MILDRED PIERCE debuts tonight on HBO and the buzz is quite strong. Parts 1 and 2 will air tonight, part 3 on April 3rd and parts 4 and 5 on April 10th. Here are the summaries of tonight’s episodes.
PART ONE
Debut for PART ONE and PART TWO: SUNDAY, MARCH 27 (9:00-11:05 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates for PART ONE and PART TWO: March 27 (1:20 a.m.), 29 (10:00 p.m.), 30 (midnight) and 31 (8:00 p.m.), and April 2 (4:15 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates for PART ONE and PART TWO: March 28 (9:00 p.m.) and April 2 (11:00 p.m.), 3 (7:00 p.m.) and 22 (7:00 p.m.)
Glendale, California, 1931: Mildred Pierce (Kate Winslet), a young mother with a talent for baking, is left a “grass widow” after throwing her husband, Bert (Brían F. O’Byrne), out of the house. Forced to hunt for work to support herself and her two young daughters, 11-year-old Veda (Morgan Turner) and seven-year-old Ray (Quinn McColgan), Mildred visits an employment agency, only to encounter job opportunities she feels are beneath her. Amidst her job search, she receives dating advice from her friend and neighbor, Lucy Gessler (Melissa Leo), and begins an unexpected affair with an ex-business partner of her husband’s, Wally Burgan (James LeGros). When Mildred receives a call from the agency regarding an opening as a housekeeper to a wealthy socialite, she reluctantly agrees to meet with her. After cutting the acerbic interview short, Mildred seeks refuge at a local diner, Cristofor’s Café, where fate, and a waitress named Ida (Mare Winningham), will play a role in shaping her future.
PART TWO
Debut for PART ONE and PART TWO: SUNDAY, MARCH 27 (9:00-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates for PART ONE and PART TWO: March 27 (1:20 a.m.), 29 (10:00 p.m.), 30 (midnight) and 31 (8:00 p.m.), and April 2 (4:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates for PART ONE and PART TWO: March 28 (9:00 p.m.) and April 2 (11:00 p.m.), 3 (7:00 p.m.) and 22 (7:00 p.m.)
1931: Mildred’s business prospects get a boost when she starts selling her homemade pies at the diner. With the help of Wally Burgan, Bert’s ex-business partner, she finds a perfect space to launch a chicken-and-pie restaurant as business booms, though her marriage to Bert threatens to short-circuit its financing. After an amicable divorce, Mildred becomes the owner of her own restaurant, but her relationship with her precocious daughter Veda is fraying. On her last day at the diner, Mildred finds unexpected romance when she impulsively joins a handsome customer, Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce), on a holiday at the Santa Barbara shore. Unfortunately, her happiness is short-lived, as tragedy strikes when the pair returns home.
