Frontier season 2: The most ridiculous moment of every single episode

Episode 1: Chesterfield’s 20-Minute Takeover

Jonathan Chesterfield spent most of season 1 alternating between having a weird thing for Grace Emberly, making him seem sympathetic, and working for Lord Benton, which made him seem less sympathetic. I’ve pretty much been firmly against Chesterfield for a long time, but you almost have to respect how he spends about a third of “Dead Reckoning” doing what should probably take an entire season: overthrowing Lord Benton as governor of Fort James.

Seriously! I checked, because I couldn’t actually believe it. It’s under 20 minutes into the new episode when Chesterfield waltzes into Benton’s bedroom, very smug, with quite a few papers, and then they basically drag Benton, who is still in his nightshirt and has a sling around his arm, since this doesn’t pick up long after season 1 ends, down to Grace’s ale house to put him in the custody of Captain Grey, who is heading back to London.

Things have always moved quickly in Frontier, but the turnaround and betrayal feels awfully sudden nevertheless.

Of course, the ensuing plotline of Chesterfield now acting as the governor of Fort James and letting the power go to his head is an interesting part of the entire season.

Honorable mention: Chesterfield and Grace get married! That’s less surprising than Douglas Brown and Elizabeth Carruthers doing the same.