DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Buccaneers Season 1 Episode 2, “Women or Wives,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
It’s time to party, at least for our Buccaneers. “Women or Wives” gives us not one but two proposals, both for the St. George sisters. Lizzy endures sexual abuse and violation of her consent from the man who proposed to Jinny. The fact that she’s carrying the trauma of it all by herself breaks my heart. The episode handles this situation well, even though there’s a good chance Seadown won’t get any kind of comeuppance (the same would happen in 2023, to be honest).
“Women or Wives” is stronger than the series premiere and gives us a better glimpse of these characters. Conchita is a delight. The outing also plants the seeds for a Mabel/Honoria romance, which I support. We dive into themes such as identity, sexuality and the continued clash between American and British aristocracy.
Ready to delve into “Women or Wives”? Let’s get to it.
RELATED: Check out our recap for The Buccaneers Season 1 Episode 1, “American Poison”
We open with Theo (Guy Remmers) brooding while standing outside, which is par for the course when you’re a duke. Meanwhile, Nan (Kristine Frøseth) travels with Miss Testvalley (Simone Kirby) to Conchita and Richard’s vacation home in Runnymede. She hasn’t seen Conchita and the others in a month. Upon her arrival, she embraces Conchita (Alisha Boe), Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), Mabel (Josie Totah) and Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse). Of course, she and Jinny are on sour terms after the latter dropped that parentage bombshell on Nan in the first episode.

And now Conchita’s irritated with Nan for f*cking off to Cornwall for a month. She missed Conchita giving birth, for starters. Regardless, Conchita hopes to party all weekend and enjoy her respite. Unfortunately, the fellas are also at Runnymede. Richard (Josh Dylan) and James, aka Lord Seadown (Barney Fishwick), approach Conchita and the gals. Richard and Conchita bicker for a few minutes before deciding to join forces for the partying. Honoria (Mia Threapleton) watches with disapproval as the guys and gals strip down to swim in a nearby creek.
After their swim, they return to the house to continue the par-tay. Jinny apologizes to Nan, but it’s not enough. Nan fires back that since Jinny’s her half-sister, she’s only “half-sorry.” Ouch. Admittedly, I’d be pissed if my family withheld information like that from me. In this world, that can affect Nan’s marriage prospects.
RELATED: Members of the ton, check out our Bridgerton recaps!
Later, Nan tries to talk to Conchita about discovering who her mother is. However, Conchita is still angry with Nan and preoccupied with her desire to make her husband love her again. She begs Nan to help her out. Oof. There are lots of “talking at” each other moments in this episode. Nobody’s listening. Nan reluctantly agrees to support her friend in her endeavors.
Next, everyone heads downstairs for some dancing and drinking. Jinny attempts to get on Seadown’s good side. However, she shoots herself in the foot with an errant remark. Thus, Seadown turns his attention toward Lizzy. Just like that. Jinny watches, envious, as Seadown and Lizzy dance. Meanwhile, Theo and the Dowager (Amelia Bullmore) chat with Jean Hopeleigh (Francesca Corney) and her mother, Mrs. Hopeleigh (Beth Chalmers). Theo’s mom hopes he and Jean will hit it off. Bored stiff, Theo makes a break for the balcony. He needs the fresh air. He also goes for a swim.

Then, Mabel and Honoria spend time together outside in the gorgeous garden. Y’all, there’s romance a-brewin’ in these here parts. I dig it. Inside, Conchita and Richard seem to have mended fences. They canoodle on the couch. Suddenly, a new friend arrives. Conchita invited Guy (Matthew Broome) to attend their party. Apparently, he intentionally sought after an invite. He finds Nan outside, where they reunite. The garden scenes in this episode are utterly ethereal.
RELATED: 7 Questions We Need Answered in Bridgerton Season 3
Inside, Lizzy apologizes to Jinny for stealing Seadown from her. Jinny is prepared to throw down for him. She’s ready to cast aside her friendship with Lizzy for some lordship d. The gang decides to play a rousing game of sardines. Mabel’s the hider. Lizzy reunites with Seadown, and the pair sneak into a room to make out. However, Seadown wants something else. He orders her to remove her clothing and to lie down on the couch. Ew. This is abhorrent and a violation of Lizzy’s consent. She tries to steer him away from his demand, but he’s insistent. Feeling powerless, she does as she’s bid.
Honoria finds her, so the pair sit in close quarters, chatting about silly stuff like men. As they’re about to kiss, someone barges into the room. Meanwhile, Seadown leaves. Before doing so, though, he orders Lizzy to stay put. She lays there, naked, on the sofa. As the sun sets, we see she’s still there. Poor girl.

Outside, Nan and Guy are still chatting. Sparks are flying like crazy. Nan discloses to Guy what Jinny told her about her parentage. His demeanor changes somewhat, but he doesn’t seem to judge her. However, Guy immediately tells Nan he should head out because it’s late. Uh-oh. Elsewhere, Conchita and Richard get it on in a canoe, complete with pillows, blankets and candles. Honestly, it’s effing romantic. Richard’s making up for being a turd.
RELATED: Catch up on the wild nights with our Dickinson recaps!
Later, Nan and Jinny genuinely make amends, with Jinny insisting her apology isn’t half; it’s full. Regardless, Nan is 100 percent her sister. At the same time, someone enters the room where Lizzy lies naked to inform her that Seadown has gone to bed. Oh, what an a-hole. This dude’s on my sh*t list.
The following morning, Conchita overhears Richard chatting to someone at breakfast about her. He seemingly complains about not being capable of keeping her in line. “There are women, and there are wives,” he says. The Marable men are both on my sh*t list. But wait — after Conchita storms out of breakfast, we hear the rest of Richard’s chat with Miss Testvalley. Despite what his family thinks, he loves Conchita. He adores her and her refusal to “behave.” Okay, that’s better.

It gets worse. Then, Seadown completely ignores Lizzy, making a beeline for Jinny. He proposes to Jinny in front of the group. Jinny eagerly accepts his proposal — without hesitation. Later, the gang goes for another swim. Lizzy congratulates her friend but tries to warn her about Seadown and what he did to her the day before. Unfortunately, Jinny refuses to listen to Lizzy.
RELATED: 7 Questions We’ll Never Get Answered in The Great Season 4
Upon learning that Nan was at Runnymede, Theo hurried his way toward her. Guy also decided to return to Runnymede, making haste on horseback. Theo gets down on one knee and proposes to Nan as the crew watches from afar, shocked. Guy arrives right as Theo’s in the middle of proposing. Naturally, he’s heartbroken. He leaves before she answers Theo.
The screen cuts to black.
Do you think Nan will accept Theo’s proposal? Will Jinny be pissed because Nan marrying a duke overshadows her wedding to a lord? Will Lizzy tell anyone what Seadown (that POS) did to her? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
The Buccaneers streams new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/jacquetta-levon-the-serpent-queen-interview/
- Maya Bastian on THE TAYLOR FILES and Shedding Light on the Laotian Community - February 18, 2025
- MAYFAIR WITCHES Recap: (S02E06) Michaelmas - February 16, 2025
- YELLOWJACKETS Recap: (S03E02) Dislocation - February 14, 2025