'Hotel Portofino' Recap: Season 3 Episode 6

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Even though Marco is in bed and Danioni’s men are trying to be quiet, Marco hears them coming up his stairs and escapes out the window onto the roof before they reach his room. Danioni is furious to have lost him again.

Cecil is about to lose Bella forever, as he is leaving tomorrow morning for London, and will proceed with their divorce according to her wishes. He wants to wrap things up with a proper goodbye, but Bella barely wants to speak to him – especially because he can’t pay her their initially promised settlement after the stock market crash.

Lucian is also preparing a departure – and it has to be tonight, during the distraction of Claudine’s perfume launch party, he tells Constance. He’ll be waiting by the gate for her, but she still hasn’t decided if her love for him outweighs his intention to murder Danioni in revenge for his killing of Anish. She also has Vito’s proposal to consider. Vito again approaches her and leaves the ring with her in case she changes her mind. 

Meanwhile, Bella has a party to set up – and a cosmetics line to pitch, as the fashion magnate Fleury’s schedule has changed and he must now hear Bella’s pitch before Claudine’s party. He and his daughter listen as Bella describes her brand, which she has named “Sorelle” or “sisterhood.” Fleury is stone-faced, but his daughter loves it.

Bella needs Fleury to take on her business so that she can pay her father an initial ten thousand pounds to defray the loan he took out on his own business. She only has two thousand pounds on hand to give him otherwise. George thinks her attempt to woo Fleury is a waste of time.

Albani has plenty of money on hand, as he demonstrates by sending a designer dress to Alice for the party. Claudine’s party planner, Ernesto, is in awe, and insists that Alice wear it as part of the show. “I don’t want a simple woman, I simply want you,” Albani’s note to Alice reads.

As the party starts, Marco finds Bella and tells her that Danioni came for him – and might come for Lucian, too. Bella hides Marco in her locked cosmetics room, where he will rest before fleeing to Milan. Bella assures him Danioni won’t be at the party.

Except Cecil invited him, in order to carry out his own scheme, promising Danioni the money he has demanded as well as Bella’s mother’s ring. Danioni shows up – and brings his blackshirt thugs with him to search for Marco. He shows Bella Marco’s handkerchief, which he found in the woods near Anish’s body, and tells her Marco is a criminal.

Bella warns Lucian that he should flee, and Billy hatches a plan to help Marco escape. Billy goes to his future father-in-law, Salvatore, who has a cousin amongst the Fascists, and convinces him to tell the blackshirts that he saw Marco with Bella and that Marco is planning to escape on a boat at midnight. Despite the risk, Salvatore agrees in order to finally make Billy trust and like him.

Hearing this intelligence, Danioni directs most of his men to search the grounds for Marco. He himself has a gun just in case. Cecil finds Danioni and asks him into the hotel so that he can give him the money and ring he has demanded. But Jack is waiting in the shadows, per his plan with Cecil. He grabs Danioni from behind and neutralizes him with a chemical-soaked rag to the mouth, knocking Danioni’s gun from his hand when the Italian tries to defend himself. Jack himself then pulls a gun and takes Danioni’s – as well as the money Cecil used as bait to lure Danioni. Jack has been double-crossed once by Cecil; this time, he’ll be the double-crosser. Cecil begs him to help him kill Danioni, but Jack refuses and leaves with both guns.

Lucian, who has also been watching for a moment to kill Danioni, followed him and his father to the hotel and has overheard all of this. He continues to follow in the shadows as Cecil struggles to carry the prone Danioni down the ocean. He finally emerges at the seaside and points his gun at Danioni, telling his father he should be the one to kill Danioni – Danioni killed Anish. But he can’t go through with it, and leaves Cecil, refusing to give him the gun. Cecil starts to put Danioni’s unconscious body in a rowboat.

Back at the party, Claudine has performed, with Alice in her fashionable dress advertising Claudine’s perfume. Fleury gives Claudine a check – he will take on Bella’s cosmetics business. Claudine shares the good news with Bella just as Amelia drags George down to the party. There’s enough money to pay the principal of George’s loan. He apologizes for doubting Bella.

Albani has arrived straight from Rome, and tells Bella that a trusted police official will be arriving tomorrow morning to investigate Anish’s death. He then pulls Alice aside and asks if she has forgiven him, before telling her he loves her. They kiss.

Lucian finds Constance and tells her he’s not a killer – but he’s still leaving. There are too many painful memories at the hotel. She has already packed a bag. She goes to fetch it and her son Tommy.

In the meantime, Lucian tells Bella that Danioni won’t be bothering her any longer. It might also be a good time for Marco to escape – Lucian will be doing the same. Bella tells Lucian about the officer coming from Rome, and he promises to return once the investigation is completed. He then returns his gun to its hiding place under his bed and goes to meet Constance and Tommy.

Virat has discovered where Lucian keeps his gun, and goes into their shared room to grab it after Lucian leaves.

Cecil has rowed a ways from shore, and now rolls Danioni into the ocean. He holds Danioni’s head underwater – but then Danioni reaches up and pulls Cecil in. Danioni yells for help as they struggle. When blackshirts arrive, Cecil tries to swim away but is apprehended. Danioni promises him that he will hang.

The attempt on Danioni’s life saves Marco’s. A blackshirt has been searching the hotel and finds the locked door to Bella’s cosmetics lab. As he’s breaking the window to open it, he is called away to help Danioni. Bella finds Marco and tells him he can flee now; he tells her that perhaps they have a future in Portofino after all, if the Roman police official is coming to investigate.

Bella then turns and sees Virat with Lucian’s gun. She yells at him to stop. Lucian hears just as he is reaching a waiting Constance and Tommy. He rushes back to the party, where Virat fires twice at Danioni, who is leading his blackshirts as they escort Cecil up from the shore. Virat hits a blackshirt and Danioni, not fatally. Freed in the chaos, Cecil tackles Danioni as the Italian goes for his gun. Lucian and Albani both wrestle the gun away from Virat. As Danioni stands and points his gun, Lucian rushes towards Bella and is hit squarely by Danioni’s shot. Cecil manages to wrest Danioni’s gun from him, then rushes over to Lucian as Bella screams. Albani rushes to get a doctor, but it’s too late. Lucian dies as Constance arrives to see what’s happening. Cecil holds a sobbing Bella.