Charity starts at home." Due to the increase in popularity and the markedly larger budget this season, I was worried that the writers and directors of the series would feel obligated to avoid darker and more harrowing storylines. However, I'm proud of Daisy Goodwin for giving us a grim glimpse of the harsher sections of Victoria's history, where perhaps her rule was far more troublesome and uncoordinated. It seems Ireland is suffering famine due to major complications in economic infrastructure, and the Queen is anxious to send help. However, her Prime Minister is reluctant as it could put his party in jeopardy.
An episode that has the courage to cover morality is always in my good books. The story surrounding Dr. Traill is well envisioned and it gives us a bleak understanding of what the famine entailed, and how badly it affected the population. The show may not be able to depict the scale of the disaster, but the scene where the doctor stumbles across children around their dead mother is enough context to summarise its nature. Whilst we don't spend much with the doctor, we have enough empathy as the audience to understand his situation and why he has decided to help the poor Catholic people in their struggle to survive. We can clearly see that Dr. Traill is the martyr of this disaster, a man who put the saviour of suffering innocents before his faith and personal protection. We've had a lot of scenarios this season where Victoria has countermanded her own minister, but this was the most important, and one that may have defined her reign as someone who's far more progressive and open-minded when it comes to the suffering general public. The famous quote "Charity starts at home" was put to good use, in that the Queen convinces Sir Robert Peel to send aid, after demonstrating that some babies are dying because their mothers cannot provide them milk. The Queen's comparison of her own children was convincing enough for the Prime Minister to change his mind on the matter, regardless of the consequences to his party. As Prince Albert mentions, Sir Robert is a practical man, who stands for political integrity, but it takes the Queen's moral high ground to sway him. There were two smaller storylines also prominent in the episode - one which involved Miss Cleary, the new palace maid, who is personally connected to the famine outburst, as she belongs to a poor Catholic family, and has been using her employment at the palace as a safeguard for her family's survival. This is another example where the writers have shown Victoria's open-mindedness when it comes to the suffering of those in a capacity less than hers. Whilst unbelievable for a maid to be in the private presence of the Queen, it can be justified in this particular context. The other storyline concerns Prince Ernest, Albert's brother, who is suffering physically due to an illness. It is not quite clear what contagion he has suffered, but the fact that he keeps the details from his brother points to his own pride. We are left on a cliffhanger really as the Duchess of Sutherland, Harriet, returns to the palace following her husband's death. This is the same Duchess whom Ernest had been admiring for a long time while present at court. It's the final note of the episode that is the most important though, and similar to episode three, the emotional harnessing is the writer's strength. Saddening though it is, it's also humbling to see a kind man, who devoted his life to helping people, be buried after befalling death for helping those people in the first place. The final Celtic piece of music that ushers in his funeral reminds us that whilst Queen Victoria did attempt to make amends for her government's slow action to aid their cause, Dr. Traill was first and foremost Irish, and his independence from the monarchy was perhaps his defining trait. 8/10
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We're here to do business, not to judge them." Victoria takes an interesting detour to address the international relationship of the monarchy and also to repair the bonds between Victoria and Albert that have been broken since their traumatic experiences. Victoria has gained new momentum in her acquisition of knowledge to better serve her country and to gain the political skill that she has always needed. Prince Albert, on the other hand, is still suffering from the shocking new he received from his Uncle Leopold about his true origins.
