RIOTUS

Humans have been brewing beer for at least 13,000 years—and, quite likely, have been arguing about it ever since then. House of Guinness tells the wild story inspired by one of the big-name brewing powerhouses for centuries: The Guinness family. In 1759, Arthur Guinness purchased the St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin (on a 9,000-year lease, no less), thus beginning the Guinness brewing legacy. 

House of Guinness begins in 1868, a time when business is booming and the company is looking to expand into America. It is also the year that Arthur’s grandson, Benjamin Guinness Senior, dies, leaving the fate of the grand Guinness empire in the hands of his four children: Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben.

It is worth noting that the Irish Potato Famine—in large part caused by England’s deliberate starvation of Ireland—had only ended around 20 years ago. During this time, the Guinness family continued to export its goods to the English, keeping supplies away from starving mouths in their homeland. Ireland, at the show’s starting point, is still reeling from its devastation.

The family history also includes previous opposition to Irish independence from England, as well as a careful balancing act between Ireland’s Catholic-Protestant divide. The Protestants (including the Guinness family) portrayed here are often wealthy with ties to England, while the Irish Catholics see the country as theirs. The whispers of revolution are growing louder, and the Guinness’s penchant for dabbling in politics makes them a lot of enemies. More on that later—but I’m telling you now, that this series is not about to paint the Guinness legacy in a good, pure, light. Because that wouldn’t do history any justice.

Okay, back to the Guinness family inheritance: Benjamin Sr’s will divides up the business equally between his two eldest sons, Arthur (Anthony Boyle) and Edward (Louis Partridge)—for reasons you shall have to uncover for yourself. Anne (Emily Fairn), who is married to a member of the clergy, is left with nothing. And the youngest, Ben (Fionn O’Shea), is given a set of stipulations for his share of the estate. Absolutely no one is happy about this arrangement, but that doesn’t mean they don’t each have a plan on how to shift the business in their favor. 

From Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, House of Guinness has the same polished grandeur with an explosive undercurrent that’s always threatening the everyday order, where the rich and the poor clash and characters deal in betrayals and duplicity. There’s nothing as wild as the realities of history, or so they say, and the real people who inspired the characters are brought back to life with rich attention to detail. Whether it’s completely true or accurate doesn’t really matter; the entertainment factor is high.

Arthur and Edward’s relationship is torrid, as they grapple for control of the family name. It’s enthralling to watch their push and pull, and also slowly discover what makes them tick. Arthur’s plans to run for parliament place him in the warpath of the Fenians, a faction of Catholics who want Ireland to be self-governed. Anthony Boyle shines as Arthur, whose romantic entanglements with other men—something that was criminalized at the time—form a core emotional undercurrent that clashes with his privilege. And his betrothed, Lady Olivia Hedges (played with poise by Danielle Galligan) spars with Arthur and understands their place in the world all too well.

Edward quickly realizes the Fenians make up a large number of votes, and so he makes a plan of his own. This involves the wonderfully fierce and astute Ellen, who knows how to play the long game and soon pulls him in. Louis Partridge portrays Edward with a tight yet naive intensity that threatens to be his undoing, while Niamh McCormack plays Ellen with such depth and charisma that your heart will beat for her cause. 

Meanwhile, Ben struggles to come to terms with his demons while planning a future with his love. Anne still exerts her influence over her brothers, but she is swept up on an emotional journey that shakes her sheltered view of the world. And never far away is the dangerously charismatic Rafferty (James Norton), the brewery foreman who knows the Guinness family dynamic intimately. 

At the center of the American expansion is the Guinness cousin, Byron Hedges, played with immense cheekiness by Jack Gleeson. Byron exploits his position as the link between the Guinness dynasty and the Fenian Brotherhood; Gleeson steals every scene he’s in and makes Byron’s storyline one of the highlights.

When history is involved, the show acknowledges three things: there must be brutal violence, forbidden steamy love affairs, and political machinations at every level. And House of Guinness gleefully embraces all of humanity’s darkest desires. The mix of traditional Irish folk music and modern-day pulse-pounding anthems keeps the series running along a taut, high-energy edge as history and thrill collide. 

Shots are artfully framed within elaborate sets of 19th-century Dublin and New York, the sickly greens and hazy yellow glow of the city streets lighting the mood. A tip of the hat to production designer Richard Bullock and set decorator Maxine Carlier, as well as to Edward K Gibbon for the intricate costume design. Every detail is carefully chosen to contrast the upper class’s lavish debauchery with gripping dramatic showdowns and the stark realities of the outside world. 

You can really feel the grief and anger that permeates the land that has had so much taken from it; it’s a bleak hopelessness that feels at odds with the ambitions of the younger Guinness generation. There’s also the vast opportunity of the United States that looms over the Guinness family plans; how, at this moment in time, it truly seems like a land of opportunity…while still having some of the same issues many were trying to escape. 

House of Guinness covers a sprawling amount of storylines and characters that span two continents and an immensely pivotal era in history. And yet, the story never loses control of its narrative, rotating the cast like a well-oiled wheel. One can only hope this story is granted more time to explore. The writing is sharp and the direction by Tom Shankland and Mounia Akl is so deft you feel yourself moving with it. Steven Knight has once again created a riveting and cinematic sensation, telling the extraordinary story of an extraordinary legacy—and all we can do is raise a glass to his creative flair.