Poll
Edward & Ellen in ‘House of Guinness’: Should They or Shouldn’t They Change History in Season 2?
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for House of Guinness Season 1.]
House of Guinness Season 1 made us swoon on numerous occasions, and for the most part, we have Edward (Louis Partridge) and Ellen (Niamh McCormack) to thank for that. The former doesn’t mess around when it comes to running the family brewery, but shortly after meeting working-class rebel Ellen, Edward succumbed to the fiery tension between them. They began an ill-advised — but intimate — relationship in Episode 5.
Deep as it was, Edward and Ellen’s happiness was short-lived. By Episode 7, Edward did the sensible thing for the business and family: He tied the knot with Adelaide (Ann Skelly), who doesn’t come from an entirely different world. The two admitted that they don’t love each other yet, but they see potential in one another. It’s clear that Edward and Adelaide share a sweet bond, platonic as it currently is.
History tells us that the real-life Edward and Adelaide remained married for their entire lives and had three children together. In the late 1800s, divorce was virtually impossible in Ireland, although the Guinness family might have been wealthy and influential enough to find a way. House of Guinness isn’t sticking entirely to the facts with its story — Ellen is an original character — but we aren’t sure whether they’d go as far as to have Edward and Adelaide divorce.
Still, should Edward get back together with Ellen in a potential future season? Should they at least strike up an affair? Swooon had to put them through our Should They/Shouldn’t They rubric to weigh the pros and cons. (We’re going to exclude the fact that they’re third cousins, since it was typical for the time period, but it goes without saying that’s a MAJOR con.) Check them out below, and let us know what you think in the following poll.
House of Guinness, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
CON: Adelaide's in a position to change society for the better.
At first, the headstrong Adelaide rejected Edward’s advances, but when they started working together on the Guinness Housing Trust, she came around. Focused on her work as she is, Adelaide wasn’t really interested in marriage, but she saw Edward’s money and position in society as tools that would help her do good in the world. If Edward were to reject Adelaide for Ellen and they were to part on bad terms, we’re sure it would hinder Adelaide’s mission. That would be a shame in the grand scheme of things. Plus, we’d hate to see her strength undermined by a potential separation.
PRO: Adelaide doesn't seem to be interested in romance.
“My ability to love another human being is something I question,” Adelaide admitted to her husband in Episode 7. Still, she explained that Edward was “close” to being that person. If it turns out that Adelaide is actually aromantic, however, then maybe she wouldn’t mind Edward and Ellen getting back together on the down low. In fact, maybe Adelaide would encourage it, progressive as she is. Edward and Adelaide could remain close friends all the while.
(Then again, we saw how disastrous such a similar arrangement turned out for Edward’s brother, Anthony Boyle‘s Arthur, so maybe it’s not the best course of action.)
CON: Their relationship will complicate Ellen's work.
Ellen’s work helping working-class people is important, and we have already seen her relationship with Edward is complicating things. That would surely become even more true as time goes on. We wouldn’t want to see Ellen sacrifice her political agenda or modify it in any way to stay on good terms with Edward, even if we love them together.
PRO: Ellen inspires Edward to be more progressive.
However, we could also argue that Ellen’s connection with Edward actually helped her work. She opened his eyes to the plight of working-class people, and she even inspired him to do more charitable deeds. Sure, Ellen was technically blackmailing Edward to do her bidding at the start, but by the end, Edward was helping people out of the goodness of his heart. “She unlocked something in me,” he told Adelaide in Episode 6. “I have come to see things in a different way because of her.” (We’re here for it!)
PRO: Edward and Ellen's chemistry is unmatched.
When Edward invites Ellen to the high-end Imperial Hotel for their first meeting, sparks objectively flew. At that point, their energy was more hostile and less romantic, but there’s a reason the enemies-to-lovers trope works. The fire and passion evolve seamlessly. They challenge and respect each other, and it’s a true opposites-attract situation. Edward is fairly self-assured, but he’s reserved and even shy; Ellen is anything but. We can appreciate the potential slow-burning love Edward could find with Adelaide, but we’d had to see the immediate inferno that is Edward and Ellen be snuffed out too soon.
CON: It will strain Edward's relationship with his family.
Part of the reason for Edward ending things with Ellen is his brother’s political career. It would be a political and economic scandal if Ellen and Edward’s relationship is exposed. Undoubtedly, it would also put Edward on the outs with his siblings. It’s fun to watch Arthur and Edward be at odds with each other, but they are more or less a united front by the end of the season. We liked that dynamic even more.
“I’m brave. I’m brave! Who would have guessed?” Arthur said when he decided to attend his campaign rally, knowing that an assassin was gunning for him.
“Me,” Edward answered, assuring his brother that he believes in him. Edward undermining what he and his brother were working toward by starting things up again with Ellen would cause friction. Sue us, but we want the brothers to be happy for a while longer.
