Based on a true story, Aristocrats draws back the curtain on an 18th century English family near the summit of society, revealing a tapestry of romance, prejudice, infidelity, and revolution.
WritersStella Tillyard, Harriet O'Carroll
Episode 1
Jun 20, 1999
Looking back on her childhood, Emily Lennox remembers how devastated she was when her adored older sister Caroline was banished from the family for marrying Mr. Fox. When Emily meets the man she wants to marry, she pleads her case with more subtlety and success. Though he is Irish, her suitor is also very rich.
Episode 2
Jun 27, 1999
After marrying Lord Fitzgerald, Emily adds to her happiness by recruiting Caroline with her parents. The family's joy is short-lived, however, and one death leads to another. Family tensions escalate when their father's will reveals a final snub to Caroline.
Episode 3
Jul 4, 1999
After Emily makes a match for Louisa in Ireland, Caroline insists that Sarah be introduced to society in London. When Sarah is presented to the king, he remembers her as the little child who sang in the jar, and the prince is instantly smitten. The family is thrilled at the prospect of a royal match.
Episode 4
Jul 11, 1999
Emily is comforted to see the younger children so happy with their progressive new tutor, Mr. Ogilvie. Rebuffed by her indifferent husband, Sarah takes a lover. The scandal that ensues causes a new and serious rift between Caroline and Emily.
Episode 5
Jul 18, 1999
Emily is devastated when Lord Fitzgerald falls seriously ill. Sarah becomes resigned to her lonely life and helps Caroline nurse Mr. Fox during his final illness. When he dies, Caroline is almost too ill herself to mourn him.
Episode 6
Jul 25, 1999
As rebellion against the government brews in Ireland, and with Emily's beloved son, Edward, in the thick of it, the sisters cling to the hope that their family's reputation, connections, and benevolence will protect them. They manage to secure Edward's safe passage out of the country, but he refuses to abandon his fellow rebels.
Peter McGinn
@narrator56
Caution: there are vague but minor spoilers her if you have not seen it. My wife and I have so much British television lined up to watch that we can be a tough audience sometimes. But as this series started out, it held our attention just fine. The core family of sisters held my interest and I cared about what happened to them. You can't ask for more than that. I rank the first three episodes fairly highly. My interest in the story started to slip during the fourth and fifth installments, and I wasn't even sure why as I watched it. Now I think that part of it was that I couldn't understand exactly why one of the sisters was suddenly interested in married men. I mean, I know it happens, but she admits at some point she doesn't love them, so why? Still, I wasn't tempted to give it up. The sixth and final episode was even more of a disappointment for me. It felt like the entire tone and perspective of the series had shifted. I realize that characters had died and others had aged, so no doubt that played into it. But the aging seemed so sudden that it felt like more years had gone by than what I thought. The shift to focus on the younger generation seemed abrupt. About then I also realized that the reason I had felt my interest slide in the previous episode was that I had lost track of the timeline. Who was the country fighting: The colonies still, Ireland? I wasn't well-grounded in the timeline any more. Anyway, despite the disappointing finale, I do not regret watching it. It was a pretty good period piece and from an interesting angle - not just wealthy people, but the beautiful people, Royalty, celebrities of their day.