The political spectrum has been pretty null and void in this series so far, and it's nice to finally at least mention the consequences of marrying and allying with the wrong people. As usual, Victoria is willing to be unconventional in these matters and sends a direct message to Louis Philippe, arranging a personal meeting. Whilst always loyal to his wife, Prince Albert is less than enthusiastic about the trip, considering the reputation of the French as being rather blaze about their fidelity. Their visit is riddled with complications, especially when Victoria feels self-conscious about her appearance compared to the French Court ladies. There were a lot of small details to treasure this episode. Dame Diana Ring as the Duchess was delightful as always, spouting brilliant insults at the country she claims to be godless. Her delight at returning to England to enjoy a familiar meal was wonderfully observed and acted. Albert's self-portrait was a great bit of introspection for his internal conflict about the nature of his heritage. Also, Victoria taking along her bag inscribed with Dash's name was a nice touch and reminds us that despite her ability to accept her losses, Victoria still remembers those who matter to her. Unfortunately, the story becomes distracted by whatever Daisy Goodwin has planned for Lord Alfred and Drummond. There have been a lot of hints about a taboo relationship between them, but that is all. Equally, Prince Ernest's presence is only minimal, and I'm starting to lose the thread of his role in the story, except as a shoulder for his younger brother. The script is also quite sloppy concerning some of its characters, concentrating far too much on formalities rather than proper interactions between dignitaries. I did, however, like Albert's final, convincing story, whether it was a successful convincer or not. Lavish in production, Victoria has never held back on its appearance and decor. The royal palace in Paris looks wonderful and all the costumes are incredibly extravagant. There's no doubting the effort is creating the perfect scenery for its many characters, and the attention to detail in traditional French customs must be commended. I doubt this will change as the series continues, but I do hope we concentrate more on the larger picture plot-wise, instead of rediscovering the characters in troubled situations. The character development is good, but too much and we're left in the dark about the actual history of this time. As an aside, Jenna Coleman has no need for make-up to improve her complexion. 7.5/10 Sometimes I feel like I'm pretending to be a mother and a Queen, and really I'm an imposter." ITV's soft, historical drama takes a breather to collect its thoughts, but fails to show its mettle in this episode. There are disparate storylines all trying to progress together, but it's too confusing and overwhelming to settle on one at any time. Some storylines are almost non-existent, they just appear briefly for thirty seconds before disappearing into the history books. Albert's game-changing revelation was a surprising and somewhat awe-inspiring development, but the rest was squashed together into something less coherent, and more filler.
Victoria is in turmoil following the deaths of two individuals very dear to her, and now with the added burden of another child to look after, she perhaps suffers the overwhelming pressure of having to be mother, Queen and be equally resilient at both. It's a draining task, and one that sometimes doesn't reap rewards in its wake. It's interesting to see the Prime Minister almost forcefully convince her to attend events in order to keep up the morale of the people and to ensure that the country and its people still respect the Queen. But after a disastrous accident in London, Victoria is obliged to visit those affected and offer condolences. This proves too much for her as one of the victims informs her that he named his daughter after her, reigniting that responsibility within her that she is her Majesty, and the glowing representative and symbol of an entire nation. For Prince Albert and his brother Ernest, times are changing and they start to see the grey areas in their lives. The death of their father is a blow to their lifestyle and their family. Albert himself learns of a devastating revelation, which could be his undoing in Britain (a place where his reputation is in disrepair anyway) as it involves his legitimacy and the possible illegitimacy of his children in a hidden scandal. It seems his Uncle Leopold may have comforted his mother at some point, meaning that Albert would be a bastard. This new information leads Albert into a stupor in which he feels betrayed, and perhaps even an outlaw. Whilst his uncle urges him not to reveal this information to anyone, Albert is still forced to live with it, a scarp of knowledge that could be the death of the monarchy. For Ernest, we're still being spoon-fed a possible relationship between him and the Duchess of Kent, but it has amounted to nothing as of yet. The third main story is a culmination of the last two episodes in which the event of the boy who snuck into the palace unseen was advertised in the local newspaper. The Baroness attempts to find out the culprit for leaking the information, which is eventually wheedled down to Miss Skerritt. Despite revealing that she is an imposter herself and is under the guise of her cousin who was unable to be employed due to an unexpected pregnancy, the Prince is generous enough to keep her position. In truth, I felt this story lacked substance, and there do not seem to be any consequences, despite the fact the public have been informed that there's a security breach at the palace. There are many other smaller elements, too numerous to mention here. This means that a lot of the impact of some scenes is lost because there's a lack of consideration for important events. For instance, the opening of the underwater tunnel is a big step forward for the country, a feat of engineering that it should be proud of, and yet it is mired by Victoria's depression. Whilst the new addition to the animal kingdom is adorable, there's a lot of substance and exposition missing from our characters' lives, and it would be nice if they were shared too. 7/10 Any damn fool can be prime minister. To leave behind a thing of beauty - something like this - something that people will marvel over centuries from now...that's worth living for." One of the better and more emotionally coherent episodes of Victoria, Warp and Weft has enough momentum to cover the basis of two of the Queen's sincerest relationships, while simultaneously addressing the class diversity that was so poisonous during the early years of the British Empire. Whilst Prince Albert continues to cautiously find his way through the unnatural order of things, Victoria finds attempts to help a struggling silk business by advertising its stock to the public with a ball. Naturally, this extravagant event is surmised to be simply the rich enjoying their own privilege, so to speak, as Victoria ashamedly discovers.
