et al are reflections of this movement. (Cotter's later duplicity indicates that the first wave of an emerging power can often be lead by lower consciousness interests. We see this in emerging mass movements in a nation that is often initiated by not the very highest consciousness individuals.)
  • Cotter is ambitious like Grace; looking to move ahead. He is selling Paris fashions at 1/10th the price; though the quality is not as good. Still, for the masses, it is a great improvement in fashion sense.
  • We can say that selling to the upper class is a limited market, whereas the middle class offers much greater opportunities.
  • Now as their financial advisor and accountant Joseph agrees.

EVIE BECOMES POSITVE TOWARD GRACE

  • Evie begins to be a positive mentor of Grace.

GRACE'S DESIGNS FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

  • Grace is designing precisely what the middle class needs.
  • Being second fiddle to MG is further forcing HofE to design for the middle class.
  • The middle class is a greater market, but the high values that have been adhered to in addressing the needs of the upper classes are not yet fully developed -- thus there are shenanigans and other misdeeds going on, as will be the case with Kotter.

GRACE'S PARTY & THE DESIGNS OF STUDENTS

  • Grace invites Bea to a party at her place, where there are many artists and creative-type individuals.
  • Evie sees many artistic things at the party (he "Grace of Grace" continues.)There are all sorts of potential concepts and designs for HofE. (Bea's values of trustfulness, openness, and practicality have put HofE in touch with powerful energies of the middle class and the creative.)
  • Evie is interested in seeing the work of the students. She is aligning herself with the next generation; the future.
  • The workers of HofE are talking about the access to credit. (This is an emerging concept for the working class.)

BOTH READY TO WEAR AND HIGH FASHION

  • "Ready to wear" is emerging.
  • HofE are doing both the Ready to Wear and state of the art couturier designs -- e.g. from the illustrations of Miles, a very young man, who is a student.

Episode 3 (27)

DEVELOPING THE AURORA COLLECTION

  • Cotter and HofE sign a contract for the Ready to Wear collection (i.e. "The Aurora Collection").
  • Grace is developing the designs for Ready to Wear.
  • Producers are turning down Jack's film because he is portraying the Germans is a positive light. (the story of HofE takes place after WWI.)
  • Miles' designs become the inspiration for their entire collection. (That is the power of (Evie's) embracing youth.)

EVIE AND DANIEL

  • Evie meets Daniel, a very promising artist, who is a friend of Miles and Grace.
  • Katya sees Perry trying to rob HofE. This comes after Tilly has blamed Katya for Tilly's stolen wallet, which was actually stolen by Perry.
  • Evie want to be Daniel's mentor. She has romantic feelings towards him.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND THE INTEREST OF JACK

  • Madge's brother Albert, a former miner, and who has been an activist, gets a job where he talks to others about working conditions on the job. As a result, he is intentionally harassed by his supervisors. Jack, who got him the job, feels responsible (and also takes a deep interest in the poor working conditions).

GRACE FEELS SLIGHTED OVER HIGH-END DESIGNING

  • Grace has been put in charge of Ready to Wear, but feels slighted and excluded from the couturier high-end line. Earlier were Grace was temporarily put in charge of the couturier line, she altered a dress that infuriated Evie. Now however Grace is furious. (This is much like the earlier situation when she first arrived on the scene and Evie was furious about her actions.)
  • Grace and Evie are in conflict with one another. They each have qualities that are negative, and it is through their interaction that it comes out. Evie is jealous of race's designing ability. Grace does things that are not to be trusted, something Evie intuits. People can help one another in such situations if they are conscious. Or if they are unconscious they continue to have conflict, as well as take to actions that reinforce the other side's negative feelings towards them. We need to rise in consciousness and change the contradiction we feel with another, seeing our own negative qualities in the situation. Such relationships are opportunities for great personal growth.

Episode 4 (28)

MANUFACTURING THE AURORA COLLECTION

  • Cotter's factory has been set up. (Originally, he found a poor location, trying to save money, but Bea insisted on something better.) Bea and Evie constantly have to push him to get the best out of him. They are suspicious and thus are very careful in dealing with him. They have ample reason to be cautious given their experiences with Arthur and Saroyan.
  • Katya gets word that she could be deported because she has no visa.

