Black Narcissus Season 1, Episode 2 recap: Sister Clodagh begins to lose control of the convent

In the second hour of Black Narcissus, Sister Clodagh begins to lose control of the convent. Feelings come to a head at the Christmas celebration.

The second hour of Black Narcissus begins right where the first episode ended: the nuns hurry to mend the gardener’s wound who hurt himself with a scythe. They manage to stitch him up, although not without Sister Clodagh asking the other nuns to escort Sister Ruth elsewhere when she appears increasingly faint. Tensions arise between her and Clodagh after the earlier furor when Clodagh struck Ruth across the face. “Don’t touch me. You’re not allowed to touch me.”

Clodagh reads a newly received letter from Mother Dorothea who determines that Ruth’s ability to carry out her duties will be determined by Father Roberts and him alone when he visits at Christmas. She includes a reminder that Clodagh might be the Superior, but she is a “servant to all,” it’s a subtle rebuke telling her to remember her place.

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We pivot to Angu and Ruth as they work to clean the bathhouse. Inside, Angu tells Ruth they used to lock Srimati in there at times when she was sick. Angu assures Ruth that Srimati will not hurt her. She’s just sad. “I thought you said she was hungry.” “She is. Hungry for happiness. Or maybe to be reborn. Or maybe just for some milk.”

Later, the General’s nephew, Dilip Rai (Chaneil Kular), arrives to speak with the Sister Superior. He wishes to enroll at the school, but as Clodagh informs him, they do not accept male pupils. That said, the General is quite fine with his enrollment, and in fact, would prefer it so he can improve his English.

In the bathhouse, Clodagh consults Sister Briony on how they should proceed. Briony advises her to speak with Mr. Dean. If there is no way to avoid Dilip’s (who is Srimati’s son) enrollment, then perhaps he can tell him how to conduct himself. Clodagh would rather have little to do with Mr. Dean, especially since their falling out, but they don’t have much choice considering the other things they need doing around the palace. She repeats Briony’s words back to her. “This is an unusual place, and we should expect unusual things.” The camera pans to Ruth.

Heeding Briony’s advice, Clodagh visits Mr. Dean’s humble home in the mountains and is disturbed to see him entertaining a woman in an obvious post-coital situation. Embarrassed, she rushes off, only to find the road blocked. Without much choice, she returns to him as he exits the house so they can speak.

He invites her inside to discuss Dilip and wonders what the boy’s expectations might be regarding women. Mr. Dean says he will be a “cuckoo” in their nest because he’s been spoiled rotten. Still, he expects Dilip will respect them and their discipline, yet offers to speak with the boy nonetheless. Before leaving, Clodagh apologizes for how she spoke to him in the past. “Well, you’re only human.” “So I’m discovering.” We know you looked at Mr. Dean’s hot bod Clodagh, it’s okay.

Black Narcissus Episode 2 recap: Clodagh begins to lose control of the convent.

In Clodagh’s next update later to Dorothea, she tells her about Dilip’s enrollment and Ruth’s improved health. Yet behind Clodagh’s back, Ruth takes a glass of milk and dumps it into Srimati’s offering bowl. It also appears Clodagh is dealing with a rather nasty cough herself. Outside, she notices a sign for sweet pea having blown off the garden and follows to discover the entire field is planted with flowers, but no vegetables.

Considering how much money they’ve already spent on equipment and resources, it’s troubling they’ll now have to spend more on food and crops when they should have been able to grow their own.

When Clodagh confronts Philippa about this, she says the terraces will be “glorious” in the spring. She seems hypnotized as she peers out the window and speaks of the red peonies and their magnificent color. “I’m not inclined to trouble Mother Dorothea with pure extravagance,” Clodagh notes. “It is not extravagance though if it is for the glory of God.”

Mr. Dean arrives to speak with Clodagh later and notes that she looks ill. Clodagh claims she’s merely tired. The wind keeps her up at night. She’s been using her time to translate the Catechism of the Catholic Church into Nepali so that Kanchi can learn it in English. There is an obvious fondness beginning to grow between Mr. Dean and Clodagh. “You’ve changed these last few weeks.” “Have I?” “You’re nicer.”

In the evening, Clodagh self-flagellates as we see visions of her youth when she was in love and having sex. It would appear that Mr. Dean ignites these memories in her. Once she falls asleep, Ruth is seen standing over her before walking down the halls behind Srimati’s ghost.