There were a great number of comparisons being made throughout the episode for the political diversity of Britain. The montages interchanging between the ball dancers and the protestors outside the palace gates resolutely symbolised the blind humanity of the situation as Victoria, instead of attempting to gain appraisal from the deprived, is admonished for enjoying luxury in her own home. The moment as Victoria watches from the palace window and witnesses the new perspective on wealth is beautifully done. Despite the backlash of the ball, it's nice to see that a few walls between classes are knocked down - once as Victoria learns that the ball was beneficial to the local silk merchant, and twice as Prince Albert decides to increase the palace staff wages in an effort to negate crooked dealings. The most poignant story of the episode, however, is concentrated on the infallible Lord Melbourne as he's given bad news about his health. Whilst his journey to death is heavily foreshadowed, the gradual development is nevertheless saddening as the audience is fully aware of Victoria's closeness to him as both an adviser and friend. My favourite scene is the Prince's meeting with him at Westminster as Lord M discusses the fact that despite all his contributions and successes, he regrets never having been the architect or progenitor of a beautiful building such as the Abbey. It's a defining moment for the respected man who brought about a new age of progression and prosperity for the country. Indeed, this is coupled with Victoria's final gift to him, a scene too emotional to comprehend as Victoria is unable to reveal the fact that she knows his end is nigh. His demise is nuanced by the dying tune of Mozart composition. If M's death wasn't enough, Victoria's most loyal companion, Dash, unfortunately suffers as well due to old age and Victoria finds herself heading speedily into the future with barely any of her past friends for guidance. Where the series still struggles, is it's obsession with the smaller stories and never allowing them space to breathe. Prince Ernest's love triangle between the Duchess of Kent and Wilhelmina Coke is rather unconventional and holds no bearing against other events, even if the Prince's final offering to Wilhelmina is sweet. Equally, whilst Penge's contribution on the comic relief front is appreciated, the general stories around the staff have effectively fizzled out of proportion. Whatever happened to the young burglar and thief was never truly explained. Miss Skerrett's story surrounding Eliza and her baby may amount to something eventually, but currently it's completely ostracised from the main storyline. Production-wise, the show is certainly showing signs of rivalling the Crown, but its writing is still aeons behind, and despite some convincing performances as expected, the overall product is less than on point. However, I felt more connected with the characters this week given the severity of the developments that occurred and the sombre note that it left during the end credits. 8/10 What am I, then? An ignoramus who has to have things summarised by her husband?" The second episode of the second season offers a more light-hearted tone to the historical drama, but also balances a relationship obstacle for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Both are juggling their marital and occupational lives, which sparks a conflict of jealousy and miscommunication. There's a welcome return for Lord Melbourne as well, as Rufus Sewell gives another understated performance as the former Prime Minister. I particularly appreciated an emphasis on science, being a physics student myself. It's nice to see the Royal Society playing a close part with the royal family.
