Finally, we see Gus, a cute, mischievous ball of energy, at an opulent party on a yacht in Mongkok. As he dashes past the affluent guests and onto a cliff, Mercy doesn't fit in. In a sea of trust fund brats, she's the strange, poor kid again. But Margaret likes her right away because of the way she plays with Gus and treats his elder siblings with grace. Mercy interprets this as a potential job offer and makes hints while Margaret responds politely but evasively.
A quick wide image of the whole family, including Gus, Margaret, Daisy, Philip, and Clarke, as Mercy weaves Daisy's hair, looks like a family postcard. This conversation not only defines the episode's central socioeconomic relationships, but it also clearly delineates the stage for what later happens to Gus when it comes to handling domestic help.
Margaret, who believes she is wiser and gentler than her wealthy friends, is on the same wavelength as wealthy expat parents and wealthy families that can afford full-time nannies in general, a dynamic also seen in Alfonso Cuarón's *Roma*. She has a blind spot that extends to the blurred boundaries that already exist at home with her Filipino maid, Essie, who has been living with and working for the family since Gus was born and has a particularly close bond with him.
Mercy offers to help, but she doesn't recognize it as an employment inquiry, even though Margaret never expresses it. Her nervous stare at their close-knit, loving mother-son relationship reveals a past insecurity of hers that she later discusses with Hilary. Gus even speaks a little bit of Filipino, even though she constantly tells other foreigners that Essie is like family. There is a part of her that wishes this weren't the case. In actuality, she finds it uncomfortable that these other ladies are referring to Margaret as Essie's employer, a reality that she takes as callousness.
Margaret acknowledges in the conversation with Hilary that during her pregnancy with Gus, she didn't want another kid. Eventually, her feelings did shift, but even though she admitted her concern, it was done so with a bitter, dramatic irony that would be expected in a chronological narrative.
David, like Margaret, makes an effort to keep his staff members friendly, but the lack of reciprocation when David talks too much about personal problems with his driver, Sam, emphasizes this typical eagerness of the wealthy expat, ignoring the fact that the working class needs to stay out of these intricate webs of legal entanglements in order to maintain their jobs. Jobs being the operative word here. The presence of cleaners and chauffeurs is more of a lifestyle convenience than a business arrangement for David and Clarke, who are debating staying in Hong Kong longer when they receive a new contract. Sammon David's lack of communication also highlights David's loneliness and his need for guidance, approval, or even just a straightforward discussion about starting a family, a significant decision on which he and Hilary not only disagree but also fail to address this difference in communication, even though none of them seems to want to acknowledge it. The marriage is a husk.
Margaret urges Essie to stay at home when Clarke abruptly cancels a family dinner. She advises her to take the evening off, but given her previous jealousy, the choice may not be selfless. Margaret then extends an invitation to Mercy. The question whether this meeting is amicable, a trial job, or as Margaret puts it, a favor, causes awkwardness for Mercy. As she assists with childcare, she texts a friend to inquire about whether she should be billing for her time and when to bring up the topic of money. Unfortunately, Margaret ends up talking to her buddy for just long enough at a night market to forget where Gus is, a surprise and guilty Mercy approaches an angry and dejected Clarke, who consoles Margaret, so overcome with grief that she covers her face as the police attempt to find leads. But they do not speak. Their stillness has a greater dramatic impact than any conversational exchange could. Which of these personalities would even say anything?
Expats Episode 2, ends with a brief repeat of a scenario from the first episode in which Margaret and Hilary visit the same market, a moment in time and location that is now painfully placed in a new context, and with David coming to help and bringing Mercy home. This is how they first met. The buildings and streets are no longer shimmering. This time we watch as their surfaces are routinely cleansed, erasing and making anonymous the suffering we have just witnessed. Aerial cuts abruptly transport us to various hours of the day, giving the impression that the street is just any other place where hundreds of people go about their daily lives. It seems as though Gus and his tale had either completely disappeared or never existed in the first place.
- Series Title : Expats
- Season : 1
- Total Episodes : 6
- Release Date : January 26, E2
- Language : English
- Genre : Drama
- OTT Platform : Prime Video
- Origin of Country : US
- Runtime : 53 Minutes
- Rating : 6.9 IMDb
- Cast : Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, Sarayu RaoSarayu Blue, Brian Tee, Flora Chan
Read Also: Expats Episode 3 Review
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