Another Highway Robbery
A blue carriage travels through a wooded area at the start of Renegade Nell Season 1 Episode 2, “Tracks Less Well Trod,” carrying Polly Honeycombe (Ashna Rabheru) and her family. They argue over her arranged marriage.
Nell (Louisa Harland) drops onto the carriage roof from the trees. She overpowers the guard and directs the driver to take the carriage off the highway and onto a secluded sideroad. Once stopped, she orders him to take his clothes off.
Billy (Nick Mohammed) flies by as a spark and appears on her shoulder. They discuss why he’s been assigned to protect her. Neither knows why he’s there. He assumes her life is very important for some reason. She asks, “Why, though?” and he responds, “Ours is not to reason why. Ours is just to get on with things, eh?” Turning back into a spark, he flies off.
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Once undressed to his underclothes, the driver opens the door and directs the passengers to disembark with their hands up.
An Uneasy Conscience
At the Blancheford Manor, Sofia (Alice Kremelberg) receives visitors in the study and orders her brother to attend them as well. Thomas (Jake Dunn) passes his father’s open coffin in the parlor on his way to her. He hears Lord Blancheford’s (Pip Torrens) voice and turns to see him walking towards him. He tells the ghost to leave him alone and closes his eyes. When he opens them, he’s alone with the corpse again but still hears the voice calling his name.
In the study, he greets Lord Sandring and meets Captain Jarrold. Jarrold advises them to offer a substantial reward for Nell Jackson and print her image, description, and a list of accomplices in the news sheets. He guarantees they’ll have information on her whereabouts within a week.
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Thomas warns that finding her may be easy but that they’ll find it challenging to apprehend her. Sofia agrees. Jarrold is excited about the challenge.
Nell’s Plan
In a clearing in the woods, George (Florence Keen) wears someone’s spectacles and examines a grape before eating it. Roxy (Bo Bragason) complains about rifling through strangers’ luggage. Nell agrees that it’s not something she wants to do either. She points out that she did apologize to them and explain her extraordinary circumstances.
Flashback to the robbery. All the passengers are wearing only their underclothes. One man tells Nell that she’ll hang for this. Nell admits she was never going to die in bed. Polly is quite excited by the whole experience and suggests they should be tied up to prevent escape. Nell confesses she didn’t bring any rope, so they’ll just have to pretend. Polly does just that. Nell loads up the carriage and drives off.
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Back in the clearing, Rasselas (Enyi Okoronkwo) assures Roxy that the people they robbed have more stuff than they know what to do with. He and Nell point out how unfair the world is in terms of haves and have-nots. Nell tells Roxy and George that since they haven’t committed any crimes, she should take them to their Uncle Jack in Abingdon. Then she’ll head for the Americas. Once she’s established herself there, she’ll send for Roxy and George to join her.
George asks what about Rasselas. Nell takes him aside and advises him to return to the Blanchefords with their horse and tell them she kidnapped him, but he gave her the slip. He doesn’t want to go back, but Nell isn’t willing to let him stay with her.
Poynton’s Interest
Thomas visits Poynton (Adrian Lester), who congratulates him on getting everything he wants now that his father is dead. Poynton asks when the funeral is. Thomas tells him it’s the next day, and Poynton informs him he’ll attend to support Thomas and Sofia.
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Since Poynton didn’t know Lord Blancheford nor Sofia, Thomas tells him there’s no need for him to attend the funeral. Poynton insists. Thomas intrigues him now that he’s proven he’s capable of great things.
Learning About Rasselas
Nell defends her decision to cut Rasselas loose to Roxy, who liked having him around. Both George and Nell like him as well. Roxy differentiates that she likes him romantically. Nell tries to discount feelings as a luxury they can’t afford at the moment.
Roxy tells her she’d learned a lot about Rasselas while they’ve been traveling together, including the fact his father is the King of Benin. Nell laughs at the idea. Roxy protests that he’s a good man trying to do good things. He’d told her that Blancheford bought him at London Docks when he was three years old as a distraction or plaything for Sofia and Thomas because their mother had just died. He was treated like family until Thomas went off to school, and then he was demoted to working in the farmyard.
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Enter Isambard Tulley. Again.
Suddenly, a gunshot interrupts her recount. Tulley/Charles Devereaux (Frank Dillane) sits astride a horse directly in their path. The rest of his gang rushes down to the carriage to discover it has no passengers and is full of clothes. George recognizes him as Devereaux. He fires his gun to prevent his gang from hearing. Nell frames their encounter in London as her meeting someone who could be his twin.
In response, he identifies her as Nelly Jackson to his gang and reveals there’s a 20-pound reward on her head for murder. One of Tulley’s crew proposes they take everything and everyone and turn Nell in for the reward. Nell looks around at him. The others take off running when they recognize her, but he’s new. Billy flies in her ear, and she throws the newbie off the carriage and over the next rise.
