‘The Forsytes’: Who Does Jo End Up With in the Books?
What To Know
- PBS Masterpiece’s The Forsytes sets up a love triangle between Jo Forsyte, his first love Louisa, and his wife Frances.
- The Forsytes is a reimagined prequel to John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga books.
- In the books, Jo has a surprising romantic endgame.
The Forsytes Season 1 is off to a romantic yet messy start, and we have Jo Forsyte (Danny Griffin) to thank for that. The young stockbroking heir is content in his practical marriage to the widowed Frances (Tuppence Middleton), which made him a doting stepfather to June (Justine Moore), but Louisa (Eleanor Tomlinson) upends all of that. Jo had no idea that the lady’s maid he once fell in love with had been living in London, let alone that she gave birth to his now 10-year-old twins. (Warning: Spoilers for The Forsytes Episode 2 ahead!)
It sets up a complicated love triangle for Jo, who is one of the main characters of John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga. PBS Masterpiece’s version, according to showrunner Debbie Horsfield, is not only a prequel but a “reimagining” of the books. Already, Horsfield’s approach has made the show stand apart from The Forsytes Saga, which could ultimately mean its romances will play out a bit differently. Still, the books do give Jo a clear endgame — and it’s not who you might expect. We’re breaking down what happens between Jo, Frances, and Louisa in The Forsyte Saga books below.
Do Jo and Frances end up together in The Forsyte Saga?
Though Frances is desperately attempting to keep her marriage together after that Louisa bombshell, she won’t be successful if the show follows the books. In Galsworthy’s story, not only is June Jo’s biological daughter, but he also falls for June’s governess, Hélène. Jo leaves Frances and June for Hélène, putting him in bad standing with his larger family. Regardless, Jo follows his heart, and he has two children with his second wife.
Obviously, The Forsytes has changed up that plotline, swapping Hélène for Louisa and giving them kids in advance. Horsfield told TV Insider that Jo’s actions in the original story made him less sympathetic. “I wanted to suggest that they are decent, honorable people who find themselves in a painfully difficult situation,” she said.
PBS Masterpiece
Frances is hardly mentioned in the books, too. “In the books, the male characters are drawn in quite a lot of detail,” Horsfield said. “But the women are drawn with less detail, and one of the key things that attracted me was looking at some of the female characters in an era where, historically, women were beginning to see the possibility of having more agency over their lives.”
Do Jo and Louisa end up together in The Forsyte Saga?
If we consider Louisa a stand-in for Hélène, then The Forsytes’ Jo and Louisa may have a tragic ending. Hélène dies young from an illness. Afterward, Jo and Irene — yep, cousin Soames’ (Joshua Orpin) current love interest in The Forsytes, played by Millie Gibson — grow close. When Soames suspects an affair between his wife and cousin, he starts divorce proceedings, leading Irene and Jo to sleep together. Ultimately, they marry and have a son.
There’s no telling if The Forsytes will follow the path that the books set, considering all the changes that’ve been made so far. But fans are in for a tumultuous romantic journey if it does!
The Forsytes, Sundays, 9/8c, PBS
