Intro and Overview of Plot

Netflix’s recent period drama, House of Guinness, centers on the Guinness family in 1868 in the aftermath of the death of Benjamin Guinness, the family patriarch and businessman, at a time of deep political unrest in Ireland. The premise was created by Ivana Lowell, a descendent of the Guinness family, though the narrative is merely inspired by true events, rather than a factual representation of history. 

Similar to HBO Max’s hit drama Succession, the patriarch’s four grown children face various challenges as they strive to step forward as pillars of the family in a quickly changing world. The show is fast-paced with highly-styled cinematography, anachronistic musical choices, and a large cast that is at first difficult to keep track of. The consistent narrative pace, however, allows viewers time to adapt to the show’s various storylines and style and ends with a strong first season. 

Much like Stephen Knight’s other period piece, Peaky Blinders, House of Guinness successfully blends historical drama with contemporary touches.

Central Characters and Narrative

The eight episodes follow not only the four grown Guinness children but also the Cochrane siblings, Ellen (Niamh McCormack) and Patrick (Seamus O’Hara), who are active in the Fenian Brotherhood (an American branch of the Ireland Republican Brotherhood, or IRB; named after the Fianna, a mythological band of warriors). Tertiary characters, like Bonnie Champion (David Wilmot), Rafferty (James Norton) and his men, and Byron (Jack Gleeson) make the large cast somewhat difficult to follow for the first few episodes.

The Guinness children each have their own challenges. Arthur (Anthony Boyle), the eldest, is a gay man living in the late 1800s in Ireland, and his identity as an Irishman is challenged by his having been away in England for some time. Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea), the second eldest, faces a long battle with alcoholism, while Anne (Emily Fairn), the third child and only daughter, only inherits access to properties and what her brothers allow her and so dedicates her life to Catholicism and philanthropic endeavours. Edward (Louis Partridge), the youngest, is the most business-inclined, but his efforts are often thwarted by Arthur’s actions. 

The siblings work mostly independently of one another, creating four narrative lines among just them, let alone the multitude of other characters. A challenge for the show rests here with the siblings: the Guinness family doesn’t face much actual risk. Lose the business? Sell the estate and move to live comfortably elsewhere. Much like Succession, this family faces a great deal of turmoil and drama while still having the ability to walk away at any point and live their lives peacefully. 

This explains why the creators bring in the role of the Fenian Brotherhood into the show, which is, in fact, a fiction. Historically, the Guinness family did not have connections with the Fenians–and even opposed them and Irish independence. By adding the Fenian element to the show, the risk does increase for the Guinness siblings, albeit only by a bit.

Cinematography

The camera and artwork of the series is phenomenal. The colour palette is consistent throughout, and the set design is riddled with precise detail and balance. The movement of actors through each scene is directed so as to create near works of art–actors framed in arched doorways with perfectly balanced and parallel extended framing, for example. The intense attention to detail is carried consistently throughout the series, even when the episodes’ director changes at episode six, with Tom Shankland directing the first five episodes, and Mounia Aki directing the final three. 

Music

The anachronistic musical choices are one of the similarities between House of Guinness and Peaky Blinders. With a blend of traditional and contemporary Irish music, the soundtrack is a varied and expansive one, including works by Fontaines DC, Flogging Molly, Kneecap, Lankum, The Mary Wallopers, Lisa O’Neill, and The Scratch, among others. The soundtrack even includes a 2023 special release of “The Parting Glass” by Boygenius & Ye Vagabonds (a tribute to Irish singer and songwriter Sinéad O’Connor). Though the music is well-chosen, the show does continue the recent tradition of quiet dialogue that cuts into jarringly loud music, so audio-sensitive viewers beware. 

The show includes some dialogue in Irish, but translations are readily and pointedly available. By the time a viewer hears a phrase in Irish and thinks, “Oh, what’s that, then? Is there a caption or–” a quick text scrawls across the screen translating. This is also done whenever amounts of money are discussed, with modern amounts posted to help the audience understand the weight of any given financial situation. These small asides are posted so clearly and often with an auditory punch that one would think these intrusions would be as jarring as the music at times, and yet they actually enable a modern audience to continue with the storyline without the distraction of wondering what just transpired on screen. 

House of Guinness is an enjoyable watch, as long as viewers are not looking for a factual history of the Guinness family. At the time of this writing, the show has not yet been greenlit for a second season. 

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