Hugo is surprised to meet Jucef, a friend of Arnaus’, because he is Jewish and Arnau was a devout Christian. It is rare in this religiously-divided setting for the two groups to mix.
Jucef and his wife Astruga, a women’s doctor, want to help Mar. He asks Hugo to come to see her more often. The other friends of Arnau are too ashamed to see her.
Hugo visits Arsenda again at the cathedral. He tells her that if she ever takes the veil, he’ll never see her again. She still insists it’s not up to her, but up to God.
Hugo and Roger Puig, two of the nobles who arrived at the shipyard, are fighting with Mateo, one of the other nobles. Hugo is using a crowbar to try to stop Mateo from coming after them, but his boss tells him not to. One of the other nobles sees Hugo and starts chasing him.
Hugo eventually comes to the cathedral and asks a nun for refuge. She hides him, locking him inside a small room. But she then calls for Mateo to say that she’s captured the runaway.
Mateo peeks through a hole in the door and sees Hugo poking a sharp stick through a hole. Hugo then escapes and eventually comes across a garden, takes some food, and finds a small cubbyhole where he can rest. Mateo is able to enter the garden and find Hugo, who has been stabbed in the eye.
In Constantinople, Bernat is shut out of the School of Trade and his bills of exchange are refused. He’s told his father was beheaded for treason. The council was ordered to expel him from the city. If he doesn’t leave Constantinople by dawn, he will suffer his father’s fate.
Hugo, a homeless man, is discovered by the owner of land he’s staying on. City councilors punish him by letting townspeople beat him while he’s strapped on a donkey’s back. ..
Hugo visits Mar, who is in a trance, lying face first on the ground. Hugo asks her what happened and she tells him that she was in a dream and that she saw a white ship with blue sails. She says that the ship was coming towards her and then it disappeared. Hugo is surprised by this and asks her what she meant by the ship disappearing. Mar tells him that she saw the ghost of a woman on the ship and that it was following her.
Bernat returns to Barcelona, where he finds his home has been destroyed. Someone tells him his mother has been evicted. Bernat is upset and frustrated because he doesn’t know how to find a way to get back into his home.
Hugo goes after Jucef. Astruga comes to see Mar and attempt to wake her. But Mar is ready to give up. She asks Jucef to take care of Hugo. He agrees, and she breathes her last. Just then, Bernat comes in. He rushes to his mother’s side, sobbing when he realizes she’s gone.
They have a small funeral for her. Bernat reveals that he is set upon vengeance for his parents. Hugo tries to convince them it isn’t feasible because the Puiges are always guarded.
Tomorrow, there will be a solemn procession in which every Christian is expected to attend. Bernat wants to kill the Puiges there. ..
Hugo tries to climb up the cathedral to see Arsenda, perhaps to ask her advice–but another nun stops him. She says Arsenda is no longer a maid, but has become a novice. She asks him not to visit anymore.
Hugo prays that he can help Bernat in whatever way possible. He knows that if he helps Bernat, he may be able to keep him safe from harm.
However, one of the townspeople who helped beat Hugo sees the crossbow. He tells a guard and points out Hugo as well. Hugo goes to warn Bernat not to shoot, but fires the bow anyway and misses. ..
Hugo agrees to swear an oath to kill the Puiges if he is taken away.
The king gives Bernat a life sentence in the galleys, although the Puiges push for his execution. Hugo sees Bernat off before he’s put on a ship. He promises him the Virgin Mary’s protection.
Hugo visits his mother in Sitges, Spain. She tells him that her new husband, Ferran, had told her not to bring Hugo around because he was a troublemaker. ..
Hugo, a recent immigrant from Venezuela, seeks help from Jucef, a Jewish vineyard worker who provides him with work in the winery. Hugo will live in the winery as part of his new job. ..
Jucef says his wife often performs secretive procedures. Most Christian women don’t want others to know that they get treatment from a Jewish woman. He asks Hugo to swear not to say anything about what he’s seen here.
Hugo is taken aback when he sees Astruga undress a woman and provide her with an abortion. He’s surprised to see Astruga doing this in front of him, and he doesn’t know what to do.
Hugo is constantly being watched by Dolca and Regina. When he hurts his hands, the young women take him to wash them in the well.
Dolca asks Regina to leave them alone. When Regina leaves, Hugo tries to kiss Dolca, but she stops him. It wouldn’t be right; she’s Jewish, and he’s Christian. She makes him apologize to her. ..
Regina comes to see Hugo at night. She tries to seduce him, but Dolca catches her and reprimands her. After Regina leaves, Dolca tells Hugo that Regina is not a good person. ..
Hugo watches as his benefactors celebrate. They sing and clap while Dolca and Regina laugh together, stomping their feet on grapes. Dolca’s mother notices them looking at Hugo. She sees Dolca kissing her own wrist and yells at the young women to stop.
Dolca goes to the well to clean her feet. Hugo, who is nearby, sees her and starts to approach her. She kisses him briefly, but then pulls away and tells him to go. She insists they can’t be together because of her mother’s presence. Her mother suddenly appears and asks what they are doing together. Dolca explains that she just kissed Hugo because she was attracted to him. ..
Hugo makes up an excuse about running an idea for wine by Dolca. Astruga has him tell it to the men, and they agree to let him try it. They say the grapes will be trodden by cousins Dolca and Saúl. The wine they produce will be saved to celebrate their marriage.
Hugo finds Dolca in the vineyard and is angry with her for not telling him about her arranged marriage.
She tells him that she wants him to be the first man to have her. They have sex in the vineyard, and he tells her he loves her.
Hugo is informed by his old boss that Bernat’s ship sunk at sea. Hugo is devastated and his mind races with thoughts of what could have happened if he had not been there to save Bernat.
The Episode Review
The overarching plot of Heirs to the Land is slowly taking form in episode 2. A revenge-promise now colors Hugo’s future, but the show decides not to get into that just yet. Weirdly enough, it doesn’t even explore Hugo’s intent or any of his true thoughts on obtaining vengeance for the Estanyols.
Heirs is a disappointing book because it avoids exploring its emotionally-rich plot points. Bernat’s arrest, Arsenda’s joining the convent, Antonina leaving with her new husband–These are all events that should affect Hugo deeply, but Heirs simply continues to move on to the next thing. ..
The show veers into romantic territory with an ill-developed romance at its center.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a strong female friendship in this show. It seems like the writers are trying to write a story about men and women against each other, but it just doesn’t work. The characters are flat and uninteresting, and the plot is weak.
The series may be worth pressing on with if just for its actors and the beautiful cinematography. Hopefully, the story improves, because it would be a shame to waste such a beautiful setting.
