Titanic Episode 1.1 Parts 1-3 of 4

On Night One, Part One (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), we meet First Class passengers Hugh, Earl of Manton (Linus Roache, "Law & Order"), his imperious wife, Louisa (Geraldine Somerville, the "Harry Potter" films), and their reluctant daughter, Georgianna (Perdita Weeks, "The Tudors") -- a suffragette who's recently been arrested in a demonstration. Also on board, in Second Class, are Irish lawyer John Batley, who works for Hugh, and his wife Muriel. The Mantons' servants, Barnes and Watson, have a brush with their American counterparts, while Georgiana is attracted, despite herself, to young American Harry Widener. Life on board is comfortable for the wealthy British and American passengers in First Class, despite a disastrous tea party with the Mantons and the Batleys which highlights the tensions between Louisa and Muriel. But everything changes after the ship encounters an iceberg and the realization dawns that the unsinkable Titanic is going down. Infuriated by Louisa's air of effortless superiority, Muriel launches a violent verbal attack on her, hinting at a dark secret in Hugh's past. Chaos and panic grow on deck, as Officer Lightoller insists on women and children only and lifeboats go down that are not even full. And Louisa finds herself faced with an impossible dilemma, as she has to choose between her husband and her daughter.

Part Two (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) opens with political tensions in Belfast interfering 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 the Titanic, he accepts. As cabin steward Annie Desmond prepares for the first passengers to board, she encounters cheeky Italian waiter Paolo Sandrini, who is instantly smitten with 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, but there are just too few. Facing death, John and Muriel reconcile, but then John spies a glimmer of hope.

Part Three (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) begins in London, 1911. Winston Churchill is infuriated when Russian anarchist Peter the Painter escapes after a bloody street battle with the army. Cut to April 1912 and Italian ship stoker Mario, who is thrilled when he connives to get his brother, Paolo, a job on the new liner Titanic. The squabbling Mantons' maid, Watson, is seen inexplicably loitering in steerage, and Barnes is shocked to discover the reasons why, while Paolo startles kindly steward Annie with an impulsive gesture. Mary Maloney finally lets her guard down with the mysterious passenger, Lubov, in a manner that enrages her husband, Jim. Their argument is set aside when the ship strikes the iceberg and word spreads that it's sinking. White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay is concerned that the anxious Italian waiters will contribute to the rising panic, and fear builds in steerage as passengers and crew find themselves behind locked gates. Lubov helps Mary Maloney, the Irish mother, and her children escape to the decks, but when his secret identity is uncovered by ex-policeman Evans, Lubov reacts ruthlessly. Passengers scramble for lifeboats, but the Maloneys' terrified daughter, Theresa, bolts back inside the sinking ship. Paolo searches for his brother as freezing waters surge through the corridors.