'Howards End' Moves One Step Forward, Two Steps Back When Opposites Attract

This second episode of Howards End opens with a stunning shot of a beautifully stark winter landscape through which black-clad figures make their way to a graveyard. Margaret is the only non-family member at Mrs. Wilcox's funeral and receives filthy looks from the family. Back at the titular Howards End, the Wilcox children throw tantrums about her motivations and sincerity. (And she brought red flowers to the funeral!)

Worse, among Mrs. Wilcox’s effects, is a note that expresses her wish for Margaret Schlegel to inherit the house. The Wilcox children decide the note is not legally or morally binding: it’s written in pencil and unsigned, and Miss Schlegel probably took advantage of her. Mr. Wilcox is the only one who takes Margaret’s side, praising her sincerity and the value of her friendship with his late wife, and seems to be the only one who grieves for her. Eldest son Charles (Joe Bannister) throws the note on the fire, ending any obligations.

On to the Schlegels, whom we see at home and not in the best light, as privileged people with time on their hands. Their bickering seems to relieve boredom and, in Margaret’s case, house-hunting stress. Helen and Tibby are only too ready to disparage the Wilcox family, yet the two sisters shout their brother down when he tells them the truth about the brutality of the rubber industry. I'm beginning to think that the sisters' self-assurance is much more fragile than we initially thought. The Wilcox family has sent Margaret Mrs. Wilcox's silver vinaigrette (a small decorative box to hold perfume). They’re still dying to know what inspired their mother to offer her Howards End.