‘I’m sorry for killing off one of the best period drama characters’

As The Buccaneers season two comes to a dramatic conclusion, the creator and stars share the behind-the-scenes tea on that death and their hopes for season three.

It’s been a heart-pounding season as our New York debutantes navigate abusive marriages, reputation-destroying affairs, and life-and-death showdowns as fans wait to see if the ill-fated Nan (Kristine Froseth) and Guy (Matthew Broome) will finally get their happily ever after.

(Spoiler alert: They don’t).

This season, however, has also given our ensemble cast rich plotlines, not least between fan-favourite couple Conchita (Alisha Boe) and Lord Richard (Josh Dylan), whose relationship blossoms this season as they raise their child together.

But all good things must come to an end, with fans completely crushed after Richard was killed by his brother, Lord Seadown, in a stand-off over the latter’s abusive behaviour towards his wife, Jinny St George.

Discussing his shock death in episode six with Metro, creator Katherine Jakeway admitted that they hadn’t initially planned to kill him off.

She explained: ‘We’d planned out what was going to happen for Ginny, and we talked about there being a death. Of course, the immediate thought was, well, maybe it should be Seadown.

‘And then somebody said: “What about if it wasn’t? What about if it was Dick?”

‘We were all so horrified by the idea of it and how awful that would feel for the characters and Conchita in particular, of course, and for the viewers. It was almost because it felt so awful and so unexpected and so surprising that we thought, well, that probably actually is the right thing.’

For many, Richard cemented himself as the best of period drama men in the new episodes, making his loss all the more tough.

‘I can’t believe the writers killed off Richard. He was literally one of the best characters, and definitely the one who lived and experienced love the most. One of the few men truly worthy of being called that,’ leaf phoenix grieved on X.

‘Richard was a good man, husband, and a father, had one of the best relationships on the show, and you kill him off to advance the plot?????’ des mourned.

‘I will never forgive the people behind The Buccaneers for killing off Richard. He was SUCH a great character (one of my favourites) and I can already tell this is going to be a TV death that hurts for a while,’ Michelle Jameson echoed.

Noting the widespread horror from fans at the twist, she offered little solace: ‘It has broken some hearts, so we do apologise for that, but life is tough, isn’t it?’

For Alisha, she was ‘excited to explore grief in that way’ as Conchita confronts life as a young widow.

She continued: ‘I thought they did it in a really nice way and it really forced Conchita to just realign her priorities, and it is always nice as an actor when you have some meaty things to work with.’

Mourning the loss of Josh on set, she said: ‘My scene partner became this baby, and I had about four rotating babies.

‘I’m really good with babies, but they were at this age where they knew who their parents were, and I was not that. I was traumatising them, so then they would leave, and I would be acting with this really scary CPR doll.’

As for what the future holds for Conchita, both Alisha and her co-star JosieTotah (who plays the recently single Mabel in the show) are rooting for a sapphic romance between the two.

‘I think Conchita’s done with men,’ Alisha joked, while Josie quipped: ‘I think Mabel’s ready for a little something different.’

Whether the show gets the green light for a third season remains to be seen, with Katherine saying it is ‘entirely all to play for at the moment.’

‘We are not in a place to be able to – I’m sad to say – talk about that with any confidence,’ she shared, although she did tease ‘there’s more fun, more passion, more drama to come’.

The season finale saw Guy reveal to Nan that he had eloped while in Italy, as Nan’s marriage to Theo completely fell apart and her future remained ‘ambiguous’ as the credits rolled.

Reflecting on whether we will ever see them get together, Matthew said: ‘I hope they can figure it out in the best way possible.

‘They’ve had to sacrifice their relationship because it’s not important at this time. There are bigger issues at hand, so it would be nice to see them have priority over their relationship when there’s not much drama surrounding it. I’m hopeful. I think they’ll figure it out.’

With a new Duke of Tintagel introduced, our girls find themselves even deeper in the trenches with the fate of our lovelorn couples more up in the air than ever – so there are plenty of plotlines the show still needs to wrap up.

Time will tell whether it gets the all-important go-ahead for a new season, but for now, fans will have to brace themselves for a season finale that leaves us all wanting more.

The Buccaneers seasons one and two are available to stream on Apple TV Plus.

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