JACK & BEA MOVE IN TOGETHER; SHE IS PREGNANT

  • Jack and Bea have moved back in with one another, after their long separation.
  • Bea is pregnant.

EVIE'S SELLING OF DANIEL'S PAINTINGS & A PROPOSED EXHIBIT

  • Evie goes to meet Daniel again. She reports that one of his paintings have been sold. He shows her more of his paintings. She takes several to try to sell them.
  • One of their clients, Ann, a champion of young artists, appears on the scene as Evie arrives with several of Daniel's paintings, and is already an admirer of Miles' work.
  • Ann at a dinner of all parties suggests an exhibit, which is just what Evie and Bea had hoped for. They had not expressed that desire out loud, and yet it came to be -- an indicator of the phenomenon of Silent Will power in action.

THE QUALITY OF COTTER'S MANUFACTURED WORK QUESTIONED

  • Cotter and Bea argue over the quality of his work. It is requester of Cotter that the quality of his manufactured work improve. Bea and Evie are told that the middle classes don't require perfect stitching. (This is an excuse for shoddy workmanship to lower costs/and earn more profits.)
  • Jack tries to help Katia from being deported.
  • Bea and Evie give Tilly a kind of maternity leave and funding. (This is something that seems to be ahead of its time, an indicator of HofE's forward thinking.

JACK'S PERCEPTION OF HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS OF OWNERS TOWARDS WORKERS

  • There is 10% unemployment in England. Jack attends a meeting where X speaks on unemployment and low wages. Jack suggests that certain employers have a higher consciousness towards work that it would be helpful of other companies to know about. The speaker however knocks down such ideas being emphatically against management. (He is inflexible on that point.) Like the artist, if he just gave in 1%, and perceives even this limited truth of Jack's, it would make all the difference -- for his side!
  • We see how Jack's comment is directly supported by HofE's attitude and actions towards Tilly as she is about to give birth. Their forward thinking attitudes in employee relations brings great loyalty, and constantly opens the doors to greater expansion.
  • Jack speaks to the man about the concept of worker's compensation (after Madge's brother is (intentionally?) injured while on the job. Jack is offering practical suggestions for improvement to the business. He is like a consultant and a guiding hand for Bea and Evie. They have his constant grace on their side.
  • Bea wonders aloud to Evie about what she is going to do when her baby comes.

BEA'S CONCERN FOR A WORKER

  • Bea goes to visit Tilly's home to personally see how she is doing. They also speak about Bea's coming child. We see how the business is richly connected now to the aspirations of the mothers.
  • The babies are almost symbolic of the potential success of Ready to Wear, which are intended for the masses, and the new generations.

THE EXHIBIT OF DANIEL'S PAINTING

  • The exhibition of Daniel's paintings (organized by Ann) takes place.
  • Daniel's former patron sees Daniel and is mad at him for not returning his favors. Evie wonders if Daniel is doing the same with her. (Evie is becoming less naive.) He questions Evie's motives in helping him (i.e. she is doing it to win his affections, his love), and he storms out.
  • They learn that Katya has been given a special exemption since she came to Germany as a German Jew.

BEA'S WORRY ABOUT RAISING HER CHILD & THE DEATH OF ANOTHER CHILD

  • Bea worries that she cannot raise the child all by herself. (She semi-consciously fears that she will be overburdened, and not be able to do her work at HofE, which she so deeply cares about.)
  • Tilly's baby dies. This comes just after Bea expresses deep concern about raising the baby she is going to have. (These are simultaneous negative events.)
  • Evie and Daniel are not seeing one another now. There is a lack of trust amongst other problems.

COTTER & GRACE'S CONSIDER COLLABORATION

  • Cotter and Grace think about collaborating on not so high brow styles, including the manufacturing of these items. (It will turn into a deceptive undertaking.) It will marry Cotter's shoddiness of work and cost cutting in the name of profit with Grace's ambition.

BEA FEELS RESPONSIBLE FOR TILLY'S BABY'S DEATH

  • Bea feels responsible that her negative feelings about her own coming baby's led to the death of Tilly's baby. (She has a subtle awareness here.) Bea feels that it was a lack of effort to support Tilly that was the cause of the death, which is fundamentally untrue, though psychically there may indeed be a certain connection - i.e. her negative energies and fears are sent out to Tilly. (Also we don't exactly know what Tilly's fears have been in relationship to her pregnancy. In the past, she has worried about feeding her family.)

