‘Indian Summers’ 2016 Episode 4 review: Fashion, passion and fire

April 6 2016

More shocking plot twists and jaw dropping moments occur in a very spicy episode four…

By Tasha Mathur

SO, they got down to it after a break of three years – absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that with Aafrin (Nikesh Patel) stationed in dusty Bengal between 1932-35!

Alice (Jemima West) at that fashion show

Aafrin and Alice (Jemima West) get it on in an opening scene that had Twitter fans’ hearts fluttering.

Very passionate it was too and set the scene for an eventful episode, somewhat in contrast to a rather slower episode 3.

Aafrin and Alice’s reunion almost fades in the background as Sirene’s (Rachel Griffiths) fashion parade at the Simla Club captures everyone’s attention.

It’s a chance for the men to ogle at the women as they flaunt their goodies with Alice stealing the show. Good on Alice for defying Charlie (Blake Ritson) and stunning Aafrin in a gorgeous black gown!

As if shacking up with Alice wasn’t enough trouble for Aafrin, Sooni confronts him on his involvement with the late Kaira (Sugandha Garg).

However, we see her torn between exposing him or covering for him, eventually choosing the latter as he confesses that he works for the freedom fighters as well as the British Raj. Sooni seems strangely unimpressed.

But perhaps that isn’t all she’s torn about as she jumps between Ian (Alexander Cobb-Webb) and Mr. Khan (Tanmay Dhanania) during her quest for the truth.

The fashion show holds high hopes for Ralph (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) as he desperately hopes it brings the Maharajah (Art Malik) back to town and get his support for the limited reforms the Raj wants to make to preserve its continuing authority.

So desperate in fact that he gets it on with Sirene. What is in the water in that place?? Not to mention the balconies. Dirty boy.

However, their rendezvous is cut short (thank god) after Madeleine’s (Olivia Grant) blood-curdling screams bring everyone outside to find Lord Hawthorne’s burning body running up to the club.

Hawthorne (James Fleet) attempts to get intimate with Leena (Amber Rose Revah)

Just before this, we see Lord Hawthorne (James Fleet) making sexual advances towards Leena (Amber Rose Revah) despite her resistance. Let’s be fair – we all saw that coming.

BUT what looks like an obvious act of defence by Leena actually turns out to be Adam’s (Shachin Sailesh Kumar) doing. Bombshell!

There was also that little lip kiss between Sirene and Madeline…at least it wasn’t on balcony, but Sirene had been smoking some intoxicant.

So does Ralph reveal he is Adam’s father to protect him? Or will he let Dougie (Craig Parkinson) sort this out after Adam runs straight to him? How will Ralph play this out?

Hero of the episode: Let’s face it, nobody really knew what they were doing this episode. But we do love the fact that it’s a tie between two women who stand up for themselves – Sooni in the pursuit of truth while covering for Aafrin and Alice finally defying her controlling husband. But is it a success for both? We shall see..

Villain of the episode: Hawthorne, Hawthorne, Hawthorne. He got exactly what was coming to him. Taking Leena back to England to look after his ‘daughter’? Puh-lease.

Quote of the episode: “As you can see…it does all sorts of things…somewhere north of the knee” – nicely crude statement made by Ralph’s right-hand-man, Ronnie Keane (Rick Warden) on Leena’s outfit during the fashion parade. Wouldn’t expect any less from Indian Summers!

Best scene: Ralph and Sirene’s lip-lock (amongst other things) was the shocker for us. A memory of exactly how Ralph and Madeleine began their affair in Season 1 too. Ralph’s not the most imaginative…it was the same seduction technique he used with his wife to be…wWill Sirene go the same way and how will our Ralph manage an extra-marital affair as a possible Viceroy (hinted at in this ep)

Storyline to watch: So Naresh Banerjee (Arjun Mathur) has apparently been killed in a riot in Karachi…but we’re not buying it. Surely Aafrin hasn’t got out of that one so easily?

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Indian Summers continues every Sunday on Channel 4, 9pm (UK only).
Catch-up (UK only)
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/indian-summers

A very small selection of the tweets from last week’s live tweeting (April 3)