Masterpiece Season 31 Episode 14 The Way We Live Now (1)

The Way We Live Now (1) is an episode of the beloved drama series Masterpiece that is set in Victorian-era London and follows the lives of the city's most powerful and privileged elites. Based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Trollope, this episode introduces viewers to a cast of characters whose lives are intertwined in a web of love, greed, and ambition.

At the heart of the story is Augustus Melmotte, a wealthy financier who has made his fortune through questionable means. Melmotte is eager to ingratiate himself with London's elite society and sees his daughter Marie's engagement to Sir Felix Carbury, a young aristocrat, as the perfect opportunity to gain the respectability he craves. But when Marie's past comes back to haunt her, it threatens to derail Melmotte's grand plans.

The episode also introduces viewers to Roger Carbury, a thoughtful and principled landowner who has long been in love with his cousin Hetta. Roger is appalled by Sir Felix's fecklessness and the way he is encouraged by his mother, the scheming Lady Carbury, to pursue Marie at any cost. Roger's attempts to protect Hetta from the influence of the Carbury family are complicated by the arrival of Paul Montague, an American engineer who has come to England to implement a revolutionary rail project.

As the episode unfolds, viewers are drawn into a world of social snobbery and political maneuvering, as characters jostle for position and seek to advance their own interests at the expense of others. Along the way, we learn about the customs and conventions of Victorian society, from the dress codes and etiquette of the upper classes to the sweatshops and slums that house the city's working poor.

The Way We Live Now (1) sets the scene for a rich and complex drama that deals with themes of money, power, and morality, as characters grapple with the competing demands of their own desires and the expectations of the society they inhabit. With its vivid characters and intricate plotting, this episode is sure to captivate viewers and leave them eager to see what happens next.