‘Great Expectations’ Episodes 4 & 5 Recap & Ending, Explained: What Did Pip Learn About Magwitch?

Published

Up until now, in” Great Expectations,” Pip had the most bewildering experiences, and he had never imagined that life would take such unexpected turns. He always wanted to become a gentleman, but since he had arrived in London, he had realized that it was not such a simple task, and that the world was far more treacherous and hypocritical than he had assumed it to be. Pip, time and again, entertained the thought that maybe he wasn’t suited to his aspirational life and that he should leave everything and go back. He was in a miserable state mentally, but somehow, he kept going, and life kept giving him more surprises. So, let’s find out what exactly happened in the 4th and 5th episodes of” Great Expectations” and what else life has in store for the young boy from Gravesend.

Spoilers Ahead


Jaggers Lays A Trap For Drummle

Monsieur Dorget, a pirate turned businessman, was seeking to insure his cargo of furs when he bumped into Pip. Dorget’s ship was docked at Wapping, and he was planning to sail from Montreal to China. The catch was that he was going to pick up slaves in Hispaniola and take them to Kingston. As per the plan made by Jaggers in the previous episodes, Drummle had to insure the ships that he knew were transporting illegal cargo, and Dorget was exactly the kind of client he was looking for. Drummle was quite impressed with the way Pip was handling the business, and he was gracious enough to give him a reimbursement that was more than his expenses. Pip had won Drummle’s trust so much that the latter didn’t hesitate in giving him the responsibility of dealing with the clients directly. 

Pip knew that Drummle was meeting Estella that afternoon, and he didn’t want to be around because he knew that, as of then, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about the situation. Pip wanted to be with Estella, and she reciprocated the feeling, but unlike Pip, Estella was a realistic woman, and she knew that she had no option but to marry Drummle. Miss Havisham had told Estella that if she didn’t marry Drummle or if she created any sort of scene on purpose, then she would be disinherited from her property. There was a lot going on inside Pip’s mind, and he took out his anger when he went to meet Dorget to make him sign the contract. Pip and Dorget got into a heated argument, and Jaggers had to intervene and control the situation.

After making Dorget sign the contract, Jaggers told Pip about his devilish plans. He said that he had made arrangements and talked to the concerned authorities to make sure that Dorget’s ship would be caught and he would be given capital punishment. Jaggers was a shrewd conspirator, and he wanted the contract to be signed by only Drummle so that he alone became the legal accomplice. Jaggers told Pip that they only had to testify against Drummle and tell the legal authorities that he was aware of the nature of the cargo. Pip was hesitant to betray Drummle in such a brutal manner, but Jaggers told him that he had no option but to lay the trap if he wanted to be with Estella. Jaggers told him that he was in control of the entire narrative and that if Pip did as he was told, he would marry Estella one day. The incentive overpowered every other emotion, and Pip came on board and decided to help Jaggers in his evil endeavors.


Pip Meets Estella In London

Pip was made the chaperone against his wishes, and he had to be present in the same room where Drummle was meeting Estella. Pip had this rage building inside him when he got to know that Jaggers made him the chaperone, and he couldn’t decipher if the devil’s advocate did that because he got sadistic pleasure from putting Pip in such conflicting situations or if he actually had a bigger picture in mind. Jaggers had told Pip that he needed to have equal amounts of love and hate inside him if he wanted to be with Estella. He told him that the moment he showed mercy towards Drummle, he would never be able to marry her, and that is why it was imperative that he helped Jaggers in ruining Drummle’s entire life.

Pip once again met Estella in “Great Expectations” Episode 4, and he asked her to decline Drummle’s offer and marry him instead. Estella tried to make Pip understand that what he was asking was not possible and that they would have to part ways. After meeting Pip in London, Estella went back to Gravesend and paid a visit to Pip’s brother-in-law Joe, asking him to call Pip back immediately as city life had taken a toll on him. Estella told Joe that Pip was in a terrible shape and somebody needed to help him before it was too late. Estella also met Biddy and told her that once Pip came back, she should get married to him. Estella was quite blunt in her opinions, and she knew that Pip would ruin his entire life over something that he could never get. She loved him, and that is why she was trying to save him from himself. London was eating him up alive, and Estella knew that somebody needed to pull him out of the swamp.