Clodagh later visits Philippa to tell her she’s reconsidered her stance on the flowers. They should pay tribute to the glory of God. Philippa is less enthused than Clodagh anticipated and learns the Sister has written Dorothea and decided to return to Darjeeling. She feels the beauty of Mopu is immeasurable, and she feels like she might be losing her sense of purpose. “It’s as though the mountains are watching us, not God.” She warns Clodagh to take great care. “I think this is place is too much for all of us, Sister Clodagh.”

Outdoors, Kanchi dusts off some of the holy figures standing guard outside the palace. The head tumbles off of one of them just as Ruth walks by. She harshly scolds the girl, but Dilip happens to be near and tells Ruth it’s not her fault — the plaster has merely frozen and thawed. Dilip and Kanchi share a moment as he helps get her out of trouble. Ruth notices it and tells them to stop, dismissing Kanchi. Then she wonders where on earth Kanchi got scent from — it’s not her, it’s Dilip, a scent called Black Narcissus.

Afterward, Dilip and Kanchi share a soft kiss in the shadows, seemingly beginning (or continuing?) an illicit romance. Ruth takes the broken figure’s head ascends the bell tower to throw off the edge, and perhaps herself, too? Clodagh sees her, thankfully, and asks what on earth she’s doing up there. Ruth panics over the head, but Clodagh assures her they have glue to mend it. Then she tells Ruth of her plan to ask Father Roberts to escort her back to Darjeeling. “I wish you could see how much I want to help you, Sister Ruth. We all do.”

Black Narcissus Episode 2 recap: Emotions come to a head between Clodagh, Ruth and Mr. Dean at the Christmas celebration.

We skip ahead to Christmas celebrations, and for once, we get a hint about what happened to Srimati. Angu says a man told her he loved her until a baby was made, and then the story is cut off by Dilip’s arrival with gifts from Mr. Dean. Despite Clodagh saying they can’t accept personal gifts, the gifts are nice boots, which Clodagh says they can consider donations to their cause to keep them all comfortable. Clodagh attempts to help Ruth open her gift, but she coldly storms off. Briony  tells her to leave it, “No point in spoiling Christmas Eve.” Mr. Dean arrives later during their hymnals, and Ruth’s spirits lift substantially when she spots him.

During a quiet moment, a drunken Mr. Dean happens upon Ruth in the chapel when he retrieves Joseph Anthony and takes him to bed. Ruth tries to put a sprig of holly in his hat. He awkwardly rejects the notion — touching her wrist in the process. Ruth and Mr. Dean leaving one after the other does not go unnoticed by Clodagh, neither does the dejected holly sprig Ruth tosses into the snow while walking away.

“Mr. Dean, what just happened with Sister Ruth?” “I think you’d better ask Sister Ruth.” Clodagh then scolds him for showing up drunk, on Christmas Eve of all nights. “You really are objectionable.” “Well, so are you, but in the morning, I’ll be sober.” Dilip interrupts their spat, and it gives them both a moment to calm down. Mr. Dean apologizes to her.

They share an intimate moment. Dean tries to kiss her, with Clodagh almost giving in. As he walks away in silence, Clodagh lets the holly spring fall from her hand. The prickly thorns cut into her palm from where she clenched it tightly. She lets it fall into the snow, revealing traces of blood in its wake. Interesting that Clodagh should end both episodes with blood on her hands.

In the light of day, Clodagh asks Ruth if Mr. Dean tried to take advantage of her in the service. Put plainly, Clodagh thinks Ruth has become obsessed with Mr. Dean. “Well, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” Ruth unleashes some more vitriol at Clodagh, who retains her composure. It’s better off said, she claims. But then Ruth admits she doesn’t know what she’s saying. She doesn’t feel like herself.

At night, Sister Adela from Darjeeling arrives amid a snowstorm to tell them that Father Roberts’s pony is lame and they need a horse to retrieve him from the woods. Ruth volunteers to saddle Love, but when she goes outside, she sees Srimati’s ghost and takes off with the horse. The other nuns worry she’s in danger since Ruth isn’t good with horses. Clodagh grabs a lantern and goes into the forest seeking Ruth and Father Roberts.

What did you think about Black Narcissus Episode 2? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

All three episodes of Black Narcissus are now available to stream on Hulu.