Episode 5 (29)

JACK'S INVOLVEMENT IN SACCO VANZETTI CASE

  • Bea struggles physically at work due to her pregnancy.
  • Jack has turned to writing articles, as the only outlet where he can express his progressive opinions and be part of that domain.
  • Jack is struck by the allegedly-unjust executions of Sacco and Vanzetti (a famous case).
  • Bea and Jack buy a new house.
  • Jack is caught in a riot between the two sides of the S-V case. Jack is slightly hurt in the melee.
  • Bea warns Jack about cavorting with a known criminal, the friend of whom invited him to the march, and was hurt there.

MADGE'S SEPERATION FROM HER HUSBAND AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHARLES

  • Madge and her husband are moving apart. Charles likes Madge; has for awhile.
  • Madge is the true commoner in the story. Tilly is one small level higher than Madge in consciousness because of her integrity and values.

EVIE, DANIEL, AND MILES

  • Miles invites Evie to meet Daniel, even though he romantically cares for Evie. It is in part an act of self-givingness. They meet as arranged.
  • Daniel is grateful that his recent success is due to Evie. Evie admits that like Daniel earlier suggested, she was play-acting. (It is a step in overcoming their conflicts.)

READY TO WEAR FACILITRY SET ON FIRE & AFTERMATH

  • The Ready to Wear manufacturing facility is set on fire. Much has been destroyed. Some may be salvageable. The police suspect arson. The till has been broken into. They were uninsured. (The low consciousness Cotter demonstrated regarding the facility in the first place now manifests.)
  • Madge feels that they can make up for it in 8 weeks. (She is optimistic.) They are able to use the salvageable fabric, which was considerable.

JACK'S PROBLEMS WITH HIS WRITING JOB

  • Jack has the same problem he had with his films now with his articles. (Life repeats.) They are too controversial for the publishers. And yet he remains calm to this setback. Suddenly another party comes forth offering him a weekly column. Equality in the face of a negative can attract a powerful positive response in its place.
  • The work does not pay a lot, but he is still thrilled by the opportunity to express his views. The opportunity has come by the way of the politician (?) who made the earlier presentation that Jack attended.

GRACE'S DEMANDS OF EVIE & HER REVELATION ABOUT DANIEL

  • Grace wants to do more high-end design. Evie again puts her off, stifling her aspiration. (It will come back to haunt Evie and HofE later on).
  • A minute later, Grace reveals that all of Daniel's paintings have been sold, and he is going to New York, thus away from her. It is a direct negative response to Evie's reluctance to allow Grace to be involved in the couturier design. Evie stifles Grace's aspirations, and so Evie has word of something that blocks her aspirations -- i.e. her desire for Daniel. One self-protecting artist does not want to entitle another.

JACK RESEARCHES WORKING CONDITONS IN GLASGOW

  • Jack goes to research worker conditions in Glasgow. One hurt worker gets virtually nothing in workman's compensation. Jack is researching this. (He is working for the greater good; a pioneer in this area in his time, that has benefitted others in the future.)

THE BIRTH OF JACK AND BEA'S BABY

  • Bea has her baby. Bea's physical condition is problematic however. Jack is informed and returns from Glasgow.

Episode 6 (30)

TILLY'S UNBEARABLE SADNESS

  • Tilly continues to go to the cemetery to visit her dead baby. She lights candles and prays in church. She has been crushed by the baby's death and turns to irrational behavior.
  • Jack likes to point out practical success stories to demonstrate how we can improve situations. He is less for radical change, then for practical, yet substantial change.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVIE AND DANIEL'S RELATIONSHIP

  • Evie and Daniel continue their relationship. Evie wants to live together with him. Daniel is reluctant. Perhaps we can say that if Evie changes her attitude toward Grace's aspiration for involvement in high-end design, life would response, and her relationship with Daniel would become more to her liking. Often when we change our attitude in one area it attracts positive circumstances in another, yet emotionally related area.

BEA SUPPRORTS GRACE'S REQUESTS

  • Bea suggests that Grace could be more involved. Evie however continues to insist that she is inexperienced. (She too was "inexperienced" when she worked for the couturiers in the past, yet she was extremely capable.)