Rasselas appears out of nowhere and puts a knife to Tulley’s throat. Now that the others are gone, he takes off his disguise and chats with them as Devereaux. He deconstructs her plan to take the girls to Uncle Jack. He proposes they dress as a party of rich toffs and hire some rooms in a hotel in a small country town, thus hiding in plain sight.
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Another Sighting
Lord Blancheford’s funeral procession winds through Tottenham. The streets are lined with townsfolk mourning him. Thomas feels self-conscious. In the church, Thomas looks over his shoulder at Poynton. When he looks again, he sees his father with his gunshot wound. Thomas rushes out of the church. Sofia insists the pastor continue his sermon.
Nell and Devereaux sign into an inn in Slough as Lord and Lady Shankley. They banter about the Wanted posters for Nelly Jackson and Tulley posted behind the innkeeper’s desk, drawing the attention of the bellhop boy.
At the Blancheford manor, Poynton seeks out Sofia, who is in the study trying to figure out the paperwork involved in running the estate. He offers his condolences and explains how he met Thomas in London.
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The housekeeper interrupts to announce Mr. Jarrold. Sofia explains Jarrold has been hired to track Nell Jackson down and describes to Poynton how Nell fights like a demon. Poynton is fascinated and explains that Nell may have accessed a spirit entity. He advises that magic must be fought with magic. Sofia asks for his help.
Jarrold enters and informs Sofia that Nell has been sighted south of Potters Bar. Sofia directs him to advertise in more news sheets and raise the reward to 40 pounds.
Three Days Later
Devereaux teaches George how to play cards. Nell bemoans the fact she could’ve been on her way to America by now. Then she points out she shouldn’t have to run, that she should be able to get justice for her father’s murder. Devereaux laughs at the idea, reminding her that the law protects the rich and no one else.
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George asks why he lives as he does if he’s rich. He explains he doesn’t actually have any money. His father squandered it all, leaving him only a title and a house in Mayfair full of tenants.
In the carriage, Roxy and Rasselas talk about his history. Rasselas says Blancheford even took his real name and gave him the name Rasselas. He dreams of going to Benin and finding his family but doesn’t know how to even start.
There is a knock on the carriage door, and the bellhop boy gives Rasselas a note for Devereaux. On his way in, he grabs a news sheet as well. The bellhop boy sees this and finds it odd.
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In the rooms, Devereaux demonstrates dance moves until Rasselas knocks on the door. The note is an invitation to play cards at Widdicombe Manor with the Springbournes. George reads the news sheet to them, informing them of the reward being raised to 40 pounds.
The Earl of Jersey joins Poynton on his walk about the Houses of Government. He asks Poynton if Nell Jackson might be useful to the cause. Poynton stares him down and points out that he will make that decision.
Ratted Out
At the Blancheford manor, the bellhop boy from the Slough Inn informs Sofia and Thomas about how Lady Shankley is actually Nell Jackson. Jarrold tells them about the invitation to the Springbournes. At Sofia’s nod, he takes the boy, and they head out. Sofia asks Thomas how she can contact Poynton. He wants to know why. She reminds him that if he hangs for their father’s murder, the estate goes to their cousin in Northumberland and encourages Thomas to be strong for her sake. She leaves and tells Jarrold that she wants to ride with his men to Slough.
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On their way to tea and cards, Devereaux quizzes Nell on their cover story. She thinks he’s insane if he thinks she’ll remember his favorite foods, but he expresses great confidence in her.
Poynton receives Sofia’s letter. After reading her request for help with Nell Jackson, he uses his snake ring to open a secret stairwell on his floor. In his underground chambers, he prepares to cast a spell.
On a dock near Slough, George and Roxy discuss life and Nell. Roxy mentions that she’s seen the power that Nell uses to fight. She says it feels like a good presence and mentions that she doesn’t think Nell’s late husband was a good person.
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Jarrold’s men and Sofia ride along the road by the dock, not noticing George and Roxy. The girls scramble to warn the others.
Something Weird This Way Comes
Devereaux and Nell arrive at the Springbournes’ home. As they ring the bell, a giant Billy Blind peeks into the entryway and tells Nell he senses something bad’s about to happen. Nell tries to warn Devereaux, but he won’t be deterred.
Poynton begins his ritual and, using Sofia’s note as fuel, conjures a horned helmeted knight from the woods around Slough. The creature bursts from the roots of trees and rides towards Widdicombe Manor.
RELATED: Read all our Renegade Nell recaps!
All episodes of Renegade Nell Season 1 are streaming on Disney+.
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nice, coherent recap, thanks
Thanks for reading! 🙂