‘Great Expectations’ Episode 3 Recap & Ending, Explained – What Did Jaggers Plan With Pip And Drummle?

Published

In the previous episode of “Great Expectations,” we saw how confused and conflicted Pip felt when he met Miss Havisham. He didn’t know what the old lady or Estella had in mind, and at times he felt lost as he didn’t understand their motivations and intentions. Pip was disheartened when Estella told him that his training was over and that he need not come to their place any further. Pip had started loving Estella, and though he wanted to spill his guts out, he wasn’t able to do that till the end of the second episode. So, let’s figure out the intentions of the characters who inhabited the strange world and understand what impact it was going to have on Pip’s life.

Spoilers Ahead


Mr. Jaggers Makes Pip An Offer

Mr. Jaggers finally found Pip in the bar and told him that if he chose to come with him to London, he would get a swanky apartment in the heart of the city, and secondly, he would be able to earn 5,000 pounds. In addition to those perks, Mr. Jaggers told Pip that he would also get to work with him and move among the who’s who of the capital. A white-collar job, a position of power, and the resources to lead an opulent lifestyle were all that Pip had ever desired. Those days when he used to go to work with Joe in his workshop flashed before his eyes. Pip knew that no matter what compromise he had to make, he would not go back from where he had come. Pip had great expectations of himself, and he had made up his mind that he was not going to stop unless he became a gentleman. Mr. Jaggers knew all this, and that is why the conniving lawyer was playing his cards very tactfully. Only he knew what was on his mind, and Pip, at that point, didn’t have any other option than to agree to his terms and conditions. Pip was a little apprehensive as to how much moral compromise he would have to make in his journey and if he would be able to cope with the brutal city life, but he took the leap of faith and went with Mr. Jaggers.

Mr. Jaggers said that Pip’s sister, Sara, and her husband, Joe, would be compensated fairly, but Pip was worried about Biddy. Mr. Jaggers told Pip that his life was about to change completely and that he would have to leave his past behind. Mr. Jaggers said that people like Biddy were no longer required to be a part of his life and that he had to learn to look down upon such people. Time and again, from Miss Havisham to Mr. Jaggers, everybody told Pip that an essential part of being a gentleman was being corrupt and bearing a condescending attitude towards the downtrodden of society. Pip had started to realize that maybe it was imperative to be a ruthless hypocrite in order to be a gentleman. He had never perceived that the world of the elites and the privileged was like that, and now he was having a hard time shedding off his innate ethics and principles. Pip had his doubts, but he ultimately agreed to Mr. Jaggers’ offer. Pip found a note that probably Estella had left on the saddle of his horse, in which it was written that he shouldn’t go with Mr. Jaggers, but it was too late by then.


Pip Gets His First Lesson

Mr. Jaggers wanted to show Pip the kind of things he would have to do if he wanted to be a part of the so-called elite society. He took him to the Central Court to the Chief Justice’s Office, where we saw Judge Mansell hanging from the ceiling. He had committed suicide, and Pip was shocked to witness such a sight, as he had never imagined that learning how to cover up a murder and scam the authorities would be the first thing he would be taught after he came to London. Mr. Jaggers told him that the judge had committed suicide a day before, and even after he found out about it, he didn’t tell the law enforcement authorities because he wanted to get the judge’s signature on some legal documents for his clients. Mr. Jaggers forged the signature of the dead judge and asked Pip to be the legal witness. Mr. Jagers said that in the world of gentlemen, any attachment to values and principles could prove to be fatal. He told Pip that he had to be ruthless in order to thrive. He had to learn to stomp over others and not care about who was innocent and who was guilty.