BEA QUESTIONS DANIEL'S COMMITTMENT TO EVIE

  • Evie is upset when Bea wonders if Daniel is truly committed to her. (One becomes upset upon hearing truths one does not like to hear.)

THE AURORA COLLECTION IS PRESENTED

  • The Aurora Collection (of ready to Wear) is presented. It goes very well. They find out that they have lost the Sears account however. (How can we explain this? Due to Evie's attitude toward Grace?)

HOLDING ON TO DANIEL

  • Daniel accepts a commission to paint Lady Romford, which infuriates Evie, who perceives that so many women are taken in by him. She perceives semi-consciously that it would be difficult to hold onto him, echoing Bea's earlier statements.

JACK'S RECOMMEDATION MAY BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE GOVERNMENT

  • Jack's work has expanded to the point where the government is contemplating implementing them, though there are forces that oppose. Jack's excellent attitude in the face of the previous rejection at the newspaper, which earlier led to the weekly column, continues to reverberate with positive life response results.
  • Surprisingly, the government moves in Jack's direction. Another positive reverberation from the past, and due to his recent efforts to move his agenda forward. He is in tune with the emerging aspirations of the worker who seeks fairness and justice in work. It is the glory days of the rise of the worker class and worker rights.
  • Madge's husband discovers that Madge has been seeing Charles -- mainly because he (her husband) has been ignoring her for such a long time.

JACK JOINS THE LABOR PARTY

  • Jack perceives that the smaller issues facing the working class is nothing compared to the limitations of work and prosperity facing that class. Thus, he joins the Independent Labor Party.
  • Madge leaves her husband and joins Charles.

DANIEL'S PAINTING IS FOUND INSULTING

  • Daniel's painting of Lady Romford is found to be insulting by her (Celia). She is very angry with Bea for having set it up in the first place. Daniel confesses his love for Evie, and wishes to live with her. Evie and Bea have a row over this affair. (We could say that since Evie and Bea are in conflict regarding Daniel, that when Bea tries to help him it backfires on him and her. Taking an actual to benefit one is in conflict with will attract negative circumstances, at least until one has rectified the emotional or otherwise difficult issues.)

THE PROWLER AT HofE PROPERTY

  • Someone comes again at night to the HofE property on the prowl. (The conflicts between Bea and Evie are manifesting in the world around them.)

Episode 7 (31)

THE COPYING OF THE AURORA COLLECTION

  • This is a powerful episode that is quite revealing.
  • Evie and Bea receive bad news from Joseph that The Aurora Collection (that is still to be presented) may have been copied by the Stone & Wilkerson (sp?) chain of stores. They then wonder how this happened.
  • This harks back to the earlier episode when their designs were stolen before doing a presentation. (I.e. life repeats.)
  • Tilly is still devastated by the loss of her baby, and continually goes to church, saying the baby is with God.
  • The store is doing a knock off of their designs.
  • A big buyer arrives at HofE to discuss the Aurora collection.
  • Bea and Evie immediately take action to look into knock off issue.
  • It is Grace and Cotter who made the modified designs, and sold it to the chain.
  • The big buyer who was purchasing from the Aurora collection says he is upset that high quality HofE designs (i.e. from the Aurora) are sold in lower level chains with somewhat poorer workmanship.

JACK'S ARGUES MINIMUM WAGE BEFORE THE PARTY, & IS ASKED TO RUN FOR OFFICE

  • Jack pushes for a minimum wage, and the restricting of hours an individual can work. Jack argues persuasively to the Labor party.
  • It is suggested that Jack be in parliament; that the Labor Party could use someone like him who things for himself.

BETTY & THE KNOCK OFF SCHEME

  • Note: Betty has been working for Cotter as 2md job for a while.
  • Evie visits the place where Miles and Grace live, and accuses Miles in part in the knock off scheme. He then threatens to quit HofE.
  • Agnes realizes that Betty may be involved in the scheme. Betty scolds her. Betty is afraid to express what she knows to Tilly.
  • Tilly's husband tries to do everything he can to help her.