Joe Came To Check On Pip

Joe cared for Pip, and after Estella told him that the boy wasn’t doing very well, he couldn’t resist his impulse and came all the way to London to check on him. Joe stood outside Pip’s cottage and waited, as he had arrived early, and he didn’t want to wake Pip up. But Pip wasn’t there inside his house, as he was with Jaggers the entire night, trying to take advantage of Drummle’s inebriated state and make him sign the contract that would seal his fate. When Pip returned to his cottage in the morning, he was pleasantly surprised to see Joe standing there. Joe noticed that Pip’s hands were shaking, and though he forgot to stock up on coal for the house, his bottle of rum was refilled regularly. Joe urged Pip to get over his obsession and come back to Gravesend. Joe told Pip that Estella had paid them a visit, and she had told Joe to get Pip married to Biddy. Pip did not believe that Estella could do such a thing, and he blamed Joe for trying to deceive him and presenting a false narrative. Pip was not in the right state of mind, so he asked Joe to leave him alone and not come back again. Joe was seeing the boy go in the wrong direction, and he wanted to stop him and make him understand that the consequences of his actions wouldn’t be very favorable. 


‘Great Expectations’ Episode 5 Ending Explained: What Did Pip Learn About Magwitch And Compeyson?

Pip was shocked when he got to know that his secret beneficiary was none other than the fugitive named Magwitch, whom he had once met in the marshes. Magwitch and Compeyson once used to be partners, and they committed a lot of crimes together. The Dover Mail Coach Robbery had made both the fugitives rich, and they knew that they could just sit and enjoy the rest of their lives. But soon after that, Magwitch came to know that Molly, his wife, was having an affair with Compeyson, and that painful revelation started a battle that was going on till the present day. After they had escaped prison and met Pip in the marshes, something strange happened.

Magwitch decided to give Pip the entire treasure he had got from the mail robbery. After he left for Australia, he wrote a letter to Jaggers and told him to take the boy under his wing and make him into a gentleman after he reached the age of 18 years. Mr. Wemmick made another revelation in “Great Expectations,” Episode 5, when he told Pip that Estella was Magwitch’s daughter, and the fugitive had given her to Miss Havisham with the hope that she would be safe and the innocence of the little girl would mend the old lady’s heart. But evidently, Miss Havisham’s heart wasn’t mended, and in turn, she taught Estella how to break the hearts of other men and hurt them in the most cruel manner. After Magwitch came back to London, he went to meet Estella and tell her the truth. Estella had made up her mind to kill herself when Magwitch arrived and stopped her from doing so. Estella couldn’t believe it when Magwitch told her that he was her father, but after listening to certain details that she knew only her parents would have known, she came to the realization that the scuffled fugitive was speaking the truth.

Mr. Jaggers knew that Compeyson would come hunting for Pip as he wanted his share of the fortune, so he had already made arrangements and asked Mr. Wemmick to take Pip to their safe house. Towards the end of “Great Expectations,” Episode 5, Jaggers catches hold of Compeyson when he is about to kill Herbert, and he warns the fugitive to leave Pip if he wants to stay alive. Compeyson could never understand what happened in that brief meeting that made Magwitch give his entire fortune to Pip. Jaggers told him that Magwitch was moved by the gesture a young Pip had made. For once in his life, Magwitch wanted to do the right thing, and he wanted to give Pip the kind of life he deserved. For the first time, Compeyson saw some emotions in Jaggers’ eyes. He had known Jaggers for a very long time, and he knew that he had never felt so attached to anyone in his life. On that gloomy night, Compeyson saw love and affection in Jaggers’ eyes, and he realized that he actually cared for him and that he wanted him to make his mark in society and attain everything that he wanted. Compeyson knew that Jaggers had a weakness now, and we might see him making use of it to create leverage in the upcoming episode.


- 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