Pip got to know from Mr. Wemmick that Estella was going to get married to a wealthy businessman, and it was Mr. Jaggers who had planned the entire thing. Pip didn’t understand what Jaggers was trying to do or why he was trying to sabotage his relationship with Estella even before it started. Surprisingly, even Estella had no clue about it. She got very annoyed at Miss Havisham for keeping her in the dark and making decisions about her future without even involving her. This businessman, to whom Estella was getting married, imported nutmeg, and that’s how he had made all his money. Pip felt a sudden pang of sadness after hearing the news about Estella, and he had no clue what he could do to stop that. Pip found that even Herbert was staying in the same apartment as him, and this time around, the boy was behaving in a very sweet manner. Pip had gotten enough surprises throughout the day, and he just wanted to retire to bed as he didn’t have any capacity to entertain anybody.


‘Great Expectations’ Episode 3 Ending Explained – What Did Jaggers Plan With Pip And Drummle?

We meet Compeyson and Magwitch once again in the third episode of “Great Expectations.” Magwitch caught Compeyson off guard while he was passing through a forest on his cart. Compeyson had defrauded a lot of people since he had escaped from prison, and after stealing six boxes of gold nuggets in his last robbery, he believed that he could retire and live luxuriously. Compeyson and Magwitch entered into a skirmish, and both injured each other severely. Though Magwitch tried his best, he was once again unable to kill Compeyson and had to retreat to save his own life.

Meanwhile, Pip met the man who was supposed to get married to Estella. Mr. Drummle was in the marine insurance business, and his company, Drummle and Co., was one of the premier firms that provided insurance to ships. Jaggers told Drummle that he had a plan in mind through which they could earn a huge amount of money, and Drummle’s company wouldn’t have to pay for insurance again. Jaggers’ scheme was that if Drummle and Co. only took responsibility for the insurance of a ship where they knew that the claims, if made, could be legally denied, then they would never have to pay a single penny from their own pockets. So when all the underwriters wanted to stay away from fraudulent policy claims, Jaggers wanted to especially search for and insure them. Pip had been sent by Jaggers to engage the captain of the ship in a conversation and get to know about the kind of cargo he was carrying. Pip had learned that the ship was carrying loads of illegal gunpowder, and the captain was so allured by him that he offered Pip to sail with him and also showed him the gunpowder. The sailor had some lecherous ulterior motives behind his offer, but before he could do anything, Pip escaped from there.

Towards the end, Pip asks Jaggers why he introduced him purposefully to the man he knew was going to get married to Estella. Pip knew that Jaggers was fooling everyone and that he couldn’t be trusted. He had already made a devious plan in his mind, and everybody who came into contact with him, believing themselves to be his partners, were merely puppets whose strings were being pulled by the evil advocate.

At this point, one thing was established: Jaggers was a parasite who fed on his hosts and made sure that he sucked every ounce of blood out of their bodies. Jaggers told Pip that he would invest Pip’s 5,000 pounds and make sure that he got a huge return on it, and all he needed to do was stay by his side and do as he was told. The third episode ends on a note, where for the first time, we see Mr. Jaggers trying to achieve a parley and giving Pip an idea of what he wants to do. He said that if Pip helped him destroy Drummle’s life, then there was hope that even Estella might come back to him in due time. Mr. Jaggers was a shrewd and conniving strategist of the highest order, and he had put Pip in a convoluted situation where he no longer knew what he should prioritize or in which direction he should go.

The ending of “Great Expectations,” Episode 3, makes another revelation, where Pip gets to learn from Herbert that for the first time in a long time, Miss Havisham is coming to London with Estella. Herbert, unaware of the recent developments, naively asked Pip about who he thought Estella would choose for marriage between the two of them. The upcoming episodes will tell us how Pip’s life pans out and whether he is able to fulfill the prerequisite of becoming a gentleman and marrying the girl of his dreams.


- Advertisement -
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Sushrut Gopesh
Sushrut Gopesh
I came to Mumbai to bring characters to life. I like to dwell in the cinematic world and ponder over philosophical thoughts. I believe in the kind of cinema that not necessarily makes you laugh or cry but moves something inside you.

Must Read

DMT Guide

More Like This