Apple TV+‘sThe Buccaneersis adapted from the 1938 novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, and details from the original story suggest that main character Nan may yet end up with her paramore Guy. The show follows wealthy young American women during America’s Gilded Age traveling to Victorian-era London to secure socially elevated matches for their new money. At the shocking conclusion of the show’s first season, the show’s main character, Nan St. George, goes through with marrying Theo, Duke of Tintagel, abruptly abandoning plans to run away in orderto protect her mother and sister, Jinny St. George.
Nan nearly ran away to instead wed the near penniless Guy Thwarte, who she first meets at her close friend Conchita Closson’s wedding in New York City. The pair share a deep emotional bond, and while Nan also loves Guy’s best friend Theo, it is clear she feels she should marry the latter due to societal expectations. Despite the dramatic finality of the season 1 wedding, if the adaptation remains on course with Wharton’s novel, thenNan could still very possibly run away with Guy later inseason 2 ofThe Buccaneers.
Nan And Guy Can Still Run Away Together Like In The Original Book
Nan’s Marriage To Theo Can End In Divorce
In Edith Wharton’sThe Buccaneers, the novel ends on a cliffhanger, in which Lizzy Elmsworth invites Nan to a party that Guy Thwarte also attends. Wharton’s novel went unfinished, as the author died during the writing process. In 1993, author Marion Mainwaring completed the unfinished novel, which was received with harsh criticism upon publication. However, in recent decades, the novel continues to be more positively received by younger generations – in large part thanks to the tantalizing possibilities it presents for the future of Nan and Guy’s relationship.
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Mainwaring’s ending sees Miss Testvalley assisting Nan in running away with Guy, after feeling trapped and emotionally neglected in her marriage to Theo. The show takes a number of creative liberties, most notably imbuing its female leads with feminist beliefs, an LGBTQ+ love story, and including modern music on the soundtrack, butthus far has remained fairly faithful to the source material. This in mind, the show could still very likely see Nan running away with Guy, after many twists and turns in between.
Nan Felt Pressured Into Marrying Theo, So An Escape Would Make Sense
The Show Begins With A Quest For Status, And Nan Realizes She Does Not Want It
Nan St. George was originally brought to London to secure a match that would elevate her status, and with a man who desired to be connected to the thriving business world and robber baron culture of the American Gilded Age. Eventually, Nan’s true parentage is revealed – she is the child of her father and a woman he had an affair with. Her mother reminds her that she was happy to raise Nan as her own, but Nan now knows that if anyone unearths this secret, her reputation is ruined.
While Theo is not a villain, it is clear that Nan feels pushed into a life that she never dreamed of for herself, feels uncomfortable keeping her secret, and secretly loves Guy on a deeper level.
As a result, the down-to-earth and free-spirited Nan finds herself attracted to Theo, whose quiet countenance and status as a Duke ensures the sanctity of her and her family’s reputation. While Theo is not a villain, it is clear that Nan feels pushed into a life that she never dreamed of for herself, feels uncomfortable keeping her secret, and loves Guy on a deeper level. These dynamics at play, coupled with the feminist undertones of the show, wouldmake the runaway ending all the more satisfying as an extension of the character’s agency and a homage to the source material.
While divorce was frowned upon in the Gilded Age and in Victorian England, it was certainly legal. Nan’s headstrong nature would not stop her from treading this path with Theo in season 2 ofThe Buccaneers, setting the stage for her potential union with Guy.