EVIE'S REGRET ABOUT GRACE IN THE KNOCK OFF SCHEME

  • Evie wonders how Grace could have done what she did. David (a friend of Grace) says that Grace didn't see things that way in that she designed most of the items in the first place, but didn't get the credit from Evie, letting her have her due. (Evie can only argue that she paid her well.) We see that Evie's attitude of reluctance in dealing with Grace has attracted devastating negative results. Though Grace may have crossed the line here, Evie brought it on herself. She even subconsciously knows this, indicated by her weak argument in response to David. Life responding negative to one is a sure sign of a negative attitude or action on one's part. Still Evie has a chance to acknowledge that fault and see life respond positively suddenly thereafter.
  • Evie feels betrayed. (It is a negative response to not dealing with the true inner cause that attracted the negative results on the outside.)
  • Evie's difficult emotional relationships with men can be seen as a mirror of her reluctance to give up artistic power with Grace.

HOFE LOSE CUSTOMERS & TRY TO MAKE BEST OF SITUATION IN WAKE OF EVENTS

  • As a result of all these events, word gets into the newspaper, and they lose customers. (Again, had Evie acknowledged her limited attitude, the additional negatives would have not manifest, and even the previous knock off scandal may have changed course!)
  • Bea and Evie offer the same designs at lower prices to move the already manufactured garments to avoid a complete loss. The first storeowner however refuses.
  • Evie apologizes to Miles for what she said. (This is a positive development.)

THE TRUTH ABOUT BETTY'S INVOLVEMENT

  • Agnes expresses the truth about Betty to Tilly. (This information energizes Tilly a bit -- finally!)

HOFE ALLEGED SWEATSHOP TACTICS

  • Jack finds out that HofE has been accused of running a sweatshop. (We see how his political interests and values now dovetail with a real life situation he is very much a part of with HofE.)
  • Who is spreading these rumors? The newspaperman says that they have as much right to produce such news as Jack has to make innuendos about poor working conditions. It is a vendetta. The fire as well is a vendetta. Was the man who "broke in" at the end of the last episode involved in the vendetta? Who was that person?
  • The lies about HofE printed by the newspaper were spread by Betty.
  • The newspaper story is not really true and accurate. Their employees have worked extra hours, but it was not in fact from the collection, but for the extra work they did by working for the Cotter copycats!
  • Bea is conflicted with Jack who does in fact see that the HofE workers have in fact worked overly long hours; however, it was not Bea /HofE's fault! Jack was angry and stormed out when having this conversation with Bea, indicating that there is something wrong in Jack's argument or something else amiss in his life. Anger alwaysreveals an underlying falsehood in the person who expresses it. (Here Jack is protecting his career as an advocate of better working conditions, when HofE has been accused of that very thing.)

Episode 8 (32)

THE TRUTH ABOUT COTTER & BETTY

  • Cotter offered Betty overtime. She in fact thought she was working for the Aurora collection, not the knock off scheme. She then says she was treated badly by Cotter. She wants her job back at HofE. But Bea throws Betty off the premises for her scurrilous remarks in the newspaper about (non-existent) sweatshop conditions at HofE.

FINDING A LAWYER TO DEFEND BEA & EVIE'S INTERESTS

  • Bea and Evie are trying to get a lawyer to defend their interests. (It is the seeking of a level of power which they do not have in their present condition.)
  • The attorney recommends not to bring a legal case, which would only add to their bad publicity. (They are not satisfied with this answer.)
  • HofE still needs to sell off the Aurora collection inventory.

USING MILES FOR THE NEXT HIGH-END COLLECTION

  • Evie suggests they use Miles for the designs of the (high-end) couturier collection. His positive attitude earlier toward Evie, and Evie's apology to him open up the opportunity for HofE to work with Miles on the couturier line at a time they really need him; particularly in light of what has occurred with the Aurora collection. This is a powerful life response due to an apology (which is a recognition of one's own lower consciousness) and reconciliation (together which are forms of higher attitudes).
  • Bea, Evie, Miles, and Daniel conceive of the new couturier line. (It is a further reverberation of Evie's positive reaction to Miles earlier).

TILLY'S DETERIORATING PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION

  • Madge and Charles try to help Tilly with her psychological problems related to her dead baby. They go to meet her husband to talk about how serious the situation with Tilly is getting at work (that her work is deteriorating and she could soon be fired). They ask her husband Norman to keep trying to help Tilly.
  • Norman speaks to a priest to ask him if he can speak with Tilly. (It is an interesting approach to resolve the problem through the priest, since Tilly is obsessed that with the idea that the baby is with God.)

