Episode 2

S1 E2: Political tensions in Belfast interfere with the construction of new liner Titanic, but White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay is dismissive of designer Thomas Andrews’ concerns. Catholic engineer Jim Maloney longs to leave Belfast, and when offered the opportunity of a new life via Titanic, he accepts. Cabin steward Annie Desmond prepares for the first passengers to board Titanic, and encounters cheeky Italian waiter Paolo Sandrini, who is instantly smitten by her. Jim meets a mysterious steerage passenger Peter Lubov who unsettles Jim’s wife Mary, while in the First Class dining room tensions bubble as new and old money collide. In Second Class, Muriel Batley bitterly resents her husband John’s subservience and reveals she knows the secret of Hugh Manton: a secret that threatens to destroy his marriage. But John’s worries are over-shadowed by a looming iceberg.  Captain Smith and Thomas Andrews are horrified to learn the full cost of the collision. The ship has only a couple of hours to live. Chaos erupts in the rush for lifeboats of which there are just too few. John and Muriel reconcile in the face of death, but then John spies a glimmer of hope…