The feud between Victoria and Albert does have moments of incredulity, but it mostly follows on from last week's trepidation. Victoria continues to feel as though the men around her would prefer that she remain in the nursery rather than be in charge of sovereign duties. Thus, it's quaint to see her revisiting Lord M in an effort to find familiarity once again, as a way to countermand the fact that Albert always appears to be many steps ahead of her - especially in his newfound interest in mathematics. The scene discussing the theory of pi was both well written and well acted, giving us a clear sense of the trench that Victoria feels between herself and her husband. As usual, Lord Melbourne has the common sense to interlude their private meetings and give his opinion on Victoria's possible misgivings. His letter is a great way to say goodbye to the old and usher in the new. This is the clarification that Victoria needs to communicate with her husband once again and trust him to believe in her and bury her irrational fears about Lady Lovelace. The final scene between the Queen and Prince is a sublime way of asserting their new trust for one another as they welcome a new child. Other storylines in the story took a more comedic route. The Duchess, played unquestionably well by Dame Diana Rigg, is attempting to entrench her authority in the palace, but finds that things are not going as planned. The whole plot behind the boy loose in the palace was a bit strange and unconnected and without resolution felt inconclusive as a whole. Though it did provide some funny moments with Miss Skerrett's new assistant, Cleary, who fears there are ghosts loose in the palace. I'm pleased that Daisy Goodwin is succeeding in continuing other plot points as well, though sometime with so much to cover, certain elements are rushed. It doesn't take long to understand what's going on with Lord Alfred, but references such as the Duke of Coburg's sexist views and the Duchess' racist ones holds well for the time period. There's certainly enough exposition to ensure that we're fully immersed in Victorian times and are not distracted by any historical inaccuracies. In short, the show is progressing nicely and that we're easily divulging into Victoria's tumultuous life as leader of Britain. 8/10 You must remember. This country has a past as well as a future." The calm, delightful and dignified British series returns for a second season, continuing to tell the story of a charismatic monarch who was perhaps the definition of unconventional. Already, in the season premiere, the production can be described as lavish, with money well spent on beautiful costumes and sets. If there's one thing to count on with this show is that there's no reluctance to dress the place up. Everything looks historically genuine and the cast look as though they're actually wandering the flamboyant corridors of Buckingham Palace in the 19th century.
The plot of the first episode is simplistic, concentrating on Victoria's life immediately after her daughter's birth. In attempts to protect her from stress, her husband decides to conceal the bad news about events in Afghanistan from Her Majesty. Inevitably, this results in Victoria feeling deceived as she is much happier to be informed of everything, including the movements of her army, especially considering that she is a soldier's daughter as the title references. The ambush that occurred in Afghanistan is perhaps short-changed in the story, but at least its impact on the country is identified. Victoria is truly a caring person, and her kind gesture and commendation of the lone survivor demonstrates her kindness. Elsewhere, all the supporting characters get their own interlocking storylines, all equally pale. Mrs. Skerret and Francatelli's relationship is especially frustrating and was never interesting in my eyes in the first season. The fact that they have been forced back together because of cooking troubles at the palace is unjustified. Prince Ernest returns to England, giving Albert a chance to fence again and for him to receive marital advice. Ernest continues to show his charm as he interacts with the Duchess of Sutherland, Harriet. Prime Minister Robert Peel is also getting some stick from parliament for the humiliation Britain suffered for the defeat in Afghanistan. One of the strongest aspects of the show, alongside its sets, costumes and music, is its cast. Jenna Coleman has truly captured the elegance and quirkiness of Victoria. She deftly dealt with the moments of comedy in the script with exquisite precision, and her loss of temper is down to a tee. Peter Bowles is wonderfully open-minded as the Duke of Wellington and offers a contrasting role to the Prime Minister. A new addition to the show, Dame Diana Ring, offers her acting supremacy - following her astounding exodus from Game of Thrones - and she steals every scene as is to be expected. In contrast, sometimes I do struggle to understand Tom Hughes, simply because he lacks variety in his voice. An often majestic, often candid episode of Victoria, just like the attitudes of its characters, but the grandiose of its sets and superb camerawork give it a fine quality. Director Lisa James Larsson makes good use of the money to depict haunting imagery of the slaughter in Afghanistan - even if the images are brief. Its fast-pace sometimes stalls its progression, but there's no doubt that the drama persists and Daisy Goodwin continues to translate Victoria's tumultuous time as monarch of Britain on screen. Her compelling speech at the launching of HMS Trafalgar was evidence enough of their strong connection with British history. And that's the most important thing - just like the brilliant The Crown on Netflix - as long as the show is steeped in British class and tradition, it can't go wrong. 7.5/10 |
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October 2017
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