AGNES'S SINGING ENGAGEMENT

  • Agnes telling the truth about Betty opens up an opportunity for her do a regular singing engagement. (Agnes is timid. To move forth and speak of Betty's doings is a big growth for her. She is moving out of her shell. Life then rewards her with an opportunity for a gig in which she sings very openly in front to the public! it is a response to her coming out of her shell.)
  • Agnes reconsiders and takes the job to sing with the piano accompanist.

GETTING TO COTTER & GRACE THROUGH BETTY

  • Evie and Bea go to see Betty to see if she can help in getting to Cotter and Grace. (This is as you recall the woman they threw out, and now are forced to deal with to get at the truth of matters! They also agree to give her job back. She tells them where Cotter and Grace are. And she reveals that they also have new designs (?). It is interesting how they need Betty after throwing her out. Throwing her out was a vital, false reaction rooted in anger. It always reveals a weakness, no matter what the other party may have perpetrated. Thus, life forces them to go through and even rehire Betty. It is a means by which Bea and Evie (and all of us reading these comments) can see that such behavior attracts life negative life response! And we can reverse our behavior, or at least recognize the negative way we have behaved, and thus instantly attract the positive!
  • Bea and Evie meet with the owners of one of the companies the knock offs were sold to, insisting that someone was bribed in the company.

THE PRIEST TRIES TO HELP TILLY

  • The priest tries to tell Tilly that she should not hide in the church to try to create a relationship with her dead baby. (Coming from a religious person this has persuasive power for her now twisted perceptions.)

BETTY RETRUNS TO WORK AT HofE & JOSEPH'S REACTION

  • To repeat: anger is almost always wrong, as Joseph is incensed that Betty has come back to work at HofE. We can each watch where there is anger in our lives, and we will see that the opposite of what we express will be the truth of the situation, or that it is covering up a falsehood on our part. Anger is ego, or rather a sense of powerlessness expressed that has been touched on by the events of life.

NORMAN SPEAKS THE TRUTH AND THE COMING AROUND OF TILLY

  • Norman speaks the entire truth to Tilly; that she in fact has been the one who has been dead since the baby died. He further argues persuasively that she is only concerned with her own feelings. He says this when they meet at work, a more impersonal place than at home, where Norman's energies are restricted by the emotions. There at work he tells her straight out the full truth of the situation. It has a great power. He is expressing strength in the situation instead of coddling to her, which has served no good in the baby episode. It is a growth for him, and is just what Tilly needs -- to be slapped up side the face psychologically with the bold truth of the situation. Psychological strength has a great power to change life in the right circumstances -- in any circumstances for that matter if performed with dignity.
  • Tilly finally relents. She throws away the crib. Norman's psychological strength in dealing with her has won the day.

TRICKING GRACE AND COTTER

  • Bea and Evie work with Wilkinson to trick Grace and Cotter into being found.
  • Grace says Evie never gave any credit for the designs she created.
  • Grace and Cotter were engaged in bribery to get the low wages for their line.
  • Jack explains this truth, and is vindicated before the (Labor) Party. This is a fine effort! Ordinary such fine points of truth tend to fall through the cracks, and the false remains there as a hardened belief by the public (or in this case, the party).
  • Though Grace and Cotter engaged in questionable behavior and activities, Evie's recalcitrance of working with Grace, and giving her credit, precipitated the entire negative affair.
  • Grace and Cotter had bribed the store buyers to get a cut -- i.e. a kickback, rather than a bribe -- so they would buy into the line.

DANIEL'S OUTBURST AGAINST THE UPPER CLASSES

  • Evie and Bea meet with the wealthy at a dinner, and Daniel drunkenly speaks out against the upper classes. The elder woman condemns him for his lack of social graces, as well as for the alleged indulgences of Evie. Bea then steps in and rebukes them as engaging in malicious rumor-mongering. Bea is very sensitive to how such salacious remarks can be spread, as a result, of her experiences, and attempts to nip them in the bud when they arise.

JACK TELLS BEA ABOUT HIS POLITICAL AMBITIONS

  • Jack reveals to Bea that he would like to run for parliament. Jack asks for Bea's support. Bea wonders how public attention will affect her life. She is accepting of his proposal.

