I’m excited enough about Indian Summers (now airing in the US on PBS) that I’ve decided to write a costume recap for each episode, so we can dish about what we liked and didn’t like. Keep your eyes peeled on Fridays for a new post, and check out our recap of the previews episodes: one, two, 3&4, 5&6, and seven!
This episode is mostly about the trial of Ramu Sood, as we move towards finding out who killed Jaya. Interestingly, we don’t see a peep of Madeleine, so hopefully her storyline will be resolved in the next episode!
As we begin, Cynthia is downgrading Eugene (who can’t pay his room bill) to a crappier room. She’s in an interesting, checked and striped outfit in pale silver, white, and rose.
There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s the prosecutor for the trial against My Boyfriend Ramu Sood. His pinstriped suit has lapels that are even more elaborate than Ralph’s:
Ramu has a lawyer too, although at first he’s resistant to working with him (from a sense of fatalism). The lawyer sticks to British-style clothing.
Sooni is helping Ramu’s lawyer, as she wants to be one herself. She’s wearing a lovely mauve sari with a green choli. I love reds/purples/peaches paired with green, so this makes me very happy. She helps Ramu’s lawyer prep Ian for the trial.
All of Simla society turns out to watch the trial, because they are vultures. This is lucky for us, because we get to see some more dresses! Ian’s girlfriend is wearing her print dress from the last episode, blondie is in yellow with a chic hat, and poor Sarah is looking very farm-wife in her yellow checked gingham dress.
The chief of police is the first to testify, wearing his uniform. He has VERY BIG silver thingies on his epaulets.
Both lawyers (and the judge) are in traditional British legal dress:
Ramu spends the trial in a white button-down shirt without tie and a black blazer. Seems somewhat casual for the situation, but maybe the British won’t give him a tie. He’s still My Boyfriend.
Meanwhile, the Brits find out that Ghandi has broken his hunger fast. Ralph’s assistant makes some snarky comments, and Aafrin basically tells him to STFU. Ralph is in a more conservative linen suit, assistant in SHORT SLEEVES (clutches pearls), and Aafrin in his one good suit.
After the first day of the trial, Cynthia plays tennis with the prosecutor. Everyone is in tennis whites; Cynthia’s is VERY traditionally 1920s, with the dropped waist, pleated skirt, and wide/low collar with tie.
On day two of the trial, there are LOTS of Battenberg fans on display. Ian’s girlfriend (who doesn’t seem too concerned about Ian) is in a nice floral print dress with solid pink collars and cuffs. This is a style that you see over and over in magazines and patterns of the era, so it made me happy.
Blondie is in an interesting pink/grey/white sort-of-striped number, which is very similar (color-wise) to Cynthia’s dress in the opening of the episode. Poor Sarah is in her blue gingham dress.
Today Cynthia takes the stand to basically malign Ramu’s character, painting the argument with Armitage as Ramu attacking him and being responsible for his death. Cynthia is in a black burnout velvet dress and great black hat.
Neither Ralph nor Alice are attending the trial. Ralph is wandering about the house in his jim-jams and stripey bathrobe, while Alice is in a sleeveless white blouse. Alice gets in some good digs at Ralph.
There are always lots of beautiful saris in crowd shots — I loved this blue, gold, and red one:
At Aafrin’s house, Sita is over for lunch. Aafrin’s parents have basically accepted her as their daughter-in-law. Sita has a gorgeous mulberry and silver sari. Mom is in a nice beige and green striped sari over a black, floral print choli.
Sooni needs to go track down Ian, who hasn’t shown up to testify. Aafrin leaps at the chance to get away from Sita so goes with her, and the two have a conversation that includes Sooni confirming that she never received the note from Sita. Sooni is rocking her peach sari with the pink floral choli.
Ian finally turns up, drunk as a frat boy during homecoming. Sooni gets him sobered up, and the two have a conversation about India that seems to connect them somehow.
Many Indians have turned up to watch the trial, including Cynthia’s main servant/henchman:
Leena has decided that she needs to testify about what she knows about Jaya being Adam’s mother, and suspecting who the father is. She doesn’t get very far before the prosecutor starts impugning her veracity and her mixed-ethnicity. She’s in a lovely green sari with a muted reddish border. I seriously want all of Leena’s wardrobe (although I would cut them up and make historical dresses out of them)!
Dougie is there, and when the lawyers start being mean to Leena, he stands up and shouts “Stop!!” This is mortifying to Sarah, who runs out of the courtroom.
Sarah turns up at the Simla club, dripping wet from the rain, in time to hear Cynthia, Ian’s girlfriend, and others gossiping about her and the parentage of Adam, which Cynthia pins on Armitage. Dead men tell no tales, eh, Cynthia?
Meanwhile, Ralph decides to go check out his son at the mission school. He’s rocking the three-piece suit with fabulous pointy lapels.
The next day at the trial, blondie and Ian’s possibly-now-ex-girlfriend are in yet more new dresses — the ex? in a pink sleeveless number with wide straps and buttons. Both have great hats, and continue to rock the Battenberg fans.
Ian, sobered up and looking nice in his suit, testifies and sounds great, until cross-examination. The judge ends up convicting Ramu, sentencing him to hang.
While all of this is going on, Aafrin shows up at Alice’s place to apologize. She starts off all “Miss Whelan if you’re nasty,” but softens as he further explains. She’s in a grey and white, sleeveless, double-breasted dress.
And Aafrin breaks up with Sita, who is despondent. Apparently she’ll be completely ruined if the engagement is broken, which really sucks. At least she’s in a gorgeous mint green sari with gold borders!
Ralph turns up at Cynthia’s place, where she’s lounging in a red and gold kimono. She reassures him that she’ll always be there, and he darkly says, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” HMMMM.
During the trial, an Indian man who runs a laundry testifies to having seen someone running away from the lake the night of the murder. He said whoever it was, was wearing Indian clothes, and he has an Indian sandal that the runner (presumably the murderer) left behind. My suspicion is that the murderer is Cynthia’s servant/henchman, but we’re left with a shot of Ralph, lounging in his backyard in Indian clothing and sandals, which is certainly suggestive. (Alice is in her orange arrival dress).
Who do you think did it — Ralph or Cynthia’s henchman? Will they actually hang my boyfriend Ramu?
I feel it’s the henchman. Ralph just isn’t ballsy, pardon the phrase, enough. He’s more a planner than doer. Cynthia is more like a mafia Don. She will do anything to keep her ‘in’ with the government types: Ralph, the Viceroy, you name it.
I believe that ‘your boyfriend’ is safe. He’s going to be rescued by the Pink Carnation’s descendant. *snort/grins* But I feel someone will rescue him.
I too missed Madeleine.
Is it possible to have sari envy? Sita’s green one is TDF.