She values Charlotte’s presence and perspective and appears to trust her in a way that her own mother does not. Her affection - as much as we can believe someone like Lydia feels affection - certainly feels genuine enough. (And whether or not she’ll manage to take down her rival.) It’s no wonder that Charlotte seems to have several moments in which her desire to punish Lydia wavers.Īfter all, Lydia is one of the few people who chooses Charlotte when given the opportunity and reason to do otherwise. Even now, Margaret sees Charlotte as a tool as much as her daughter.ĭespite everything that’s passed between them - arguments, a virtual disowning, and a public break in which Charlotte moved out - all Margaret wants to talk about is her daughter’s relationship with Lydia. Sure, Charlotte has wit, beauty, and a level of popularity, but she’s also lonely and has continually felt overlooked in favor of her younger sister. Instead, her virginity was auctioned off to the highest bidder as soon as she was 12 years old. Growing up as the prized jewel of her mother’s bawdy house, it doesn’t seem as though she ever got much in the way of maternal affection.

Life hasn’t been easy for the eldest Wells girl. Charlotte, however, is struggling with this task. There’s probably also that thing where she was kidnapping young girls for her decidedly creepier clients. One of the biggest plot hooks this season is the idea that Charlotte Wells is a Trojan horse of sorts, infiltrating Lydia’s house and life in order to punish the woman for a lifetime of slights against her family. The ongoing rivalry between Margaret Wells and Lydia Quigley is ostensibly the main plot point of Harlots season 2, but the story at its heart is one about mothers, daughters, and the fraught, formative relationships between women. By Lacy Baugher 5 years ago At its heart, Harlots’ second season is about the fraught, formative relationships between women.

Harlots season 4 netflix