EVIE'S MARRIAGE PROPOSAL TO DANIEL

  • Daniel apologizes about his behavior in public. (Though he might have been justified in his claims, drunken behavior is negative and will tend to attract negative circumstances, like the false, scurrilous remarks.) Daniel loathes the upper class, but still apologizes. He says he cannot change; that he may be wrong for Evie -- that he will never fit in for her. Evie suggest that he marry her.

Episode 9 (33)

BEA AND LADY WESTLAKE

  • Bea is reluctant to visit Lady Crowborough's elder mother Lady Westlake for a fitting, but then gives in. A small invitation or request taken can often be an opening to a vast opportunity. Accepting this token act is often the opening to the future -- i.e. the only way through! We should NEVER take them lightly.
  • Bea visits Lady Crowborough's home and her mother. The mother, Lady Westlake, is a very difficult, elderly, ill person. (If we maintain our reluctance to do a thing, its potential will tend not to fulfill itself.)

CONFLICT BEFORE THE PROSPECTIVE MARRIAGE OF DANIEL TO EVIE

  • Daniel doesn't want his parents at the wedding, but Evie insists.
  • We meet Daniel's parents. His father and he are very distant (as is often the case between a domineering father and a rebellious, artistic son who is breaking away from that behavior, sometimes to the extreme). Daniel's sister appears. The father and David argue over her future. This expands into a squabble between the father and Evie.
  • After the difficult meeting, Evie still has asked Daniel's parents to attend their wedding. Daniel is upset. Evie asks Daniel to be more fully part of his life, including interacting with his parents.
  • Evie says to Miles that her father was as awful as Daniel's was.
  • Daniel tells Evie that his father was an excellent craftsman and artist, and didn't want his son to do the same. The problem between them reached its low point when his father ripped up the papers inviting Daniel to pursue his art.

JACK'S RUN FOR OFFICE

  • Jack has been offered the opportunity to run for office. He is aware of the formidable rivals he could be running against. (What seems formidable is just one's own thoughts. When experienced or psychological strong, they are not so formidable.)
  • At the party gathering, Jack expresses his views why he would be the right Labor candidate.
  • Jack argues that he can win because he has a wider view of things. (In HofE, those who have a wider view are on the leading edge; those with the narrow view are on the receding edge. This is true of any situation, time, opportunity, etc.)

DEVELOPMENTS WITH AGNES & BARNEY

  • Barney, the piano player, and Agnes attend a singing concern by his old friend.

TILLY AND LADY WESTLAKE

  • Lady Westlake and Tilly take to one another after a conflict.
  • Bea is impressed by how Tilly puts up with Lady Westlake. Tilly appreciates Lady Westlake's plight (that she never wanted to leave India). Tilly's own private pain has made her ever more empathetic to the plight of others, such as Lady W.
  • Lady Westlake was injured by someone, which Tilly and she discuss.

THE ELECTION DAY FOR JACK

  • Jack moves to a runoff against a progressive woman at the party convention. Jack then wins as the party nominee.

EVIE & DANIEL ARE MARRIED

  • It is Evie and Daniel's wedding day. They are married.
  • Tilly leaves early from the wedding to see Lady Westlake. Lady Westlake talks to Tilly's husband about being her cook and handyman, and Tilly a position as her companion. (Perhaps Bea's overcoming some of her reluctance with the mother of Lady W is paying some dividends for one of the employees, Tilly.)

AN OFFER TO EVIE TO GO TO PARIS & POTENTIAL SEPERATION FROM DANIEL

  • Just after they are married, Daniel is offered a year in Paris to work on his art. This offer comes as a response to his revelation of his father once tearing up a similar offer when he was younger, leading to their estrangement. The father shows up at the wedding, and the invitation of the letter to go to Paris arrives, as if a fulfillment of the earlier incident in which the invitation was ripped up. (We can see Evie's role in this affair. Her wanting to smooth things out has helped Daniel. He releases some of his emotions to his father and the new invitation arrives. He also focuses on the issue, and it arrives. A higher attitude and a focus on his part enable the new invitation to come about, fulfilling his intent of the earlier one. Evie's wanting to participate emotionally in this unfolding adds her positive energies. On the other hand, going to Paris would cause a separation between the two. (Perhaps we can say that there is the goodwill one gives, and the attachment one has. In Evie's case it is a mixture of the two, hence the positive results for Daniel, which also could separate them.)

