Harlots Season 3: What comes next now that [Spoiler] is dead?

The third episode of Harlots Season Three fundamentally changed the makeup of the show forever. How will fans handle this major shake-up, and what does it mean for the show’s future? Keep reading for our thoughts on the latest Harlots news.

From its all-female writer’s room to showing how women could be empowered in18th century London through sex work, Hulu’s Harlots has always been a show that did things a bit differently.

This article contains major spoilers for the Harlots Season 3, as well as other series currently airing. You’ve been warned!

The third episode of season three is no different, drastically changing the lives of the characters on the show. What’s shocking is by the end of the episode, Charlotte Wells (Jessica Brown Findlay) is dead. Mind you that this is not the first time Brown Findlay has portrayed a character that dies much sooner than fans wanted — she also died tragically as Lady Sybil Crawley on Downton Abbey.

Looking back on the episode, the writers and directors seemed to subtly foreshadow Charlotte’s death with a few scenes in the episode.

Before we see Charlotte fall to her death at the end of the episode, we watch her strolling through the lawn after an intimate rendezvous with Isaac Pincher (Alfie Allen). She seems peaceful—after all, she has everything she ever wanted right now—and looks up at a blue sky to see the clouds gently rolling. It seems odd without the context of the whole episode because it’s not a shot we’ve seen in Harlots before. Knowing that she dies at the end of the episode makes it a bit more ominous. The same can be said for Isaac saying “I want to brain Charlotte Wells, not bed her,” which is fairly heavy-handed as well given his brother Hal (Ash Hunter) is who pushes her so hard she falls over the staircase.

In addition to the foreshadowing, there’s also behind the scenes events that can affect what happens onscreen. For instance, Brown Findlay was cast in USA network’s adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World in May, meaning less time to shoot another potential season of Harlots as a lead. It also explains the sudden addition of Kate Bottomley (Daisy Head) to an already full canvas.

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No character could truly replace Charlotte, but Kate is the last person Charlotte sees before she dies, and offers Charlotte a final comforting hand. The scene comes across as passing the torch. And as Lydia Quigley’s (Lesley Manville) new protégé, much like Charlotte and Margaret (Samanta Morton), she’s in a perfect position to rebel against her as well. Right now, Kate wants to be considered Lydia’s daughter, but she’s yet to find out about the horrific acts she’s committed. Perhaps she’ll be the one to take her down once and for all.

While major character deaths are certainly not new to the television landscape, they are becoming increasingly popular. Game of Thrones is one of the first shows that comes to mind—the first season ends with the death of the main character. The Walking Dead is also known for killing off major characters fairly indiscriminately as well. However, both of those shows have been adapted from existing material.

Regardless of whether these book accurate deaths are well done (and there are plenty of fans who say they weren’t), they are there in the material. Even if the Red Wedding is shocking to most casual viewers, longtime ASOIAF fans know what’s in store. It’s when the material runs out that these deaths get more contentious; the reasoning behind them requires knowledge that the show is not offering.

How other TV shows have dealt with major character deaths in the past?

As these shows have become increasingly popular, so has the trend of killing off major characters for the “shock value.” While there are times when this can be effective, and for Harlots this remains to be seen, what often happens is that instead of well-written reasoning for killing a character, it becomes about creating something outrageous for social media engagement.

Just this year, and especially this month, there has been some serious backlash against major character deaths that fans believe came out of nowhere. In April, the SyFy original series The Magicians killed off its main lead. The Magicians went quite literally off-book by killing Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) as an attempt to show “at last, the white male lead on a show is no longer safe” according to showrunner John McNamara to The Hollywood Reporter.

Fans were quick to point out that the “white male lead” trope had already been subverted when they made Quentin bisexual and open about his mental illness; killing him meant a loss of representation that’s sorely missing in genre television.

There’s also Hulu’s revival of Veronica Mars, where Veronica’s (Kristen Bell) longtime love interest and fan-favorite Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) was killed in the final episode. While television shows are under no obligation to do exactly as the fans ask, there’s definitely a symbiotic relationship between the two.

One of the biggest reason Veronica Mars was able to make such a big comeback was because of the fans kickstarting the movie, many of them wishing to see more of Veronica and Logan’s relationship onscreen. Coupled with creator Rob Thomas doubling down on some interesting takes about the show and its characters, fans feel more alienated than ever and rather rejoicing at the aspect of more seasons, they’re disavowing the show altogether. Though these fans won’t necessarily make or break another season of the show, it is sad to see so many loyal fans losing their favorite show and new fans wary to even start it.

While Charlotte’s death is going to take some getting used to, there is something about it that rings differently than many of the shows before. Considering Harlots has an all-female writer’s room, as well as all-female directors, it will be interesting how her death is handled in these upcoming episodes. One of the biggest issues with death used for shock value is that we rarely see the recovery the characters go through, or characters will often regress in terms of development.

While the season trailer for the show doesn’t show much past the first three episodes, there is a shot of Margaret about to shoot someone, presumably getting revenge for her daughter’s death. In an ideal world, Charlotte’s death will be felt throughout the canvas of the show for the rest of the season and the life of the show itself.

In her exit interview with IndieWire, Brown Findlay says of Charlotte’s death:

"Seeing how she fights for some form of peace, right to the end, pushing against the violence of the world, of the men who rule it, her death acts as a very stark reminder that not all stories end the way we wish they did."

Though fans may wish Charlotte’s story had a very different ending, hopefully, the writers can do her character justice in a way many of these shock value deaths have failed to do so far.

What are your thoughts on Charlotte’s death? Do you think the increasing popularity of killing main characters is justified or is it becoming overdone? Let us know down below.

Harlots Season Three continues with new episodes added every Wednesday. For more on Harlots and everything Hulu related, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Page @HuluWatcherFS or the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.

(Source: CNN, IndieWire, THR)