Episode 10 (34)

A THREAT TO THE PRESENTATION

  • The location for the showing of their line is suddenly unavailable, threatening the entire presentation.
  • Tilly will have to tell Bea that she will be accepting Lady Westlake's offer, and leave HofE.
  • Jack once again comes through and finds a place for HofE to present their collection. (How many times he has helped them when the chips were down.)
  • Also Daniel; is lured to being involved in designing the layout of the room.

EVIE WANTS DANIEL TO COME TO PARIS

  • Evie suggests to Daniel that she could come to Paris with him, which would in essence split her form HofE.
  • Bea tells Evie that she want to go with Daniel to Paris.

TILLY'S NEW PLANS REVEALED

  • Tilly tells Evie and Bea about her plans. (This comes just as Evie is explaining her situation with Daniel.) It is a double dose of bad news for Bea. Till Tilly and Norman take the new van, Bea suggests that he could drive the van.

THE FINE SET OF DANIEL'S AND THE SUCCESS OF MILES AT THE PRESENTATION

  • Daniel's set is wonderful. The presentation takes place. (The music in the scene is beautiful.) Miles' designs are presented. (He of course the young man from the school they had earlier given a chance.)
  • This is a big success for Miles. When he overcame his earlier anger at Daniel for a competing artistic vision, he attracted the success of this presentation, and the finances to support their future growth. Life continues to respond positively in the days that follow for Miles.

A SPEECH AGAINST JACK'S VIEW

  • Jack through his political work is essentially carrying on in the spirit of his sister's work, and his parent's idealistic and progressive vision.
  • Lady Westlake's son in law speaks against Jack's view before a large gathering, bringing up various scurrilous accusations against him, HofE, and Bea. What can Jack do?
  • Jack's answers his opponent John Crowborough's malicious statements before the press. He does so admirably.
  • Perhaps we can say that Bea has seen the negative of the upper class, through Lady Westlake and his son in law. The vestige of her attachments to designing for them exclusively are surely over. (Recall the ridiculous costumes she was forced to create many episodes back.)

AGNES SEEKS WORK SINGING ON HER OWN

  • Agnes stops working for the piano player, and starts looking directly for work. She goes to a playhouse, and is miraculously given the opportunity to perform in an audition. (Agnes coming out of her shell in the Betty affair, and now asserting her independence to find work is attracting powerful results for her, including an unexpected on the spot audition.)

JOSEPH BECOMES A PARTNER IN HofE

  • Joseph has made fine decision for HofE, and Evie and Bea see that he could be a managing partner.

JACK LOOKS INTO CROWBOROUGH, HIS OPPONENT

  • Jack, being an excellent reporter and researcher, turns around and finds damning information about Crowborough. He threatens Crowborough with it if he continues to presents the scurrilous statements about Jack and his friend and associates. Jack asks him to step down in the election. He refuses. The paper goes ahead and reports Jack's evidence against Crowborough.

TILLY'S CHANGE OF HEART WORKING WITH LADY WESTLAKE

  • Tilly worries that she could lose the job with Lady Westfield, who is the mother in law of Crowborough.
  • (The irony of Bea meeting Lady W and family, refusing at first to work for her, then accepting, having Tilly work for her, AND Jack having Crowborough, the in-law of Lady W is an interesting connection worth thinking about. A number of laws of life can be devised from this through additional viewings of HofE.)

JACK'S VICTROY IN THE ELECTION, THE RUINATION OF CROWBOROUGH, & THE IMPACT ON TILLY VIA LADY WESTLAKE

  • The parliamentary election takes place the next day for the London borough. Jack narrowly wins.
  • Tilly and her husband arrive at the manor to work for Lady W. They find Crowborough's wife crying. Lady W tells them that Crowborough is ruined, has left many debts, and therefore she has to sell the estate. She will move out and therefore no longer needs Tilly's and her husband's services.

THE PROPOSAL OF MILES AS A FULL PARTNER

  • Miles' father proposes huge funding for HofE as long as Miles becomes a full partner. He sees that HofE will shift out of the couturier business and take to Ready to Wear. Evie is infuriated, though everyone else is in favor. (It is similar to her wrong-headed reaction to Grace. It is bound to have negative (life response) repercussions for her.)

[The series ends here.]